Effect of amorphous C films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering on smoothing K9 glass substrate

Soft X-ray multilayer reflectors must be deposited on super-smooth surface such as super-polished silicon wafers or glasses, which are complicate, time-consuming and expensive to produce. To overcome this shortage, C films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering were considered to smooth the K9 glass substrates’ surface in the present paper. The structure of C films was systematically studied by XRD and Raman spectrum. The surface morphology and rms-roughness were obtained by AFM. Then, we calculated the impact of the C layers on the reflectivity curve of Mo/Si soft X-ray multilayer reflector around 13.5 nm. The C films exhibit typical amorphous state. With the increasing of power and thickness, the content of sp3 hybrid bonding decreases while the amount or size of well-organized graphite clusters increases. The surface rms-roughness decreases from 2.4 nm to 0.62 nm after smoothed by an 80 nm thick C layer deposited in 500 W, which is the smoothest C layer surface we have obtained. The calculation results show that the theoretical normal incidence reflectivity of Mo/Si multilayer at 13.5 nm increases from 7% to 63%.     

Cu-In-O composite thin films deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering

Cu-In-O composite thin films were deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV/vis spectrophotometer, four-probe measurement and Seebeck effect measurement, etc. The samples contain Cu, In and O. The ratios of Cu to In and O to In increase with increase in O₂ flow rates. The ratio of Cu to In is over 1 and this suggests that Cu is in excess. The obtained Cu-In-O thin films are very possibly made of rhombohedral In₂O₃ and monoclinic CuO. Transmittance of the films decreases with increase in O₂ flow rate. The decrease in transmittance results from increase in Cu content in the films. The optical band gap of all the samples is estimated to be 4.1-4.4 eV, which is larger than those of In₂O₃ and CuO. The sheet resistance of the films decreases with increase in O₂ flow rate. Conductivity of the films is a little low, due to the addition of Cu and the poor crystalline quality of the film. The conduction behavior of the films is similar to that of In₂O₃ and the conduction mechanism of Cu-In-O thin films is through O vacancy.     

Crystal orientation control of polycrystalline TiN thin films using ZnO under layers deposited by magnetron sputtering

The effect of ZnO under layers on crystal growth of TiN thin films was investigated. TiN single layers and double-layered ZnO/TiN thin films were deposited on soda-lime-silicate glass substrates by magnetron sputtering. XRD analysis indicated that TiN single layers exhibited {1 1 1} preferred orientation on glass substrates; on the other hand, the TiN thin films with {1 0 0} preferred orientation were obtained using ZnO under layers and crystallized better than the TiN single layers. This crystal orientation change of TiN thin films should come from heteroepitaxial-like growth because the TiN{1 0 0} and ZnO{0 0 1} crystal lattice planes have similar atomic arrangements. Besides, the possible mismatch between TiN and ZnO atomic arrangements was estimated to be 7.8%. Furthermore, the resistivity and optical absorbance of TiN thin films decreased when they were deposited on ZnO under layers. It can be considered that electrical and optical properties should be improved due to the well-crystallization of TiN thin films using ZnO under layers.     

The effect of hydrogen on copper nitride thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering

Copper nitride thin films were deposited on Si (1 0 0) wafers by reactive magnetron sputtering at various H₂/N₂ ratios. X-ray diffraction measurements show that the films are composed of Cu₃N crystallites with anti-ReO₃ structure and exhibit preferred orientation of [1 0 0] direction. Although the relative composition of the films has obviously changes with the H₂/N₂ ratios, the orientations of the films keep almost no changes. However, the grain size, lattice parameter and composition of the films are strongly dependent on the H₂/N₂ ratios. The copper nitride films prepared at 10% H₂/N₂ ratios show poor stability and large weight gain compared to the copper nitride films prepared at 0% H₂/N₂ ratios.     

Tuning stress-induced magnetic anisotropy and high frequency properties of FeCo films deposited on different curvature substrates

It is important to control magnetic anisotropy of ferromagnetic materials. In this work, FeCo thin films are deposited on the curving substrates by electrochemical deposition to adjust the stress-induced magnetic anisotropy. The compressive stress is produced in the as-deposited films after the substrates are flattened. A simplified theoretical model of ferromagnetic resonance is utilized to measure the intrinsic magnetic anisotropy field and saturation magnetization. The results show that the stress-induced magnetic anisotropy and the resonance frequency increase with the increase of substrate curvature. The induced easy axis is perpendicular to the compressive stress direction.     

Indium zinc oxide thin films deposited by sputtering at room temperature

The deposition of amorphous indium zinc oxide (IZO) thin films on glass substrates with n-type carrier concentrations between 10¹⁴ and 3 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³ by sputtering from single targets near room temperature was investigated as a function of power and process pressure. The resistivity of the films with In/Zn of ∼0.7 could be controlled between 5 × 10⁻³ and 10⁴ Ω cm by varying the power during deposition. The corresponding electron mobilities were 4-18 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹.The surface root-mean-square roughness was <1 nm under all conditions for film thicknesses of 200 nm. Thin film transistors with 1 μm gate length were fabricated on these IZO layers, showing enhancement mode operation with good pitch-off characteristics, threshold voltage 2.5 V and a maximum transconductance of 6 mS/mm. These films look promising for transparent thin film transistor applications.     

A torque magnetometer for thin films applications

We describe the development of an automatic torque magnetometer based on a torsion pendulum. The instrument uses the capacitive arrange developed by Randall D. Peters, Rev. Sci. Instr. 60 (8), 2789 (1989), as sample's angular position sensor. The instrument performance is illustrated by measuring the in plane magnetic anisotropy of Co thin films and systems with exchange-bias. It possesses a sensitivity of 10^?10 Nm and is capable to determine anisotropy constants in magnetic films as thin as 3 nm. The instrument design and the measurement procedures are presented.     

Properties of Eu-doped zinc oxide thin films grown on glass substrates by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering

Eu-doped ZnO (EZO) thin films were prepared on glass substrates at various growth temperatures by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. The properties of deposited thin films showed a significant dependence on the growth temperature. The preferential growth orientation of all the thin films was occurred along the ZnO (002) plane. The maximum crystallite size and the minimum average transmittance in the wavelength range of 450–1100 nm were observed for the EZO thin film deposited at 25 °C. A red shift of the optical band gap was observed in the growth temperature range of 25–300 °C. The highest figure of merit, an index for evaluating the performance of transparent conducting thin films, was obtained at 200 °C of growth temperature. These results indicated that the high-quality EZO film was obtained at a growth temperature of 200 °C.     

Physical and electrochemical study of platinum thin films deposited by sputtering and electrochemical methods

In this work platinum thin films deposited by sputtering and electrochemical methods were characterized through physical and electrochemical analysis. The as-grown platinum thin films were characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM); scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. Structural studies indicated that platinum thin films were polycrystalline. Morphological characteristics were significantly affected by the substrate type and synthesis method. Finally the EIS analysis indicated that platinum films were electrochemically stable and present both low resistance of charge transfer and low series resistance; the equivalent circuit of platinum interface has been proposed.     

Growth, structural, and magnetic properties of iron nitride thin films deposited by dc magnetron sputtering

FeN thin films were deposited on glass substrates by dc magnetron sputtering at different Ar/N₂ discharges. The composition, structure and the surface morphology of the films were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Films deposited at different nitrogen pressures exhibited different structures with different nitrogen contents, and the surface roughness depended on the mechanism of the film growth. Saturation magnetization and coercivity of all films were determined using superconducting quantum interference device, which showed that if N₂/(Ar+N₂) flow ratio was equal to or larger than 30% the nonmagnetic single-phase γ″-FeN appeared. If N₂/(Ar+N₂) flow ratio was less than 10%, the films consisted of the mixed phases of FeN_0.056 and γ′-Fe₁₆N₂, whose saturation magnetizations were larger than that of -Fe. If N₂/(Ar+N₂) flow ratio was 10%, the phases of γ′-Fe₄N and -Fe₃N appeared, whose saturation magnetizations were lower than that of -Fe.     

Influence of substrate temperature on the optical and piezoelectric properties of ZnO thin films deposited by rf magnetron sputtering

In this study, ZnO thin films were fabricated using the rf magnetron sputtering method and their piezoelectrical and optical characteristics were investigated for various substrate temperatures. The ZnO thin film has the largest crystallization orientation for the (0 0 2) peak and the smallest FWHM value of 0.56° at a substrate temperature of 200 °C. The surface morphology shows a relatively dense surface structure at 200 °C compared to the other substrate temperatures. The surface roughness shows the smallest of 1.6 nm at a substrate temperature of 200 °C. The piezoelectric constant of the ZnO thin film measured using the pneumatic loading method (PLM) has a maximum value of 11.9 pC/N at a substrate temperature of 200 °C. The transmittance of the ZnO thin film measured using spectrophotometry with various substrate temperatures ranged from 75 to 93% in the visible light region. By fitting the refractive index from the transmittance to the Sellmeir dispersion relation, we can predict the refractive index of the ZnO thin film according to the wavelength. In the visible light range, the refraction index of the ZnO thin film deposited at a substrate temperature of 200 °C is the range of 1.88-2.08.     

Co-based nanogranular thin films on flexible substrate for gigahertz applications

The Co-based granular thin films were deposited on the flexible substrate (Kapton) by magnetron sputtering. The films comprise of Co nanocrystallites and small amount of amorphous (Al,O)-rich inter-granular phase and have the electric resistivities in the range 50–120 μΩ cm, depending on the composition and thickness. The as-deposited films with thickness <80 nm have low coercivity (<20 Oe along hard direction), high permeability (up to 500) and resonance frequency up to 2.5 GHz. Compared to the rigid films, the flexible films have relatively higher coercivity and lower resonance frequency. A comparison between Co-based granular films and FeTaN continuous films has also been discussed.     

Nanocrystalline titanium carbide thin films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering

We investigated the structure and composition of titanium carbide thin films deposited by the reactive magnetron sputter ion plating process as a function of deposition parameters. The films were sputtered onto unheated glass substrates by means of an unbalanced planar d.c. magnetron equipped with a titanium target using a mixture of argon and methane. The deposition parameters ranged from 0.05 Pa to 2 Pa for total working gas pressurep _T, from 10% to 60% (volume) for relative methane concentration in the working gas mixture, from 45 mm to 85 mm for the substrate-to-target distanced _s-t and from −50V to −800V for the substrate biasU _S. It was found that the crystallinity of the thin films strongly decreases with increasingp _T,d _s-t andU _S. The experiments described show the conditions necessary to obtain sputter-deposited nanocrystalline titanium carbide films. This work has been partially supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic under Grant No. 106/96/K245 and by the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic under Grant No. VS96 059.     

Magnetic properties of ErN films

We report a magnetization study of stoichiometric ErN nanocrystalline films grown on Si and protected by a GaN passivating layer. According to the temperature dependence of the resistivity the films are heavily doped semiconductors. Above 100 K the magnetization data fit well to a Curie-Weiss behavior with a moment expected within the free-ion Er³⁺ multiplet. Below 50 K the Curie-Weiss plot steepens to an effective moment corresponding to that in the crystal-field determined quartet ground state, and develops a clear paramagnetic Curie-Weiss temperature of about 4.5 K. Zero-field- and field-cooled magnetization curves and the AC susceptibility firmly establish a ferromagnetic ground state within that multiplet below a Curie temperature of . Due to the (1 1 1) texture of the film the comparison between the magnetization behavior, when the field is applied parallel and perpendicular to the film plane, gives new information about the magnetic structure. An arrangement of the moments according to the model derived from neutron diffraction for bulk HoN is strongly suggested.     

Superconducting and structural properties of YBaCuO thin films deposited by inverted cylindrical magnetron sputtering

Thin films of YBaCuO have been deposited onto Al₂O₃, MgO, SrTiO₃ and ZrO₂ substrates by inverted cylindrical magnetron sputtering. The main advantage of this preparation technique is the high reproducibility of the results allowing systematic studies of the film properties as a function of deposition parameters. Optimum preparation conditions were a low discharge voltage (100 V), a high oxygen partial pressure (2×10^–1 Torr) in an oxygen argon mixture, and substrate temperatures around 800°C. The films grow highly textured on all substrates yielding single crystalline growth on SrTiO₃ and MgO as proved by X-ray diffraction and channeling. The zero resistance values of the sharp transtions usually are around 90 K. highest critical current densities were determined in films grown on MgO and SrTiO₃ with values up to 5.5×10⁶ A/cm² at 77 K.     

衬底温度对反应磁控溅射W掺杂ZnO薄膜的微观结构及光电性能的影响

采用直流脉冲反应磁控溅射方法生长W掺杂ZnO（WZO）透明导电氧化物薄膜并研究了衬底温度对薄膜微观结构、组分、表面形貌以及光电性能的影响.实验结果表明,WZO薄膜具有良好的（002）晶面择优取向,且适当的衬底温度是制备优质WZO薄膜的关键因素.随着衬底温度升高,薄膜表面粗糙度先增大后减小;衬底温度较高时,薄膜的结构致密,结晶质量好,电子迁移率高.当衬底温度为325℃时,WZO薄膜获得最低电阻率9.25×10^-3Ω·cm,方块电阻为56.24Ω/□,迁移率为11.8 cm² V^-1·s^-1,其在可见光及近红外区域（400—1500 nm）范围的平均透过率达到85.7%.     

Aluminium-induced crystallization of amorphous silicon films deposited by DC magnetron sputtering on glasses

Amorphous silicon (a-Si) and hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films were deposited by DC magnetron sputtering technique with argon and hydrogen plasma mixture on Al deposited by thermal evaporation on glass substrates. The a-Si/Al and a-Si:H/Al thin films were annealed at different temperatures ranging from 250 to 550 °C during 4 h in vacuum-sealed bulb. The effects of annealing temperature on optical, structural and morphological properties of as-grown as well as the vacuum-annealed a-Si/Al and a-Si:H/Al thin films are presented in this contribution. The averaged transmittance of a-Si:H/Al film increases upon increasing the annealing temperature. XRD measurements clearly evidence that crystallization is initiated at 450 °C. The number and intensity of diffraction peaks appearing in the diffraction patterns are more important in a-Si:H/Al than that in a-Si/Al layers. Results show that a-Si:H films deposited on Al/glass crystallize above 450 °C and present better crystallization than the a-Si layers. The presence of hydrogen induces an improvement of structural properties of poly-Si prepared by aluminium-induced crystallization (AIC).