CORROSION BEHAVIOR OF Cu-Nb AND Ni-Nb AMORPHOUS FILMS PREPARED BY ION BEAM ASSISTED DEPOSITION

The Cu25 Nb75 and Ni45Nb55 amorphous films with about 500nm thickness were prepared by ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). Potentiodynamic polarization measurement was adopted to investigate the corrosion resistance of samples and the tests were carried out respectively in 1mol/L H2SO4 and NaOH aquatic solution. The corrosion performance of the amorphous films was compared with that of multilayered and pure Nb films. Experimental results indicated that the corrosion resistance of amorphous films was better than that of the corresponding multilayers and pure Nb films for both Ni-Nb system with negative heat of formation and Cu-Nb system with positive heat of formation.

Composition design and properties of CoNbZr amorphous films deposited by unbalanced magnetron sputtering

Co87Nb10Zr3,Co76Nb19Zr5,Co64Nb26Zr10 and Co64Nb16Zr20 amorphous films were deposited on noncrystalline glass substrates by DC unbalanced magnetron sputtering. The compositions of amorphous films were tailored in the light of the individual deposition rate of Co,Nb and Zr. The amorphous films with the anticipated composition were prepared by means of co-sputtering Co,Nb and Zr targets simultaneously. It is indicated that there is interaction among three targets during co-sputtering. The morphology and composition of the films were observed by SEM,AFM and EDS. The structure and magnetic property were measured by XRD and physical property measurement system(PPMS) . The coercivity changes with the composition,varying from 240 to 1 600 A/m. After vacuum isothermal annealing at temperatures of 475,500,525 and 550 ℃ for 15 and 30 min,respectively,it is found that high Nb content is beneficial to improving thermal stability of amorphous films. The crystallized films have the mean grain size of 2-19 nm.

PLD Preparation of GeS_6 Amorphous Film and Investigation on Its Photo-induced Darkening Phenomenon

GeS6 chalcogenide amorphous fi lm was deposited on glass substrate via PLD（pulsed laser deposition） technique. The performance and structure of the fi lm was characterized by XRD（X-ray diffraction）, SEM（Scanning Electron Microscopy）, EDS（Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy）, optical transmission spectra, and Raman spectra, etc. The GeS6 amorphous fi lm was irradiated by 532 nm linearly polarized light, and its photoinduced darkening was investigated. The results showed that the GeS6 chalcogenide amorphous fi lm was smooth and compact with uniform thickness and combined with the substrate fi rmly, and its chemical composition was in consistency with the bulky target. When laser energy was fi xed, the transparence of the fi lm declined with the increase of the laser irradiation time. Obvious photo-induced darkening and relaxation phenomenon of the fi lm after laser irradiation were observed in this investigation.

Microstructure and properties of hydrophobic films derived from Fe-W amorphous alloy

Amorphous metals are totally different from crystalline metals in regard to atom arrangement. Amorphous metals do not have grain boundaries and weak spots that crystalline materials contain, making them more resistant to wear and corrosion. In this study, amorphous Fe-W alloy films were first prepared by an electroplating method and were then made hydrophobic by modification with a water repellent （heptadecafluoro-1,1,2,2-tetradecyl） trimethoxysilane. Hierarchical micro-nano structures can be obtained by slightly oxidizing the as-deposited alloy, accompanied by phase transformation from amorphous to crystalline during heat treatment. The mi-cro-nano structures can trap air to form an extremely thin cushion of air between the water and the film, which is critical to producing hydrophobicity in the film. Results show that the average values of capacitance, roughness factor, and impedance for specific surface areas of a 600°C heat-treated sample are greater than those of a sample treated at 500°C. Importantly, the coating can be fabricated on various metal substrates to act as a corrosion retardant.

Optical characteristic and gap states distribution of amorphous SnO_2:(Zn,In) film

In this paper the fabrication technique of amorphous SnO2：（Zn, In） film is presented. The transmittance and gap-states distribution of the film are given. The experimental results of gap-states distribution are compared with the calculated results by using the facts of short range order and lattice vacancy defect of the gap states theory. The distribution of gap state has been proved to be discontinuous due to the short-range order of amorphous structure.

IN SITU TEM OBSERVATION OF AMORPHOUS Nd_(x)Fe_(1-x)THIN FILMS AND THEIR CRYSTALLIZATION

The room temperature stability and crystallization of amorphous Nd_xFe_(1-x)thin films with x=0.06—0.90,prepared by flash evaporation at 77 K,were investigated by X-ray diffraction and TEM observation.The amorphous Nd_xFe_(1-x)films are stable at room temperature when 0.19<x<0.50.Crystallized phases grow along the surface of film as very thin flakes and become thick only at relatively high temperatures.After complete crystallization,the Nd_xFe_(1-x)films with x<0.50 are composed of Nd_2Fe-(17)and metal Nd,but no NdFe2,a phase expected to occur by phase diagram.

ELECTROCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF THE HYDROGEN ABSORPTION OF AMORPHOUS Ml－Ni ALLOY FILMS

The amorphous Ml-Ni films were prepared by means of ion beam sputtering the electrochemical hydrogen storage,discharge ability and durability of amorphous film electrodes are investigated,The results show that the maximum capacities of the amorphous MlNi_(1.79),MlNi_(2.52),and MlNi_(3.44) samples are 90,100 and 142 mAh/g,respectively,and the MlNi_(3.44) amorphous film does not off and disintegrate into fine particles a fier more than 580 cycles.

THE CRYSTALLIZATION KINETICS OF AN AMORPHOUS Ti-RICHNiTi FILM

The crystallization kinetics of an amorphous Ti-rich NiTi film (Ni 46.34at.%, Ti 53.66at.%)prepared by DC magnetron sputtering was determined by non-isothermal techniques. The activation energy of crystallization and the mean value of the Avrami parameter are 382kJ/mol and 0.85, respectively. The calculated isothermal kinetic curse of amorphous film at 773K coincides with the result of X-ray diffraction.The formation of a Ti2Ni phase is accompanied with the crystallization of Ti-rich NiTi film.

Electron emission degradation of nano-structured sp^2-bonded amorphous carbon films

The initial field electron emission degradation behaviour of original nano-structured sp^2-bonded amorphous carbon films has been observed, which can be attributed to the increase of the work function of the film in the field emission process analysed using a Fowler-Nordheim plot. The possible reason for the change of work function is suggested to be the desorption of hydrogen from the original hydrogen termination film surface due to field emission current-induced local heating. For the explanation of the emission degradation behaviour of the nano-structured sp2-bonded amorphous carbon film, a cluster model with a series of graphite （0001） basal surfaces has been presented, and the theoretical calculations have been performed to investigate work functions of graphite （0001） surfaces with different hydrogen atom and ion chemisorption sites by using first principles method based on density functional theory-local density approximation.

Smooth Surface Morphology of Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Film Prepared by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

Influence of the parameters of plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition （PECVD） on the surface morphology of hydrogenated amorphous silicon （α-Si：H） film was investigated. The root-mean-square （RMS） roughness of the film was measured by atomic force microscope （AFM） and the relevant results were analyzed using the surface smoothing mechanism of film deposition. It is shown that an α-Si：H film with smooth surface morphology can be obtained by increasing the PH3/N2 gas flow rate for 10% in a high frequency （HF） mode. For high power, however, the surface morphology of the film will deteriorate when the Sill4 gas flow rate increases. Furthermore, optimized parameters of PECVD for growing the film with smooth surface were obtained to be Sill4：25 sccm （standard cubic centimeters per minute）, At： 275 sccm, 10%PH3/N2：2 sccm, HF power： 15 W, pressure： 0.9 Torr and temperature： 350℃. In addition, for in thick fihn deposition on silicon substrate, a N20 and NH3 preprocessing method is proposed to suppress the formation of gas bubbles.

Study on stability of hydrogenated amorphous silicon films

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon （a-Si：H） films with high and same order of magnitude photosensitivity （-10^5） but different stability were prepared by using microwave electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapour deposition system under the different deposition conditions. It was proposed that there was no direct correlation between the photosensitivity and the hydrogen content （CH） as well as H-Si bonding configurations, but for the stability, they were the critical factors. The experimental results indicated that higher substrate temperature, hydrogen dilution ratio and lower deposition rate played an important role in improving the microstructure of a-Si：H films. We used hydrogen elimination model to explain our experimental results.

Effects of Deposition Temperature on the Properties of Fluorinated Amorphous Carbon Films

Fluorinated amorphous carbon films (a-C:F) were prepared at different temperatures using a microwave electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition (ECR-CVD) reactor with CHF3 and C2H2 as source gases. Films were annealed at 500℃ in vacuum ambience in order to investigate the relationship of their thermal stability, optical and electrical properties with deposition temperature. Results indicate that the films deposited at high temperature have a less CFX bonding and a more cross-linking structure thus a better thermal stability. They also have a lower bandgap, higher dielectric constant and higher leakage current.

Incorporation of Nitrogen Into Amorphous Carbon Films Produced by Surface-Wave Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition

In order to study the influence of nitrogen incorporated into amorphous carbon films, nitrogenated amorphous carbon films have been deposited by using surface wave plasma chemical vapor deposition under various ratios of N2/CH4 gas flow. Optical emission spectroscopy has been used to monitor plasma features near the deposition zone. After deposition, the samples are checked by Raman spectroscopy and x-ray photo spectroscopy (XPS). Optical emission intensities of CH and N atom in the plasma are found to be enhanced with the increase in the N2/CH4 gas flow ratio, and then reach their maximums when the N2/CH4 gas flow ratio is 5%. A contrary variation is found in Raman spectra of deposited films. The intensity ratio of the D band to the G band (Id/Ig) and the peak positions of the G and D bands all reach their minimums when the N2/CH4 gas flow ratio is 5%. These show that the structure of amorphous carbon films has been significantly modified by introduction of nitrogen.

Room Temperature Growth of Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Films by Dielectric Barrier Discharge Enhanced CVD

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon （a-Si： H） films were deposited on Si （100） and glass substrates by dielectric barrier discharge enhanced chemical vapour deposition （DBD-CVD） in （SiH4＋H2） atmosphere at room temperature. Results of the thickness measurement, SEM （scanning electron microscope）, Raman, and FTIR （Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy） show that with the increase in the applied peak voltage, the deposition rate and network order of the films increase, and the hydrogen bonding configurations mainly in di-hydrogen （Si-H2） and poly hydrogen （SiH2）n are introduced into the films. The UV-visible transmission spectra show that with the decrease in SiH4/ （SiHn＋H2） the thin films＇ band gap shifts from 1.92 eV to 2.17 eV. These experimental results are in agreement with the theoretic analysis of the DBD discharge. The deposition of a-Si： H films by the DBD-CVD method as reported here for the first time is attractive because it allows fast deposition of a-Si： H films on large-area low-melting-point substrates and requires only a low cost of production without additional heating or pumping equipment.

THERMAL STABILITY AND PERPENDICULAR ANISOTROPY OF AMORPHOUS TbFeCo FILMS

The perpendicular anisotopy,coercivity and Kerr rotation angle of the amorphous Tb_(32)Fe_(54)Co_(14) films were studied.The X-ray,electron diffraction,XPS and AES profile con- firmed that no obvious change in their amorphous structure and oxygen concentration is ob- served after annealing at 100℃,while their properties alter evidently under bending stress.It seems to be believed that the perpendicular anisotropy in the Tb_(32)Fe_(54)Co_(14) films mainly arises from the induced stress during preparation and the magnetostriction coupling stress,as well as,the thermal instability of the film relates closely to the stress relaxation during annealing.

SHORT-RANGE ORDER STRUCTURES OF Fe-Ge AMORPHOUS THIN FILMS

The short-range order structures of Fe_xGe_(1-x) amorphous thin films,(x=8.7,19.1 and 28.5%)have been studied by means of X-ray absorption spectrum.The nearest neighbors around a Ge or an Fe atom are constituted by two coordinate sub-shells with a very short dis- tance,In two films with lower Fe content,structural parameters of the nearest neighbors around a Ge atom are very near to that in amorphous germanium,and the positions of Fe at- oms are randomly substitutional.But when x=28.5%,some great changes occur on the short-range order structure of a-Fe_xGe_(1-x) film:its structure deviates from continuous ran- dora network and tends toward dense random packing of atoms.Meanwhile,there is a strong- er interaction between near neighboring Fe-Ge atoms in a-Fe_xGe_(1-x) films.

Structural and mechanical properties of amorphous carbon films deposited by the dual plasma technique

Direct current metal filtered cathodic vacuum arc （FCVA） and acetylene gas （C2H2） were wielded to synthesize Ti-containing amorphous carbon films on Si （100）. The influence of substrate bias voltage and acetylene gas on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the films were investigated. The results show that the phase of TiC in the （111） preferential crystallographic orientation exists in the film,and the main existing pattern of carbon is sp2. With increasing the acetylene flow rate,the contents of Ti and TiC phase of the film gradually reduce; however,the thickness of the film increases. When the substrate bias voltage reaches -600 V,the internal stress of the film reaches 1.6 GPa. The micro-hardness and elastic modulus of the film can reach 33.9 and 237.6 GPa,respectively,and the friction coefficient of the film is 0.25.

Deposition of Amorphous Carbon Films using ECR Plasma byVarying the Substrate Temperature

Amorphous hydrogenated carbon thin films have been deposited with benzene plasma in an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system. The characteristic of Benzene discharge plasma has been monitored by Mast spectrometry. It shows that the majority of the plasma species in the downstream ECR Plasma with benzene as gas source are acetylene, ethylene and higher mass species. In the experiments, the effects of the substrate temperature on the deposition rates have been emphatically studied. The structures of the films were analyzed by FTIR and Ramam spectrum.The results show that when the substrate temperature rises, the deposition rate drops down, the hydrogen Foment decreases, with the higher SP3 content being presented in the film.

Effect of Nickel Distributions Embedded in Amorphous Carbon Films on Transport Properties

Electrical properties of C/Ni films are studied using four mosaic targets made of pure graphite and stripes of nickel with the surface areas of 1.78,3.21,3.92 and 4.64%.The conductivity data in the temperature range of400-500 K shows the extended state conduction.The conductivity data in the temperature range of 150-300 K shows the multi-phonon hopping conduction.The Berthelot-type conduction dominates in the temperature range of 50-150 K.The conductivity of the films in the temperature range about 〈 50 K is described in terms of variable-range hopping conduction.In low temperatures,the localized density of state around Fermi level（F）for the film deposition with 3.92% nickel has a maximum value of about 56.2×10^（17）cm^（-3）eV^（-1） with the minimum average hopping distance of about 3.43 × 10^（-6） cm.

Amorphous Silicon Films Prepared by Catalytic Chemical Vapor Deposition Method

Amorphous silicon films are prepared at lower temperature of 350 ℃ by new catalytic chemical vapor deposition method.In the method,material gases (SiH 4 and H 2) are decomposed by catalytic reaction at given temperature,so a-Si films are deposited on substrates.It is found that a-Si films with high quality can be obtain,such as high photosensitivity of 10 6,low spin density of 2.5×10 16 cm -3 .