Observation of interface plasmon excitation in photoemission spectroscopy from the heterostructures Cu/RbF/GaAs(100) and Cu/RbF/Ge(100)

Synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectra taken at 100 eV photon energy have been measured to characterize the interface reactions of the metal-insulator-semiconductor systems Cu/RbF/GaAs(100) and Cu/RbF/Ge(100). In comparision, similar sequences are studied on the Cu/GaAs(100) and Cu/Ge(100) interfaces without the RbF interlayer. After Cu-deposition of 1–4 Å on RbF-covered (10–14 Å) GaAs and Ge surfaces, shoulder peaks appear on both the Ga 3d and Ge 3d core levels. The shoulder peaks are shifted 1.1 and 1.4 eV to higher binding energy for the Ga 3d and Ge 3d levels, respectively. The Rb 4p and F 2p peak positions are slightly shifted between 0.25 and 0.5 eV. The broad second Ga 3d and Ge 3d peaks can be correlated to plasmon loss of electrons from these levels in a two-dimensional Rb metal-like layer formed at the Cu/RbF interface. The excitation energy of a Rb surface plasmon in a Cu-Rb-RbF system is calculated to be 1.3 eV.     

脉冲激光沉积Ag:BaTiO3纳米复合薄膜及其光学特性

在MgO(100)基片上利用脉冲激光沉积技术制备了掺有Ag纳米颗粒的BaTiO₃复合薄膜.通过X射线衍射对薄膜的结构进行了表征,利用透射电子显微镜对Ag纳米颗粒的尺寸、形态进行了观测,X射线光电子能谱结果表明Ag呈金属态.在410—500nm范围内观测到了Ag纳米颗粒引起的等离子振荡峰,随着后处理温度和Ag颗粒浓度的增加,吸收峰发生红移,并出现了双峰现象. 关键词： 金属纳米复合薄膜 激光沉积 光吸收     

Fabrication and characterization of nanocrystalline Al,Co:ZnO thin films by a sol–gel dip coating

The consequence of annealing on the micro-structural and electrochemical characteristics of Al doped CoZnO thin films deposited by sol–gel dip coating technique are studied. X-ray diffraction indicates that films have a hexagonal wurtzite structure oriented towards the (100). Optical properties of films are recorded by transmission curves utilising a UV–VIS spectrophotometer. The investigation of the optical transmission spectra indicates that the band gap of the films decrease from 3.99 eV to minimum 3.83 eV upon annealing. All films show room temperature ferromagnetism whose magnetization increases with annealing. Dip coated films possess polycrystalline nanosized grains with porous morphology.     

Polycrystalline GaSb films prepared by the coevaporation technique

Gallium antimonide (GaSb) films were deposited onto fused silica and n-Si (100) substrates by coevaporating Ga and Sb from appropriate evaporation sources. The films were polycrystalline in nature. The size and the shape of the grains varied with the change in the substrate temperature during deposition. The average surface roughness of the films was estimated to be 10 nm. Grain boundary trap states varied between 2×10¹² and 2.2×10¹² cm^?2 while barrier height at the grain boundaries varied between 0.09 eV and 0.10 eV for films deposited at higher temperatures. Stress in the films decreased for films deposited at higher temperatures. XPS studies indicated two strong peaks located at ～543 eV and ～1121 eV for Sb 3d_3/2 and Ga 2p_3/2 core-level spectra, respectively. The PL spectra measured at 300 K was dominated by a strong peak located ～0.55 eV followed by two low intensity peaks ～0.63 eV and 0.67 eV. A typical n-Si/GaSb photovoltaic cell fabricated here indicated V _oc～311 mV and J～29.45 mA/cm², the density of donors (N _d)～3.87×10¹⁵ cm^?3, built in potential (V _bi)～0.48 V and carrier life time (τ)～28.5 ms. Impedance spectroscopy measurements indicated a dielectric relaxation time ～100 μs.     

Optical properties of p-type CuAlO2 thin film grown by rf magnetron sputtering

We report the structural and optical properties of copper aluminium oxide (CuAlO₂) thin films, which were prepared on c-plane sapphire substrates by the radio frequency magnetron sputtering method. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) along with X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirms that the films consist of delafossite CuAlO₂ phase only. The optical absorption studies show the indirect and direct bandgap is 1.8 eV and 3.45 eV, respectively. Room temperature photoluminescence (PL) measurements show three emission peaks at 360 nm (3.45 eV), 470 nm (2.63 eV) and 590 nm (2.1 eV). The first one is near band edge emission while the other two are originated from defects.     

Supersonic cluster beam deposition of nanostructured titania

Nanostructured titanium dioxide films have been deposited by supersonic cluster beam deposition (CBD). Nanoparticles are produced by a pulsed microplasma cluster source (PMCS) and selected by aerodynamic separation effects. The as-deposited film is a complex mixture where amorphous material coexists, at the nanoscale, with anatase and rutile crystal phases. The nanocrystalline fraction of the film is characterized by crystal size ranging from 100 nm to less than 5 nm. We have characterized the film structure by transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectromicroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and UV-visible spectroscopy showing that correlations exist between cluster size and film properties. In particular if very small clusters are deposited, the film shows a predominant rutile phase whereas larger clusters form films with mainly anatase structure. Our observations suggest that phonon confinement effects are responsible for a significant shift and broadening observed for the Raman peaks. In addition, optical gap tuning is provided by mass selection: large clusters assembling generates a film with 3.22 eV optical gap, while smallest clusters 3.52 eV.     

Photoconducting nanocrystalline lead sulphide thin films obtained by chemical bath deposition

A chemical bath deposition method of preparing photoconducting nanocrystalline lead sulphide (PbS) thin films at room temperature (RT) is described. The aqueous bath of lead acetate, thiourea, and ammonium hydroxide produce films of about 100?nm thicknesses in 45?minutes. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies show that these films are nanocrystalline cubic PbS with 10?nm crystallite size. Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) revealed that the films consist of spherical grains of sizes 100 to 200?nm. The transmission spectra of the films show onset of absorption edge around 850?nm and the bandgap is around 1.65?eV. The films are p-type with dark conductivity of 2.5×10^?3?S/cm and mobility of 0.07?cm²/V?s. The photosensitivity is 6–7 for an illumination of 80?mW/cm² from a halogen lamp (50?W, 12?V). Transient photoconductivity measurements reveal short and long life times of minority carriers. Thermoelectric and photothermoelectric studies show that photoconductivity in these films is mainly due to photogenerated majority carriers.     

Plasma-based sputtering of indium tin oxide for the application of photovoltaic cells

Transparent and conducting indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited on soda lime glass substrates by RF plasma magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The effect of thickness (100, 200 and 300?nm) on the physical (structural, optical, electrical) properties of ITO thin films was investigated systematically. It is observed that with an increase in thickness, the X-ray diffraction data indicate polycrystalline films with grain orientations predominantly along (222) and (400) directions; the average grain size increases from 10 to 30?nm; the optical band gap increases from 3.68 to 3.73?eV and the transmission decrease from 80% to 70% . Four-point probes show a low resistivity (2.4×10^?5?Ω?cm) values for film with a thickness 300?nm. Present work shows that the ITO is a promising transparent conductive oxide material for the solar cell application.     

High resolution XPS study of the large-band-gap semiconductor stibnite (Sb2S3): Structural contributions and surface reconstruction

Conventional X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and synchrotron radiation XPS (SRXPS) were used to probe the chemical state properties of stibnite (Sb₂S₃), a large-band-gap semiconductor of complex structure. The conventional spectra were obtained with a Kratos Axis Ultra XPS with magnetic confinement charge neutralization, which is very effective in minimizing both uniform charging and differential charging on this large-band-gap semiconductor. The narrow linewidths (much narrower than previously obtained) for single doublet fits (e.g. Sb 4d_5/2 of 0.57 eV and S 2p_3/2 of 0.63 eV) enabled the observation of a small peak on the low binding energy side of the Sb 3d and Sb 4d lines. With the aid of the very surface-sensitive Sb 4d SRXPS spectra, these low energy peaks are assigned to small Sb metal clusters at the surface after cleavage; the signal for these clusters increases with X-ray dose on the sample.A detailed analysis of the Sb 4d and S 2p linewidths concludes that the Sb 4d_5/2 linewidth is larger than expected based on the inherent linewidth of the instrument and the Sb 4d lifetime width, and on comparison with the As 3d linewidth (0.52 eV) for the analogous As₂S₃. Also, the S 2p_3/2 linewidth is substantially broader than the Sb 4d_5/2 linewidth. These larger than expected linewidths are due to two structurally distinct Sb atoms and three structurally distinct S atoms in the Sb₂S₃ crystal structure. Accordingly, the Sb 4d and S 2p spectra have been fitted to two and three doublets respectively, and the linewidth for all peaks is 0.53 eV. Using recent molecular orbital calculations, the doublets have been assigned to the different structural Sb and S sites.     

Low energy electron attenuation length studies in thin amorphous carbon films

The results of experiments on low energy electrons passing through thin amorphous carbon films are reported. For electron energies between 50 and 3000 eV, electron attenuation lengths were determined by electron transmission measurements through carbon films of thicknesses between 81 and 210 Å. The density of these amorphous carbon films was also obtained by a sink—float method and found to be 1.90 ± 0.05 g cm^?3. The electron attenuation length for inelastic scattering was found to increase monotonically from approximately 10 to 55 Å over the 50 to 3000 eV range. Over the 500–3000 eV energy region, the results are in good agreement with mean free paths calculated using optically measured dielectric functions.     

Influence of electromagnetic radiation on the phase composition of clustered CN<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> films

The effect of white and UV radiation on the phase composition of amorphous CN _x films are studied by X-ray diffraction analysis and visible-range spectroscopy. The films have variable-range atomic order and consist of amorphous graphite clusters (30 Å) crystalline clusters (50–100 Å) of graphite, diamond, and carbon nitride phases; and intercluster medium with long-range (1–2 Å) atomic order. It is shown that irradiation of the films by white light facilitates the growth of fine graphite clusters. Irradiation by UV light suppresses the growth of the graphite and carbon nitride phases, favoring the growth of the diamond phase (1.5%). It is demonstrated that a change in the mesoscopic phase composition of the CN _x films causes a change in the energy gap width in the visible range from E _g = 0.75 eV for the films irradiated by white light to E _g = 1.75 eV for those exposed to UV radiation.     

掺锰氧化锌的结构和光学特性

采用直流反应磁控溅射的方法,在玻璃衬底上沉积了Zn0.93Mn0.07O薄膜,研究了氧分压对薄膜结构和光学特性的影响。X射线衍射测试结果显示,Zn0.93Mn0.07O薄膜都具有高度的c轴择优取向,在氧分压为0.4的时候,薄膜的衍射峰具有最小的半峰全宽,最大的晶粒尺寸。X射线光电子能谱测试结果表明:Mn2 离子已经取代了氧化锌晶格中的部分Zn2 ,但还掺杂有少量的MnO2分子;处在1 021 eV的Zn 2p3/2能级只有单一的Zn2 ;而O2 -则来自Zn-O和Mn-O。由于伯斯坦-莫斯效应,Zn0.93Mn0.07O薄膜光吸收跃迁过程只能在价带态和费密能级附近及以上的导带空态之间发生,其吸收谱线显示,与纯ZnO薄膜吸收谱线相比,产生了蓝移现象。同时还伴随有导带尾跃迁的发生,研究表明,这是由3d5多重能级的d-d跃迁而引起的。经过计算,在氧分压为0.4的时,Zn0.93Mn0.07O薄膜的禁带宽度是最大的,这可能是由交换作用的减弱而引起的。     

Green route fast synthesis and characterization of chemical bath deposited nanocrystalline ZnS buffer layers

Zinc sulphide (ZnS) thin films are deposited using chemical bath deposition method on the glass substrates in an aqueous alkaline reaction bath of zinc acetate and thiourea along with non-toxic complexing agent tri-sodium citrate at 95 °C. The results show noteworthy improvement in the growth rate of the deposited ZnS thin films and thickness of the film increases with the deposition time. From X-ray diffraction patterns, it is found that the ZnS thin films exhibit hexagonal polycrystalline phase reflecting from (101) and (0016) planes. The high resolution transmission electron microscopy studies confirmed the formation of hexagonal phase from the d-value calculation which was 0.3108 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that the Zn–S bonding energy is at 1022.5 and 162.1 eV for Zn 2p_3/2 and S 2p_1/2 states, respectively. Field emission scanning electron microscopy study shows that deposited thin films are highly uniform, with thin thickness and completely free from large ZnS clusters which usually form in aqueous solutions. Atomic force microscopy investigates that root mean square values of the ZnS thin films are from 3 to 4.5 nm and all the films are morphologically smooth. Energy dispersive spectroscopy shows that the ZnS thin films are relatively stoichiometric having Zn:S atomic ratio of 55:45. It is shown by ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy that ～90% transmittance and ～10% absorbance for the ZnS films in the visible region, which is significantly higher than that reported elsewhere and the band gap energy of the ZnS films is found to be 3.76, 3.74, and 3.71 eV, respectively.     

Superconductivity of MgB 2 Thin Films Prepared By CoEvaporation and Magnetism of MgB 2 /Fe Multilayers Studied By Mössbauer Spectroscopy

MgB 2 thin films and MgB 2 /Fe multilayers have been prepared by vapor deposition of the elements in vacuum. X-ray diffraction studies of the MgB 2 samples show preferred c -axis growth along the film normal direction. Superconducting transition temperatures of 18 K and 22 K have been measured before and after annealing, respectively, of an MgB 2 film of 1575 Å thickness. Atomic force microscope images show island growth of the films leading to a rough surface. Mössbauer spectroscopy on MgB 2 /Fe/MgB 2 multilayers of various Fe layer thicknesses indicates superparamagnetic behavior. Evidence is provided for the formation of interfacial amorphous (a-) Fe 3 B. The magnetic ordering of Fe and a-Fe 3 B and the size effect in MgB 2 are assumed to be the cause for the destruction of the superconductivity in the as-grown multilayers.     

Structural,photoconductive, thermoelectric and activation energy measurements of V-doped transparent conductive SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> films fabricated by spray pyrolysis technique

This report investigated the structural, optical and electrical properties of V-doped SnO₂ thin films deposited using spray pyrolysis technique. The SnO₂:V films, with different V-content, were deposited on glass substrates at a substrate temperature of 550°C using an aqueous ethanol solution consisting of tin and vanadium chloride. X-ray diffraction studies showed that the SnO₂:V films were polycrystalline only with tin oxide phases and the preferred orientations are along (1 1 0), (1 0 1), (2 1 1) and (3 0 1) planes. Using Scherrer formula, the grain sizes were estimated to be within the range of 25–36 nm. The variation in sheet resistance and optical direct band gap are functions of vanadium doping concentration. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) revealed the surface morphology to be very smooth, yet grainy in nature. Optical transmittance spectra of the films showed high transparency of about ～69–90% in the visible region, decreasing with increase in V-doping. The direct band gap for undoped SnO₂ films was found to be 3.53 eV, while for higher V-doped films it shifted toward lower energies in the range of 3.27–3.53 eV and then increased again to 3.5 eV. The Hall effect and Seebeck studies revealed that the films exhibit n-type conductivity. The thermal activation energy, Seebeck coefficient and maximum of photosensitivity in the films were found to be in the range of 0.02–0.82 eV (in the low-temperature range), 0.15–0.18 mV K^?1 (at T = 350 K) and 0.96–2.84, respectively.     

Optical diffuse reflectance spectra of GaSb nanocrystals embedded in SiO2 matrix by radio-frequency magnetron co-sputtering

Nanocrystalline GaSb embedded in SiO₂ films was grown by radio-frequency magnetron co-sputtering. X-ray diffraction pattern and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirm the existence of GaSb nanocrystals in the SiO₂ matrix. The average size of GaSb nanoparticles is in the range of 3 to 11 nm. Diffuse reflectance spectra were used to characterize the small change of the band gap of the semiconductor. The diffuse reflectance spectra shows that the absorption peaks have a large blueshift of about 4.0 eV of the absorption relative to that of bulk GaSb. It has been explained by quantum confinement effects. Room temperature optical transmission spectra show that the absorption edge exhibits a very large blueshift of about 2.1 eV with respect to that of bulk GaSb in agreement with quantum confinement. Received: 28 July 1999 / Accepted: 27 October 1999 / Published online: 1 March 2000     

Optical and structural studies on Ba(Mg1/3Ta2/3)O3 thin films obtained by radiofrequency assisted pulsed plasma deposition

Single-phase Ba(Mg_1/3Ta_2/3)O₃ thin films were prepared by radiofrequency plasma beam assisted pulsed laser deposition (RF-PLD) starting from a bulk ceramic target synthesized by solid state reaction. Atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic ellipsometry were used for morphological, structural and optical characterization of the BMT thin films. The X-ray diffraction spectra show that the films exhibit a polycrystalline cubic structure. From spectroscopic ellipsometry analysis, the refractive index varies with the thin films deposition parameters. By using the transmission spectra and assuming a direct band to band transition a band gap value of ≈4.72 eV has been obtained.     

CRYSTALLINE CARBON NITRIDE THIN FILMS DEPOSITED BY MICROWAVE PLASMA CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION

The crystalline carbon nitride thin films have been prepared on Si (100) substrates using microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition technique. The experimental X-ray diffraction pattern of the films prepared contain all the strong peaks of α-C₃N₄ and β-C₃N₄, but most of the peaks are overlapped.The films are composed of α-C₃N₄ and β-C₃N₄. The N/C atomic ratio is close to the stoichiometric value 1.33. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis indicated that the binding energies of C 1s and N 1s are 286.43eV and 399.08 eV respectively. The shifts are attributed to the polarization of C-N bond. Both observed Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectra were compared with the theoretical calculations. The results support the existence of C-N covalent bond in α- and β-C₃N₄ mixture.     

Effects of the substrate temperature on the properties of CuIn5S8 thin films

Structural, optical and electrical properties of CuIn₅S₈ thin films grown by thermal evaporation have been studied relating the effects of substrate heating conditions of these properties. The CuIn₅S₈ thin films were carried out at substrate temperatures in the temperature range 100-300 °C. The effects of heated substrate on their physico-chemical properties were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), optical transmission and hot probe method. X-ray diffraction revealed that the films are strong preferred orientation along the (3 1 1) plane upon substrate temperature 200 °C and amorphous for the substrate temperatures below 200 °C. No secondary phases are observed for all the films. The composition is greatly affected by heated substrate. From the optical transmission and reflection, an important absorption coefficient exceeds 10⁵ cm⁻¹ at 800 nm was found. As increasing the substrate temperature, the optical energy band gap decreases from 1.70 eV for the unheated films to 1.25 eV for the deposited films at 300 °C. It was found that CuIn₅S₈ thin film is an n-type semiconductor at 250° C.     

Photomodulated reflectance study on optical property of InN thin films grown by reactive gas-timing rf magnetron sputtering

The photoreflectance (PR) spectroscopy has been applied to investigate the band-gap energy (E_g) of indium nitride (InN) thin films grown by rf magnetron sputtering. A novel reactive gas-timing technique applied for the sputtering process has been successfully employed to grow InN thin films without neither substrate heating nor post annealing. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns exhibit strong peaks in the orientation along (0 0 2) and (1 0 1) planes, corresponding to the polycrystalline hexagonal-InN structure. The band-gap transition energy of InN was determined by fitting the PR spectra to a theoretical line shape. The PR results show the band-gap energy at 1.18 eV for hexagonal-InN thin films deposited at the rf powers of 100 and 200 W. The high rf sputtering powers in combination with the gas-timing technique should lead to a high concentration of highly excited nitrogen ions in the plasma, which enables the formation of InN without substrate heating. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) measurements further reveal traces of oxygen in these InN films. This should explain the elevated band-gap energy, in reference to the band-gap value of 0.7 eV for pristine InN films.