Magnetic properties and magnetoresistance of Co_xC_(1-x) granular films prepared by magnetron sputtering

Amorphous CoxC1-x granular films were prepared on n-Si(100) substrate by dc magnetron sputtering.The effects of Co concentration,film thickness and annealing temperature on the magnetic properties and magnetoresistance(MR) were investigated.After annealing at 500°C for 0.5 hour,the Co(002) peak of the CoxC1-x(x>2.5 at.%) films was observed,but cracks appeared in the films.Saturation magnetization Ms increased steadily with the increase of Co concentration from 2.5 at.% to 50 at.% and also increased with ann...     

Effect of E × B electron drift and plasma discharge in dc magnetron sputtering plasma

Study of electron drift velocity caused by Etimes B motion is done with the help of a Mach probe in a dc cylindrical magnetron sputtering system at different plasma discharge parameters like discharge voltage, gas pressure and applied magnetic field strength. The interplay of the electron drift with the different discharge parameters has been investigated. Strong radial variation of the electron drift velocity is observed and is found to be maximum near the cathode and it decreases slowly with the increase of radial distance from the cathode. The sheath electric field, E measured experimentally from potential profile curve using an emissive probe is contributed to the observed radial variation of the electron drift velocity. The measured values of the drift velocities are also compared with the values from the conventional theory using the experimental values of electric and magnetic fields. This study of the drift velocity variation is helpful in providing a useful insight for determining the discharge conditions and parameters for sputter deposition of thin film.     

Evolution of structural and magnetic properties of FePt/C granular films with thermal annealing

We report the structural and magnetic properties of as-deposited and thermally annealed FePt/C granular multilayer films. The as-deposited system exhibits a disordered fcc FePt phase with an average grain size of 3 nm. Thermal annealing at 650 °C results in partial L1₀ ordering and an associated grain growth to 7 nm. Mössbauer measurements show that there is no non-magnetic component present, suggesting that carbon resides only in the grain boundary region. The ferromagnetic grains are magnetically decoupled.     

Properties of nanocrystalline Al–Cu–O films reactively sputtered by DC pulse dual magnetron

The article reports on the effect of the addition of copper in the Al₂O₃ film on its mechanical and optical properties. The Al–Cu–O films were reactively co-sputtered using DC pulse dual magnetron in a mixture of Ar + O₂. One magnetron was equipped with a pure Al target and the second magnetron with a composed Al/Cu target. The amount of Al and Cu in the Al–Cu–O film was controlled by the length of pulse at the Al/Cu target. The Al–Cu–O films with ≤16 at.% Cu were investigated in detail. The addition of Cu in Al₂O₃ film strongly influences its structure and mechanical properties. It is shown that (1) the structure of Al–Cu–O film gradually varies with increasing Cu content from γ-Al₂O₃ at 0 at.% Cu through (Al_8−2x,Cu_3x)O₁₂ nanocrystalline solid solution to CuAl₂O₄ spinel structure, (2) the Al–Cu–O films with ≥3 at.% Cu exhibit (i) relatively high hardness H increasing from ∼15 GPa to ∼20 GPa, (ii) enhanced elastic recovery W_e increasing from ∼67% to ∼76% with increasing Cu content from ∼5 to ∼16 at.% Cu and (iii) low values of Young's modulus E* satisfying the ratio H/E* > 0.1 at ≥5 at.% Cu, and (3) highly elastic Al–Cu–O films with H/E* > 0.1 exhibit enhanced resistance to cracking during indentation under high load.     

Cluster–surface interaction: From soft landing to implantation

The current paper presents a state-of-the-art review in the field of interaction of atomic and molecular clusters with solids. We do not attempt to overview the entire broad field, but rather concentrate on the impact phenomena: how the physics of the cluster–surface interaction depends on the kinetic energy and what effects are induced under different energetic regimes. The review starts with an introduction to the field and a short history of cluster beam development. Then fundamental physical aspects of cluster formation and the most common methods for the production of cluster beams are overviewed. For cluster–surface interactions, one of the important scenarios is the low-energy regime where the kinetic energy per atom of the accelerated cluster stays well below the binding (cohesive) energy of the cluster constituents. This case is often called soft landing: the deposition typically does not induce cluster fragmentation, i.e. the clusters tend to preserve their composition but not necessarily their shape. Specific characteristic phenomena for soft landing of clusters are summarized. They pave the way for the use of cluster beams in the formation of nanoparticle arrays with required properties for utilization in optics and electronics, as magnetic media and catalysts, in nanobiology and nanomedicine. We pay considerable attention to phenomena occurring on impact of clusters with increased kinetic energies. In particular, we discuss the physics of the intermediate regime between deposition and implantation, i.e. slight cluster embedding into the surface—otherwise known as cluster pinning. At higher impact energies, cluster structure is lost and the impact results in local damage of the surface and often in crater and hillock formation. We consider both experimental data and theoretical simulations and discuss mechanisms of these phenomena. Some analogies to the impact of macroscopic objects, e.g. meteorites are shown. This part of the paper also overviews the research on surface sputtering under high-fluence cluster beam treatment and the existing models explaining how this phenomenon can be used for efficient smoothing of surfaces on the macroscopic scale. Several examples of successful applications of the cluster beam technique for polishing of surfaces are given. We also discuss how the physical sputtering can be combined with reactive accelerated cluster erosion. The latter can be an efficient tool for dry etching of surfaces on the nanoscale. Specificity of cluster (multicomponent projectile) stopping in matter and formation of radiation damage under keV-to-MeV energy implantations are analyzed. The part about fundamental aspects of cluster implantation is followed by several examples of practical applications of keV-energy cluster ion beams. This includes ultra-shallow doping of semiconductors and formation of ultrathin insulating layers. A few examples of MeV-energy cluster implantation, leading to the formation of nanosize hillocks or pillars on the surface as well as to local phase transitions (for instance, graphite-to-diamond) are also discussed. The review is finalized by an outlook on the future development of cluster beam research.     

Corrosion properties of aluminium coatings deposited on sintered NdFeB by ion-beam-assisted deposition

Pure Al coatings were deposited by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering to protect sintered NdFeB magnets. The effects of Ar⁺ ion-beam-assisted deposition (IBAD) on the structure and the corrosion behaviour of Al coatings were investigated. The Al coating prepared by DC magnetron sputtering with IBAD (IBAD-Al-coating) had fewer voids than the coating without IBAD (Al-coating). The corrosion behaviour of the Al-coated NdFeB specimens was investigated by potentiodynamic polarisation, a neutral salt spray (NSS) test, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The pitting corrosion of the Al coatings always began at the voids of the grain boundaries. Bombardment by the Ar⁺ ion-beams effectively improved the corrosion resistance of the IBAD-Al-coating.     

Room temperature growth of InxGa1−xN thin films by mixed source modified activated reactive evaporation

Polycrystalline In_xGa_1−xN thin films were prepared by mixed source modified activated reactive evaporation (MARE) technique. The films were deposited at room temperature on glass substrates without any buffer layer. All the films crystallize in the hexagonal wurtzite structure. The indium concentration calculated from XRD peak shift using Vegard's law was found to be varying from 2% to 92%. The band gap varies from 1.72 eV to 3.2 eV for different indium compositions. The indium rich films have higher refractive indices as compared to the gallium rich films. The near infra-red absorption decreases with gallium incorporation into InN lattice which is mainly due to decrease in the free carrier concentration in the alloy system. This fact is further supported from Hall effect measurements. MARE turns out to be a promising technique to grow In_xGa_1−xN films over the entire composition range at room temperature.     

Impedance spectroscopy of undoped and Cr-doped ZnO gas sensors under different oxygen concentrations

Thin films of undoped and chromium (Cr)-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) were synthesized by RF reactive co-sputtering for oxygen gas sensing applications. The prepared films showed a highly c-axis oriented phase with a dominant (0 0 2) peak appeared at a Bragg angle of around 34.13 °, which was lower than that of the standard reference of ZnO powder (34.42 °). The peak shifted to a slightly higher angle with Cr doping. The operating temperature of the ZnO gas sensor was around 350 °C, which shifted to around 250 °C with Cr-doping. The response of the sensor to oxygen gas was enhanced by doping ZnO with 1 at.% Cr. Impedance spectroscopy analysis showed that the resistance due to grain boundaries significantly contributed to the characteristics of the gas sensor.     

Preparation and characterization of CrNxOy thin films: The effect of composition and structural features on the electrical behavior

Metallic oxynitrides have attracted the attention of several researchers in the last decade due to their versatile properties. Through the addition of a small amount of oxygen into a transition metal nitride film, the material's bonding states between ionic and covalent types can be tailored, thus opening a wide range of electrical, optical, mechanical and tribological responses. Among the oxynitrides, chromium oxynitride (CrN_xO_y) has many interesting applications in different technological fields. In the present work the electrical behavior of CrN_xO_y thin films, deposited by DC reactive magnetron sputtering, were investigated and correlated with their compositional and structural properties. The reactive gas flow, gas pressure, and target potential were monitored during the deposition in order to control the chemical composition, which depend strongly on reactive sputtering process. Depending on the particular deposition parameters that were selected, it was possible to identify three types of films with different growth conditions and physical properties. The electrical resistivity of the films, measured at room temperature, was found to depend strongly on the chemical composition of the samples.     

Enhanced electrical stability of flexible indium tin oxide films prepared on stripe SiO2 buffer layer-coated polymer substrates by magnetron sputtering

The electrical stability of flexible indium tin oxide (ITO) films fabricated on stripe SiO₂ buffer layer-coated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates by magnetron sputtering was investigated by the bending test. The ITO thin films with stripe SiO₂ buffer layer under bending have better electrical stability than those with flat SiO₂ buffer layer and without buffer layer. Especially in inward bending text, the ITO thin films with stripe SiO₂ buffer layer only have a slight resistance change when the bending radius r is not less than 8 mm, while the resistances of the films with flat SiO₂ buffer layer and without buffer layer increase significantly at r = 16 mm with decreasing bending radius. This improvement of electrical stability in bending test is due to the small mismatch factor α in ITO-SiO₂, the enhanced interface adhesion and the balance of residual stress. These results indicate that the stripe SiO₂ buffer layer is suited to enhance the electrical stability of flexible ITO film under bending.