Application of MEH-PPV/SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> bilayer as hybrid solar cell

The effects of oxygen content in the sputtering gas on the crystallographic and optoelectronic properties of 210 nm-thick Zr–doped In₂O₃ (Zr–In₂O₃) films by rf magnetron sputtering were initially studied. The results of X-ray diffraction show that the Zr–In₂O₃ films grown on glass substrates exhibit mixed crystallographic orientations. Moreover, the Zr–In₂O₃ film grown in an Ar atmosphere promotes the appearance of crystallographic orientation of (222). The surface of the Zr–In₂O₃ film becomes rougher as the oxygen content in the sputtering gas decreases; the current images obtained by conductive atomic force microscopy reveal that the surfaces of the Zr–In₂O₃ films exhibit a distribution of coexisting conducting and nonconducting regions, and that the area of the nonconducting surface increases with the oxygen content in the sputtering gas. The resistivity is minimized to 3.51×10⁻⁴ Ω cm when the Zr–In₂O₃ film is grown in an Ar atmosphere and the average transmittance in the visible light region is ∼85%. The optical band gap decreases as the oxygen content in the sputtering gas increases.     

Investigation of the Si doping effect in β-Ga2O3 films by co-sputtering of gallium oxide and Si

A transparent electrode of Si doped β-Ga₂O₃ films for solar cells, flat panel displays and other devices, which consists of chemically abundant and ecological friendly elements of gallium and oxygen, was grown on silicon substrates by RF magnetron sputtering using sintered Ga₂O₃ and Si target. The Si composition in the β-Ga₂O₃ film is determined by electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy peak ratio of oxygen over gallium decreases with increasing Si content. It is concluded that Si substitutes for the Ga sites in the β-Ga₂O₃ film.     

Structural, electrical, and surface characteristics of La0.5Sr0.5CoO3 thin films prepared by pulsed-laser deposition

A parametric study of the growth of La_0.5Sr_0.5CoO₃ (LSCO) thin films on (100) MgO substrates by pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) is reported. Films are grown under a wide range of substrate temperature (450–800 °C), oxygen pressure (0.1–0.9 mbar), and incident laser fluence (0.8–2.6 J/cm²). The optimum ranges of temperature, oxygen pressure, and laser fluence to produce c-axis oriented films with smooth surface morphology and high metallic conductivity are identified. Films deposited at low temperature (500 °C) and post-annealed in situ at higher temperatures (600–800 °C) are also investigated with respect to their structure, surface morphology, and electrical conductivity. Received: 20 November 1998 / Accepted: 6 July 1999 / Published online: 21 October 1999     

Synthesis and properties of In2(Se1-xTex)3 thin films: a new semiconductor compound

In₂(Se_1-xTe_x)₃ polycrystalline films were prepared by a dual-source thermal evaporation technique. The depositions onto glass and SnO₂-coated glass substrates were carried out in a vacuum chamber and followed by an annealing in neutral ambient (Ar or N₂). The structural, morphological and compositional studies of the films were made by X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Raman scattering and optical transmission. Optimum conditions are investigated for the formation of the ternary compound In₂(Se_1-xTe_x)₃ in order to tune the band gap by changing the Te concentration. The film properties as a function of Te amount are discussed. It is shown that single-phase, textured and homogeneous layers of In₂(Se_1-xTe_x)₃ can be grown with x≤0.2 at optimal deposition and heat treatment conditions. For x≅0.17 these films showed an energy band gap of about 1.45 eV and an electrical conductivity at room temperature six orders of magnitude higher than that of the binary γ-In₂Se₃ thin films. Received: 9 July 1999 / Accepted: 25 November 1999 / Published online: 13 July 2000     

Preparation of composition-controlled silicon oxynitride films by sputtering; deposition mechanism,and optical and surface properties

Silicon oxynitride films have been grown on silicon by current-controlled reactive sputtering. The content of oxygen in the films could be well controlled by regulating the sputtering current under the reactive gas of Ar+ N₂ with an oxygen content of around 3%. The atomic ratio of oxygen to nitrogen in the silicon oxynitride film became larger with increasing sputtering current. It has been found that electron irradiation of the silicon substrate induces adsorption of oxygen and nitrogen. The degree of oxygen adsorption was about ten times larger than that of nitrogen. This phenomenon is a key mechanism in controlling the film composition. The adsorptive mechanism might be explained by the phenomenon of surface activation by the electron bombardment. Utilizing this technique, wettability by germanium of silicon oxynitride films could be controlled by varying their oxygen and nitrogen contents. A better wetting condition was obtained from films with large atomic ratio of nitrogen to oxygen in the silicon oxynitride film.     

Synthesis of nanocrystalline material by sputtering and laser ablation at low temperatures

Physical vapor deposition techniques such as sputtering and laser ablation – which are very commonly used in thin film technology – appear to hold much promise for the synthesis of nanocrystalline thin films as well as loosely aggregated nanoparticles. We present a systematic study of the process parameters that facilitate the growth of nanocrystalline metals and oxides. The systems studied include TiO₂, ZnO, γ-Al₂O₃, Cu₂O, Ag and Cu. The mean particle size and crystallographic orientation are influenced mainly by the sputtering power, the substrate temperature and the nature, pressure and flow rate of the sputtering gas. In general, nanocrystalline thin films were formed at or close to 300 K, while loosely adhering nanoparticles were deposited at lower temperatures. Received: 31 October 2000 / Accepted: 9 January 2001 / Published online: 26 April 2001     

Growth by laser ablation of Ti-based oxide films with different valency states

x La_2/3+yTiO_3-δ perovskite (with δ≤0.5) were deposited by the laser ablation technique from Li_0.33La_0.56TiO₃ targets. Their growth onto MgO substrateswas studied as a function of the oxygen pressure. For films grown in vacuum (10^-6 mbar), a La_0.63TiO_2.5 composition was obtained, meaning that Ti³⁺ alone is present in the films, while Li ions are not incorporated under these conditions. This material shows good electric conductivity (ρ=500 mΩ cm). By contrast, insulating films with a Li_0.1La_0.70TiO₃ composition corresponding to the Ti⁴⁺ species were obtained at high oxygen pressures (>0.05 mbar). For all conditions, textured films were grown with different orientations depending on the temperature and the oxygen pressure. Received: 10 September 1997/Accepted: 24 November 1997     

An extreme change in structural and optical properties of indium oxynitride deposited by reactive gas-timing RF magnetron sputtering

The indium oxynitride (InON) films were achieved by reactive RF magnetron sputtering indium target which has the purity of 99.999% with a novel reactive gas-timing technique. The structural, optical and electrical properties in a series of polycrystalline InON films affected by gas-timing of reactive N₂ and O₂ gases introduced to the chamber were observed. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the oxygen content in thin films that compounded to indium and nitrogen, which increased from 10% in indium nitride (InN) to 66% in indium oxide (In₂O₃) films. The X-ray diffraction peaks show that the phase of deposited films changes from InN to InON and to In₂O₃ with an increasing oxygen timing. The hexagonal structure of InN films with predominant (0 0 2) and (0 0 4) orientation was observed when pure nitrogen is only used as sputtering gas, while InON and In₂O₃ seem to demonstrate body-center cubic polycrystalline structures depending on gas-timing. The surface morphologies investigated from atomic force microscope of deposited films with varying gas-timing of O₂:N₂ show indifferent. The numerical algorithm method was used to define the optical bandgap of films from transmittance results. The increasing oxygen gas-timing affects extremely to the change of crystallinity phase from InN to InON and to In₂O₃, the increase of optical bandgap from 1.4 to 3.4 eV and the rise of sheet resistance from 15 Ω/□ to insulator.     

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.     

Study of optical waveguide of barium sodium niobate films on potassium titanyl phosphate

Barium sodium niobate (BSN) optical waveguide films were grown on potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) substrate by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray pole spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that the as-grown BSN films are epitaxially smooth, fine-particled and show small constituent deviation. Both m lines of the waveguided TE and TM modes were recorded. Lattice match between the BSN(110) and both the KTP(001) and KTP(100) planes is examined with mismatch less than 3%. Effective refractive indices as a function of incident wavelength and order of the waveguided modes are studied. A phase matching relationship of k ⁽¹⁾−2k ⁽⁰⁾=0 is established between the first-order and fundamental modes in the BSN/KTP waveguided system. Effective thicknesses for TE and TM modes were obtained to be equal to 0.76 and 0.72 μm, respectively, larger than the thickness of the as-grown BSN film of 0.60 μm. A constituent ratio of Ba:Na:Nb in the BSN film measured was equal to 2:0.82:5.14, slightly deviating from the stoichiometric ratio of 2:1:5, which is attributed to higher relative asymptotic velocity for Nb species and higher evaporation pressure for Na species. Finally, the main factors affecting quality of the as-grown BSN films are also discussed. Received: 26 March 1999 / Accepted: 30 March 1999 / Published online: 19 August 1999     

Direct patterning of gold oxide thin films by focused ion-beam irradiation

For direct writing of electrically conducting connections and areas into insulating gold oxide thin films a scanning Ar⁺ laser beam and a 30 keV Ga⁺ focused ion beam (FIB) have been used. The gold oxide films are prepared by magnetron sputtering under argon/oxygen plasma. The patterning of larger areas (dimension 10–100 μm) has been carried out with the laser beam by local heating of the selected area above the decomposition temperature of AuO_x (130–150 °C). For smaller dimensions (100 nm to 10 μm) the FIB irradiation could be used. With both complementary methods a reduction of the sheet resistance by 6–7 orders of magnitude has been achieved in the irradiated regions (e.g. with FIB irradiation from 1.5×10⁷ Ω/□ to approximately 6 Ω/□). The energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) show a considerably reduced oxygen content in the irradiated areas, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), as well as atomic force microscopy (AFM) investigations, indicate that the FIB patterning in the low-dose region (10¹⁴ Ga⁺/cm²) is combined with a volume reduction, which is caused by oxygen escape rather than by sputtering. Received: 30 May 2000 / Accepted: 31 May 2000 / Published online: 13 July 2000     

Estimation of InN phase inclusion in InGaN films grown by MOVPE

The amount of InN included in InGaN films grown by MOCVD (metalorganic chemical vapor deposition) was estimated by X-ray diffraction measurement technology. The In compositions in our InGaN films are measured as 0.1–0.34 by X-ray 2θ scan using Vegard’s law. The inclusion of InN in InGaN layers was obtained as 0.0684–2.6396% by measuring the ratio of the integrated intensity of the InN (0002) peak to that of the InGaN (0002) peak in X-ray rocking curves. The theoretical diffraction intensities from InN and InGaN have been calculated according to the X-ray-diffraction theory. The values of the InN inclusion for all our samples were less than 3%, which indicated that the degree of phase separation of the samples was low. It was also found that the flow rate of N₂ carrier gas and the operation pressure strongly affected the InN inclusion in InGaN. Received: 20 November 2000 / Accepted: 16 May 2001 / Published online: 27 June 2001     

Preparation and characterization of nitrogen-incorporated SnO2 films

Nitrogen-incorporated SnO₂ thin films have been grown on Si(100) and quartz substrates by reactive sputtering of a Sn target in gas mixtures of N₂–O₂. The structure of the nitrogen-incorporated SnO₂ thin films was studied by X-ray diffraction, and the changes in the chemical bonds and atomic binding states of the nitrogen-incorporated SnO₂ thin films were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was found that the binding energy of Sn 3d and O 1s shifts 0.65 eV and 0.35 eV, respectively, toward the lower-energy side after nitrogen was incorporated into the SnO₂ thin films as a comparison with that of pure SnO₂ film. The indirect optical band gap gradually decreases from 3.42 eV to 3.23 eV, i.e. from the UV to the edge of the visible-light range, with increasing nitrogen flux content in the N₂–O₂ gas mixtures. PACS 81.15.Cd; 78.20.-e; 68.37.Xy; 81.05.Je     

Effect of the oxygen flow rate on the structure and the properties of Ag-Cu-O sputtered films deposited using a Ag/Cu target with eutectic composition

Ag-Cu-O films were deposited on glass substrates by reactive sputtering of a composite Ag₆₀Cu₄₀ target in various Ar-O₂ mixtures. The films were characterised by energy dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction, UV-visible spectroscopy and using the four point probe method. The structure of the films is strongly dependent on the oxygen flow rate introduced in the deposition chamber. The variation of the oxygen flow rate allows the deposition of the following structures: Ag-Cu-(O) solid solution, nc-Ag + nc-Cu₂O, nc-Ag + nc-(Ag,Cu)₂O and finally X-ray amorphous. UV-visible reflectance measurements confirm the occurrence of metallic silver into the deposited films. The increase of the oxygen flow rate induces a continuous increase of the film oxygen concentration that can be correlated to the evolution of the film reflectance and the film electrical resistivity. Finally, the structural changes vs. the oxygen content are discussed in terms of reactivity of sputtered atoms with oxygen.     

Growth and surface characterization of sputter-deposited molybdenum oxide thin films

Molybdenum oxide thin films were produced by magnetron sputtering using a molybdenum (Mo) target. The sputtering was performed in a reactive atmosphere of an argon-oxygen gas mixture under varying conditions of substrate temperature (T_s) and oxygen partial pressure (pO₂). The effect of T_s and pO₂ on the growth and microstructure of molybdenum oxide films was examined in detail using reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements. The analyses indicate that the effect of T_s and pO₂ on the microstructure and phase of the grown molybdenum oxide thin films is remarkable. RHEED and RBS results indicate that the films grown at 445 °C under 62.3% O₂ pressure were stoichiometric and polycrystalline MoO₃. Films grown at lower pO₂ were non-stoichiometric MoO_x films with the presence of secondary phase. The microstructure of the grown Mo oxide films is discussed and conditions were optimized to produce phase pure, stoichiometric, and highly textured polycrystalline MoO₃ films.     

Production and characterization of Nd,Cr:GSGG thin films on Si(001) grown by pulsed laser ablation

Nd,Cr:Gd₃Sc₂Ga₃O₁₂ (GSGG) thin films have been produced for the first time. They were grown on Si(001) substrates at 650 °C by pulsed laser ablation at 248 nm of a crystalline Nd,Cr:GSGG target rod. The laser plume was analyzed using time-of-flight quadrupole mass spectroscopy, and consisted of elemental and metal oxide fragments with kinetic energies typically in the range 10 to 40 eV, though extending up to 100 eV. Although films deposited in vacuum using laser fluences of 0.8±0.1 J cm⁻² reproduced the Nd,Cr:GSGG bulk stoichiometry, those deposited using fluences above ≈3 J cm⁻² resulted in noncongruent material transfer and were deficient in Ga and Cr. Attempts to grow films using synchronized oxygen or oxygen/argon pulses yielded mixed oxide phases. Under optimal growth conditions, the films were heteroepitaxial, with GSGG(001)[100]∥Si(001)[100], and exhibited Volmer–Weber-type growth. Room-temperature emission spectra of the films suggest efficient non-radiative energy transfer between Cr³⁺ and Nd³⁺ ions, similar to that of the bulk crystal. Received: 1 October 1999 / Accepted: 15 October 1999 / Published online: 23 February 2000     

Room temperature ferromagnetism in Ni-doped ZnO films

Zn_1−xNi_xO (x = 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.05, 0.07) films were prepared using magnetron sputtering. X-ray diffraction indicates that all samples have a wurtzite structure with c-axis orientation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results reveal that the Ni ion is in a +2 charge state in these films. Magnetization measurements indicate that all samples have room temperature ferromagnetism. In order to elucidate the origin of the ferromagnetism, Zn_0.97Ni_0.03O films were grown under different atmospheric ratios of argon to oxygen. The results show that as the fraction of oxygen in the atmosphere decreases, both the saturation magnetization and the number of oxygen vacancies increase, confirming that the ferromagnetism is correlated with the oxygen vacancy level.     

Preparation and characterization of GaN films by radio frequency magnetron sputtering and carbonized-reaction technique

Radio frequency magnetron sputtering/post-carbonized-reaction technique was adopted to prepare good-quality GaN films on Al₂O₃(0 0 0 1) substrates. The sputtered Ga₂O₃ film doped with carbon was used as the precursor for GaN growth. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern reveals that the film consists of hexagonal wurtzite GaN. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) shows that no oxygen can be detected. Electrical and room-temperature photoluminescence measurements show that good-quality polycrystalline GaN films were successfully grown on Al₂O₃(0 0 0 1) substrates.     

Annealing effects of sapphire substrate on properties of ZnO films grown by magnetron sputtering

The annealing effects of sapphire substrates on the quality of epitaxial ZnO films grown by dc reactive magnetron sputtering were studied. The atomic steps formed on (0001) sapphire (α-Al₂O₃) substrates surface by annealing at high temperature were analyzed by atomic force microscopy. Their influence on the growth of ZnO films was examined by X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence measurements. Experimental results indicate that the film quality is strongly affected by annealing treatment of the sapphire substrate surface. The optimum annealing temperature of sapphire substrates for ZnO grown by magnetron sputtering is 1400 °C for 1 h in air. PACS 81.40.Ef; 68.55.Jk; 81.05.Dz; 81.15.Cd     

XPS study of the chemical bonding in hydrogenated amorphous germanium–carbon alloys

A systematic study of the chemical bonding in hydrogenated amorphous germanium–carbon (a-Ge_1-xC_x:H)alloys using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is presented. The films, with carbon content ranging from 0 at. % to 100 at. %, were prepared by the rf co-sputtering technique. Raman spectroscopy was used to investigate the carbon hybridization. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) and XPS were used to determine the film stoichiometry. The Ge 3d and C 1s core levels were used for investigating the bonding properties of germanium and carbon atoms, respectively. The relative concentrations of C–Ge, C–C, and C–H bonds were calculated using the intensities of the chemically shifted C 1s components. It was observed that the carbon atoms enter the germanium network with different hybridization, which depends on the carbon concentration. For concentrations lower than 20 at. %, the carbon atoms are preferentially sp³ hybridized, and approximately randomly distributed. As the carbon content increases the concentration of sp² sites also increases and the films are more graphitic-like. Received: 4 May 1999 / Accepted: 24 November 1999 / Published online: 24 March 2000