Fabrication and properties of film-under-gate field emission arrays with SnO2 emitters for flat lamp

The film-under-gate field emission arrays (FEAs) have been fabricated on the glass substrates by conventional photolithography, anodic oxidation and lift-off method. SnO₂ emitters were deposited on the cathode electrodes of under-gate triode by screen printing. The image of film-under-gate field emission arrays with SnO₂ emitters was measured by the optical microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The electric field distributions and electron trajectories of film-under-gate triode were simulated in the same anode voltage and different gate voltage by ANSYS. I-V characteristics of film-under-gate triode with SnO₂ emitters were investigated. It indicated that the SnO₂ emitters by screen printing uniformly distributed on the surface of cathode electrodes. The maximum anode current in this triode structure could come to 385 μA and the highest lightness was approximately 270 cd/m² as the gate and anode voltage was 140 V and 2000 V, respectively, at the anode-cathode spacing of 1100 μm. Moreover, the emission current fluctuation was less than 5% for 8 h. It showed that the fabricated device has a good stability of field emission performance and long lifetime, which may lead to practical applications for field emission electron source based on flat lamp for back light units (BLUs) in liquid crystal display (LCD).     

Synthesis and field-emission of aligned SnO2 nanotubes arrays

Aligned tin dioxide (SnO₂) nanotubes have been synthesized by high-frequency inductive heating. Nanotubes with high yield were grown on silicon substrates in less than 5 min, using SnO₂ and graphite as the source powder. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy showed nanotube with diameters from 50 to 100 nm and lengths up to tens of mircrometers. The SnO₂ nanotubes synthesized under the optimum condition have better field-emission characteristics. The turn-on field needed to produce a current density of 10 μA/cm² is found to be 1.64 V/μm. The samples show good field-emission properties with a fairly stable emission current. This type of SnO₂ nanotubes can be applied as field emitters in displays as well as vacuum electric devices.     

Field emission from patterned SnO2 nanostructures

A simple and reliable method has been developed for synthesizing finely patterned tin dioxide (SnO₂) nanostructure arrays on silicon substrates. A patterned Au catalyst film was prepared on the silicon wafer by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering and photolithographic patterning processes. The patterned SnO₂ nanostructures arrays, a unit area is of ∼500 μm × 200 μm, were synthesized via vapor phase transport method. The surface morphology and composition of the as-synthesized SnO₂ nanostructures were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The mechanism of formation of SnO₂ nanostructures was also discussed. The measurement of field emission (FE) revealed that the as-synthesized SnO₂ nanorods, nanowires and nanoparticles arrays have a lower turn-on field of 2.6, 3.2 and 3.9 V/μm, respectively, at the current density of 0.1 μA/cm². This approach must have a wide variety of applications such as fabrications of micro-optical components and micropatterned oxide thin films used in FE-based flat panel displays, sensor arrays and so on.     

Exchange bias in thin-film (Co/Pt)3/Cr2O3 multilayers

We have fabricated exchange-biased Co/Pt layers ((0.3 nm/1.5 nm)×3) on (0 0 1)-oriented Cr₂O₃ thin films. The multilayered films showed extremely smooth surfaces and interfaces with root mean square roughness of ≈0.3 nm for 10 μm×10 μm area. The Cr₂O₃ films display sufficient insulation with a relative low leakage current (1.17×10⁻² A/cm² at 380 MV/m) at room temperature which allowed us to apply electric field as high as 77 MV/m. We find that the sign of the exchange bias and the shape of the hysteresis loops of the out-of-plane magnetized Co/Pt layers can be delicately controlled by adjusting the magnetic field cooling process through the Néel temperature of Cr₂O₃. No clear evidence of the effect of electric field and the electric field cooling was detected on the exchange bias for fields as high as 77 MV/m. We place the upper bound of the shift in exchange bias field due to electric field cooling to be 5 Oe at 250 K.     

Study of the synthesis and Cl2 gas-sensing properties of nanometer HNO3-doped SnO2

We focused on the effects of the inorganic acid HNO₃ on the gas-sensing properties of nanometer SnO₂ and prepared the powders via a dissolution-pyrolysis method. Furthermore, the powders were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectra (EDS). Several aspects were surveyed, including the calcining temperature, concentration of nitric acid and the working temperature. The results showed that the gas response of 3 wt% HNO₃-doped SnO₂ powders (calcined at 500 °C) to 10 ppm Cl₂ reached 316.5, at the working temperature 175 °C. Compared with pure SnO₂, appropriate HNO₃ could increase the gas sensitivity to Cl₂ gas more significantly.     

Enhanced field emission from LaB6 thin films with nanoprotrusions grown by pulsed laser deposition on Zr foil

Lanthanum hexaboride (LaB₆) films have been deposited on a zirconium foil by pulsed laser deposition method. The field emission studies of the LaB₆ deposited film have been performed in the planar diode configuration under ultra high vacuum conditions. The Fowler-Nordheim plots were found to be linear in accordance with the quantum mechanical tunneling phenomenon. A typical field emission current of 7.02 μA was drawn at an applied electric field of 2 V/μm. The field enhancement factor is calculated to be 8913 cm⁻¹, indicating that the field emission is from nanoscale protrusions present on the emitter surface. The atomic force microscope (AFM) investigation of the surface clearly shows the conical shaped nanoprotrusions of few hundred nanometers with asperities of 20-40 nm on its top. The emission current-time plot recorded at the pre-set value of emission current of 5 μA over a period of more than 3 h exhibits an initial increase and subsequent stabilization of the current. The results reveal that the LaB₆/Zr field emitter obtained by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is a promising cathode material for practical applications in field emission-based devices.     

Characterization of Y2O3 gate dielectric on n-GaAs substrates

Physical and electrical properties of sputtered deposited Y₂O₃ films on NH₄OH treated n-GaAs substrate are investigated. The as-deposited films and interfacial layer formation have been analyzed by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). It is found that directly deposited Y₂O₃ on n-GaAs exhibits excellent electrical properties with low frequency dispersion (<5%), hysteresis voltage (0.24 V), and interface trap density (3 × 10¹² eV⁻¹ cm⁻²). The results show that the deposition of Y₂O₃ on n-GaAs can be an effective way to improve the interface quality by the suppression on native oxides formation, especially arsenic oxide which causes Fermi level pinning at high-k/GaAs interface. The Al/Y₂O₃/n-GaAs stack with an equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) of 2.1 nm shows a leakage current density of 3.6 × 10⁻⁶ A cm⁻² at a V_FB of 1 V. While the low-field leakage current conduction mechanism has been found to be dominated by the Schottky emission, Poole-Frenkel emission takes over at high electric fields. The energy band alignment of Y₂O₃ films on n-GaAs substrate is extracted from detailed XPS measurements. The valence and conduction band offsets at Y₂O₃/n-GaAs interfaces are found to be 2.14 and 2.21 eV, respectively.     

Effect of Nd concentration on structural and optical properties of Nd:Y2O3 transparent ceramic

Y₂O₃ transparent ceramics with different Nd concentration (0.1-7.0at%) were fabricated using ZrO₂ as additive. All the samples exhibit high transparency over a broad spectral region. The elements (Y, O and Nd) are uniformly distributed in the ceramic body, and the average grain size increases with Nd content. Based on the absorption spectrum, the Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters are calculated (Ω₂=4.364×10⁻²⁰ cm², Ω₄=3.609×10⁻²⁰ cm² and Ω₆=2.919×10⁻²⁰ cm²). The absorption coefficients increase linearly with Nd³⁺ doping concentration. The absorption cross-section at 804 nm and stimulated emission cross-section at 1078 nm are calculated to be 1.54×10⁻²⁰ and 7.24×10⁻²⁰ cm², respectively. All the emission bands exhibit the highest emission intensities with 1.0at% Nd³⁺ ion content, while the lifetime decreases dramatically from 321.5 μs (0.1at% Nd) to 17.9 μs (7.0at% Nd). According to the emission spectra and measured lifetime, the optimum doping concentration of Nd³⁺ ion in Y₂O₃ transparent ceramic might be around 1.0at%.     

Influence of postdeposition annealing on structural properties and electrical characteristics of thin Tm2O3 and Tm2Ti2O7 dielectrics

We describe the structural properties and electrical characteristics of thin thulium oxide (Tm₂O₃) and thulium titanium oxide (Tm₂Ti₂O₇) as gate dielectrics deposited on silicon substrates through reactive sputtering. The structural and morphological features of these films were explored by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and atomic force microscopy, measurements. It is found that the Tm₂Ti₂O₇ film annealed at 800 °C exhibited a thinner capacitance equivalent thickness of 19.8 Å, a lower interface trap density of 8.37 × 10¹¹ eV⁻¹ cm⁻², and a smaller hysteresis voltage of ∼4 mV than the other conditions. We attribute this behavior to the Ti incorporated into the Tm₂O₃ film improving the interfacial layer and the surface roughness. This film also shows negligible degrees of charge trapping at high electric field stress.     

Green emitting long lasting phosphorescence (LLP) properties of Mg2SnO4:Mn phosphor

A novel long-lasting phosphorescence phosphor, Mn²⁺-activated Mg₂SnO₄, has been synthesized and its optical properties have been investigated. The Mg₂SnO₄:Mn²⁺ emits green light with high luminance, upon UV irradiation, centered at 499 nm from the spin forbidden transitions of the d-electrons in Mn²⁺ ions. The CIE chromaticity coordinates of the Mg₂SnO₄:Mn²⁺ phosphor are x=0.0875 and y=0.6083 under 254 nm UV excitation. The phosphorescence can be observed by the naked eyes (0.32 mcd/m²) in the dark clearly for over 5 h after the 5 min UV irradiation. Thermoluminescence has been studied and the mechanism of the long-lasting phosphorescence has been discussed.     

Characterization of nanocrystalline SnO2 thin film fabricated by electrodeposition method for dye-sensitized solar cell application

Nanocrystalline SnO₂ thin film was prepared by cathodic electrodeposition-anodic oxidation and its structure was characterized by X-ray diffraction, SEM, UV-visible absorption and nitrogen adsorption-desorption by BET method. The obtained film has a surface area of 137.9 m²/g with grain sized of 24 nm. Thus the prepared SnO₂ thin film can be applied as an electrode in dye-sensitized solar cell. The SnO₂ electrode was successfully sensitized by Erythrosin dye and photoelectrochemical measurements indicate that the cell present short-circuit photocurrent (J_sc) of 760 μA/cm², fill factor (FF = 0.4), photovoltage (V_oc = 0.21 V) and overall conversion efficiency (η) of 0.06% under direct sun light illumination. The relatively low fill factor and photovoltage are attributed to the reduction of triodiode by conduction band electrons and intrinsic properties of SnO₂.     

Luminescence of Ca(NbO3)2:Pr at ambient and high hydrostatic pressure

In this contribution, photoluminescence and time-resolved photoluminescence spectra of Ca(NbO₃)₂ doped with Pr³⁺ obtained at high hydrostatic pressure up to 72 kbar applied in a diamond anvil cell are presented. At ambient conditions, the emission spectrum obtained in the time interval 0-1 μs is dominated by spin-allowed transitions from the ³P₀ state. On the other hand, transitions from ¹D₂, characterized by a decay time equal to 30 μs dominate the steady-state luminescence.At pressures lower than 60 kbar, the continuous wave emission spectrum consists of sharp lines peaking between 600 and 625 nm, related to the ¹D₂→³H₄ transition and three lines at 500, 550 and 650 nm related to emission transitions originating from the ³P₀ level of Pr³⁺. The emission from the ¹D₂ excited state depends weakly on the pressure. Its decay time decreases from 33 μs at ambient pressure to less than 22 μs at 68 kbar. On the other hand, the ³P₀ emission is strongly pressure dependent. At pressures of 60 kbar and higher, the Pr³⁺ emission intensity from the ³P₀ state decreases. This is accompanied by a strong shortening of the luminescence decay time.The observed pressure quenching of the f-f emission transitions and the concomitant lifetime shortening have been attributed to increasing crossover from the ³P₀ state of Pr³⁺ to a Pr³⁺-trapped exciton state.     

Effect of ultrasonic irradiation on structure and electrochemical properties of LiMn2O4 thin films cathode material for Li-ion micro-batteries

Two kinds of spinel LiMn₂O₄ thin film for lithium ion micro-batteries were successfully prepared on polycrystal Pt substrates by spin coating methods, which were carried out under ultrasonic irradiation (USG) and magnetic stirring (MSG), respectively. The microstructures and electrochemical performance of LiMn₂O₄ thin films were characterized by thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements. It was found that the crystalline structure of USG samples grew better than that of the MSG samples. At the same time, higher discharge capacity and better cycle stability were obtained for the LiMn₂O₄ thin films of USG at the current density of 50 μAh/cm² between 3.0 and 4.3 V. The 1st discharge capacity was 57.8 μAh/cm²-μm for USG thin films and 51.7 μAh/cm²-μm for MSG thin films. After 50 cycles, 91.4% and 69% of discharge capacity could be retained respectively, indicating that ultrasonic irradiation condition during spin coating was more suitable for preparing spinel LiMn₂O₄ thin films with better electrode performance for lithium ion micro-batteries.     

Photoluminescence properties and effects of dopant concentration in Bi2ZnB2O7:Tb phosphor

A novel green phosphor, Tb³⁺ doped Bi₂ZnB₂O₇ was synthesized by conventional solid state reaction method. The phase of synthesized materials was determined using the XRD, DTA/TG and FTIR. The photoluminescence characteristics were investigated using spectrofluorometer at room temperature. Bi₂ZnB₂O₇:Tb³⁺ phosphors excited by 270 nm and 485 nm wavelengths. The emission spectra were composed of three bands, in which the dominated emission of green luminescence Bi₂ZnB₂O₇:Tb³⁺ attributed to the transition ⁵D₄ → ⁷F₅ is centered at 546 nm. The dependence of the emission intensity on the Tb³⁺ concentration for the Bi_2−xTb_xZnB₂O₇ (0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.15) was studied and observed that the optimum concentration of Tb³⁺ in phosphor was 13 mol% for the highest emission intensity at 546 nm.     

Yb effect on the spectroscopic properties of Er-Yb codoped SnO2 thin films

We have investigated the optical properties of sol-gel thin films of tin dioxide (SnO₂) codoped with Er³⁺-Yb³⁺ as a function of Yb³⁺ concentration. The Judd-Ofelt model has been applied to absorption intensities of Er³⁺ (4f¹¹) transitions to establish the so-called Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters: Ω₂, Ω₄, Ω₆. Various spectroscopic parameters were obtained to evaluate their dependence and the potential of the samples as a laser material in the eye-safe laser wavelength (1.53 μm) as a function of Yb³⁺ concentration. An amelioration of the quality factor Ω₄/Ω₆ was found with Yb content. Both the IR photoluminescence (PL) intensity and the up-conversion emission, from Er³⁺ ion in SnO₂, were found to increase with Yb concentration. We show that the Yb³⁺ ion acts as sensitizer for Er³⁺ ion and contributes largely to the improvement of the spectroscopic properties of SnO₂:Er. The mechanism of up-conversion emission is discussed and a model is proposed. The results showed that sol-gel SnO₂ is promising gain media for developing the solid-state 1.5 μm optical amplifiers and tunable up-conversion lasers.     

Synthesis of Gd2Ti2O7:Eu, V phosphors by sol-gel process and its luminescent properties

A red-emitting phosphor material, Gd₂Ti₂O₇:Eu³⁺, V⁴⁺, by added vanadium ions is synthesized using the sol-gel method. Phosphor characterization by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy shows that the phosphor possesses a good crystalline structure, while scanning electron microscopy reveals a uniform phosphor particle size in the range of 230-270 nm. X-ray photon electron spectrum analysis demonstrates that the V⁴⁺ ion promotes an electron dipole transition of Gd₂Ti₂O₇:Eu³⁺ phosphors, causing a new red-emitting phenomenon, and CIE value shifts to x=0.63, y=0.34 (a purer red region) from x=0.57, y=0.33 (CIE of Gd₂Ti₂O₇:Eu³⁺). The optimal composition of the novel red-emitting phosphor is about 26% of V⁴⁺ ions while the material is calcinated at 800  °C. The results of electroluminescent property of the material by field emission experiment by CNT-contained cathode agreed well with that of photoluminescent analysis.     

Fabrication of coaxial p-Cu2O/n-ZnO nanowire photodiodes

The authors report the deposition of Cu₂O onto vertically well aligned ZnO nanowires by DC sputtering. The average length, average diameter and density of these VLS-synthesized ZnO nanowires were 1 μm, 100 nm and 23 wires/μm², respectively. With proper sputtering parameters, the deposited Cu₂O could fill the gaps between the ZnO nanowires with good step coverage to form coaxial p-Cu₂O/n-ZnO nanowires with a rectifying current–voltage characteristic. Furthermore, the fabricated coaxial p-Cu₂O/n-ZnO nanowire photodiodes exhibit reasonably large photocurrent-to-dark-current contrast ratio and the fast responses.     

In-situ bridging of SnO2 nanowires between the electrodes and their NO2 gas sensing characteristics

A simple and efficient way of making highly sensitive SnO₂ nanowire-based gas sensors without an individual lithography process was studied. The SnO₂ nanowires network was floated upon the Si substrate by separating the Au catalyst layer from the substrate. As the electric current is transported along the networks of the nanowires, not along the surface layer on the substrate, the gas sensitivities could be maximized in this networked and floated structures. The sensitivity was 5-30 when the NO₂ concentration was 1-10 ppm. The response time was ca. 20-60 s.     

Luminescence of Ce and Pr doped Sr2Mg(BO3)2 under VUV-UV and X-ray excitation

This report presents the luminescence properties of Ce³⁺ and Pr³⁺ activated Sr₂Mg(BO₃)₂ under VUV-UV and X-ray excitation. The five excitation bands of crystal field split 5d states are observed at about 46 729, 44 643, 41 667, 38 314 and 29 762 cm⁻¹ (i.e. 214, 224, 240, 261 and 336 nm) for Ce³⁺ in the host lattice. The doublet Ce³⁺ 5d→4f emission bands were found at about 25 840 and 24 096 cm⁻¹ (387 and 415 nm). The influence of doping concentration and temperature on the emission characteristics and the decay time of Ce³⁺ in Sr₂Mg(BO₃)₂ were investigated. For Pr³⁺ doped samples, the lowest 5d excitation band was observed at about 42017 cm⁻¹ (238 nm), a dominant band at around 35714 cm⁻¹ (280 nm) and two shoulder bands were seen in the emission spectra. The excitation and emission spectra of Ce³⁺ and Pr³⁺ were compared and discussed. The X-ray excited luminescence studies show that the light yields are ∼3200±230 and ∼1400±100 photons/MeV of absorbed X-ray energy for the samples Sr_1.86Ce_0.07Na_0.07Mg(BO₃)₂ and Sr_1.82Pr_0.09Na_0.09Mg(BO₃)₂ at RT, respectively.     

Effects of SnO2 surface coating on the degradation of ZnS thin film phosphor

Pulsed laser deposited ZnS bare and SnO₂ coated ultra thin films were subjected to prolonged electron beam bombardment with 2 keV energy and a steady 44 mA/cm² current density, in 1 × 10⁻⁶ Torr O₂ pressure backfilled from a base pressure of 3 × 10⁻⁹ Torr at room temperature. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) was used to monitor changes of the surface chemical composition of both the bare and coated phosphor films during electron bombardment. Degradation was manifested by the decrease of sulphur and accumulation of oxygen on the surface of the bare phosphor. However, with the SnO₂ coating this phenomenon was delayed until the protective SnO₂ was depleted on the surface through dissociation and reduction.