Thermal Expansion Coefficients of Thin Crystal Films

The formulas for atomic displacements and Hamiltonian of a thin crystal film in phonon occupation number representation are obtained with the aid of Green's function theory. On the basis of these results, the formulas for thermal expansion coefficients of the thin crystal film are derived with the perturbation theory, and the numerical calculations are carried out. The results show that the thinner films have larger thermal expansion coefficients.

Random lasing in dye-doped polymer dispersed liquid crystal film

A dye-doped polymer-dispersed liquid crystal film was designed and fabricated,and random lasing action was studied.A mixture of laser dye,nematic liquid crystal,chiral dopant,and PVA was used to prepare the dye-doped polymer-dispersed liquid crystal film by means of microcapsules.Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that most liquid crystal droplets in the polymer matrix ranged from 30 μm to 40 μm,the size of the liquid crystal droplets was small.Under frequency doubled 532 nm Nd：YAG laser-pumped optical excitation,a plurality of discrete and sharp random laser radiation peaks could be measured in the range of 575–590 nm.The line-width of the lasing peak was 0.2 nm and the threshold of the random lasing was 9 m J.Under heating,the emission peaks of random lasing disappeared.By detecting the emission light spot energy distribution,the mechanism of radiation was found to be random lasing.The random lasing radiation mechanism was then analyzed and discussed.Experimental results indicated that the size of the liquid crystal droplets is the decisive factor that influences the lasing mechanism.The surface anchor role can be ignored when the size of the liquid crystal droplets in the polymer matrix is small,which is beneficial to form multiple scattering.The transmission path of photons is similar to that in a ring cavity,providing feedback to obtain random lasing output.

Thermodynamically induced crystal restructuring to make CsPbCl_(3) single crystal films for weak light detection

CsPbCl_(3) perovskite is considered a highly promising material for ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors due to its exceptional thermal stability and excellent short-wavelength light response. However, its high lattice energy and low polarizability result in extremely low solubility in conventional solvents, making the synthesis of CsPbCl_(3) single crystals a significant challenge. In this study, we propose a novel thermodynamically induced crystal restructuring (TICR) process that can transform microcrystalline films (MCFs) into single crystal films (SCFs) within a short period. This method, for the first time, has successfully achieved the synthesis of centimeter-sized CsPbCl_(3) SCFs and the mechanism has been explored in depth using in-situ techniques. Furthermore, we report the first instance of a CsPbCl_(3) SCF UV photodiode, which exhibits a record-breaking on/off ratio of 3.32 × 10^(7) and a detectivity of up to 1.15 × 10^(14) Jones under 0 V bias. It demonstrates excellent response even under weak light conditions of 10 nW·cm^(−2) and maintains outstanding stability with almost no performance degradation after 15 months. This study provides a novel approach for the synthesis of perovskite single crystals and holds significant potential for advancing the development of high-performance optoelectronic devices.

Separation and Purification of Dodecanedioic Acid from Its Homologous Compounds by Falling Film Crystallization

Separation and purification of dodecanedioic acid (DDDA) from its homologous compounds were studied experimentally by falling film crystallization (FFC). The influences of various operation parameters, including crystallizing time, flow rate of melt and temperature of glycerine bath, on purity of DDDA and crystallizing rate were investigated. Over 99% (by mole) DDDA was obtained for a feed composition of 96% (by mole). The main factors affecting the separation efficiency are flow rate of melt and temperature of glycerine bath. The crystallizing layer of DDDA was further purified by sweating and blasting. A set of optimized operation data are provided for better understanding the mechanism of heat and mass transfer in FFC, and for further industrial application of DDDA purification process.

Crystallization Kinetics of NiTi Films with Different Ni Contents

Three kinds of NiTi films with different Ni contents were prepared by DC magnetron sputtering. The crystallization kinetics of amorphous films was determined by using non-isothermal single- scan techniques. The results show that the activation energy of crystallization of Ni-rich NiTi film(Ni 51.10 at. pct, Ti 48.90 at. pct) is 715 kJ/mol; while that of Ti-rich films are similar: one is 445 kJ/mol (Ni 46.74 at. pct. Ti 53.26 at. pct), the other is 418 kJ/mol (Ni 43.21 at. pct, Ti 56.7g at. pct), which i5 lower than Ni-rich film. The Avrami parameter n of different films are 0.92 and 0.74 for Ni-rich film and Ti-rich films, respectively. The difference of kinetic parameters for NiTi films with various Ni contents implies that the crystallization behaviors of these films are distinct, which is confirmed by the calculated isothermal kinetics at different temperatures. The thorough research on this phenomenon is in progress.

Pyrite Films Grown by Sulfurizing Precursive Iron of Different Crystallizing Status

Precursive iron films with different grain sizes were prepared by magnetron sputtering on substrates heated at different temperatures. The iron films were sulfurized at 673 K for 20 h to form pyrite films. The structural and electrical characters were determined. High substrate temperatures produce large crystallites in the precursive iron films. The pyrite films are composed of a surface layer with coarse columnar grains and a bottom layer with fine equiaxed grains. With the increase of iron grain scale, the carrier concentration decreases and the carrier mobility increases. The electrical resistivity of the pyrite films increases to a maximum in the precursive iron films with increasing the grain size to about 3g nm. Sufficient formation and growth of iron grains result in improved crystallinity and high continuity of the pyrite films. The crystal defect density, transformation stress level and atom diffusion behavior are responsible for the characteristics of the electrical properties dependent on the crystallinity and continuity of the pyrite films or the crystallizing status of the precursive iron films.

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.

Crystallization behavior of Ni_(54)Mn_(25.1)Ga_(20.9) ferromagnetic shape memory thin film

NiMnGaferromagnetic shape memory thin film was deposited onto Al foil using r.f.magnetron sputtering technique.The crystallization behavior of the film was investigated by XRD and DSC.The activation energy of crystallization of the film was calculated by Kissinger’s method.The results show that the crystallization temperature of NiMnGafree-standing thin film in martensite state is 372 ℃,and the activation energy of crystallization is about 191.9 kJ·mol-1.

Ferroelectric properties of dysprosium-doped Bi_4Ti_3O_(12) thin films crystallized in various atmospheres

Dysprosium-doped Bi4Ti3O12 (Bi3.4Dy0.6Ti3O12, BDT) ferroelectric thin films were deposited on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO2/Si(111) substrates by chemical solution deposition (CSD) and crystallized in nitrogen, air and oxygen atmospheres, respectively. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to identify the crystal structure, the surface and cross-section morphology of the deposited ferroelectric films. The results show that the crystallization atmosphere has significant effect on determining the crystallization and ferroelectric properties of the BDT films. The film crystallized in nitrogen at a relatively low temperature of 650 ℃, exhibits excellent crystallinity and ferroelectricity with a remanent polarization of 2Pr = 24.9 μC/cm2 and a coercive field of 144.5 kV/cm. While the films annealed in air and oxygen at 650 ℃ do not show good crystallinity and ferroelectricity until they are annealed at 700 ℃. The structure evolution and ferroelectric properties of BDT thin films annealed under different temperatures (600?750 ℃) were also investigated. The crystallinity of the BDT films is improved and the average grain size increases when the annealing temperature increases from 600 ℃ to 750 ℃ at an interval of 50 ℃. However, the polarization of the films is not monotonous function of the annealing temperature.

Fe_(16)N_2 single-crystal films with high saturation magnetization

Though the structure of α"-Fe16N2 was well known, the great interest in Fe16N2 arose from its giant saturation magnetic flux density which was found to be 2.58T at room temperature. The research work on preparing Fe16N2 in high abundance is active on both bulk materials and thin film form. However, up to now, only Sugita and his coworkers have successfully prepared Fe16N2 single-crystal films on semiconductor substrates because of its metastable property. They manifested that the Ms was up to 2.9 T at

Crystal Structure during Film Formation

For evaporation-deposited Ti films, face-centred cubic structure was observed at the initial stage of film growth, then transited to the hexagonal close-packed structure during film growing (less than 50 nm thick). While. for ion-beam sputter-deposited films. the structure of films always kept the fcc structure during all stages of film formation. The structure of film at initial growth stages relates with the substrate. It is discussed that different film processes and different growth stages provide different thermodynamic condition of film formation and result in the different crystal structures of films during the film formation

ELLIPSOMETRY MEASUREMENT ON ANISOTROPIC FILM AND CRYSTAL

In this paper, a method of light intensity mode ellipsometry for optical constant measurement on anisotropic films and crystals is studied. Softwares for this method have also been developed Based on the theories and correspond softwares, experiments are carried out carefully for anisotropic film and bulk samples with optical axis parallel to their surface as well as optical axis perpendicular to the surface. Moreover, the discrepancy between measured data and calculated results are also analyzed. The measurement system developed in this paper is powerful to measure optical parameter of anisotropic film and bulk samples.

Role of the Confined Geometry on the Crystallization of Poly(ethylene terephthlate) Ultrathin Films

The reflection-absorption infrared (RAIR) was employed to study the crystallization kinetic of poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) ultrathin films. During isothermal crystallization the thinner PET film shows a slower kinetic compared with the thicker film. Moreover, the final crystallinity of films with various thickness was found decrease with thickness. The result of fitting our data to Avrami equation showed that the Avrami exponents decrease with film thickness.

The Larger Grain and (111)-Orientation Planes of Poly-Ge Thin Film Grown on SiO₂Substrate by Al-Induced Crystallization

Al-induced crystallization yields the larger grain and (111)-orientation planes of poly-Ge thin film grown on SiO2 substrate, the (111)-orientation planes of poly-Ge thin film grown on SiO2 substrate are very important for the superior performance electronics and solar cells. We discussed the 50 nm thickness poly-Ge thin film grown on SiO2 substrate by Alinduced crystallization focusing on the lower annealing temperature and the diffusion control interlayer between Ge and Al thin film. The (111)-orientation planes ratio of poly-Ge thin film achieve as high as 90% by merging the lower annealing temperature (325℃) and the GeOx diffusion control interlayer. Moreover, we find the lack of defects on poly-Ge thin film surface and the larger average grains size of poly-Ge thin film over 12 μm were demonstrated by electron backscatter diffraction measurement. Our results turn on the feasibility of fabricating electronic and optical device with poly-Ge thin film grown on SiO2 substrate.

STRUCTURE OF CRYSTALLINE DOMAINS IN SEMICRYSTALLINE BLOCK COPOLYMER THIN FILMS

Thin film morphology of a symmetric semicrystalline oxyethylene/oxybutylene diblock copolymer （E76B38） on silicon was investigated by tapping mode atomic force microscopy （AFM）. It is found that the nascent thin film is composed of multiple polymer layers having mixed thicknesses of L ≈ L0 and L ≈ L0/2 （L0 is the long period of the block copolymer in bulk） besides the first layer near the substrate. This shows that the crystalline domain in the block copolymer consists of double poly（oxyethylene） layers. Annealing leads to disappearance of the polymer layers with thickness L ≈L0/2, indicating that such polymer layers are metastable.

The Transmission Modes and Losses of the Poled Nano-crystal and Polymer Composite PbTiO_3 / PEK-c Thin-film Waveguides

Composite thin films of PbTiO3 nano-crystals and high transparency polymer polyetherketone （PEK-c） for application of non-linear optical devices were prepared by spin coating. The size of PbTiO3 nano-crystals was estimated to be 30-40 nm using a transmission electron microscope. The refractive index and the mode propagation losses at 633 nm were measured using the prism coupling technique and improved photographic technique respectively. They were found to be 1.6545 and 2.00 dB cm^-1 （fundamental mode）,respectively. Moreover, it is observed that this loss is increased at higher mode indices.

INFLUENCE OF CRYSTALLIZATION TEMPERATURE ON PHASE TRANSFORMATION IN Ti-RICH NiTi THIN FILMS

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Crystallization of NiTi shape memory alloy sputtering-deposition film

The crystallization of NiTi shape memory alloy sputter deposition film in the course of sputtering deposition and that after heat treated were studied. The relationship between the process factors, such as substrate type, temperature, as well as the crystallization when heat treated after plating was investigated. The results show that a new phase precipitates during heat treatment after sputtering deposition and the degree of crystallization among different layers and the stress in grains are obviously different.

Al-induced Lateral Crystallization of Amorphous Si Thin Films by Microwave Annealing

Al-induced lateral crystallization of amorphous silicon thin films by microwave annealing is investigated.The crystallized Si films are examined by optical microscopy,Raman spectroscopy,transmission electron microscopy and transmission electron diffraction micrography.After microwave annealing at 480 ℃ for 50 min,the amorphous Si is completely crystallized with large grains of main (111) orientation.The rate of lateral crystallization is 0.04μm/min.This process,labeled MILC-MA,not only lowers the temperature but also reduces the time of crystallization.The crystallization mechanism during microwave annealing and the electrical properties of polycrystalline Si thin films are analyzed. This MILC-MA process has potential applications in large area electronics.

NOVEL POLYMER WIDE VIEWING ANGLE COMPENSATION FILMS FOR LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAYS(LCDS)

We report on generating uniaxial negative birefringent compensation films, made of specifically designedpolyimides. These polymers were synthesized via a polycondensation of dianhydride [such as 2, 2' -bis(3, 4-dicarboxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane dianhydride] and 2, 2'-bis(trifluoromethyl)-4,4'-diaminobiphenyl. The uniaxial negative birefringent (n_x =n_y > n_z) polyimide substrates are achieved using a solution-casting method in conventional solvents, which exhibit thedesirable optical phase retardation [(n_x - n_z)×d] values from 50 to 400 nm varying with the film thickness. In thesepolyimide films, the long chain rigid molecules adopt intrinsic planar orientaion. In detail, the majority of phenylene-imiderings and phenylenes preferentially adopt nearly planar conformations parallel to the film substrae. In addition, these filmsalso possess high transparency (or transmittance) and little color shift. The unique color dispersion curve indicates that thistype of materials is very suitable for the applications in LCDs due to an excellent mimic for the retardation color dispersioncurve with respect to LC molecules. Significantly low in-plane retardation (< 1 nm) allows this new technology based film toachieve sufficiently high contrast ratio while highly negative retardation dramatically suppresses the gray scale inversion toimprove the viewing angle performance in a variety of new mode LCDs.