Electron field emission characteristics of nano-catkin carbon films deposited by electron cyclotron resonance microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition

This paper reported that the nano-catkin carbon films were prepared on Si substrates by means of electron cyclotron resonance microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition in a hydrogen and methane mixture. The surface morphology and the structure of the fabricated films were characterized by using scanning electron microscopes and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. The stable field emission properties with a low threshold field of 5V/μm corresponding to a current density of about 1μA/cm^2 and a current density of 3.2mA/cm^2 at an electric field of 10V/μm were obtained from the carbon film deposited at CH4 concentration of 8%. The mechanism that the threshold field decreased with the increase of the CH4 concentration and the high emission current appeared at the high CH4 concentration was explained by using the Fowler-Nordheim theory.

Field emission characteristics of nano-sheet carbon films deposited by quartz-tube microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition

Nano-sheet carbon films are prepared on Si wafers by means of quartz-tube microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition （MPCVD） in a gas mixture of hydrogen and methane. The structure of the fabricated films is investigated by using field emission scanning electron microscope （FESEM） and Raman spectroscopy. These nano^carbon films are possessed of good field emission （FE） characteristics with a low threshold field of 2.6 V/μm and a high current density of 12.6 mA/cm^2 at an electric field of 9 V/μm. As the FE currents tend to be saturated in a high E region, no simple Fowler-Nordheim （F-N） model is applicable. A modified F N model considering statistic effects of FE tip structures and a space-charge-limited-current （SCLC） effect is applied successfully to explaining the FE data observed at low and high electric fields, respectively.

Structural Evolution of SiC Films During Plasma-Assisted Chemical Vapour Deposition

Evolution of chemical bonding configurations for the films deposited from hexam- ethyldisiloxane （HMDSO） diluted with H2 during plasma assisted chemical vapour deposition is investigated. In the experiment a small amount of CH4 was added to adjust the plasma environment and modify the structure of the deposited films. The measurements of Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction （XRD） revealed the production of 6H-SiC embedded in the amorphous matrix without the input of CH4. As CH4 was introduced into the deposition reaction, the transition of 6H-SiC to cubic SiC in the films took place, and also the film surfaces changed from a structure of ellipsoids to cauliflower-like shapes. With a further increase of CH4 in the flow ratio, the obtained films varied from Si-C bonding dominant to a sp^2/sp^3 carbon-rich composition.

Influence of ignition condition on the growth of silicon thin films using plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition

The influences of the plasma ignition condition in plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （PECVD） on the interfaces and the microstructures of hydrogenated microcrystalline Si （μc-Si：H） thin films are investigated. The plasma ignition condition is modified by varying the ratio of Sill4 to H2 （RH）. For plasma ignited with a constant gas ratio, the time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy presents a low value of the emission intensity ratio of Ha to Sill＊ （Iuα//SiH＊） at the initial stage, which leads to a thick amorphous incubation layer. For the ignition condition with a profiling RH, the higher IHα/ISiH＊ values are realized. By optimizing the RN modulation, a uniform crystallinity along the growth direction and a denser αc-Si：H film can be obtained. However, an excessively high IRα/ISIH＊ may damage the interface properties, which is indicated by capacitance-voltage （C-V） measurements. Well controlling the ignition condition is critically important for the applications of Si thin films.

Influence of the Plasma State on the Formation of Nano Crystalline SiC Films

The influence of the plasma state on the microstructure transformation from amorphous to nano-(crystalline) state is emphasized during the formation of the silicon carbide (SiC) films deposited by the plasma enhanced chemical vapor technique. The effect of two key parameters, the working pressure and hydrogen concentration in the gas flow, that perform the dependence by modulating the two essential factors of the plasma state-ions energy and gas composition, is in-depth investigated. The experimental results showed that nanocrystalline SiC films fit for field emitters could be achieved under an appropriate ion energy flow density and gas components in the (plasma.)

Enhanced field emission characteristics of thin-Au-coated nano-sheet carbon films

This paper reports that the nano-sheet carbon films （NSCFs） were fabricated on Si wafer chips with hydrogen- methane gas mixture by means of quartz-tube-type microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition （MWPCVD）. In order to further improve the field emission （FE） characteristics, a 5-nm Au film was prepared on the samples by using electron beam evaporation. The FE properties were obviously improved due to depositing Au thin film on NSCFs. The FE current density at a macroscopic electric field, E, of 9 V/μm was increased from 12.4 mA/cm2 to 27.2 mA/cm2 and the threshold field was decreased from 2.6 V/μm to 2.0 V/μm for Au-coated carbon films. A modified F-N model considering statistic effects of FE tip structures in the low E region and a space-chavge-limited-current effect in the high E region were applied successfully to explain the FE data of the Au-coated NSCF.

Electroluminescence of double-doped diamond thin films

A new electroluminescence device is fabricated by microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition system and electron beam vapour deposition system. It is comprised of highly doped silicon/diamond/boron/nitrogen-doped diamond/indium tin oxide thin films. Effects of process parameters on morphologies and structures of the thin films are detected and analysed by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectrometer and x-ray photoelectron spectrometer. A direct-current （DC） power supply is used to drive the electroluminescence device. The blue light emission with a luminance of 1.2 cd·m^-2 is observed from this double-doped diamond thin film electroluminescence device at an applied voltage of 105 V.

Comments on process of duplex coatings on aluminum alloys

Despite the great achievements made in improvement of wear resistance properties of aluminum alloys, their applications in heavy surface load-bearing are limited. Single coating is insufficient to produce the desired combination of surface properties. These problems can be solved through the duplex coatings. The aim of the present study is to overview the research advances on processes of duplex coatings on (aluminum) alloys combined with micro plasma oxidation process and with other modern processes such as physical vapour deposition and plasma assisted chemical vapour deposition and also to evaluate the performance of micro plasma oxidation coatings in improving the load-bearing, friction and wear resistance properties of aluminum alloys in comparison with other coatings. Wherein, a more detailed presentation of the processes and their performances and disadvantages are given as well.

Influence of total gas flow rate on microcrystalline silicon films prepared by VHF-PECVD

Hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon （μc-Si：H） films are fabricated by very high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （VHF-PECVD） at a silane concentration of 7% and a varying total gas flow rate （H2＋SiH4）. Relations between the total gas flow rate and the electrical and structural properties as well as deposition rate of the films are studied. The results indicate that with the total gas flow rate increasing the photosensitivity and deposition rate increase, but the crystalline volume fraction （Xc） and dark conductivity decrease. And the intensity of （220） peak first increases then decreases with the increase of the total gas flow rate. The cause for the changes in the structure and deposition rate of the films with the total gas flow rate is investigated using optical emission spectroscopy （OES）.