Controllable growth of wafer-scale PdS and PdS_(2) nanofilms via chemical vapor deposition combined with an electron beam evaporation technique

Palladium(Pd)-based sulfides have triggered extensive interest due to their unique properties and potential applications in the fields of electronics and optoelectronics.However,the synthesis of large-scale uniform PdS and PdS_(2)nanofilms(NFs)remains an enormous challenge.In this work,2-inch wafer-scale PdS and PdS_(2) NFs with excellent stability can be controllably prepared via chemical vapor deposition combined with electron beam evaporation technique.The thickness of the pre-deposited Pd film and the sulfurization temperature are critical for the precise synthesis of PdS and PdS_(2) NFs.A corresponding growth mechanism has been proposed based on our experimental results and Gibbs free energy calculations.The electrical transport properties of PdS and PdS_(2) NFs were explored by conductive atomic force microscopy.Our findings have achieved the controllable growth of PdS and PdS_(2) NFs,which may provide a pathway to facilitate PdS and PdS_(2) based applications for next-generation high performance optoelectronic devices.

Electron beam evaporation deposition of cadmium sulphide and cadmium telluride thin films: Solar cell applications

Cadmium sulphide （CdS） and cadmium telluride （CdTe） thin films are deposited by electron beam evaporation. Atomic force microscopy （AFM） reveals that the root mean square （RMS） roughness values of the CdS films increase as substrate temperature increases. The optical band gap values of CdS films increase slightly with the increase in the substrate temperature, in a range of 2.42-2.48 eV. The result of Hall effect measurement suggests that the carrier concentration decreases as the substrate temperature increases, making the resistivity of the CdS films increase. CdTe films annealed at 300 ℃ show that their lowest transmittances are due to their largest packing densities. The electrical characteristics of CdS/CdTe thin film solar cells are investigated in dark conditions and under illumination. Typical rectifying and photovoltaic properties are obtained.

Fe-doped ZnS film fabricated by electron beam evaporation and its application as saturable absorber for Er:ZBLAN fiber laser

High-quality Fe-doped Zn S films have been fabricated by electron beam evaporation.After the doping,the fabricated films still maintain the preferential crystalline orientation and phase purity of the host Zn S.According to the observation of surface morphology,the root mean-square roughness of the samples increases slightly with the increase of doping content.All of the prepared samples are in cubic zinc blende structure of Zn S.Transmission spectrum confirms a more obvious dip near 3μm with higher dopant concentration and it can be attributed to the typical^(5)E→^(5)T_(2)transition of Fe^(2+).Fe-doped Zn S film is also successfully used for Q-switched Er:ZBLAN fiber laser.

Influences of annealing temperature on properties of Fe^2+:ZnSe thin films deposited by electron beam evaporation and their applications to Q-switched fiber laser

Fe^2+:ZnSe thin films are prepared on sapphire substrate at room temperature by electron beam evaporation and then annealed in vacuum(about 1×10^-4 Pa)at different temperatures.The influences of thermal annealing on the structural and optical properties of these films such as grain size and optical transmittance are investigated.The x-ray diffraction patterns show that the Fe2+:ZnSe thin film is preferred to be oriented along the(111)plane at different annealing temperatures.After the film is annealed,the full-width-at-half-maximum(FWHM)of the x-ray diffraction peak profile(111)of the film decreases and its crystal quality is improved.Scanning electron microscope images show that the films are more dense after being annealed.Finally,the sample is used as a saturable absorber in ZBLAN fiber laser.The annealed Fe^2+:ZnSe thin films can be used to realize stable Q-switching modulation on ZBLAN fiber laser.The results demonstrate that the Fe2+:ZnSe thin film is a promising material for generating the high-power pulses of mid-infrared Q-switched fiber lasers.

Photoluminescence properties of ZnSe_(1-x)Te_x thin films on GaAs/ITO substrates by electron beam evaporation technique

Zinc chalcogenide which includes zinc selenide,zinc sulphide,zinc telluride and mixed crystals of these shows a great potential as an optoelectronic device material. Zinc selenotelluride is a suitable material for visible light emitting devices which are expected to cover the spectral range from yellow to blue. In our present study the composition controlled ZnSe1-xTex films with different Te content x = 0,0.2,0.4,0.6,0.8 and 1.0 were deposited by electron beam (EB) evaporation technique. GaAs films were deposited by vacuum evaporation route on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates which were used as base for depositing the ZnSe1-xTex film. The band-gap energy change in the entire composition range was determined at room temperature by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The peak observed at about 2.56 eV shows the effect of solid solution formation between ZnSe and ZnTe which modifies the lattice and consequently the band edge emission characteristics. The heterostructures showed three peaks in the visible region of white light spectrum.

Electron beam deposition and characterization of thin film Ti-Ni for shape memory applications

Thin film of Ti-Ni alloy has a potential to perform the microactuation functions required in the microelectromechanical system (MEMS). It is essential, however, to have good uniformity in both chemical composition and thickness to realize its full potential as an active component of MEMS devices. Electron beam evaporation technique was employed in this study to fabricate the thin films of Ti-Ni alloy on different substrates. The targets used for the evaporation were first prepared by electron beam melting. The uniformity of composition and microstructure of the thin films were characterized by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The mechanical property of the thin films was evaluated by the nano-indentation test. The martensitic transformation temperature was measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It is confirmed that the chemical composition of deposited thin films is identical to that of the target materials. Furthermore, results from depth profiling of the chemical composition variation reveal that the electron beam evaporation process yields better compositional homogeneity than other conventional methods such as sputtering and thermal evaporation. Microstructural observation by TEM shows that nanometer size precipitates are preferentially distributed along the grain boundaries of a few micron size grains. The hardness and elastic modulus of thin films decreases with an increase in Ti contents.

Chemical Composition and Mechanical Characteristic of Nitrogen Ion Beam Mixed Carbon Nanolayer

Ion beam methods for modification of nanohardness of surface nanolayers of the titanium alloy Ti6AI4V were applied. After deposition of carbon nanolayers by electron beam evaporation, the ion implantation of nitrogen into samples was carried out. The chemical composition of the modified surface area was investigated by AES （auger electron spectroscopy）. The nanohardness of resulted ion beam modified surface nanolayers were investigated by nanoindentation testing. The measured concentration profiles indicate the atomic mixing of carbon into the substrate. It was found that the modified samples had a markedly higher nanohardness than the unmodified samples. The increased nanohardness is attributed to the newly created phases in the surface area.

Dependence of Structural and Optoelectrical Properties on the Composition of Electron Beam Evaporated Zn_xCd_(1-x)S Thin Films

Thin films of ZnxCd1-xS have been prepared by electron beam evaporation of a mixture of ZnS & CdS powders. The films are deposited onto sodalime glass slides under similar conditions.The composition of the films is varied from CdS to ZnS (x=0 to 1). The films show a regular change in color from toner red to orange yellow as Zn concentration increases to maximum.These films are characterized for their optical, electricaI and structural properties. The bandgap value of ZnxCd1-xS films is found to vary linearIy from 2.20 eV to 3.44 eV with change in the x value from 0 to 1. The resistivity of these films is in the range of 171.0 Ωcm to 5.5× 106Ωcm for x=0~0.6. All the samples show cubic structure after annealing in air at 250℃ for 40 min.The lattice constant ao varies from 0.5884 nm to 0.54109 nm linearly.

Electrical properties of zinc-oxide-based thin-film transistors using strontium-oxide-doped semiconductors

Strontium-zinc-oxide（SrZnO） films forming the semiconductor layers of thin-film transistors（TFTs） are deposited by using ion-assisted electron beam evaporation. Using strontium-oxide-doped semiconductors, the off-state current can be dramatically reduced by three orders of magnitude. This dramatic improvement is attributed to the incorporation of strontium, which suppresses carrier generation, thereby improving the TFT. Additionally, the presence of strontium inhibits the formation of zinc oxide（ZnO） with the hexagonal wurtzite phase and permits the formation of an unusual phase of ZnO, thus significantly changing the surface morphology of ZnO and effectively reducing the trap density of the channel.

New developments for vacuum coating of steel strips

Vapor deposited coatings onto strip steel are a promising alternative as functional layers for corrosion protection or high abrasion resistance.Conventional coating systems have some limits regarding environmental compatibility,the range of coating materials and application properties. Physical vapor deposition(PVD) is an environment-friendly technology and enables nearly unlimited material and process variety.Electron beam high-rate evaporation with deposition rates up to some micrometers per second is the most productive PVD technology for low cost coating.The combination of evaporation with powerful plasma is an efficient way to improve the layer properties.The developed plasma sources can be used for special plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition(PECVD) processes too. The paper gives an overview about the latest developments in these technologies.Furthermore,the paper explains some examples of new layer stacks onto steel strips.While enhanced corrosion protection can be obtained by magnesium,aluminium or copper containing coatings other functional surface properties come more and more in the focus of interest.For instance,decorative gold colored layers,transparent scratch resistant layers,hard coatings and photo catalytic layers were deposited on running steel strips.Functional layers and layer systems for energy saving and sun energy absorption by solar thermal effects and photo voltaics are under development.The coatings are prepared under the conditions of very high deposition rates using our in-line vacuum coater for metallic strips and sheets with the name MAXI.The influence of the process and plasma parameters on the layer properties were investigated and will be demonstrated for some applications.

Influence of deposition rate on the structural, optical and electrical properties of electron beam evaporated SnO_2 thin films for transparent conducting electrode applications

The role of deposition rate in the structural, optical and electrical properties of SnOthin films deposited by electron beam evaporation method is investigated by varying the deposition powers viz. 50, 75, and 100 W.The structural characterization of the films is done by X-ray diffraction(XRD) technique. The surface morphology of the films is studied by scanning electron microscopy(SEM). Rutherford back scattering(RBS) measurements revealed the thickness of the films ranging from 200 nm to 400 and also a change in the concentration of oxygen vacancies which is found to be the maximum in the film deposited at the lowest deposition rate. Optical absorption spectrum is recorded using the UV–V is spectroscopy and the films are found to be transparent in nature. A shift in the absorption edge is observed and is attributed to a different level of allowed energy states in conduction band minimum. The Hall effect and electrical measurements show a variation in the carrier concentrations, mobility and resistivity of the films. In order to explore a better compromise in electrical and optical properties for transparent electrode applications, skin depths calculations are also done to find the optimized values of carrier concentration and mobility.

Electron beam evaporated gold doped tungsten oxide nanostructured films for sensor applications

Gas sensors play a vital role in monitoring environmental pollution for human health,safety,and the detection of various gasses in the environment.Nanostructured metal oxide thin films have been widely used in sensor applications owing to their unique properties.In this study,pure and gold(Au)doped nanostructured tungsten trioxide(WO_(3))films were deposited on glass substrates by electron beam evaporation at room temperature.The microstructure of the WO_(3) films changed from nanoflakes to nanorods upon variation of the wt%of Au.The sensing properties of WO_(3) based nanostructure films were measured using a computer-controlled system.The gas sensing results showed that the Au-doped WO_(3) films exhibited a higher sensitivity than the undoped films.The 15 wt%Au-doped WO_(3) nanostructure films showed high sensitivity towards ethanol and the response(sensitivity)value was 89.The response and recovery times for 15 wt%Au-doped WO_(3) were 8 and 10 s,respectively.

Highly transparent low resistance Ga doped ZnO/Cu grid double layers prepared at room temperature

Ga doped ZnO （GZO）/Cu grid double layer structures were prepared at room temperature （RT）. We have studied the electrical and optical characteristics of the GZO/Cu grid double layer as a function of the Cu grid spacing distance. The optical transmittance and sheet resistance of the GZO/Cu grid double layer are higher than that of the GZO/Cu film double layer regardless of the Cu grid spacing distance and increase as the Cu grid spacing distance increases. The calculated values for the transmittance and sheet resistance of the GZO/Cu grid double layer well follow the trend of the experimentally observed transmittance and sheet resistance ones. For the GZO/Cu grid double layer with a Cu grid spacing distance of 1 mm, the highest figure of merit （ФTC = 6.19 × 10^-3 Ω^-1） was obtained. In this case, the transmittance, resistivity and filling factor （FF） of the GZO/Cu grid double layer are 83.74%, 1.10 ×10^-4Ω.cm and 0.173, respectively.

High quality non-rectifying contact of ITO with both Ni and n-type GaAs

We report the specific contact resistance for ITO with both metal and a semiconductor. Good quality ITO was deposited by electron beam evaporation with the resistivity of 2.32×10^-4 Ω.cm and an averaged transmittance of 92.8% in the visible light region. The circular transmission line model （c-TLM） method was used to evaluate and compare the properties of the ITO/metal and ITO/semiconductor ohmic contacts. The lowest specific contact resistance of the ITO/Ni is 2.81×10^-6 Ω.cm^2, while that oflTO/n-GaAs is 7×10^-5Ω.cm^2. This is the best ohmic contact between ITO and n-GaAs ever reported. These results suggest that good quality ITO has strong potential to be used to realize highly efficient solar cells.

Structural, Optical and Electrical Properties of Ga Doped ZnO/Cu grid/Ga Doped ZnO Transparent Electrodes

Ga doped ZnO （OZO）/Cu grid/GZO transparent conductive electrode （TCE） structures were fabricated at room temperature （RT） by using electron beam evaporation （EBE） for the Cu grids and RF magnetron sputtering for the GZO layers. In this work, we investigated the electrical and optical characteristics of GZO/Cu grid/GZO multilayer electrode for thin film solar cells by using evaporated Cu grid and sputtered GZO thin films to enhance the optical transparency without significantly affecting their conductivity. The optical transmittance and sheet resistance of GZO/Cu grid/GZO multilayer are higher than those of GZO/Cu film/GZO multilayer independent of Cu grid separation distance and increase with increasing Cu grid separation distances. The calculation of both transmittance and sheet resistance of GZO/Cu grid] GZO multilayer was based on Cu filling factor correlated with the geometry of Cu grid. The calculated values for the transmittance and sheet resistance of the GZO/Cu grid/GZO multilayer were similar to the experimentally observed ones. The highest figure of merit ФTc is 5.18× 10^-3Ω^-1 for the GZO/Cu grid] GZO multilayer with Cu grid separation distance of 1 mm was obtained, in this case, the transmittance and resistivity were 82.72% and 2.17 × 10 ^-4Ωcm, respectively. The transmittance and resistivity are accentahle for nractical thin film snlar cell annlicatinn~