Structure, surface morphological and opto-electronic properties of zinc sulphide thin films deposited by dip method

ZnS thin films have been deposited by dip technique using succinic acid as a complexing agent. The structural and morphological characterizations of films have been investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope. X-ray pattern shows crystalline has hexagonal structure. The films show that good optical properties high absorption and band gap value was found to be 3.7 eV. The specific conductivity of the film was found to be in order of 10⁻⁵ (Ω cm)⁻¹ and showing n-type conduction.     

Effects of Sb doping on the structure and properties of SnO2 films

Transparent heat-insulating SnO₂ films were prepared on the glass substrate with sol-gel. The effects of Sb doping on the structure and photoelectric properties of the films were investigated. The films were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Ultraviolet–Visible-Near Infrared Spectrometer (UV-VIS-NIR) and Hall Effect tester. The results show that the doping of Sb did not change the basic crystal structure of the SnO₂ film, but reduced the crystallinity of the film. With the increase of Sb doping, the grain size decreases first and then maintains basically invariable. The sheet resistance of the film decreases first and then increases. The transmittance of the substrate glass coated with this film (hereinafter referred to as the film's transmittance) in the near-infrared region (780–2500 nm) decreases from 92.55% to 60.48%, and increases a little when the doping amount exceeded 11 mol%. And its transmittance of visible light (380–780 nm) fluctuated slightly between about 81% and 86%.     

Magnetic properties and characterization of CoCrM/TiCr/Si films produced by pulsed laser deposition

A series of nanogranular CoCrM/TiCr thin films have been fabricated by pulsed-laser deposition on Si(1 1 1) substrates at 450–500 °C. The crystal structure and magnetic properties of these films were investigated. The transmission electron microscope images with selected area diffraction and X-ray diffraction showed that the structure of as-prepared films is dependent on laser energy and deposition temperature. It was found that the microstructure of CoCrM/TiCr films consisted of fine dispersive crystal grains, while the preferential c-axis orientation of films deteriorated when the thickness of CoCr-alloy layer increased along with metal doping into the CoCr films. The magnetic properties of CoCrM/TiCr films formed on Si are strongly dependent on the thickness of magnetic layer, grain structure, and grain shape. Enhancement of coercivity and squareness of the laser-deposited film is probably due to the improvement in the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy and the reduction in the thickness of magnetic layer.     

Studies on the influence of lithium incorporation in the photoluminescence of Y2O3:Eu thin films

Nanostructured europium-doped yttrium oxide thin films with lithium as a co-dopant were prepared using pulsed laser ablation technique. X-ray diffraction studies of the films indicated amorphous nature of the as deposited films and a transformation to crystalline phase with increase of annealing temperature. In this transformation, lithium co-doped films showed early crystallization. Lithium substitution resulted not only in enhancement of photoluminescence at 612 nm, resulting from ⁵D₀-⁷F₂ transition within europium, but also found to reduce the required processing temperature for intense photoemission. The deviation observed in the value of lattice constant of films annealed at different temperatures is found to be sensitive to annealing temperature. In the light of this, the dependence of photoluminescence intensity on the magnitude of lattice imperfection is also discussed. The morphology and transmittance of the films are also found to be sensitive to annealing process and lithium doping.     

On tuning the orientation of grains of spray pyrolysed ZnO thin films

Effect of varying spray rate on the structure and optoelectronic properties of spray pyrolysed ZnO film is analysed. ZnO films were characterised using different techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence, electrical resistivity measurement, and optical absorption. The XRD analysis proved that, with the increase in spray rate, orientation of the grains changed from (1 0 1) plane to (0 0 2) plane. The films exhibited luminescence in two regions—one was the ‘near band-edge’ (NBE) (∼380 nm) emission and the other one was the ‘blue-green emission’ (∼503 nm). Intensity of the blue-green emission decreased after orientation of grains shifted to (0 0 2) plane. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis of the films asserts that spray rate has major role in improving the crystallographic properties of the films. Moreover resistivity of the films could be lowered to 2.4 × 10⁻² Ω cm without any doping or post-deposition annealing.     

Enhancement of photoluminescence emission intensity of zirconia thin films via aluminum doping for the application of solid state lighting in light emitting diode

Al doped ZrO₂ thin films were deposited on quartz substrates by sol–gel dip coating technique. X-ray diffraction pattern showed the deterioration of the crystallinity of the films with increase in Al doping concentration due to the formation of stress in the film. Scanning electron microscope images showed crack free surface. An average transmittance of >80% (in UV–vis region) was observed for all samples. Optical band gap was found to vary as a function of doping concentration. Photoluminescence spectra of the films exhibited an increase in the emission intensity with increase in Al doping concentration which is due to the increase in oxygen vacancies in the Al doped films. The “Blueshift” and “Redshift” of the PL spectra with increase in Al concentration originates from the change of stress in the films. The enhancement of PL intensity in the Al doped ZrO₂ thin films make it suitable for generation of solid state lighting in light emitting diode.     

Effect of indium doping in CdO thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis technique

Preparation of transparent and conducting indium doped CdO thin films by spray pyrolysis on glass substrate is reported for various concentration of indium (2-8 wt%) in the spray solution. The electrical, optical and structural properties of indium doped CdO films were investigated using different techniques such as Hall measurement, optical transmission, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. X-ray analysis shows that the undoped CdO films are preferentially orientated along (2 0 0) crystallographic direction. Increase of indium doping concentration increases the films packing density and reorient the crystallites along (1 1 1) plane. A minimum resistivity of 4.843×10⁻⁴ Ω cm and carrier concentration of 3.73×10²⁰ cm⁻³ with high transmittance in the range 300-1100 nm were achieved for 6 wt% indium doping. The band gap value increases with doping concentration and reaches a maximum of 2.72 eV for 6 wt% indium doping from 2.36 eV of that of undoped film. The minimum resistivity achieved in the present study is found to be the lowest among the reported values for In-doped CdO films prepared by spray pyrolysis method.     

Photoluminescence of chemical solution-derived amorphous ZnO layers prepared by low-temperature process

Growth characteristic and optical properties of the amorphous ZnO thin films prepared on soda-lime–silica glass substrates by chemical solution process at 100 and 200 °C were investigated by using X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning probe microscope, ultraviolet spectrophotometer, and photoluminescence. The films exhibited an amorphous pattern even when finally heat treated at 100–200 °C for 60 min. The photoluminescence spectrum of amorphous ZnO films shows a strong near-band-edge emission, while the visible emission is nearly quenched.     

Prototype electrochromic device and dye sensitized solar cell using spray deposited undoped and ‘Li’ doped V2O5 thin film electrodes

Lithium (Li) (0–5 wt%) doped V₂O₅ thin films were spray deposited at 450 °C onto ITO substrates. Structural analysis using X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy revealed orthorhombic phase of the films. In addition to the V₂O₅ phase, presence of VO₂ peaks due to high deposition temperature is also evident from structural and optical characterization. The non-stoichiometric nature of the films due to loss of the terminal O atom was confirmed from Raman spectroscopy. The direct band gap, indirect bandgap, and phonon energies were also calculated from optical studies. Different charge states of vanadium ions present in the film were identified from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study. Results from cyclic voltammetry experiments reflected significant differences between the undoped and Li doped V₂O₅ samples. Transport properties by Hall-effect measured at room temperature indicated significant increase in conductivity, carrier concentration and mobility of V₂O₅ thin films on doping with Li. A Dye Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) was fabricated using mobility enhanced 5 wt% Li doped V₂O₅ film as photoanode and its efficiency was found to be 2.7%. A simple electrochromic cell is fabricated using undoped V₂O₅ thin film to demonstrate the colour change.     

Characterization of nitrogen-doped ZnO thin films grown by plasma-assisted pulsed laser deposition on sapphire substrates

The crystalline, optical and electrical properties of N-doped ZnO thin films were measured using X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence and Hall effect apparatus, respectively. The samples were grown using pulsed laser deposition on sapphire substrates coated priorly with ZnO buffer layers. For the purpose of acceptor doping, an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma source operated as a low-energy ion source was used for nitrogen incorporation in the samples. The X-ray diffraction analyses indicated some deterioration of the ZnO thin film with nitrogen incorporation. Temperature-dependent Van der Pauw measurements showed consistent p-type behavior over the measured temperature range of 200–450 K, with typical room temperature hole concentrations and mobilities of 5×10¹⁵ cm⁻³ and 7 cm²/V s, respectively. Low temperature photoluminescence spectra consisted of a broad emission band centered around 3.2 eV. This emission is characterized by the absence of the green deep-defect band and the presence of a band around 3.32 eV.     

Enhanced visible light emission from Co doped ZnS nanoparticles

ZnS nanoparticles with Co²⁺ doping have been prepared at room temperature through a soft chemical route, namely the chemical co-precipitation method. The nanostructures of the prepared nanoparticles have been analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), selected-area electron diffraction (SAED), and UV-vis spectrophotometer. The sizes of as prepared nanoparticles are found to be in 1–4 nm range. Room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of the undoped sample exhibits emission in the blue region with multiple peaks under UV excitation. On the other hand, in the Co²⁺ doped ZnS samples enhanced visible light emissions with emission intensities of ~35 times larger than that of the undoped sample are observed under the same UV excitation wavelength of 280 nm.     

Probing the effect of nitrogen gas on electrical conduction phenomena of ZnO and Cu-doped ZnO thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis

Zinc oxide (ZnO) and Cu-doped ZnO (CZO) thin films were prepared on borosilicate glass substrates by spray pyrolysis technique. The X-ray diffraction study revealed that Cu doping caused a reduction in crystallite size. AFM study showed an increase in roughness with doping. This is attributed to the aggregation of particles to form clusters. From transmission electron microscopy analysis, the particle size is measured to be in the range 30–65 nm (average particle size 48 nm) for undoped ZnO, whereas it is in the range 24–56 nm (average particle size 40 nm) for CZO film. The electrical resistivity of the thin films was investigated in the presence of air as well as N₂ mixed air at different temperatures in the range 30–270 °C. The change in resistivity properties was explained on the basis of conduction phenomena within the grain along with the grain boundaries as well as Cu- and N₂-induced defect states. The thermal activation energy of ZnO was found to be in the range 0.04–0.7 eV and dependent on Cu doping and N₂ level in air.     

Optical properties of ZnO and ZnO:Ce layers grown by spray pyrolysis

In this paper, zinc oxide (ZnO) and cerium-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Ce) films were deposited by reactive chemical pulverization spray pyrolysis technique using zinc and cerium chlorides as precursors. The effects of Ce concentration on the structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films were investigated in detail. These films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. All deposited ZnO layers at the temperature 450 °C are polycrystalline and indicate highly c-axis oriented structure. The dimension of crystallites depends on incorporation of Ce atoms into the ZnO films. The photoluminescence spectra of the films have been studied as a function of the deposition parameters such as doping concentrations and post grows annealing. Photoluminescence spectra were measured at the temperature range from 13 K to 320 K.     

Electrical conductivity of YSZ film grown by pulsed laser deposition

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thin films, 0.6–1.5 μm, were deposited on Pt and sapphire substrates by a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method. Their structural and transport properties have been studied by means of X-ray diffraction and electrical conductivity measurements. The in-plane and the perpendicular-to-plane conductivities (hereafter, “across-plane” conductivity) of thin films were measured and compared to that of bulk sample. X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy results showed that the films on Pt and sapphire were polycrystalline cubic with a columnar structure. Both the across-plane and the in-plane conductivities of YSZ thin film were close to that of bulk specimens. Thus no conductivity enhancement was found for the present nano-crystalline YSZ films (grain or column size, 60∼100 nm).     

Effects of metal doping on the physical properties of ZnTe thin films

Zinc telluride (ZnTe) thin films were sublimated on a glass substrate using closed space sublimation (CSS) technique. ZnTe thin films of same thickness were tailored with copper (Cu) & silver (Ag) doping, considered for comparative study. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of as-deposited ZnTe thin film and doped ZnTe samples exhibited polycrystalline behavior. The preferred orientation of (111) having cubic phase was observed. XRD patterns indicated that the crystallite size had increased after silver and copper immersion in as-deposited ZnTe thin films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the change of as-deposited and doped sample's grains sizes. EDX confirmed the presence of Cu and Ag in the ZnTe thin films after doping respectively. The optical studies showed the decreasing trend in energy band gap after Cu and Ag-doping. Transmission also decreased after doping. Resistivity of as-deposited ZnTe thin film was about 10⁶ Ω cm. The resistivity was reduced to 68.97 Ω cm after Cu immersion, and 10⁴ Ω cm after Ag immersion. Raman spectra were used to check the crystallinity of as-deposited, Cu and Ag-doped ZnTe thin film samples.     

Deposition and optical properties of nanocrystalline ZnS thin films by a chemical method

Highly transparent and adherent nanocrystalline large-area ZnS thin films were grown on the slide glass and the SnO₂-coated glass substrate by chemical deposition using an aqueous solution containing zinc sulfate and thioacetamide. The films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, UV–Vis transmission and photoluminescence. The SEM morphologies of the films revealed a string-like structure formed by the smaller particle on the ZnS film surface. The average particle size was confirmed, using XRD analysis and TEM observation, to be about 3–4 nm.     

低温缓冲层对氧化锌薄膜质量的影响

利用金属有机化学气相沉积(MOCVD)法,在Si衬底上外延生长ZnO薄膜。为了改善氧化锌薄膜的质量,首先在Si衬底上生长低温ZnO缓冲层,然后再生长高质量的ZnO薄膜。通过XRD、SEM、光致发光(PL)光谱的实验研究,发现低温ZnO缓冲层可有效降低ZnO薄膜和Si衬底之间的晶格失配以及因热膨胀系数不同引起的晶格畸变。利用低温缓冲层生长的ZnO薄膜的(002)面衍射峰的强度要比直接在Si上生长的ZnO薄膜样品的高,并且衍射峰的半高宽也由0.21°减小到0.18°,同时有低温缓冲层的样品室温下的光致发光峰也有了明显的增高。这说明利用低温缓冲层生长的ZnO薄膜的结晶质量和光学性质都得到了明显改善。     

Effect of NH4OH concentration on p-type doped ZnO film by solution based process

Highly oriented and large scale p-type ZnO:Al:N films have been successfully synthesized by a simple, solution-based approach. In this approach, p-type doping of zinc oxide was achieved using combination of aqueous ammonia, zinc acetate and aluminium chloride. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photoluminescence and Hall measurements indicate that the structure of the ZnO:Al:N films were highly influenced by aqueous ammonia concentration. Excessive aqueous ammonia results in randomly oriented film with excessive precipitation.     

基于LiCo0.8M0.2O2 (M=Ni,Zr)薄膜的全固态薄膜锂电池

用射频磁控溅射结合传统退火的方法制备LiCo0.8M0.2O2 (M=Ni,Zr)阴极薄膜．X射线衍射、拉曼光谱、扫描电子显微镜等手段表征了不同掺杂的LiCo0.8M0.2O2薄膜．结果显示,700℃退火的LiCo0.8M0．2O2薄膜具有类似α-NaFeO2的层状结构．通过对不同掺杂锂钴氧阴极的全固态薄膜锂电池Li／LiPON／LiCo0.8M0.2O2的电化学性能研究表明,电化学活性元素Ni的掺杂使全固态电池具有更大的放电容量(56μAh／cm2μm),而非电化学活性元素Zr的掺杂使全固态电池具有更好的循环稳定性．     

Influence of annealing temperature on the photoluminescence property of ZnO thin film covered by TiO2 nanoparticles

In this work, ZnO thin films covered by TiO₂ nanoparticles (labeled as TiO₂-ZnO thin films) were prepared by electron beam evaporation. The influence of annealing temperature on the photoluminescence property of the samples was studied. The structures and surface morphologies of the samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscope, respectively. The photoluminescence was used to investigate the fluorescent properties of the samples. The measurement results show that the ultraviolet emission of ZnO thin films is largely enhanced after they are covered by TiO₂ nanoparticles, while the green emission is suppressed. However, when the annealing temperature is relatively high (≥500 °C), the intensity of ultraviolet emission drops off and a violet emission peak along with a blue emission peak appears. This is probably connected with the atomic interdiffusion between TiO₂ nanoparticles and ZnO thin film. Therefore, selecting a suitable annealing temperature is a key factor for obtaining the most efficient ultraviolet emission from TiO₂-ZnO thin films.