Germanium nanoislands grown by radio frequency magnetron sputtering: Annealing time dependent surface morphology and photoluminescence

Structural and optical properties of ～ 20 nm Ge nanoislands grown on Si（100） by radio frequency （rI） magnetron sputtering under varying annealing conditions are reported. Rapid thermal annealing at a temperature of 600 ℃ for 30 s, 90 s, and 120 s are performed to examine the influence of annealing time on the surface morphology and photoluminescence properties. X-ray diffraction spectra reveal prominent Ge and GeO2 peaks highly sensitive to the annealing time. Atomic force microscope micrographs of the as-grown sample show pyramidal nanoislands with relatively high-density （～ 10^11 cm^-2）. The nanoislands become dome-shaped upon annealing through a coarsening process mediated by Oswald ripening. The room temperature photoluminescence peaks for both as-grown （～ 3.29 eV） and annealed （～ 3.19 eV） samples consist of high intensity and broad emission, attributed to the effect of quantum confinement. The red shift （～ 0.10 eV） of the emission peak is attributed to the change in the size of the Ge nanoislands caused by annealing. Our easy fabrication method may contribute to the development of Ge nanostructure-based optoelectronics.

Fabrication of ZnO films by radio frequency magnetron sputtering and annealing

ZnO thin films were deposited on Si（111） substrates through a radio frequency （rf） magnetron sputtering system. Then the samples were annealed at different temperatures in air ambience and ammonia ambience respectively. The structure and composition of the ZnO films were studied by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）. The morphology of the samples was studied by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. Measured results show that ZnO films with hexagonal wurtzite structure were grown on Si（111） substrates when annealed in the two ambiences. The volatilization process of ZnO in the ammonia ambience at high temperature was discussed and the mechanism of the reaction was analyzed.

Temperature coefficient of resistivity of TiAlN films deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

Titanium aluminum nitride （TiAlN） film, as a possible substitute for the conventional tantalum nitride （TAN） or tantalum-aluminum （TaAl） heater resistor in inkjet printheads, was deposited on a Si（100） substrate at 400 ℃ by radio frequency （RF） magnetron co-sputtering using titanium nitride （TIN） and aluminum nitride （AlN） as ceramic targets. The temperature coefficient of resistivity （TCR） and oxidation resistance, which are the most important properties of a heat resistor, were studied depending on the plasma power density applied during sputtering. With the increasing plasma power density, the crystallinity, grain size and surface roughness of the applied film increased, resulting in less grain boundaries with large grains. The Ti, Al and N binding energies obtained from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis disclosed the nitrogen deficit in the TiAlN stoichiometry that makes the films more electrically resistive. The highest oxidation resistance and the lowest TCR of-765.43×10^-6 K-l were obtained by applying the highest plasma power density.

Preparation of Indium Tin Oxide Films on Polycarbonate substrates by Radio-frequency Magnetron Sputtering

Indium tin oxide（ITO）thin films（100±10nm）were deposited on PC（polycarbonate）and glass substrates by rf（radio-frequency）mannetron spuutering.The oxygen content of the ITO films was changed by variation of the sputtering gas composition.All the other deposition parameters were kept constant.The sheet resistance.optical transmittance and microstructure of ITO films were investigated using a four-point probe.spectrophotometer,X-ray diffractometer（XRD）and atomic force microscope（AFM）.Sheet resistances for the ITO films with optical transmittance more than 75% on PC substrates varied from 40Ω/cm^2 to more than 104 Ω/cm^2 with increasing oxygen partial pressure from O to about 2%.The same tendeney of sheet resistances increasing with increasing oxygen partial pressure was observed on glass substrates.The X-ray diffraction data indicated polycrystalline filns with grain orientations predominantly along（440）and （422）directions.The intensities of （440）and （422）peaks increased slightly with the increase of oxygen partial pressure both on PC and glass substrates.The AFM images show that the ITO films on PC substrates were dense and uniform.The average grain size of the films was about 40nm.

Preparation and Characterization of Transparent Conductive Zinc Doped Tin Oxide Thin Films Prepared by Radio-frequency Magnetron Sputtering

High transparent and conductive thin films of zinc doped tin oxide （ZTO） were deposited on quartz substrates by the radio-frequency （RF） magnetron sputtering using a 12 wt% ZnO doped with 88 wt% SnO2 ceramic target.The effect of substrate temperature on the structural,electrical and optical performances of ZTO films has been studied.X-ray diffraction （XRD） results show that ZTO films possess tetragonal rutile structure with the preferred orientation of （101）.The surface morphology and roughness of the films was investigated by the atomic force microscope （AFM）.The electrical characteristic （including carrier concentration,Hall mobility and resistivity） and optical transmittance were studied by the Hall tester and UV- VIS,respectively.The highest carrier concentration of -1.144×1020 cm-3 and the Hall mobility of 7.018 cm2（V ·sec）-1 for the film with an average transmittance of about 80.0% in the visible region and the lowest resistivity of 1.116×10-2 Ω·cm were obtained when the ZTO films deposited at 250 oC.

Effect of substrate temperature on microstructure and optical properties of single-phased Ag_2O film deposited by using radio-frequency reactive magnetron sputtering method

Using a radio-frequency reactive magnetron sputtering technique, a series of the single-phased Ag20 films are deposited in a mixture of oxygen and argon gas with a flow ratio of 2：3 by changing substrate temperature （Ts）. Effects of the Ts on the microstructure and optical properties of the films are investigated by using X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy and spectrophotometry. The single-phased Ag20 films deposited at values of Ts below 200℃ are （111） preferentially oriented, which may be due to the smallest free energy of the （111） crystalline face. The film crystallization becomes poor as the value of Ts increases from 100℃ to 225℃. In particular, the Ag20 film deposited at Ts=225℃ loses the （111） preferential orientation. Correspondingly, the film surface morphology obviously evolves from a uniform and compact surface structure to a loose and gullied surface structure. With the increase of Ts value, the transmissivity and the reflectivity of the films in the transparent region are gradually reduced, while the absorptivity gradually increases, which may be attributed to an evolution of the crystalline structure and the surface morphology of the films.

Influence of O/Ar ratio on the properties of NiO thin film grown with the method of radio-frequency magnetron sputtering

In order to obtain high quality NiO thin film grown with the radio-frequency magnetron sputtering method, the influence of O/Ar ratio on the structure, band-gap, resistivity and optical transmittance of NiO thin films were studied. It was found that the obtained NiO thin film showed （111） preferred orientation and higher transparency in the visible region. With the increasing of O/ Ar ratio from 1：7 to 8： 2, the optical transmittance of NiO thin films decreased and the optical band- gap was between 3. 4 eV and 3. 7 eV, and the sheet resistivity decreased from 5. 4 ~ 107 Ω/ to 1.0 × 10^5 Ω/[]. Our study shows that the properties of NiO thin films can be adjusted in a wide range by adjusting the O/At ratio in the sputtering process.

Fabrication and characterization of He-charged ODS-FeCrNi films deposited by a radio-frequency plasma magnetron sputtering technique

He-charged oxide dispersion strengthened （ODS） FeCrNi fills were prepared by a radiofrequency （RF） plasma magnetron sputtering method in a He and Ar mixed atmosphere at 150 °C.As a comparison,He-charged FeCrNi films were also fabricated at the same conditions through direct current （DC） plasma magnetron sputtering.The doping of He atoms and Y2O3 in the FeCrNi fills was realized by the high backscattered rate of He ions and Y2O3/FeCrNi composite target sputtering method,respectively.Inductive coupled plasma （ICP） and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） analysis confirmed the existence of Y2O3 in FeCrNi fills,and Y2O3 content hardly changed with sputtering He/Ar ratio.Cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy （SEM） shows that the FeCrNi films were composed of dense colunnarnanocrystallines and the thickness of the films was obviously dependent on He/Ar ratio.Nanoindentation measurements revealed that the FeCrNi films fabricated through DC/RF plasma magnetron sputtering methods exhibited similar hardness values at each He/Ar ratio,while the dispersion of Y2O3 apparently increased the hardness of the fills.Elastic recoil detection （ERD） showed that DC/RF magnetron sputtered FeCrNi films contained similar He amounts （～17 at.%）.Compared with the minimal change of He level with depth in DC-sputtered films,the He amount decreases gradually in depth in the RF-sputtered fills.The Y2O3-doped FeCrNi films were shown to exhibit much smaller amounts of He owing to the lower backscattering possibility of Y2O3 and the inhibition effect of nano-sized Y2O3 particles on the He element.

Preparation and Characterization of Nano-Particles PZT Ferroelectric Thin Films by RF-Magnetron Sputtering

Pt/Ti bottom electrodes were fabricated on SiO2/Si substrates by magnetron dual-facingtarget sputtering system. Lead zirconate titanate（PZT） thin films were deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by radio frequency （RF） magnetron sputtering system. The thickness of PZT thin films which were deposited for 5 h was about 800 nm. XRD spectra show that PZT thin films deposited in Ar ambience and rapid-thermal-annealed for 20 min at 700 ℃ have good crystallization behavior and perovskite structure. AFM micrographs show that mean diameter of crystallites is 70 nm and surface structures of PZT thin films are uniform and dense. Raw mean, root mean square roughness and mean roughness of PZT thin films are 34..357 rim, 2. 479 nm and 1. 954 nm respectively. As test frequency is 1 kHz, dielectric constant of PZT thin films is 327.5. Electric hysteresis loop shows that coercive field strength, residual polarization strength and spontaneous polarization strength of PZT thin films are 50 kV/cm, 10μC/cm^2 and 13μC/cm^2 respectively.

Effect of Heat-treatment on Crystalline Phase and UV Absorption of 60CeO_2-40TiO_2 Thin Films by Magnetron Sputtering

60CeO2-40TiO2 thin films were deposited on soda-lime silicate glass substrates by R.F. magnetron sputtering. The effects of heat-treatment on the UV-absorption of the thin films were studied on the 60CeO2-40TiO2 thin film with the largest UV cut-off wavelength. The sample films with CeO2：TiO2=60：40 were heated at 773 K, 873 K, 973 K for 30 min. These films are characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and spectrometer （XPS）. XRD analysis proves that the addition of TiO2 to CeO2 changed the crystalline state of CeO2. But the UV absorption effect of CeO2-TiO2 films with CeO2 crystallite phase is inferior to that of the amorphous phase CeO2-TiO2 films. XPS analysis also indicates that the amorphous phase CeO2-TiO2 films have the most Ce3＋ content in these films. Amorphous phase and crystalline phase of the CeO2-TiO2 films have different effects on UV absorption of the thin films.

Cu Films Deposited by Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering Enhanced by ICP and External Magnetic Field Confinement

Metallic copper（Cu） films were deposited on a Si （100） substrate by unbalanced magnetron sputtering enhanced by radio-frequency plasma and external magnetic field confinement. The morphology and structure of the films were examined by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, atomic force microscope （AFM） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The surface average roughness of the deposited Cu films was characterized by AFM data and resistivity was measured by a four-point probe. The results show that the Cu films deposited with radio-frequency discharge enhanced ionization and external magnetic field confinement have a smooth surface, low surface roughness and low resistivity. The reasons may be that the radio-frequency discharge and external magnetic field enhance the plasma density, which further improves the ion bombardment effect under the same bias voltage conditions. Ion bombardment can obviously influence the growth features and characteristics of the deposited Cu films.

Effects of ratio of hydrogen flow on microstructure of hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon films deposited by magnetron sputtering at 100 ℃

Hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon(μc-Si:H)films were prepared on glass and silicon substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering at 100°C using a mixture of argon(Ar)and hydrogen(H2)gasses as precursor gas.The effects of the ratio of hydrogen flow(H2/(Ar+H2)%)on the microstructure were evaluated.Results show that the microstructure,bonding structure,and surface morphology of theμc-Si:H films can be tailored based on the ratio of hydrogen flow.An amorphous to crystalline phase transition occurred when the ratio of hydrogen flow increased up to 50%.The crystallinity increased and tended to stabilize with the increase in ratio of hydrogen flow from 40%to 70%.The surface roughness of thin films increased,and total hydrogen content decreased as the ratio of hydrogen flow increased.Allμc-Si:H films have a preferred(111)orientation,independent of the ratio of hydrogen flow.And theμc-Si:H films had a dense structure,which shows their excellent resistance to post-oxidation.

Tungsten Doped Indium Oxide Thin Films Deposited at Room Temperature by Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering

Tungsten doped indium oxide （IWO） thin films were deposited on glass substrate at room temperature by radio frequency reactive magnetron sputtering. Chemical states analysis was carried out, indicating that valence states of element W in the films were W4＋ and W6＋. The effects of sputtering power and film thickness on the surface morphology, optical and electrical properties of IWO thin films were investigated. The IWO thin films had high transmittance in near infrared （NIR） spectral range. The resistivity, carrier mobility and carrier concentration owned their respective optimum values as sputtering power and thickness changed. The asdeposited IWO film with the minimum resistivity of 3.23 × 10^-4 Ω cm was obtained at a sputtering power of 50 W, with carrier mobility of 27.1 cm2 V-1 s-1, carrier concentration of 7.15 × 10^20 cm-3, average transmittance about 80% in visible region and above 75% in NIR region. It may meet the application requirement of high conductivity and transparency in NIR wavelength region.

Fabrication of GaN films through reactive reconstruction of magnetron sputtered ZnO/Ga_2O_3

A simple and easily operated technique was developed to fabricate GaN films. GaN films possessing hexagonal wurtzite structure were fabricated on Si(111) substrates with ZnO buffer layers through nitriding Ga2O3 films in the tube quartz furnace. ZnO buffer layers and Ga3O3 films were deposited on Si substrates in turn by using radio frequency magnetron sputtering system before the nitriding process. The structure and composition of GaN films were studied by X-ray diffraction, selected area electron diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer. The morphologies of GaN films were studied by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that ZnO buffer layer improves the crystalline quality and the surface morphology of the films relative to the films grown directly on silicon substrates. The measurement result of room-temperature photoluminescence spectrum indicates that the photoluminescence peaks locate at 365 nm and 422 nm.

Properties of Gallium Phosphide Thick Films Prepared on Zinc Sulfide Substrates by Radio-Frequency Magnetron Sputtering

Radio-frequency （RF） magnetron sputtering was employed to prepare gallium phosphide （GAP） thick films on zinc sulfide （ZnS） substrates by sputtering a single crystalline GaP target in an Ar atmosphere. The infrared （IR） transmission properties, structure, morphology, composition and hardness of the film were studied. Results show that both amorphous and zinc-blende crystalline phases existed in the GaP film in almost stoichiometric amounts. The GaP film exhibited good IR transmission properties, though the relatively rough surface and loose microstructure caused a small loss of IR transmission due to scattering. The GaP film also showed a much higher haraness than the ZnS substrate, thereby providing good protection to ZnS.

Effects of Mg doping content and annealing temperature on the structural properties of Zn_(1-x)Mg_xO thin films prepared by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering

The doping content of Mg plays an important role in the crystalline structure and morphology properties of Zn_(1-x )Mg_xO thin films. Here,using radio-frequency magnetron sputtering method,we prepared Zn_(1-x )Mg_xO thin films on single crystalline Si(100) substrates with a series of x values. By means of X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscope(SEM),the crystalline structure and morphology of Zn_(1-x )Mg_xO thin films with different x values are investigated. The crystalline structure of Zn_(1-x )Mg_xO thin film is single phase with x<0.3,while there is phase separation phenomenon with x>0.3,and hexagonal and cubic structures will coexist in Zn_(1-x )Mg_xO thin films with higher x values. Especially with lower x values,a shoulder peak of 35.1° appearing in the XRD pattern indicates a double-crystalline structure of Zn_(1-x )Mg_xO thin film. The crystalline quality has been improved and the inner stress has been released,after the Zn_(1-x )Mg_xO thin films were annealed at 600 °C in vacuum condition.

射频磁控溅射工艺参数对掺钨氧化铟锡透明导电薄膜性能的影响

ITO薄膜是目前应用最为广泛的透明导电薄膜,通过在ITO中掺杂其他金属可以进一步改善ITO薄膜的光学和电学性能。本文采用射频(RF)磁控溅射法制备了掺钨氧化铟锡(ITO∶W)透明导电薄膜,研究了薄膜厚度、表面形貌、晶体结构以及光学和电学性能与各溅射参数之间的关系。当溅射功率大于40 W时,制备的ITO∶W薄膜为方铁锰矿结构的多晶薄膜,此时薄膜表面光滑平整而且具有良好的结晶性。在基板温度320℃、溅射功率80 W、溅射时间15 min、工作气压0.6 Pa条件下得到了光学和电学性能优良的ITO∶W薄膜,其方块电阻为10.5Ω/、电阻率为4.41×10^(-4)Ω·cm,对应的载流子浓度为2.23×10^(20)cm^(-3)、迁移率为27.3 cm^(2)·V^(-1)·s^(-1)、可见光(400~700 nm)范围内平均透射率为90.97%。此外,本研究还发现通过调节基板温度影响氧元素的状态可以改变ITO∶W薄膜的电学性能。

PEN衬底氧化镓基柔性紫外探测器的制备与性能研究(特邀)

针对传统硬性衬底无法弯折的问题,采用聚萘二甲酸乙二醇酯(PEN)衬底制备柔性紫外光电探测器。柔性衬底具有的抗曲折性,能够提升探测器的鲁棒性,并且能让其适用于各种复杂形态的应用场景,同时减少占用空间,有助于整个电路的集成化。实验使用磁控溅射镀膜工艺首先在PEN衬底上生长氧化镓薄膜,并在氧化镓薄膜上生长氧化铟锡电极,在室温下成功制备柔性氧化镓紫外光电探测器,器件响应波长处于小于280 nm的深紫外区。将器件弯折20000次后其暗电流无显著变化,光电流增大,保持了良好的紫外光探测性能,探测器上升时间和衰减时间分别为0.24 s/0.74 s和0.10 s/0.71 s,其电流-时间特性曲线呈现周期性稳定,表明即使经过多次弯折,柔性氧化镓紫外探测器仍然具有良好的光电探测性能。

氧分压对a-Ga_(2)O_(3)基日盲紫外光电探测器性能的影响研究

非晶氧化镓(a-Ga_(2)O_(3))基日盲紫外光电探测器的性能与a-Ga_(2)O_(3)薄膜内的氧空位有关,氧空位的浓度制约着探测器的响应度和响应速度。为了在探测器的响应度和响应速度之间达到平衡,本文通过微调射频磁控溅射过程中的氧分压,调控薄膜内的氧空位浓度,并在此基础上成功制备金属-半导体-金属(metal-semiconductor-metal,MSM)型日盲紫外探测器。研究结果显示,通过掺入氧气能减少薄膜内的氧空位,改善薄膜的致密度。适当条件的氧分压可以使探测器在维持良好响应度的前提下,同时拥有较快的响应速度,在两种互相制约的特性上达到了平衡。特别地,在3%氧分压条件下制备得到的日盲探测器在254 nm、80μW/cm^(2)的紫外光照射下具有2.6 A/W的响应度以及2.2 s/0.96 s的快速响应速度。

Preparation of AlN thin films for film bulk acoustic resonator application by radio frequency sputtering

Aluminum nitride （AlN） thin films with high c-axis orientation have been prepared on a glass substrate with an Al bottom electrode by radio frequency （RF） reactive magnetron sputtering. Based on the analysis of Berg＇s hysteresis model, the improved sputtering system is realized without a hysteresis effect. A new control method for rapidly depositing highly c-axis oriented AlN thin films is proposed. The N2 concentration could be controlled by observing the changes in cathode voltage, to realize the optimum processing condition where the target could be fixed stably in the transition region, and both stoichiometric film composition and a high deposition rate could be obtained. Under a 500 W RF power of a target with a 6 cm diameter, a substrate temperature of 450 ℃, a target-substrate distance of 60 mm and a N2 concentration of 25%, AlN thin film with preferential （002） orientation was deposited at 2.3 μm/h which is a much higher rate than previously achieved. Through X-ray diffraction （XRD） analysis, the full width at half maximum （FWHM） of AlN （002） was shown to be about 0.28°, which shows the good crystallinity and crystal orientation of AlN thin film. With other parameters held constant, any increase or decrease in N2 concentration results in an increase in the FWHM of AlN.