Effect of surface contamination on the heat of adsorption of gases on metals

In the infrared surface electromagnetic waves (SEW) can propagate several centimeters over a metal and some ferroelectrics. Therefore SEW can be used to integrate overlayer surface absorption over very much larger path lengths than in the usual transmission and reflection surface studies. Using a continuum model, we have calculated the surface electromagnetic wave modes for a dielectric slab on a metal against a third (weakly absorbing) medium. Unlike previous treatments, absorption has been included and the absorption expected using the two prism SEW technique has been calculated. For a thick slab (1 mm or more), we show that the absorption coefficient of the slab material can be obtained very simply. For very thin slabs both surface-plasmon-like modes and surface-phonon-like modes (including Fuchs-Kliewer modes) are found. A new parameter Δ₁ + iΔ₂ is introduced to describe the thin film absorption. It has the physical significance of an effective susceptibility for the metal-coating-overlayer system. Further, its experimental significance is that for the normalized transmission of SEW between two prisms, Δ₂ is a dominating parameter which can be measured. For the two prism experiments, numerical examples show 50 percent absorption at peak for a monolayer of CO on Pt and a 4 percent absorption for CuO on copper. Applications to the study of thin films, catalysis, corrosion and other surface problems are anticipated.     

Characterisation of nickel silicide thin films by spectroscopy and microscopy techniques

This article discusses the formation and detailed materials characterisation of nickel silicide thin films. Nickel silicide thin films have been formed by thermally reacting electron beam evaporated thin films of nickel with silicon. The nickel silicide thin films have been analysed using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) depth profiles, secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS). The AES depth profile shows a uniform NiSi film, with a composition of 49-50% nickel and 51-50% silicon. No oxygen contamination either on the surface or at the silicide-silicon interface was observed. The SIMS depth profile confirms the existence of a uniform film, with no traces of oxygen contamination. RBS results indicate a nickel silicide layer of 114 nm, with the simulated spectra in close agreement with the experimental data. Atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy have been used to study the morphology of the nickel silicide thin films. The average grain size and average surface roughness of these films was found to be 30-50 and 0.67 nm, respectively. The film surface has also been studied using Kikuchi patterns obtained by electron backscatter detection.     

Thickness transitions in thin films: The equilibrium

The thermodynamic and thickness equilibria of planar solid, liquid or gaseous thin films are described in terms of the film excess chemical potential μ_ex. A general formula is given which relates μ_ex to the short- and/or long-range surface forces associated with the two film surfaces and the dependence of the film specific surface free energy σ on the film thickness h is expressed through μ_ex. The conditions under which the thin films are in stable or metastable thermodynamic equilibrium are analyzed and it is shown that the metastable thin films are subject to thickness transitions involving abrupt changes of h. The thin film thickness equilibrium, i.e. the coexistence between two films of different thickness, is also considered and the film equilibrium chemical potential characterizing this equilibrium is determined by means of μ_ex and σ.     

Growth mechanism and characterisation of chemically grown Sb doped Bi2Se3 thin films

The synthesis of combinatorial Bi_2−xSb_xSe₃ thin films by arrested precipitation technique (APT) using triethanolamine-bismuth, triethanolamine-antimony and sodium selenosulphite as sources of Bi³⁺, Sb³⁺ and Se²⁻, respectively is investigated on commercial glass substrates. The growth mechanism of film formation, composition and surface morphology of the as deposited films were studied as a function of preparative parameters and bath composition. The films were monophasic, polycrystalline and covered the surface of the substrate completely. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis gave coherent elemental composition indicating single phase BiSbSe₃ was made. The good results obtained for Bi_2−xSb_xSe₃ thin films revealed that arrested precipitation technique is best suited for the deposition of large area thin films on conducting/nonconducting substrates to produce materials for device applications.     

The effect of heat treatment on the physical properties of sol-gel derived ZnO thin films

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were deposited on microscope glass substrates by sol-gel spin coating method. Zinc acetate (ZnAc) dehydrate was used as the starting salt material source. A homogeneous and stable solution was prepared by dissolving ZnAc in the solution of monoethanolamine (MEA). ZnO thin films were obtained after preheating the spin coated thin films at 250 °C for 5 min after each coating. The films, after the deposition of the eighth layer, were annealed in air at temperatures of 300 °C, 400 °C and 500 °C for 1 h. The effect of thermal annealing in air on the physical properties of the sol-gel derived ZnO thin films are studied. The powder and its thin film were characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) method. XRD analysis revealed that the annealed ZnO thin films consist of single phase ZnO with wurtzite structure (JCPDS 36-1451) and show the c-axis grain orientation. Increasing annealing temperature increased the c-axis orientation and the crystallite size of the film. The annealed films are highly transparent with average transmission exceeding 80% in the visible range (400-700 nm). The measured optical band gap values of the ZnO thin films were between 3.26 eV and 3.28 eV, which were in the range of band gap values of intrinsic ZnO (3.2-3.3 eV). SEM analysis of annealed thin films has shown a completely different surface morphology behavior.     

Studies on pyrolytically sprayed SnO2 and Sb-SnO2 thin films for LPG sensor applications

Undoped and antimony doped tin oxide thin films of different thicknesses were prepared on mineral glass substrate by spray pyrolysis method via sol-gel route. Both the films show good transmittance in the visible region. Band gap energy of both films lies between 3 to 3.5 eV. X-ray diffraction studies of undoped and antimony doped tin oxide thin films for various annealing temperature show polycrystalline tetragonal structure of SnO₂ with preferred orientation of (110) and (101), respectively and from the XRD data, grain size were also evaluated. AFM images of Undoped and antimony doped tin oxide thin films annealed at 375 °C depict the film thickness and indicate uniform surface pattern without dark pits and with strains of some ups exceeding the specified limit. The prepared films were tested in a specially developed test rig for Liquefied Petroleum Gas detection at different operating temperatures. The response characteristics of the films for LPG detection show maximum sensitivity and minimum response time at the operating temperature 400 °C. Studies indicate that antimony doped tin oxide thin film are one among the suitable candidates for LPG detection with a detection sensitivity and response time (t90) of 11 and 140 seconds, respectively. Paper presented at the 2nd International Conference on Ionic Devices, Anna University, Chennai, India, Nov. 28–30, 2003.     

ZrO2/SiO2溶胶-凝胶薄膜膜层间的渗透行为

 分别以丙醇锆和正硅酸乙酯为原料，采用溶胶-凝胶工艺制备了性能稳定的ZrO₂和SiO₂溶胶。用旋转镀膜法在K9玻璃上分别制备了单层SiO₂薄膜、单层ZrO₂薄膜、ZrO₂/ SiO₂双层膜和SiO₂/ZrO₂双层膜。采用原子力显微镜观察了薄膜的表面形貌，用椭偏仪测量薄膜的厚度与折射率，用紫外-可见光分光光度计测量了薄膜的透射率。对薄膜的透射光谱和椭偏仪模拟的数据进行分析，发现SiO₂/ZrO₂双层膜之间的渗透十分明显，而ZrO₂/SiO₂双层膜之间几乎不发生渗透。利用TFCalc模系设计软件,采用三层膜模型对薄膜的透射率进行模拟，得出的透射曲线与用紫外-可见光分光光度计测量的透射曲线十分符合。     

Deposition and characterization of carbon nitride films from hexamethylenetetramine/N2 by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Carbon nitride thin films were deposited on Si(1 0 0) substrate by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) was used as carbon and nitrogen source while N₂ gas was used as both nitrogen source and carrier gas. The sp³-bonded C---N structure in HMTA was considered significantly in the precursor selection. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the film was a mixture of crystalline - and β-C₃N₄ as well as graphitic-C₃N₄ and β-Si₃N₄ which were not easily distinguished. Raman spectroscopy also suggested the existence of - and β-C₃N₄ in the films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study indicated the presence of sp²- and sp³-bonded C---N structures in the films while sp³C---N bonding structure predominated to the sp² C---N bonding structure in the bulk composition of the films. N was also found to be bound to Si atoms in the films. The product was, therefore, described as CN_x:Si, where x depends on the film depth, with some evidences of crystalline C₃N₄ formation.     

Vibrational spectroscopy of ordered oxygen adiayers on Ni/Cu(001) and Co/Cu(001) thin film systems

We report surface vibrations in c(2 × 2) oxygen adlayers on Ni and Co thin films on a Cu(001) substrate measured at gG by high resolution EELS. For the Ni thin film surface, one phonon peak is measured for varying film thicknesses from 1.3 ML (monolayer) to 6 ML with a constant energy of 221 cm⁻¹. For the Co thin film surface, three loss peaks are found, whose relative intensities change as the film thicknesses are varied. One loss peak at ˜520 cm⁻¹ is tentatively assigned to the Fuchs-Kliewer mode of cobalt oxide (CoO). The other two peaks at 317 and 376 cm⁻¹ are likely related to different bonding sites. Surface phonons on the p(2 × 2) Co thin film (389 cm⁻¹) and a bulk resonance mode (115 cm⁻¹) are also reported.     

Effect of Polymer-Substrate Interactions on the Surface Morphology of Polymer Blend Thin Films: Comparison between Simulation and Experiment

Microphase and macrophase separation phenomena can simultaneously appear in ABA/C copolymer blend systems due to the immiscibility among monomers A, B, and C. In this work, the surface morphologies and compositions of ABA/C blend thin films confined between two walls, which were used to mimic SEBS/PMMA films, have been simulated by a lattice Monte Carlo (MC) method. The effect of the polymer-wall interaction on the surface morphologies and compositions of thin films was investigated as a function of blend composition and film thickness. It is shown that the simulated surface morphologies of thin films resulting from the macrophase separation between copolymer ABA and homopolymer C and the microphase separation between block A and block B in ABA copolymer are similar to the experimental surface morphology of SEBS/PMMA polymer blend films observed by atomic force microscope (AFM). The effect of substrate on the surface morphologies by MC simulation is qualitatively consistent with the experimental results. The composition profiles of thin films are given to characterize the micro- and macrophase separation in thin films. It is indicated that the surface energy of the substrate (substrate/air) plays a crucial role on the surface composition. For a fixed surface, the adsorptions of polymer on the substrate and film thickness are also important.     

用激光分子束外延在Si衬底上外延生长高质量的TiN薄膜

采用激光分子束外延技术,利用两步法,在Si单晶衬底上成功地外延生长出TiN薄膜材料.原子力显微镜分析结果显示, TiN薄膜材料表面光滑,在10 μm×10 μm范围内,均方根粗糙度为0842nm.霍耳效应测量结果显示,TiN薄膜在室温条件下的电阻率为36×10^-5Ω·cm,迁移率达到5830 cm²/V·S,表明TiN薄膜材料是一种优良的电极材料.X射线θ—2θ扫描结果和很高的迁移率均表明,高质量的TiN薄膜材料被外延在Si衬底 关键词： 激光分子束外延 TiN单晶薄膜 外延生长     

Crystallization kinetics in ferroelectric thin films: Viability of atomic force microscopy

The pyrochlore to perovskite phase transformation was studied in lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films. The films were fabricated on platinum electrodes and annealed by rapid thermal processing (RTP). The phases which formed and their location in the film were analyzed using glancing angle XRD and depth profiling was demonstrated. Grain size and structure, nucleation sites and surface morphology were determined with transmission electron microscop (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The role of AFM in this type of transformation study was assessed.

The PZT films crystallized with a (100) orientation which was preferentially nucleated at the platinum/film interface. RTP at 650°C for 15 s was sufficient to complete the transformation. However, columnar grain growth and improvements in the ferroelectric properties were obtained with increased RTP time. A PZT film with RTP at 650°C for 1 min possessed a remanent polarization of 25 μC/cm² and a dielectric constant of ε = 650.     

Surface characterization and microstructure of ITO thin films at different annealing temperatures

In this study, the electron beam evaporation method is used to generate an indium tin oxide (ITO) thin film on a glass substrate at room temperature. The surface characteristics of this ITO thin film are then investigated by means of an AFM (atomic force microscopy) method. The influence of postgrowth thermal annealing on the microstructure and surface morphology of ITO thin films are also examined. The results demonstrate that the film annealed at higher annealing temperature (300 °C) has higher surface roughness, which is due to the aggregation of the native grains into larger clusters upon annealing. The fractal analysis reveals that the value of fractal dimension D_f falls within the range 2.16-2.20 depending upon the annealing temperatures and is calculated by the height-height correlation function.     

氢退火的BZO前电极对非晶硅薄膜太阳能电池性能的影响

采用低压化学气相沉积方法在玻璃衬底上制备了B掺杂的ZnO（BZO）薄膜,通过氢退火对BZO进行处理,然后作为前电极进行了非晶硅薄膜太阳能电池的制备及性能研究。结果表明：在氢气气氛下退火后,BZO薄膜的载流子浓度基本无变化,但Hall迁移率显著提高,这使得BZO薄膜的导电能力提高;当采用厚度较小、透光率较高的BZO薄膜进行氢退火后作为前电极结构时,非晶硅薄膜太阳能电池的短路电流密度提高0.3~0.4 mA/cm²,电池的转化效率提高0.2%。实验结果可为通过优化前电极结构来提高非晶硅薄膜太阳能电池转化效率提供一种简易的方法。     

ZrO_2/SiO_2溶胶-凝胶薄膜膜层间的渗透行为

分别以丙醇锆和正硅酸乙酯为原料,采用溶胶-凝胶工艺制备了性能稳定的ZrO2和SiO2溶胶。用旋转镀膜法在K9玻璃上分别制备了单层SiO2薄膜、单层ZrO2薄膜、ZrO2/SiO2双层膜和SiO2/ZrO2双层膜。采用原子力显微镜观察了薄膜的表面形貌,用椭偏仪测量薄膜的厚度与折射率,用紫外-可见光分光光度计测量了薄膜的透射率。对薄膜的透射光谱和椭偏仪模拟的数据进行分析,发现SiO2/ZrO2双层膜之间的渗透十分明显,而ZrO2/SiO2双层膜之间几乎不发生渗透。利用TFCalc模系设计软件,采用三层膜模型对薄膜的透射率进行模拟,得出的透射曲线与用紫外-可见光分光光度计测量的透射曲线十分符合。     

Preliminary investigations on the antibacterial activity of zinc oxide nanostructures

We have fabricated electroactive multilayer thin films containing ferritin protein cages. The multilayer thin films were prepared on a solid substrate by the alternate electrostatic adsorption of (apo)ferritin and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-2-carboxyisopropylacrylamide) (NIPAAm-co-CIPAAm) in pH 3.5 acetate buffer solution. The assembly process was monitored using a quartz crystal microbalance. The (apo)ferritin/poly(NIPAAm-co-CIPAAm) multilayer thin films were then cross-linked using a water-soluble carbodiimide, 1-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]-3-ethylcarbodiimide. The cross-linked films were stable under a variety of conditions. The surface morphology and thickness of the multilayer thin films were characterized by atomic force microscopy, and the ferritin iron cores were observed by scanning electron microscopy to confirm the assembly mechanism. Cyclic voltammetry measurements showed different electrochemical properties for the cross-linked ferritin and apoferritin multilayer thin films, and the effect of stability of the multilayer film on its electrochemical properties was also examined. Our method for constructing multilayer films containing protein cages is expected to be useful in building more complex functional inorganic nanostructures.     

Preparation and characterization of Mg-doped ZnO thin films by sol-gel method

Undoped and Mg-doped ZnO thin films were deposited on Si(1 0 0) and quartz substrates by the sol-gel method. The thin films were annealed at 873 K for 60 min. Microstructure, surface topography and optical properties of the thin films have been measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscope (AFM), UV-vis spectrophotometer, and fluorophotometer (FL), respectively. The XRD results show that the polycrystalline with hexagonal wurtzite structure are observed for the ZnO thin film with Mg:Zn = 0.0, 0.02, and 0.04, while a secondary phase of MgO is evolved for the thin film with Mg:Zn = 0.08. The ZnO:Mg-2% thin film exhibits high c-axis preferred orientation. AFM studies reveal that rms roughness of the thin films changes from 7.89 nm to 16.9 nm with increasing Mg concentrations. PL spectra show that the UV-violet emission band around 386-402 nm and the blue emission peak about 460 nm are observed. The optical band gap calculated from absorption spectra and the resistivity of the ZnO thin films increase with increasing Mg concentration. In addition, the effects of Mg concentrations on microstructure, surface topography, PL spectra and electrical properties are discussed.     

Low-temperature-processed ZnO thin films as electron transporting layer to achieve stable perovskite solar cells

Morphology and surface property of ZnO thin films as electron transporting layer in perovskite solar cells are crucial for obtaining high-efficient and stable perovskite solar cells. In this work, two different preparation methods of ZnO thin films were carried out and the photovoltaic performances of the subsequent perovskite solar cells were investigated. ZnO thin film prepared by sol–gel method was homogenous but provided high series resistance in solar cells, leading to low short circuit current density. Lower series resistance of solar cell was obtained from homogeneous ZnO thin film from spin-coating of colloidal ZnO nanoparticles (synthesized by hydrolysis–condensation) in a mixture of 1-butanol, chloroform and methanol. The perovskite solar cells using this film achieved the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.79% when poly(3-hexylthiophene) was used as a hole transporting layer. In addition, the stability of perovskite solar cells was also examined by measuring the photovoltaic characteristic for six consecutive weeks with the interval of 2 weeks. It was found that using double layers of the sol–gel ZnO and ZnO nanoparticles provided better stability with no degradation of PCE in 10 weeks. Therefore, this work provides a simple method for preparing homogeneous ZnO thin films in order to achieve stable perovskite solar cells, also for controlling their surface properties which help better understand the characteristics of perovskite solar cells.     

Substrate and chain size dependence of near surface dynamics of glassy polymers

We use nanohole relaxation to study the surface relaxation of films of glassy isotactic poly (methyl methacrylate) (i-PMMA) films. These measurements allow us to obtain the time dependent relaxation function at a number of different sample temperatures for the first 2-3 nm of the free surface in a system often used as a model system for the effect of the substrate on thin film dynamics. The surface is observed to relax at temperatures up to 42 K below the bulk Tg value, even on systems where the thin film Tg is known to be greater than the bulk value. We are able to determine the range over which the substrate directly affects the free surface relaxation, and determine a surprisingly large (Mw independent) limiting thickness of approximately 180 nm where the free surface relaxation is not affected by the substrate. For thick films (h>200 nm) we find an unexpected linear Mw dependence of the near surface relaxation time.     

溶胶-凝胶-蒸镀法制备高性能FTO薄膜

以SnCl_4·5H_2O为锡源,SnF_2为氟源,采用溶胶-凝胶-蒸镀法制备F掺杂的SnO_2透明导电氧化物薄膜(FTO薄膜).通过正交实验研究确定最佳反应温度、反应时间和蒸镀温度等制备条件.主要研究元素F的掺杂和膜的结构对FTO薄膜性能的影响,并采用傅里叶变换红外光谱仪、热重-差热分析、X射线衍射、高分辨透射电子显微镜和扫描电子显微镜等进行样品的性能表征.研究结果表明,当反应温度50?C、反应时间5 h、烧结(蒸镀)温度600?C、镀膜次数1次、而F/Sn=14 mol%时,FTO薄膜性能指数ΦTC最大,综合光电性能最优,表面电阻为14.7?·cm-1,平均透光率为74.4%.FTO薄膜内颗粒的平均粒径为20 nm,呈四方金红石型结构,F的掺入替代了部分的O,形成了SnO_(2-x)F_x晶体结构.F的掺杂量是影响FTO薄膜的主要因素,F过多或过少均不利于SnO_(2-x)F_x晶体的生长;FTO薄膜的结构、颗粒形状、大小等三维信息也是影响薄膜性能的因素,主要表现为分形维数越小,薄膜表面越平整,势垒越低,导电性能越好.