Photocatalytic properties of TiO2 thin films obtained by glancing angle deposition

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films with different nanostructures such as nano-particles and separated vertical columns were grown by glancing angle deposition (GLAD) in an electron beam evaporation system. The photocatalytic properties of grown TiO₂ films with different deposition angles and different annealing temperatures were evaluated by following decomposition of methyl orange under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation. The results suggest that increased surface area due to the GLAD process could improve the photocatalytic properties of TiO₂ films.     

Structure and optical properties of ZnS thin films grown by glancing angle deposition

The glancing angle deposition (GLAD) technique was used to deposit ZnS films by electron beam evaporation method. The cross sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image illustrated a highly orientated microstructure composed of slanted column. The atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis indicated that incident flux angle had significant effects on the nodule size and surface roughness. Under identical nominal thickness, the actual thickness of the GLAD films is related to the incident flux angle. The refractive index and in-plane birefringence of the GLAD ZnS films were discussed, and the maximum birefringence Δn = 0.036 was obtained at incident flux angle of α = 80°. Therefore, the glancing angle deposition technique is a promising way to create a columnar structure with enhanced birefringent property.     

Controllable nanostructure and optical properties of ZrO2 thin films by glancing angle deposition

In this paper, nanostructured ZrO₂ films were prepared by electron beam evaporation with the glancing angle deposition (GLAD) technique. Columnar films with voids in between formed owing to the self-shadowing effect and the limited diffusion of deposited atoms. The microstructure evolves from slanted columnar structure to helical and pillar structures as the substrate rotational speed increases. The diameter of the columns is in the range of 30–50 nm. A higher rotational speed favors a larger nodule size and a greater surface roughness. Due to the porous structure, the refractive index n of GLAD ZrO₂ films varies from 1.75 to 1.80, lower than that of bulk material. A maximum value of birefringence (Δn=0.03) is obtained in a slanted columnar structure, and the relationship between birefringence and microstructure orientation is discussed. Our results demonstrate that glancing angle deposition is a feasible approach for designing the nanostructure and optical properties of thin films.     

Gold coated metal nanostructures grown by glancing angle deposition and pulsed electroplating

Nickel based nanostructures are grown by glancing angle deposition (GLAD) on flat and pre-patterned substrates. These fabricated porous thin films were subsequently coated by pulsed electroplating with gold. The morphology and conformity of the gold coating were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Controlled growth of closed gold layers on the nanostructures could be achieved, while the open-pore structure of the nanosculptured thin films was preserved. Such gold coated nanostructures are a candidate for optical sensing and catalysis applications. The demonstrated method can be applied for numerous material combinations, allowing to provide GLAD thin films with new surface properties.     

Achieving Thin Films with Micro/Nano-Scale Controllable Morphology by Glancing Angle Deposition Technique

We demonstrate that thin films with micro/nanometre controllable morphology can be fabricated by the glancing angle deposition （GLAD） technique which is a physical vapour deposition technique. In this technique, there are parameters which determine the morphology of the thin films： the incident angle, ratio of the deposition rate with respect to the substrate rotation rate, nature of the material being deposited, etc. We fabricate the morphology of column, pillar, helices, zigzag and study the parameters which determine morphology by given some examples of SEM.     

Rugate filter with multi-channel grown by glancing angle deposition

Glancing angle deposition (GLAD) is an effective technique to fabricate thin films with desired nanoscale porosity variations in three dimensions. GLAD can be used to grow rugate filters characterized by a sinusoidal refractive index profile from one single source material through control of film porosity. A multi-stopband rugate filter can be achieved either by introducing a layer of constant index into the center of sinusoidal refractive index profile or by embedding discrete layers of constant refractive index to sinusoidal index profile with the GLAD technique. Transmittance measurements of the one channel filter, formed with titanium dioxide, revealed this method is one of the most valid technologies to fabricate multi-band filters.     

Gradient-index narrow-bandpass filter fabricated with glancing-angle deposition

Glancing-angle deposition (GLAD) is a fabrication method capable of producing thin films with engineered nanoscale porosity variations. GLAD can be used to create optical thin-film interference filters from a single source material by modification of the film refractive index through control of film porosity. We present the effects of introducing a layer of constant low density into the center of a rugate thin-film filter fabricated with the GLAD technique. A rugate filter is characterized by a sinusoidal refractive-index profile. Embedding a layer of constant refractive index, with a thickness equal to one period of the rugate index variation, causes a narrow bandpass to appear within the filter's larger stop band. Transmittance measurements of such a gradient-index narrow-bandpass filter, formed with titanium dioxide, revealed an 83% transmittance peak at a vacuum wavelength of 522 nm, near the center of the stop band, with a FWHM bandwidth of 15 nm.     

Cerium dioxide thin film optical waveguides

Cerium dioxide thin film optical waveguides were fabricated by an RF magnetron sputtering process. The films were deposited on glass substrates and on silicon dioxide layers grown on silicon substrates. Optical loss measurements for the fabricated waveguides are reported. It is seen that the volume losses in the films were fairly high compared with the surface losses.     

Morphology and photoluminescence study of electrodeposited ZnO films

ZnO films on ITO substrates and Au coated ITO substrates were fabricated by using electrodeposition technique. We carried out the experiments by adjusting the concentration of solution, potential, substrate, and temperature. The effect of temperature on the growth of the film has been examined. SEM images have shown that there are several kinds of grown competitions for the deposition of ZnO films, but three kinds of them are dominant. One is the discrete hexagonal column structure, the other is the pentagonal structure, and the third one is of well-oriented hexagonal columns with well-aligned structure. The explanation on the grown competition is discussed. ZnO hexagonal column structures with well-aligned and well-perpendicular to the surface were successfully obtained on Au/ITO substrate in aqueous solvent of electrolyte. Clearly the main columns in the film were obtained by increasing the temperature. Its photoluminescence (PL) study at low temperature exhibited the optical properties as wurtzite ZnO and indicated the existence of macrocrystalline ZnO. A better quality of ZnO columnar structures after annealing was demonstrated from PL analysis and discussion on the existence of 370 nm, 384 nm and 639 nm in the emission bands before and after annealing.     

Integrated TiO2 resonators for visible photonics

We demonstrate waveguide-coupled titanium dioxide (TiO(2) racetrack resonators with loaded quality factors of 2.2×10(4) for the visible wavelengths. The structures were fabricated in sputtered TiO(2) thin films on oxidized silicon substrates using standard top-down nanofabrication techniques, and passively probed in transmission measurements using a tunable red laser.     

倾斜式生长ZnS纳米柱状薄膜及其透射性能的研究

采用倾斜式生长的方法,在本底真空为3×10-4 Pa,生长率为0.2 nm·s-1的条件下,通过改变衬底的法线方向与入射粒子流的夹角α,在ITO导电玻璃衬底上制备了ZnS纳米薄膜。在α=80°和85°时,样品的Ｘ射线衍射谱证实了不同倾斜角时所制备薄膜中均有纳米ZnS晶体形成,扫描电子显微镜(SEM)图像显示,所形成的薄膜均呈现出了柱状结构,并且倾斜角为85°时所得到的纳米柱直径大于80°时所得结果;在α=0°时,相应测量结果表明,虽然在不同衬底上也形成了纳米ZnS晶体薄膜,但并未见柱状结构,而是形成了一层均匀且致密的薄膜。对两种薄膜结构的生长动力学过程作了分析。ITO衬底上薄膜的透射光谱表明ZnS柱状薄膜能够提高可见光的透过率,因此对柱状ZnS纳米薄膜的研究将有利于提高电致发光器件的发光效率。     

锥形碳氮结构的发光性能

利用偏压增强化学气相沉积系统,以CH4、H2和NH3为反应气体,分别在沉积有钛膜和碳膜的Si衬底上制备锥形碳结构,并用扫描电子显微镜、X射线能谱仪和显微Raman光谱仪对其进行表征,结果表明所制备的样品为锥形碳氮结构.用显微Raman光谱仪对锥形碳氮结构在室温下的发光性能进行了研究,发光谱显示出中心在621,643,7...     

Selective formation of silicon nanowires on pre-patterned substrates

In this paper, the selective growth of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) was studied. With the aid of photolithography, the vertically aligned silicon nanowires were selectively formed on the patterned substrates via an electroless metal deposition (EMD) method under normal conditions (room temperature, 1 atm). Low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) silicon nitride was used as the masking layer for SiNWs preparation. The scanning electron microscope was used to examine the etching results. Both the patterned and the unpatterned silicon substrates were used for study. The results indicated that the growth rates of the SiNWs upon the patterned and the unpatterned substrates are different. For the patterned substrates, the growth rate of SiNWs is dependent upon the pattern shape. The influence of length-to-width ratio for the rectangular-shaped patterns was studied. It is concluded that by designing the proper length-to-width ratio, the nanowires with different lengths can be fabricated simultaneously on the same substrate.     

Optical properties and microstructure of Ta_2O_5 thin films prepared by oblique angle deposition

Tantalum pentoxide thin films are prepared by oblique angle electron beam evaporation. The influence of flux angle on the surface morphology and microstructure is investigated by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The Ta2O5 thin films are anisotropic with highly orientated nanostructure of slanted columns. The porous microstructure of the as-deposited films results in the decrease of effective refractive index and packing density with increasing deposition angle. The anisotropic structure results in optical birefringence. The in-plane birefringence increases with the increase of deposition angle and reaches the maximum of 0.055 at the deposition angle of 70°. Anisotropic microstructure and critical packing density are the two key factors to influence the in-plane birefringence.     

硅纳米线的PEOVD生长研究

本文以硅烷（SiH4）为反应气体,利用等离子体化学气相沉积（PECVD）方法在硅（100）衬底上生长硅纳米晶体、纳米线。应用扫描电镜观察不同条件下生长的样品表面,发现衬底条件对硅纳米结构的影响十分显著。在温度、压强等其它条件相同的情况下,对硅衬底应用Fe^3＋催化剂处理后,呈纳米线状结构生长,而无Fe催化剂涂覆情况下,基本呈纳米晶体状生长,说明催化剂对si纳米线的生成起了重要的促进生长作用。通过进一步研究硅纳米晶体、纳米线的等离子增强化学气相生长机理,发现它们以气-液-固（VLS）机制生长。     

Ordered growth of germanium dots induced by the strain field of tilt dislocations in molecular bonded silicon (0 0 1) thin films

Germanium dots have been grown on high twist angle (twist angle as high as 20°) molecular bonded silicon (0 0 1) substrates. We show that, depending on the thickness of the silicon film, the strain field generated by an ordered array of mixed edge interfacial tilt (miss-cut) dislocations may induce an ordered growth of germanium dots. We also show that in order to observe an influence of the mixed edge interfacial dislocations on the growth of germanium dots, the thickness of the film has to be much lower that the period of the mixed edge dislocations array. Germanium dots grown by molecular beam epitaxy on 10-15 nm thick silicon films with the period of tilt dislocation array of 43 nm show a high degree of self-ordering.     

Improving InGaN-LED performance by optimizing the patterned sapphire substrate shape

The epitaxial growths of GaN films and GaN-based LEDs on various patterned sapphire substrates(PSSes) with different values of fill factor(f) and slanted angle(θ) are investigated in detail.The threading dislocation(TD) density is lower in the film grown on the PSS with a smaller fill factor,resulting in a higher internal quantum efficiency(IQE).Also the ability of the LED to withstand the electrostatic discharge(ESD) increases as the fill factor decreases.The illumination output power of the LED is affected by both θ and f.It is found that the illumination output power of the LED grown on the PSS with a lower production of tan θ and f is higher than that with a higher production of tan θ and f.     

Abnormal residual stress in nanostructured Al thin films grown on Ti/glass substrates

The residual stress and micro-structural properties of nanostructured Al thin films prepared by electron beam evaporator are studied. The films were grown on Ti/glass substrates at normal and oblique angles of inclination. The average aspect ratio of Al nanorods produced at an oblique angle of incidence of 85°, increased from 2.2 to 6.0, as the thickness of the films increased from 100 nm to 600 nm. The column tilt angle of Al nanorods was observed to be in close agreement with the theoretical value. The XRD pattern of nanostructured Al thin films showed (111) planes oriented parallel to the substrate surface. The crystallite size was observed to be ～9 nm for all the films produced at oblique angle deposition (OAD). Abnormal residual stresses were determined in the films produced at OAD. The nanocrystalline films produced at normal angle, exhibited tensile residual stress, while, the residual stresses in the films produced at oblique angles of inclination (α = 65°, 75°), were observed to be compressive. Residual stress-free nanocolumnar Al films (Al nanorod films) were observed, when they were grown at an oblique angle of inclination of 85°.     

图形硅衬底GaN基发光二极管薄膜去除衬底及AlN缓冲层后单个图形内微区发光及 应力变化的研究

研究了图形硅衬底上外延生长的氮化镓(GaN)基发光二极管(LED)薄膜、去除硅衬底后的无损自由状态LED薄膜以及去除氮化铝(AlN)缓冲层后的自由状态LED薄膜单个图形内的微区光致发光(PL)性能, 用荧光显微镜与扫描电镜观测了去除AlN缓冲层前后LED薄膜断面弯曲状况的变化. 研究结果表明: 1)去除硅衬底后, 自由支撑的LED薄膜朝衬底方向呈柱面弯曲状态, 且相邻图形的柱面弯曲方向不一致, 当进一步去除AlN缓冲层后薄膜会由弯曲变为平整; 2)LED薄膜在去除硅衬底前后同一图形内不同位置的PL谱具有显著差异, 而当去除AlN缓冲层后不同位置的PL谱会基本趋于一致; LED薄膜每一位置的PL 谱在去除硅衬底后均出现明显红移, 进一步去除AlN缓冲层后PL谱出现程度不一的微小蓝移; 3)自由支撑的LED薄膜去除AlN缓冲层后, PL光强随激光激发密度变化的线性关系增强, 光衰减得到改善.