Electrical transport in La1−x Ca x MnO3 thin films at low temperatures

We report here the low-temperature resistivity of the chemical solution deposited La_1−x Ca _x MnO₃ (x=0.2, 0.3 and 0.33) thin films on LaAlO₃ substrates. The films were post-annealed in atmosphere at 850°C. The low temperature resistivity data has been studied in order to understand the nature of low-temperature conduction processes. The data showed T ² dependence from 60 K to 120 K consistent with the single magnon scattering process. The deviation from this quadratic temperature dependence at low temperatures is attributed to the collapse of the minority spin band. The two-magnon and electron-phonon processes contribute to scattering of carriers in the temperature range above 120 K.     

Scattering mechanisms of charge carriers in transparent conducting oxide films

Scattering mechanisms of charge carriers in Transparent Conducting Oxide (TCO) films have been analyzed theoretically. For the degenerate polycrystalline TCO films with relatively large crystallite sizes and high carrier concentrations (higher than 5 × 10¹⁸ cm^–3), the depletion layers between crystallites are very thin compared to the crystallite sizes, and the grain boundary scattering on electrical carriers makes a small contribution to limit the mobility of the films. Instead of thermionic emission current, a tunneling current dominates the electron transport over grain boundaries. The Petritz model which is based on thermionic emission and extensively quoted in literature should not be applicable. The main scattering mechanisms for the TCO films are ionized impurity scattering in the low-temperature range and lattice vibration scattering in the high-temperature range. The ionized impurity scattering mobility is independent of temperature and the mobility due to thermal lattice vibration scattering is inversely proportional to the temperature. The results obtained from Hall measurements on our ZnO, ITO, SnO₂ and SnO₂:F films prepared with various methods supports the analysis.     

Wärmeleitung abschreckend kondensierter Bleischichten

The thermal conductivity of lead containing a large number of structural lattice defects is measured in the temperature range of about 2 to 20 °K. For the first time it is made possible by means of a special technique to investigate quenched films, which have been evaporated on to a cooled substrate in a high vacuum. The thermal conductivity of these films, which is much smaller than that of the bulk material, increases either by annealing or by increasing condensation temperature and film thickness, respectively. For most of the films the heat conduction is shown to be due only to the electrons. Therefore it can be discussed with respect to the validity of Wiedemann-Franz' Law and to deviations from Matthiessen's Rule in the temperature range of small angle scattering between electrons and phonons. The data of the superconducting state can be fitted to the BRT-expression for electronic conduction limited by defect scattering, if an energy gap of 2? ₀=(4.20±0.15)kT _c is chosen. The very small values of the phonon conductivity, estimated for the films with the lowest condensation temperatures, could result from the high concentrations of non-zero dimensional lattice defects, which have been observed earlier in such films.     

A Raman and dielectric study of a diffuse phase transition in (Pb<Subscript>1-x</Subscript>Ca<Subscript>x</Subscript>)TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> thin films

Dielectric and Raman scattering experiments were performed on polycrystalline Pb_1-xCa_xTiO₃ thin films (x=0.10, 0.20, 0.30, and 0.40) as a function of temperature. The results showed no shift in the dielectric constant (K) maxima, a broadening with frequency, and a linear dependence of the transition temperature on increasing Ca²⁺ content. On the other hand, a diffuse-type phase transition was observed upon transforming from the cubic paraelectric to the tetragonal ferroelectric phase in all thin films. The temperature dependence of Raman scattering spectra was investigated through the ferroelectric phase transition. The temperature dependence of the phonon frequencies was used to characterize the phase transitions. Raman modes persisted above the tetragonal to cubic phase transition temperature, although all optical modes should be Raman inactive. The origin of these modes was interpreted in terms of a breakdown of the local cubic symmetry due to chemical disorder. The lack of a well-defined transition temperature and the presence of broad bands in some temperature interval above the FE–PE phase transition temperature suggested a diffuse-type phase transition. This result corroborates the dielectric constant versus temperature data, which showed a broad ferroelectric phase transition in these thin films. PACS 77.80.Bh; 77.55.+f; 78.30.-j; 77.80.-e; 68.55.-a     

Interaction and localization effects in two-dimensional film of superconductor at T > Tc

The magnetic field and temperature dependence of the resistance of thin Al films have been investigated at T > T_c (T_c - superconducting transition temperature). The results are explained on the basis of localization and electron-electron interaction theory in two-dimensional disordered systems. The temperature dependence of inelastic scattering time and interaction constant for such films is found.     

Thermal properties of 15-mol% gadolinia doped ceria thin films prepared by pulsed laser ablation

Thermal properties of 15-mol% gadolinia doped ceria thin films (Ce_0.85Gd_0.15 O_1.925) prepared by pulsed laser ablation on silicon substrates in the temperature range 473–973 K are presented. Thermal diffusivities and thermal conductivities were evaluated using photoacoustic spectroscopy. The influence of grain size on thermal properties of the films as a function of deposition temperature is studied. It is observed that the thermal diffusivity and the conductivity of these films decreases up to 873 K and then increases with substrate temperatures. The thermal properties obtained in these films are discussed on the basis of influence of grain size on phonon scattering.     

Surface nanostructure effects on optical properties of Pb(Zr x Ti1−x )O3 thin films

Optical scattering properties of nanostructured matter have crucial impact on performance efficiency of various photonic components, such as waveguides, display elements, and solar cells. In this paper, diffuse transmission properties of nanocrystalline Pb(Zr _x Ti_1?x )O₃ thin films with a high refractive index of ~2.5 and optical transmittance are presented. Thin films with a thicknesses ranging from 50 to 500 nm were studied using integrating sphere technique and results were compared to simulations performed by a scalar scattering theory. Thin films were deposited by pulsed laser deposition at room temperature on MgO(100) substrates and post-annealed at a temperature of 800 °C. Structural phase evolution-induced surface effects, which introduced periodicity on the film surface, cause the definite diffuse elements in transmission spectra of the films. Low and evenly distributed scattering amplitudes in k-space were seen for highly tetragonal- or trigonal-oriented films with non-textured surfaces, which led to low diffuse transmission values (T _D ≈ 5 %), while confined and increased scattering amplitudes in k-space were seen for tetragonal–trigonal-oriented films, with phase co-existence, which led to microstructure-induced textured surfaces and increased diffuse transmission values (T _D ≈ 50 %). For highly textured surfaces, scattering amplitudes distributed in tilted ellipsoid shape in k-space was observed. Difference between modeled and measured values was 3.8 % in maximum.     

Grain boundary premelting of monolayer ices in 2D nano-channels

ABSTRACT

We employ molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations to study grain boundary (GB) premelting in ices confined in two-dimensional hydrophobic nano-channels. Premelting transitions are observed in symmetric tilt GBs in monolayer ices and involve the formation of a premelting band of liquid phase water with a width that grows logarithmically as the melting temperature is approached from below, consistent with the existing theory of GB premelting. The premelted GB is found rough for a broad range of temperature below the melting temperature, the two ice-premelt interfaces bounding the melted GB are engaged with long wave-length parallel coupled fluctuations. Based on current MD simulation study, one may expect GB premelting transitions exist over a wide range of low dimensional phases of confined ice and shows important consequences for crystal growth of low dimensional ices.     

Magnetoconductance of Au-SiO2 films

Measurements of the magnetoconductance in Au-SiO₂ thin films show that spin-orbit coupling is dominant at low temperatures. By fitting the data with the theory of Maekawa and Fukuyama the temperature dependence of the inelastic scattering time has been determined to be approximately T>^?1.5. The spin-orbit scattering times turn out to be significantly smaller than those used by Bergmann.     

Amorphous and crystalline IrSi Schottky barriers on silicon

The electro-optical properties of the films are studied by measuring the infrared optical absorption and the yield of hole photoemission across the Schottky barrier to the p-Si substrate. The Schottky barrier height of the amorphous a-IrSi to the valence band of Si is 0.17–0.18 eV. The barrier height of the polycrystalline c-IrSi depends on the degree of texturing of the silicide; the Schottky barrier height increases from 0.14 eV to 0.18 eV when the substrate temperature is increased from room temperature to 400 °C during the Ir metal deposition prior to the 500 °C silicidation. The non-linearity of the photoemission yield observed for the amorphous a-IrSi in the Fowler plot is due to an energy-dependent photon absorption of these amorphous films. An evaluation of the scattering events in the metal films shows that the mean free path for inelastic scattering is λ_in=500 nm in the amorphous a-IrSi which is one order of magnitude larger than that in the crystalline c-IrSi. The mean free path for quasi-elastic scattering λ_qe=0.3 nm, of the amorphous a-IrSi is in the order of the interatomic distance, indicating a localization of the electronic states. Received: 14 November 1997/Accepted: 12 January 1998     

Effect of bismuth on the electrical properties of Pb0.8Sn0.2Te thin films

D.C. conductivity and Hall coefficient studies were made on bismuth doped Pb_0.8Sn_0.2Te thin films in the temperature range 77–300 K. Hall coefficient and Hall mobility are found to decrease with the increase in doping density of bismuth. Films doped with even 0.3 at.% Bi changed fromp-type ton-type due to the donor action of bismuth in these films. Analysis of mobility-temperature data revealed that the lattice and defect scattering mechanisms are predominant in these films. Defect limited mobility is calculated for all the films and it is found to decrease with increase in doping concentration of bismuth suggesting the increase in defect density.     

Low temperature dependence of the penetration depth in YBCO thin films revisited by mm wave transmission and surface impedance measurements

We report results obtained with two different experimental set-ups in state-of-the-art YBCO thin films as similar as possible, prepared by pulsed laser deposition on LaAlO₃ substrates: a surface impedance measurement on 4000 ? thick films using a parallel plate resonator (10 GHz), and a far infrared transmission (100-400 GHz) measurement which requires thinner (1000 ?) samples. The former measurement yields the temperature variation of the penetration depth λ(T) and the real part of the conductivity, provided the absolute value of λ(T) is known. The latter yields the imaginary part of the conductivity, hence the absolute value of the penetration depth, as well as its temperature dependence at the measuring frequency. Combining these two experiments, we establish a quasi-linear temperature variation of λ(T), with a 2 ? K^-1 low temperature slope, and a fairly large zero temperature value λ(T = 0)=(1800±200) ? . The scattering rate of the quasi-particles calculated from a two-fluids model shows that the films compare to good quality single crystals, where twice a larger slope has been found. This surprising behavior is described in detail, including an in-depth structural analysis of the samples in order to evaluate their similarities. We find that the 10 GHz data obtained in the thickest films can be fitted to the dirty d-wave mode in the unitarity limit, with an extrapolated slope of 3 ? K^-1, but yield a scattering rate that is difficult to reconcile with the high T _c (92 K) of the films. Received 7 May 2001 and Received in final form 18 October 2001     

Low-temperature transport properties of chemical solution deposited polycrystalline La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 ferromagnetic films under a magnetic field

Polycrystalline La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ (LSMO) films were prepared on SiO₂/Si (001) substrates by chemical solution deposition technique. Electrical and magnetic properties of LSMO were investigated. A minimum phenomenon in resistivity is found at the low temperature (<50 K) under magnetic fields from 0 T to 3 T. Kondo-like spin dependent scattering, which includes both spin polarization and grain boundary tunneling, was observed in the low-temperature electrical transport for the LSMO polycrystalline films. The temperature-dependent resistivity at low temperatures can be well fitted in the framework of elastic scattering, electron-electron (e-e) interaction, Kondo-like spin dependent scattering, and electron-phonon (e-ph) interaction.     

Two-dimensional spatially ordered Al2O3 systems: Small-angle neutron scattering investigation

The structure of anodized aluminum oxide films has been investigated by the small-angle neutron scattering method. A theoretical solution is obtained for describing neutron scattering from the Al₂O₃ ordered porous structure. Analysis of the neutron-experiment data shows the possibility of obtaining porous membranes with ideally periodic hexagonal packed pores on a large area (～0.5 cm²).     

Structural and electrical properties of fluorine doped tin oxide films prepared by spray-pyrolysis technique

Fluorine doped SnO₂ films have been successfully prepared at optimized substrate temperature of 723 K by spray pyrolysis technique. The XRD analysis confirmed that films deposited with F/Sn ratio of 0.05 showed a partial amorphous nature whereas films deposited with F/Sn = 0.10 exhibited tetragonal structure (2 0 0) as the preferred orientation and polycrystalline structure. The lattice constants were found to be a = 0.4750 and c = 0.3197 nm. The theoretically constructed XRD pattern for SnO₂ was used to compare with experimental pattern, the difference between them is discussed. By using SEM analysis, the surface morphology of the films was observed as an effect of the variation of F/Sn ratio. At low temperature, the mobility due to lattice, polar, impurity, grain boundary and neutral scattering was estimated for SnO₂ and the possible scattering mechanisms were assigned to SnO₂:F films using experimentally obtained electrical data. The Mott parameters were determined by applying variable range hopping (VRH) conduction mechanism for SnO₂:F films (F/Sn = 0.05) where band conduction mechanism shifted to VRH conduction at below about 250 K.     

Self-organization of lamellae and permeability of microporous oriented polypropylene films

The effect of the annealing temperature T _ann of extruded polypropylene films on the structure of membranes prepared by the uniaxial extension of annealed films with the subsequent thermal fixation has been investigated using small-angle X-ray scattering and scanning electron microscopy. It has been shown that an increase in the permeability of membranes with increasing temperature T _ann is due to the self-organization of elements of the lamellar structure of the polymer as a result of the ordering and aggregation of particles.     

Studies of structural evolution and sensing properties of ZnO nanocrystalline films

ZnO nanocrystalline films have been prepared on Si(1 0 0) substrate using direct current (D.C) magnetron sputtering technique at room temperature. The thickness of nanocrystalline films almost linearly increased with deposition duration and the sizes of crystalline grains almost kept unchanged. After deposition, thermal annealing was performed at 800 °C in atmosphere for 2 h in order to improve the qualities of ZnO thin films. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed the surface roughness of the films less than 45 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed the slight evolution of the crystal structures. Raman scattering spectra confirmed the data obtained from X-ray diffraction measurements.With these ZnO nanocrystalline films, prototypic gas sensors were fabricated. Both sensitivity and response of the sensors to different gases (H₂ and CH₄) were investigated. A quick response of time, less than 1 second to CH₄ gas sensor has been achieved.     

Collinear light scattering on dipole-exchange spin waves in inhomogeneous ferromagnetic films

A theory is developed for the collinear TE-TM scattering of optical waveguide modes on dipoleexchange spin waves in perpendicularly magnetized ferromagnetic films that are inhomogeneous across their thickness. It is found in homogeneous ferromagnetic films and in films with small deviations from homogeneity that the TE-TM scattering on higher spinwave modes is strongest when the synchronism conditions for the transverse phases and for the longitudinal and transverse wave vectors are satisfied. When the thickness of the planar optical waveguide does not match the thickness of the ferromagnetic film, the phase synchronism condition is violated with the resultant appearance of an oscillating type of dependence of the TE-TM scattering on the spin-wave mode number. The scattering of light on spin-wave modes in films with a magnetization gradient is investigated in the presence of turning points for the magnetostatic potential. It is found that the existence of a turning point in the region of the antinode for the optical modes leads to an increase in the scattering amplitude. The formation of inhomogeneous magnetooptical structures and superlattices based on (Lu,Y,Bi)₃(Fe,Ga)₅O₁₂ is discussed. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 68, 78–84 (June 1998)     

热丝法制备纳米晶硅薄膜结构及沉积机制的研究

用热丝法制备了纳米晶硅薄膜．通过Raman散射谱及X射线谱，系统地研究了沉积气压P_g、高H₂稀释及衬底与钨丝之间距离对沉积速率、纳米硅薄膜的形成和结构等的影响．计算了沉积过程中的温度场分布．讨论了沉积过程中反应基元的输运和相关的气相反应，以及H在薄膜生长中的作用，由此分析了沉积参量对薄膜结构的影响，得到了与实验相一致的结果． 关键词：     

Persistent spin splitting of a two-dimensional electron gas in tilted magnetic fields

The effect of atomic disorder on the electron transport and the magnetoresistance (MR) of Co₂CrAl Heusler alloy (HA) films has been investigated. We show that Co₂CrAl films with L2₁ order exhibit a negative value for the temperature coefficient of resistivity (TCR) in a temperature range of 10 < T < 290 K, and the temperature dependence of electric conductivity varies as T ^3/2 similarly to that of the zero-gap semiconductors. The atomic or the site disorder on the way of L2₁ → B2 → A2 → amorphous state in Co₂CrAl HA films causes the deviation from this dependence: reduction in the absolute value of TCR as well as decrease in the resistivity down to ϱ(T = 293 K) ∼ 200 μΩ cm in comparison to ϱ(T = 293 K) ∼ 230 μΩ cm typical for the Co₂CrAl films with L2₁ order. The magnetic-field dependence of MR of the Co₂CrAl films with L2₁ order is determined by two competing contributions: a positive Lorentz scattering and a negative s-d scattering. The atomic disorder in Co₂CrAl films drastically changes MR behavior due to its strong influence on the magnetic properties.