Nanoindentation and strain characteristics of nanostructured boride/nitride films

The hardness, elastic modulus, and elastic recovery of nanostructured boride/nitride films 1–2 µm thick have been investigated by the nanoindentation technique under the maximum loads over a wide range (from 5 to 100 mN). It is demonstrated that only the hardness parameters remain constant at small loads (5–30 mN). The data obtained are discussed and compared with the parameters determined by other methods.     

Substrate-dependent structure, microstructure, composition and properties of nanostructured TiN films

Titanium nitride films of a thickness of ∼1.5 μm were deposited on amorphous and crystalline substrates by DC reactive magnetron sputtering at ambient temperature with 100% nitrogen in the sputter gas. The growth of nanostructured, i.e. crystalline nano-grain sized, films at ambient temperature is demonstrated. The microstructure of the films grown on crystalline substrates reveals a larger grain size/crystallite size than that of the films deposited on amorphous substrates. Specular reflectance measurements on films deposited on different substrates indicate that the position of the Ti-N 2s band at 2.33 eV is substrate-dependent, indicating substrate-mediated stoichiometry. This clearly demonstrates that not only structure and microstructure, but also chemical composition of the films is substrate-influenced. The films deposited on amorphous substrates display lower hardness and modulus values than the films deposited on crystalline substrates, with the highest value of hardness being 19 GPa on a lanthanum aluminate substrate.     

Microstructural, optical and spectroscopic studies of laser ablated nanostructured tantalum oxide thin films

Thin films of tantalum oxide (Ta₂O₅) have been prepared by pulsed laser deposition technique at different substrate temperatures (300-973 K) under vacuum and under oxygen background (pO₂ = 2 × 10⁻³ mbar) conditions. The films are annealed at a temperature of 1173 K. The as-deposited films are amorphous irrespective of the substrate temperature. XRD patterns show that on annealing, the films get crystallized in orthorhombic phase of tantalum pentoxide (β-Ta₂O₅). The annealed films deposited at substrate temperatures 300 K and 673 K have a preferred orientation along (0 0 1) plane, whereas the films deposited at substrate temperatures above 673 K show a preferred orientation along (2 0 0) crystal plane. The deposited films are characterized using techniques such as grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), micro-Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and UV-visible spectroscopy. FTIR and micro-Raman measurements confirm the presence of Ta-O, Ta-O-Ta and O-Ta-O bands in the films. Grain size calculations from X-ray diffraction and AFM show a decrease with increase in substrate temperature. The variation of transmittance and band gap with film growth parameters are also discussed.     

Elastic stability and electronic structure of tantalum boride investigated via first-principles density functional calculations

The elastic properties, electronic structure and thermodynamic behavior of the TaB have been investigated for the first time in this work. Using first-principles plane-wave ultrasoft-pseudopotential density functional theory (DFT), the ground state properties and equation of state of TaB have been obtained. The average zero-pressure bulk modulus of TaB is 302 GPa. By analyzing the elastically anisotropic behavior and the relative structure parameters of TaB, we found that the crystal cell along the b-axis was more compressible than along the a and c axes. The calculated ratio of bulk modulus and shear modulus (B/G) for TaB is 1.58, demonstrating that TaB is rather brittle. From the elastic stiffness constants, we found that TaB in the Cmcm phase is mechanically stable. The calculated hardness of TaB is 28.6 GPa which is close to the previous data. Moreover, using the Gibbs 2 model, the thermodynamic properties such as the thermal expansion and Debye temperature of TaB have been obtained firstly. At the ambient temperature, the Debye temperatures of TaB are 792 K and 845 K from GGA calculation and LDA calculation, respectively.     

Hysteretic properties of nanostructured terbium films

The hysteretic properties of terbium films subjected to layered structuring by introducing nonmagnetic Ti and Si layers of a fixed thickness (2 nm) are studied in the temperature range 2–230 K. It is found that the variation of the Tb layer thickness in the range 1.5–360 nm and the nonmagnetic layer material leads to substantial changes in the magnetic hysteresis of the films and its temperature behavior. These changes are related to a change in the structural composition of the films, which consists of nanocrystalline, granulated, and amorphous Tb phases.     

Mechanical and magnetic properties of nanostructured CoNiP films

The electroplating technique is especially interesting due to its low cost, high throughput and high quality of deposit. Magnetic thin films are extensively used in various electronic devices including high-density recording media and micro electromechanical (MEMS) devices. Due to these potential applications, deposition of magnetic film draws special attention and it needs a cost-effective process. Electro-deposition being cost-effective, in the present work cobalt-based magnetic films were deposited electrochemically and deposition characteristics were studied. Effect of concentration of organic additives such as urea and thiourea in the presence of sodium hypophosphite was studied. Surface characterisation was carried out using X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Elemental compositions of the films were studied using atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS) and showed phosphorous content was less than 1%. Samples were subjected to vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and studies showed that organic additive has altered magnetic properties of these films. The reason for change in magnetic properties and structural characteristics because of the additives were discussed. Mechanical properties such as residual stress, hardness and adhesion of the films were also examined and reported.     

Structure and physical-mechanical properties of nanostructured thin films

The structure and mechanical properties of nanostructured thin films based on carbides, nitrides, and borides of transition metals are described. The mechanisms of localized deformation of the films during indentation are compared. It is shown that the tendency of a material to form shear bands during deformation can be predicted using the parameter H³/E², which describes the resistance of the material to plastic deformation. The columnar structure of the films is found to play an important role during deformation, which proceeds via slipping of columnar structural elements along the direction of an applied load.     

Optical properties of nanostructured InSe thin films

Thin films of InSe were prepared by thermal evaporation technique. The as-deposited films have nano-scale crystalline nature and the annealing enhanced the degree of crystallinity. The optical properties of nanocrystalline thin films of InSe were studied using spectrophotometric measurements of transmittance, T, and reflectance, R, at normal incidence of light in the wavelength range 200–2500 nm. The optical constants (refractive index, n, and absorption index, k) were calculated using a computer program based on Murmann's exact equations. The calculated optical constants are independent of the film thickness. The optical dispersion parameters have been analysed by single oscillator model. The type of transition in InSe films is indirect allowed with a value of energy gap equals to 1.10 eV, which increased to 1.23 eV upon annealing.     

Composition, structure and magnetic properties of sputter deposited Ni-Mn-Ga ferromagnetic shape memory thin films

Polycrystalline Ni-Mn-Ga thin films were deposited by the d.c. magnetron sputtering on well-cleaned substrates of Si(1 0 0) and glass at a constant sputtering power of 36 W. We report the influence of sputtering pressure on the composition, structure and magnetic properties of the sputtered thin films. These films display ferromagnetic behaviour only after annealing at an elevated temperature and a maximum saturation magnetization of 335 emu/cc was obtained for the films investigated. Evolution of martensitic microstructure was observed in the annealed thin films with the increase of sputtering pressure. The thermo-magnetic curves exhibited only magnetic transition in the temperature range of 339-374 K. The thin film deposited at high sputtering pressure of 0.025 mbar was found to be ordered L2₁ austenitic phase.     

Growth kinetics and properties of nanostructured hafnium diboride films

The composition, structure, substructure, and physicomechanical properties of hafnium diboride films deposited by nonreactive rf magnetron sputtering are studied by X-ray diffraction (including photographic recording) and electron microscopy. The results obtained are analyzed, and the film growth kinetics is revealed.     

Room temperature magnetic properties of ZnO nanostructured films

The ZnO nanorod array films have been epitaxially deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) glass along 〈0001〉 direction. It is found that the film is grown in a two-step process including nanoparticle film nucleation and oriented rod growth. The as-prepared ZnO film shows a dominant diamagnetic signal and a weak ferromagnetic signal at room temperature. The room temperature ferromagnetism deteriorated by annealing in air or N₂. The photoluminescent spectra revealed that the intensity of ZnO defect band decreases after annealing. Thus, the decreased ferromagnetism is likely to have resulted from the decrease of oxygen vacancies and defects in the as-prepared film. Moreover, ZnO deposited at various times showed that defects located at or near the interface between the substrate and the film play a major role in ferromagnetism. It suggests that ferromagnetism can be tuned by changing the defects in ZnO.     

Photoelectric properties of CdS films with nanostructured surfaces

The results from studying the photoelectric properties of CdS films with nanostructured surfaces and synthesized via pyrolysis of thiourea coordination compounds are presented. It is shown that the photocurrent limiting effect is observed in the studied structures at higher intensities of the excitation light. This effect, which is attributable to the optical smoothing of nonuniform barrier relief, could find practical application in optoelectronics.     

硼烯和碱土金属硼化物二维纳米材料的制备、结构、物性及应用研究

随着石墨烯研究的兴起,二维纳米材料得以迅速发展.在众多的二维纳米材料中,硼烯和碱土金属硼化物二维材料由于具有高费米速度、高杨氏模量、高透光性、高延展性、高度的各向异性、大的泊松比和高的化学稳定性等独特的性质,成为研究人员关注的焦点.本文侧重介绍目前硼烯和碱土金属硼化物二维纳米材料的制备工艺、结构、物性和应用情况.首先总结了目前硼烯的主要结构构型和制备及掺杂工艺;其次介绍了碱土金属硼化物二维纳米材料的理论结构构型和可能的制备路线;最后对硼烯和二维碱土金属硼化物纳米材料的物理特性进行归纳总结,同时预测它们未来最可能实现应用的领域.     

Effect of annealing on structural, optical and electrical properties of nanostructured Ge thin films

Ge thin films with a thickness of about 110 nm have been deposited by electron beam evaporation of 99.999% pure Ge powder and annealed in air at 100-500 °C for 2 h. Their optical, electrical and structural properties were studied as a function of annealing temperature. The films are amorphous below an annealing temperature of 400 °C as confirmed by XRD, FESEM and AFM. The films annealed at 400 and 450 °C exhibit X-ray diffraction pattern of Ge with cubic-F structure. The Raman spectrum of the as-deposited film exhibits peak at 298 cm⁻¹, which is left-shifted as compared to that for bulk Ge (i.e. 302 cm⁻¹), indicating nanostructure and quantum confinement in the as-deposited film. The Raman peak shifts further towards lower wavenumbers with annealing temperature. Optical band gap energy of amorphous Ge films changes from 1.1 eV with a substantial increase to ∼1.35 eV on crystallization at 400 and 450 °C and with an abrupt rise to 4.14 eV due to oxidation. The oxidation of Ge has been confirmed by FTIR analysis. The quantum confinement effects cause tailoring of optical band gap energy of Ge thin films making them better absorber of photons for their applications in photo-detectors and solar cells. XRD, FESEM and AFM suggest that the deposited Ge films are composed of nanoparticles in the range of 8-20 nm. The initial surface RMS roughness measured with AFM is 9.56 nm which rises to 12.25 nm with the increase of annealing temperature in the amorphous phase, but reduces to 6.57 nm due to orderedness of the atoms at the surface when crystallization takes place. Electrical resistivity measured as a function of annealing temperature is found to reduce from 460 to 240 Ω-cm in the amorphous phase but drops suddenly to 250 Ω-cm with crystallization at 450 °C. The film shows a steep rise in resistivity to about 22.7 KΩ-cm at 500 °C due to oxidation. RMS roughness and resistivity show almost opposite trends with annealing in the amorphous phase.     

Morphology and electronic structure of nanostructured carbon films embedding transition metal nanoparticles

Inclusions of metals in the growth process of carbon cluster assembled materials (ns-C) induce modifications in the structural and electronic properties of the material. A novel pulsed microplasma cluster source (PMCS) is able to deliver highly intense, collimated and stable beams suitable for producing bulk quantities of cluster-assembled nanocomposite films. Loading of metal nanoparticles into carbon cluster based films is obtained either by mixing a gas phase metallorganic compound with the carrier gas (He) before entering into the source (for example molybdenum (V) isopropoxide), or by using a double component sputtering target (metal (Ti, Ni)/graphite). The study of film morphology on nanometer scale, carried out by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), reveals the dispersion in a ns-C matrix of metallic particles and, in the case of molybdenum containing films, also of carbide particles. Spatially resolved ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy confirms the segregation of metal particles and exhibits evident anisotropy in the Mo:ns-C films, mainly ascribable to the formation of carbide nanoparticles.     

The effect of substrate material on the properties of tantalum oxide films

The effect of substrate material on the electrical characteristics of Ta _x O _y films produced by high-frequency magnetron sputtering of a tantalum oxide target is studied. The effect of oxygen plasma on leakage currents, dielectric permittivity, and dielectric dissipation factor of thin (300–400 nm) Ta _x O _y layers is found. It is proposed to process tantalum oxide films in oxygen plasma to control their electrical and dielectric properties.     

Preparation and investigation of optical, structural, and morphological properties of nanostructured ZnO:Mn thin films

Nanostructured ZnO:Mn thin films have been prepared by sol–gel dip coating method. The content of Mn in the sol was varied from 0 to 12 wt%. The effect of Mn concentration on the optical, structural, and morphological properties of ZnO thin films were studied by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), UV–visible and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). XRD results showed that the films have hexagonal wurtzite structure at lower content of Mn. The diffraction peaks corresponding to ZnO disappeared and two diffraction peaks of MnO₂ and Mn₃O₄ appeared at the highest value of doping concentration (viz., 12 wt%). SEM results revealed that the surface smoothness of the films improved at higher content of Mn. The optical band gap of the films decreased from 3.89 to 3.15 eV when the Mn concentration increased from 0 to 12 wt%. The PL spectra of the films showed the characteristic peaks linked to band-to-band, green and yellow emissions. Besides, the PL intensity of the samples decreased with increase in Mn concentration.     

Structural and optical properties of electrohydrodynamically atomized TiO2 nanostructured thin films

In this paper, we report an alternate technique for the deposition of nanostructured TiO₂ thin films using the electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) technique using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a stabilizer. The required parameters for achieving uniform TiO₂ films using EHDA are also discussed in detail. X-ray diffraction results confirm that the TiO₂ films were oriented in the anatase phase. Scanning electron microscope studies revealed the uniform deposition of the TiO₂. The purity of the films is characterized by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), confirming the presence of Ti–O bonding in the films without any organic residue. The optical properties of the TiO₂ films were measured by UV-visible spectroscopy, which shows that the transparency of the films is nearly 85% in the visible region. The current–voltage (I–V) curve of the TiO₂ thin films shows a nearly linear behavior with 45 mΩ?cm of electrical resistivity. These results suggest that TiO₂ thin films deposited via the EHDA method possess promising applications in optoelectronic devices.     

Effect of a substrate on the composition,structure, and hardness of nitride and boride films produced by ion deposition methods

The effect of the substrate material on the structural-phase state and hardness of nitride and boride films is studied by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and secondaryon mass spectrometry. The degree of this effect is found to depend on the deposition method, which determines the energy of ions incident on a substrate and their energy of binding to substrate atoms.