Time resolved spectra of optical and electrical transient response induced by nanosecond laser pulses in amorphous AgInSbTe films

The phase transition dynamics of amorphous Ag₈In₁₄Sb₅₅Te₂₃ (AIST) thin films induced by single nanosecond laser pulses were studied by transient optical reflectivity and electrical resistance measurements with nanosecond resolution. Phase transition driven by nanosecond laser pulses can be achieved in a proper fluence range on AIST thin films. The results show that phase transition dynamics driven by nanosecond laser pulses was a multi-stage optical evolution process involving melt, solidification, recalescence, and recrystallion. However, it was found that the real-time responses of optical and electrical signals were quite different under the same irradiated condition. The recalescence process reflected by the second rising of optical reflectivity will not result in obvious changes in electrical resistance. The dependence of saturated time determined by optical and electrical evolution curve on laser pulse fluence was compared and analyzed. A two-dimensional percolation model was employed to explain the difference between electrical and optical transient responses.     

The band structure and electronic properties of sulphur nitride polymer

A semiempirical calculation of the energy band structure of (SN)_x has been made on a tight-binding model with three p orbitals per atom. An important feature is that the Fermi level crosses two overlapping conduction bands. Measurements are reported of the optical transmission spectrum between 0.2 and 4.0 eV in thin films, the free carrier reflectivity in thick films, and the hydrostatic pressure dependence of the conductivity to 15 kbar. The calculated band structure accounts for experimental results connected with interband transitions (optical absorption) and intraband effects (metallic conductivity, reflectivity, specific heat).     

Ellipsometric study of a-Be3N2 thin films prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

The ellipsometric characterizations of amorphous beryllium nitride (a-Be₃N₂) thin films deposited on Si (1 0 0) and quartz at temperature <50 °C using reactive RF sputtering deposition were examined in the wavelength range 280-1600 nm. X-ray diffraction of the films showed no structure, suggesting the Be₃N₂ films grown on the substrates are amorphous. The composition and chemical structures of the amorphous thin films were determined by using electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis. The surface morphology of a-Be₃N₂ was characterized by atomic force microscopy. The thicknesses and optical constants of the films were derived from spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements. The variation of the optical constants with thickness of the deposited films has been investigated. From the angle dependence of the polarized reflectivity we deduced a Brewster angle of 64°. At any angle of incidence, the a-Be₃N₂ shown high transmissivity (80-99%) and low reflectivity (<18%) in the visible and near infrared regions. Hence, the a-Be₃N₂ could be a good candidate for antireflection optical coatings under conditions of optimized the type of polarization and the angle of incidence.     

High Reflection Ge_(0.45)Te_(0.55) Recording Films

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Role of surface defects and microstructure in infrared optical properties of thermochromic VO2 materials

Thermochromic vanadium dioxide VO₂ exhibits a semi-conducting to metallic phase transition at T_c=68 °C, involving strong variations in optical transmittance, reflectance and emissivity. However, the optical contrasts observed in thin films or nanostructured compacted samples seem to depend on both surface microstructure and surface crystal texture. In the case of opaque materials, surface defects might play a drastic role in optical reflectivity. As the high temperature metallic phase of VO₂ is opaque for infrared radiations, we used aluminum samples as standards allowing us to correlate reflectivity responses with porosity and surface defects. Then, various polycrystalline and nanostructured VO₂ samples compacted at various pressures and presenting variable surface roughness were prepared. Thin films were deposited by radio frequency sputtering process. The samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Optical properties (reflectance and emissivity) were analyzed above and below the transition temperature, making use of specific FTIR equipments. In thin films, the deposited VO₂ phase was systematically oriented and surface porosity was very weak. In polycrystalline samples, as the compaction pressure increased, surface porosity decreased, and infrared optical contrast increased. In such samples, preferred orientations were favored for low applied pressures. These features clearly show that the main parameters conditioning the optical contrast should be the surface defects and porosity, not the preferred crystal orientations. As an additional interesting result, the surfaces formed from compacted nanocrystalline VO₂ powders present improved optical contrast for reflectance and emissivity properties.     

Annealing effects on microstructural and optical properties of Nanostructured-TiO2 thin films prepared by sol-gel technique

In this paper we report on the effect of annealing on the microsctructural and optoelectronic properties of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films prepared using sol-gel method onto silicon (Si) (100) and quartz substrates. The annealing temperatures range from 200 to 1000 °C. The Microstructural properties of annealed thin films were investigated by Thermal gravimetric analyses (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman Spectroscopy. The surface morphology of the film was examined using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) method. The optical properties of TiO₂ thin films were characterized using UV-VIS and Spectroscopic ellipsometry. The results have shown that the TiO₂ thin films persist in the anatase phase even after annealing at 800 °C. The phase transformation from anatase to rutile occurred only when the films were annealed at 1000 °C. AFM studies revealed nanocrystalline structure where their shape and density depend strongly on the annealing temperatures. The elaborated nanostructured-TiO₂ thin films present a high transparency in the visible range. Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) study was used to determine the effect of annealing temperature on the thickness and on the optical constant of TiO₂ thin films. Spectroscopic ellipsometry and UV-VIS shows that the band gap of TiO₂ thin films was found to decrease when the annealing temperature increases. The Anatase phase was find to show higher photocatalytic activity than the rutile one.     

Direct Monitoring of Thickness and Refractive Index of Optical Thin Film Deposited on Fiber End-face

We propose a system for depositing thin films on waveguides which enables low-temperature deposition and precise control of the refractive index and film thickness. It is composed of a conventional ion-beam sputtering (IBS) system and a new system for directly monitoring film characteristics during deposition. We controlled refractive indices over a wide range from 1.52 to 1.97 by moving the sputtering targets (SiO₂ and Si₃N₄) in the IBS system. The refractive index or film thickness was in-situ monitored by observing the optical power reflected from the end-face of a monitoring fiber set in the deposition chamber. Antireflection coating films were successfully deposited on a fiber end-face and a laser diode chip facet with low reflectivity from 0.05 to 0.07%. This deposition system is attractive for constructing highly functional optical devices for future photonic networks.     

Compositional stability in GeO x and SbO x thin films for optical-storage applications

Laser-induced transformations (optical and compositional) of amorphousMO _x thin films are studied as a function of the oxygen content and the nature of theM element,M being either a semiconductor (Ge) or a semi-metal (Sb). A high optical contrast in reflectivity is always found associated to the first laser pulses, this process being unaffected by the presence of oxygen. Next pulses lead to a process which may involve optical changes depending on the environmental conditions. Whereas the former optical changes are most likely related to a structural process which is completed before oxidation starts, the latter ones occur when irradiating at high oxygen pressures (1.2 bar) and thus they are easily related to an oxidation process. At low oxygen pressures (close to the oxygen partial pressure in air), the films show a good compositional stability upon irradiation together with a high optical contrast.     

GeSb_2Te_4相变光存储薄膜材料的短波长静态记录特性的研究

研究了单层ＧｅＳｂ２Ｔｅ４真空射频溅射薄膜在４００ｎｍ～８３０ｎｍ区域的吸收、反射光谱和光学常数（ｎ，ｋ），发现ＧｅＳｂ２Ｔｅ４薄膜在４００ｎｍ～６００ｎｍ波长范围内具有较强的吸收。在短波长静态测试仪上测试了ＧｅＳｂ２Ｔｅ４薄膜的光存储记录特性，发现在５１４．５ｎｍ波长用较低功率的激光辐照样品时薄膜在写入前后的反射率变化较大，擦除前后的反射率对比度较低，可通过膜层设计来提高     

Characterization of in-situ time-resolved optical spectra during excimer-laser crystallization

A real-time in-situ time-resolved (~1 ns) optical reflectivity and transmission (TRORT) measurement system combining two He–Ne probe lasers, a digital oscilloscope, and three fast photodiodes is developed to investigate the rapid phase-change processes of Si thin films during the excimer-laser crystallization (ELC). The changes in both reflectivity and transmission of Si thin films during ELC are recorded by the TRORT measurement system. Melting and resolidification behaviors of Si thin films during ELC are interpreted. The fall time of liquid Si is reduced with increase in the excimer-laser energy density, while the rise time of liquid Si remains approximately constant at 5 ns. The first small peak in the reflectivity spectrum is proved to be not a phenomenon of explosive crystallization.     

Structural and optical properties of CuSe2 nanocrystals formed in thin solid Cu–Se film

This paper describes the structural and optical properties of Cu–Se thin films. The surface morphology of thin films was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Formation of Cu–Se thin films is concluded to proceed unevenly, in the form of islands which later grew into agglomerates. The structural characterization of Cu–Se thin film was investigated using X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD). The presence of two-phase system is observed. One is the solid solution of Cu in Se and the other is low-pressure modification of CuSe₂. The Raman spectroscopy was used to identify and quantify the individual phases present in the Cu–Se films. Red shift and asymmetry of Raman mode characteristic for CuSe₂ enable us to estimate nanocrystal dimension. In the analysis of the far-infrared reflection spectra, numerical model for calculating the reflectivity coefficient of layered system, which includes film with nanocrystalite inclusions (modeled by Maxwell-Garnett approximation) and substrate, has been applied.     

氮流量对磁控溅射法制备氮化钛薄膜光学性能的影响

采用磁控溅射方法在载波片和Al基片上制备了氮化钛薄膜;通过改变N2流量来改变薄膜中N／Ti原子比例。采用分光光度计和扫描隧道显微镜测试手段对氮化钛薄膜光学性能随N2流量变化的规律进行了研究。薄膜反射率光谱和扫描隧道图谱分析表明,氮化钛薄膜主要遵循自由载流子光吸收机制,随着N含量的增加,溥膜中的自由电子数目不断减少,等离子体频率逐渐红移,反射率降低,薄膜颜色发生变化。从薄膜扫描隧道谱（STS）可知,TiN薄膜表现出类似金属的光学性能,并且其禁带宽度Eg=1．64eV。     

Peculiarities of the Optical and Energy Properties of Thin CdSe Films

Optics and Spectroscopy - The results of experimental and theoretical studies of the optical and energy properties of thin CdSe films obtained by the quasi-closed volume method are presented. The...     

Crystallization of Ge2Sb2Te5 phase—change optical disk media

In this paper, the crystallization behaviour of amorphous Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ thin films is investigated using differential scanning calorimetry), x-ray diffraction and optical transmissivity measurements. It is indicated that only the amorphous phase to face-centred-cubic phase transformation occurs during laser annealing of the normal phase-change structure, which is a benefit for raising the phase-change optical disk's carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR). For amorphous Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ thin films, the crystallization temperature is about 200℃ and the melting temperature is 546.87℃. The activation energy for the crystallization, E_a, is 2.25eV. The crystallization dynamics for Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ thin films obeys the law of nucleation and growth reaction. The sputtered Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ films were initialized by an initializer unit. The initialization conditions have a great effect on the reflectivity contrast of the Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ phase-change optical disk.     

MBE生长ZnO薄膜的结构和光学特性的研究

用等离子体源辅助分子束外延(P-MBE)方法在蓝宝石(0001)面上生长出了高质量的ZnO薄膜,并对其结构和发光特性进行了研究。在XRD中只观察到ZnO薄膜的(0002)衍射峰,其半高宽(FWHM)值为0.18°;而在共振Raman散射光谱中观测到1LO(579 cm-1 )和2LO(1 152 cm-1 )两个峰位,这些结果表明ZnO薄膜具有单一c轴取向和高质量的纤维锌矿晶体结构。在吸收光谱中观测到自由激子吸收和激子-LO声子吸收峰,这表明在ZnO薄膜中激子稳定的存在于室温,并且两峰之间能量间隔为71.2 meV,与文献上报道的ZnO纵向光学声子能量(71 meV)相符。室温下在光致发光光谱(PL)中仅观测到位于376 nm处的自由激子发光峰,而没有观测到与缺陷相关的深能级发射峰,表明ZnO薄膜具有较高的质量和低的缺陷密度。     

Vacuum ultra-violet spectroscopic ellipsometry study of sputtered BeZnO thin films

This paper reports on a systematic investigation of the optical properties of BeZnO thin films fabricated by radio frequency reactive magnetron sputtering technique using vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopic ellipsometry (VUV-SE). The thicknesses and optical constants of the thin films were determined in the wavelength range 138–1650 nm, using VUV-SE through the Tauc–Lorentz and Gaussian models. Refractive indices and extinction coefficients of the thin films were determined to be in the range n = 1.58–1.99 and κ = 1.0 × 10⁻²⁷–0.37, respectively. The absorption coefficient and the optical bandgap energy were then calculated. Measurement of the polarized optical properties reveals a high transmissivity (>90%) and very low absorptivity (<4%) for BeZnO films in the visible and near infrared regions at different angles of incidence. From the angle dependence of the p-polarized reflectivity we deduced a Brewster angle of about 58.5°.     

Investigation of magnetic properties in 57Fe/Al multilayers

Fe/Al multilayer thin films prepared by ion beam sputtering, with an overall atomic concentration ratio of Fe/Al = 1:2 have been studied by x-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and D.C. Magnetization. These studies show the formation of Fe–Al intermetallic layers. Two magnetic regions and transition temperatures of 473 and 533 K are evident from magnetization studies. Conversion Electron Mössbauer Spectroscopy (CEMS) shows formation of off-stoichiometric Fe₃Al like phase and phases consisting of pure Fe and Fe-rich extended Fe–Al solutions.     

Optical properties of epitaxial BiFeO3 thin films

Optical properties of epitaxial BiFeO₃ thin films grown via pulsed-laser deposition on (110) DyScO₃ substrates have been investigated. Their near-normal spectroscopic reflectivity was measured in the spectral range 2 to 14 eV at room temperature, while spectroscopic ellipsometry in the spectral range 1–6 eV was measured in the temperature range from 300 to 775 K. The optical response functions have been calculated and a direct optical gap was determined varying from 2.75 to 2.70 eV in this temperature range.     

Photoacoustic spectroscopy of thin films of As<Subscript>2</Subscript>S<Subscript>3</Subscript>, As<Subscript>2</Subscript>Se<Subscript>3</Subscript> and GeSe<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) is one of the important branches of spectroscopy, which enables one to detect light-induced heat production following the absorption of pulsed radiation by the sample. As₂S₃, As₂Se₃ and GeSe₂ exhibit a wide variety of photo-induced phenomena that enable them to be used as optical imaging or storage medium and various electronic devices, including electro-optic information storage devices and optical mass memories. Therefore, accurate measurement of thermal properties of semiconducting films is necessary to study the memory density. The thermal conductivity of thin films of As₂S₃ (thickness 100 μm and 80 μm), As₂Se₃ (thickness 100 μm and 80 μm) and GeSe₂ (thickness 120 μm and 100 μm) has been measured using PAS technique. Our result shows that the thermal conductivity of thicker films is larger than the thinner films. This can be explained by the thermal resistance effect between the film and the surface of the substrate.      

The Shift of the Peak of a Localized Plasmon Resonance in Granulated Gold Films on the Surface of a-C:H

Optics and Spectroscopy - Spectra of optical density of granulated 2-nm-thick gold films deposited on the surface of thin films of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) on quartz substrates are...