Changes in depth profiles of oxygen and copper in Y-Ba-Cu-O film under annealing

Changes in element depth profiles in a YBaCuO superconducting film on a SrTiO₃ substrate due to one year aging and annealing were investigated by the ion backscattering technique. Crystal perfection of the film was checked by the X-ray rocking curve method. It was found that the film was polycrystalline, with the preferred orientation of thec axis along the normal to the substrate surface with an angle dispersion of 2 °, and that the in-planea andb axes were randomly orientated. The aging experiments have shown that the oxygen content in the surface region increases with the time constant = 20 days. Annealing in a vacuum at 100 °C restores the initial oxygen content. After 2 hours of annealing in an oxygen atmosphere at 400 °C, an unexpectedly strong change in oxygen and copper depth profiles is observed. Since a strong correlation exists between the profile changes, a hypothesis has been advanced about the relationship between oxygen and copper transport in the process of annealing. Taking into account the polycrystalline structure of the film, one can conclude that intergrain diffusion dominates in the oxygen and copper transport.     

Comparison of Different High and Low Index Materials in the Manufacture of High Laser Damage Threshold Mirrors at the 351 nm Wavelength

Sol-gel material based mirrors have been produced by forming alternate layers of high refractive index and low refractive index thin films. These mirrors have proven to have a high laser induced damage threshold [LIDT]. Using nitric acid stabilized zirconia derived from zirconium-n-propoxide and base catalyzed silica, a 16 layer mirror with a reflectivity of better than 94% at 351 nm and 45° angle of incidence was fabricated. This had an LIDT of 7.7 J/cm2 at 351 nm with a 0.7 ns pulse width. Crazing prevented further layers being deposited. Both spin and dip coating were attempted with dip coating yielding the best results.The coating structure has been analyzed using XPS depth profiling and AES. The bulk materials have been investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and TGA. High refractive index layers using Hafnia with nitric or acetic acid have also been investigated as prospective high LIDT mirrors.Alternative acidic routes to silica have been studied as a possible low index material and a route to preventing crazing.     

Evaluation of the sputtering rate variation in SIMS ultra‐shallow depth profiling using multiple short‐period delta layers

We have developed multiple short‐period delta layers as a reference material for SIMS ultra‐shallow depth profiling. Boron nitride delta layers and silicon spacer layers were sputter‐deposited alternately, with a silicon spacer thickness of 1–5 nm. These delta‐doped layers were used to measure the sputtering rate change in the initial stage of oxygen ion bombardment. A significant variation of sputtering rate was observed in the initial 3 nm or less. The sputtering rate in the initial 3 nm was estimated to be about four times larger than the steady‐state value for 1000 eV oxygen ions. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ion-beam analysis of CuInSe<Subscript>2</Subscript> solar cells deposited on polyimide foil

CuInSe₂ (CIS) solar cells deposited on polyimide foil by the Solarion company in a web-coater-based process using sputter and evaporation techniques were investigated in the ion beam laboratory LIPSION of the University of Leipzig by means of Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) using high-energy broad ion beams and microbeams. From these measurements the composition of the absorber and the lateral homogeneity and film thicknesses of the individual layers could be determined on the basis of some reasonable assumptions. For the first time, quantitative depth profiling of the individual elements was performed by microPIXE measurements on a beveled section prepared by ion-beam etching of a CIS solar cell. Within the CIS absorber layer no significant concentration–depth gradients were found for Cu, In, and Se, in contrast with results from secondary neutral mass spectrometry (SNMS) depth profiling, which was applied to the same samples for comparison. Furthermore, both PIXE and SNMS showed the presence of a remarkable amount of Cd from the CdS buffer layer in the underlying absorber.     

Quantitative EPMA of element depth distribution

A new model for the ionization depth distribution function has been proposed. Within the framework of this model full electron flux is considered to be divided into two fluxes propagating in forward and backward directions through a sample. The intensities of these fluxes can be derived on the basis of simple assumptions of electron-solid interactions. The approach can be effectively applied to a system with an arbitrary form of depth concentration profile. The obtained results are in reasonable agreement with Monte Carlo simulations and experimental results. Some mathematical techniques have been presented for quantitative analysis of thin films on substrates and element depth distribution.     

Electrolyte Effects on Charge Transport Behavior of [Os(bpy)2(PVP)10Cl]Cl and [Ru(bpy)2(PVP)10Cl]Cl Redox Polymers in Ultra‐Thin Films of Polyions

Metallopolymer films have important applications in electrochemical catalysis. The alternate electrostatic layer‐by‐layer method was used to assemble films of [Ru(bpy)₂(PVP)₁₀Cl]Cl (denoted as ClRu‐PVP) and [Os(bpy)₂(PVP)₁₀Cl]Cl (ClOs‐PVP) metallopolymers onto pyrolytic graphite electrodes. Film thickness estimated by quartz crystal microbalance was 6–8 nm. The effects of pH, electrolyte species and concentration on the electrochemical properties of these electroactive polymers were studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV). Behavior in various electrolytes was compared. Also the mass changes within the ultra‐thin film during redox of Os^2+/3+ were characterized by in situ electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM). The results indicate rapid reversible electron transfer, and show that both ClRu‐PVP and ClOs‐PVP have compact surface structures while ClOs‐PVP is a little denser than ClRu‐PVP. Although hydrogen ions do not participate in the chemical reaction of either film, the movement of Na⁺ cation and water accompanies the redox process of ClOs‐PVP films.     

Layer‐by‐Layer Assembly of Polyelectrolyte and Nanoparticles,Monitored by Capillary Electrophoresis

Layer‐by‐layer (LBL) assembly is a versatile nanofabrication technique, and investigation of its kinetics is essential for understanding the assembly mechanism and optimizing the assembly procedure. In this work, the LBL assembly of polyelectrolyte and nanoparticles were monitored in situ by capillary electrophoresis (CE) for the first time. The assembly of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA), and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on capillary walls causes surface‐charge neutralization and resaturation, and thus yields synchronous changes in the electroosmotic flow (EOF). The EOF data show that formation of multilayers follows first‐order adsorption kinetics. On the basis of the fit results, influencing factors, including number of layers, concentration of materials, flow rate, and size of AuNPs, were investigated. The stability and robustness of the assembled coatings were also characterized by CE. It was found that degradation of PDDA layers follows first‐order chemical kinetics, while desorption of AuNPs takes place in a disorderly manner. The substrate strongly affects assembly of the underlying layer, while this effect is rapidly screened with increasing number of layers. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the EOF measuring step does not disturb LBL assembly, and the proposed method is reliable and rugged. This work not only studies in detail the LBL adsorption/desorption process of polyelectrolyte and nanoparticles, but also offers an alternative tool for monitoring multilayer buildup. It may also reveal the potential of CE in fields other than analytical separation.