Synthesis and properties of Cr-Al-Si-N films deposited by hybrid coating system with high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) and DC pulse sputtering

The CrN and Cr-Al-Si-N films were deposited on Si wafer and SUS 304 substrates by a hybrid coating system with high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) and a DC pulse sputtering using Cr and AlSi targets under N2/Ar atmosphere.By varying the sputtering current of the AlSi target in the range of 0-2.5 A,both the Al and Si contents in the films increased gradually from 0 to 19.1% and 11.1% (mole fraction),respectively.The influences of the AlSi cathode DC pulse current on the microstructure,phase constituents,mechanical properties,and oxidation behaviors of the Cr-Al-Si-N films were investigated systematically.The results indicate that the as-deposited Cr-Al-Si-N films possess the typical nanocomposite structure,namely the face centered cubic (Cr,Al)N nano-crystallites are embedded in the amorphous Si3N4 matrix.With increasing the Al and Si contents,the hardness of the film first increases from 20.8 GPa for the CrN film to the peak value of 29.4 GPa for the Cr0.23Al0.14Si0.07 N film,and then decreases gradually.In the meanwhile,the Cr0.23Al0.14Si0.07N film also possesses excellent high-temperature oxidation resistance that is much better than that of the CrN film at 900 or 1000 °C.

Influences of working pressure on properties for TiO_2 films deposited by DC pulse magnetron sputtering

TiO2 films were deposited at room temperature by DC pulse magnetron sputtering system.The crystalline structures,morphological features and photocatalytic activity of TiO2 films were systematically investigated by X-ray diffraction（XRD）,atomic force microscopy（AFM） and ultraviolet spectrophotometer,respectively.The results indicated that working pressure was the key deposition parameter in？uencing the TiO2 film phase composition at room temperature,which directly affected its photocatalytic activity.With increasing working pressure,the target self-bias decreases monotonously.Therefore,low temperature TiO2 phase（anatase） could be deposited with high working pressure.The anatase TiO2 films deposited with 1.4 Pa working pressure displayed the highest photocatalytic activity by the decomposition of Methyl Orange solution,which the degradation rate reached the maximum（35%） after irradiation by ultraviolet light for 1 h.

EFFECT OF Ar PRESSURE ON STRUCTURAL AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF Cu FILMS DEPOSITED ON GLASS BY DC MAGNETRON SPUTTERING

Cu films with thickness of 630-1300nm were deposited on glass substrates without heating by DC magnetron sputtering in pure Ar gas. Ar pressure was controlled to 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5Pa respectively. The target voltage was fixed at 500V but the target current increased from 200 to 1150mA with Ar pressure increasing. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were used to observe the structural characterization of the films. The resistivity of the films was measured using four-point probe technique. At all the Ar pressures, the Cu films have mixture crystalline orientations of [111], [200] and [220] in the direction of the film growth. The film deposited at lower pressure shows more [111] orientation while that deposited at higher pressure has more [220] orientation. The amount of larger grains in the film prepared at 0.5Pa Ar pressure is slightly less than that prepared at 1.0Pa and 1.5Pa Ar pressures. The resistivities of the films prepared at three different Ar pressures represent few differences, about 3-4 times of that of bulk material. Besides the deposition rate increases with Ar pressure because of the increase in target current. The contribution of the bombardment of energetic reflected Argon atoms to these phenomena is discussed.

OPTICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF TiO_2 THIN FILM ON SILICON SUBSTRATE DEPOSITED BY DC REACTIVE MAGNETRON SPUTTERING

TiO2 thin film has attracted considerable attention in recent years, due to its different refractive index and transparency with amorphous and different crysta ls in the visible and near-infrared wavelength region, high dielectric constant, wide band gap, high wear resistance and stability, etc, for which make it being used in many fields. This paper aims to investigate the optical characterizatio n of thin film TiO2 on silicon wafer. The TiO2 thin films were prepared by DC re active magnetron sputtering process from Ti target. The reflectivity of the film s was measured by UV-3101PC, and the index of refraction (n) and extinction coef ficient (k) were measured by n & k Analyzer 1200.

Photocatalytic Property of TiO2 Films Deposited by Pulsed DC Magnetron Sputtering

TiO2 thin films were prepared by DC magnetron sputtering with the oxygen flow rate higher than the threshold. The film deposited for 5 h was of anatase phase with a preferred orientation along the <220> direction, but the films deposited for 2 and 3 h were amorphous. The transmittance and photocatalytic activity of the TiO2 films increased constantly with increasing film thickness. When the annealing temperature was lower than 700℃, only anatase grew in the TiO2 film. TiO2 phase changed from anatase to rutile when the annealing temperature was above 800℃. The photocatalytic activity decreased with increasing annealing temperature.

Dependence of characteristics of LaB_6 films on DC magnetron sputtering power

Lanthanum hexaboride(LaB6) thin films were deposited on glass substrate by DC magnetron sputtering technology,and the AFM,XRD and scratch tests were used to characterize the deposited films.Influences of sputtering power on the microstructure and the bonding strength between the film and substrate were investigated.AFM observation proves that the dense films are obtained,and the surface roughness is below 4.3 nm.The LaB6 film shows the crystalline structure with the grain less than 100 nm.The XRD pattern identifies that the crystal structure of the films is in accordance with that of bulk LaB6,and the(100) crystal face is dominated.The average grain size decreases firstly and then increases with increasing power,and reaches the minimum of 40 nm when the sputtering power is 44 W.Moreover,the intensity of peaks in XRD pattern increases firstly and decreases afterward with increasing power.When the sputtering power is 50 W,the peak intensity reaches the maximum,showing an intense relationship between the power and crystal structures.The scratch test shows that interface bonding strength of the film/substrate is higher at the power of 44 W than the others,due to the formation of the nanosized crystals and their improved surface energy.

Indium–tin oxide films obtained by DC magnetron sputtering for improved Si heterojunction solar cell applications

The indium-tin oxide （ITO） film as the antireflection layer and front electrodes is of key importance to obtaining high efficiency Si heterojunction （HJ） solar cells. To obtain high transmittance and low resistivity ITO films by direct-current （DC） magnetron sputtering, we studied the impacts of the ITO film deposition conditions, such as the oxygen flow rate, pressure, and sputter power, on the electrical and optical properties of the ITO films. ITO films of resistivity of 4 x 10-4 ~.m and average transmittance of 89% in the wavelength range of 380-780 nm were obtained under the optimized conditions： oxygen flow rate of 0.1 sccm, pressure of 0.8 Pa, and sputtering power of 110 W. These ITO films were used to fabricate the single-side HJ solar cell without an intrinsic a-Si：H layer. However, the best HJ solar cell was fabricated with a lower sputtering power of 95 W, which had an efficiency of 11.47%, an open circuit voltage （Voc） of 0.626 V, a filling factor （FF） of 0.50, and a short circuit current density （Jsc） of 36.4 mA/cm2. The decrease in the performance of the solar cell fabricated with high sputtering power of 110 W is attributed to the ion bombardment to the emitter. The Voc was improved to 0.673 V when a 5 nm thick intrinsic a-Si：H layer was inserted between the （p） a-Si：H and （n） c-Si layer. The higher Voc of 0.673 V for the single-side HJ solar cell implies the excellent c-Si surface passivation by a-Si：H.

Silver-palladium alloy deposited by DC magnetron sputtering method as lubricant for high temperature application

The silver-palladium(Ag-Pd) alloy coating as a solid lubricant was investigated for its application to the high temperature stud bolts used in nuclear power plants.A hex bolt sample was prepared in the following steps:1) bolt surface treatment using alumina grit blasting for cleaning and increasing the surface area;2) nickel(Ni) film coating as a glue layer on the surface of the bolt;and 3) Ag-Pd alloy coating on the Ni film.The films were deposited by using a direct current(DC) magnetron sputtering system.The thickness and composition of the Ag-Pd alloy film have effect on the friction coefficient,which was determined using axial force measurement.A 500 nm-thick Ag-Pd(80-20,molar ratio) alloy film has the lowest friction coefficient of 0.109.A cyclic test was conducted to evaluate the durability of bolts coated with either the Ag-Pd(80-20) alloy film or N-5000 oil.In a cycle,the bolts were inserted into a block using a torque wrench,which was followed by heating and disassembling.After only one cycle,it was not possible to remove the bolts coated with the N-5000 oil from the block.However,the bolts coated with the Ag-Pd(80-20) alloy could be easily removed up until 15 cycles.

Reactive DC Magnetron Sputtering Deposition of Copper Nitride Thin Film

Copper nitride thin film was deposited on glass substrates by reactive DC （direct current） magnetron sputtering at a 0.5 Pa N2 partial pressure and different substrate temperatures. The as-prepared film, characterized with X-Ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements, showed a composed structure of Cu3N crystallites with anti-ReO3 structure and a slight oxidation of the resulted film.The crystal structure and growth rate of Cu3N films were affected strongly by substrate temperature. The preferred crystalline orientation of Cu3N films were （111） and （200） at RT, 100℃. These peaks decayed at 200℃ and 300℃ only Cu （111） peak was noticed. Growth of Cu3N films at 100℃ is the optimum substrate temperature for producing high-quality （111） Cu3N films. The deposition rate of Cu3N films estimated to be in range of 18-30 nm/min increased while the resistivity and the microhardness of Cu3N films decreased when the temperature of glass substrate increased.

Effect of N_2-Gas Partial Pressure on the Structure and Properties of Copper Nitride Films by DC Reactive Magnetron Sputtering

Copper nitride thin films were deposited on glass substrates by reactive direct current （DC） magnetron sputtering at various N2-gas partial pressures and room temperature. Xray diffraction measurements showed that the films were composed of Cu3N crystallites and exhibited a preferential orientation of the [111] direction at a low nitrogen gas （N2） partial pressure. The film growth preferred the [111] and the [100] direction at a high N2 partial pressure. Such preferential film growth is interpreted as being due to the variation in the Copper （Cu） nitrification rate with the N2 pressure. The N2 partial pressure affects not only the crystal structure of the film but also the deposition rate and the resistivity of the Cu3N film. In our experiment, the deposition rate of Cu3N films was 18 nm/min to 30 nm/min and increased with the N2 partial pressure. The resistivity of the Cu3N films increased sharply with the increasing N2 partial pressure. At a low N2 partial pressure, the Cu3N films showed a metallic conduction mechanism through the Cu path, and at a high N2 partial pressure, the conductivity of the Cu3N films showed a semiconductor conduction mechanism.

Effects of Titanium Sputtering Current on Structure and Morphology of TiZrN Films Prepared by Reactive DC Magnetron Co-Sputtering

TiZrN films were deposited on unheated Si (100) substrates by reactive dc magnetron co-sputtering. Titanium and zirconium metals were used as sputtering targets. Ar and N2 gas were used as sputtering gas and reactive gas, with the flow rates of 8 and 4 sccm, respectively. The Zr sputtering current was fixed at 0.6 A and Ti sputtering current varied from 0.6 to 1.2 A. The deposition time for all the deposited films was 60 min. The effects of Ti sputtering current on the structure and morphology of the films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was found that all the prepared films were (Ti,Zr)N solid solution. Furthermore, the lattice parameter was found to decrease whereas the crystallite size, RMS roughness and film thickness increased with increasing Ti sputtering current. As a result, the crystallinity of the films increased what is in agreement with XRD results.

Effect of process parameters on electrical,optical properties of IZO films produced by inclination opposite target type DC magnetron sputtering

IZO films were deposited onto PET substrate at room temperature with the inclined opposite target type DC magnetron sputtering equipment,in which a sintered oxide IZO target(doped with 10% ZnO,packing density of 99.99%) was used.The effects of total sputtering pressure and film thickness on IZO films properties were studied.All the films produced at room temperature have a amorphous structure,irrespective of the total sputtering pressure and film thickness.A resistivity of the order of 10-4 Ωcm was obtained for IZO films deposited at lower pressure(film thickness of 190 nm).The resistivity of IZO films deposited at room temperature depends on film thickness and shows a minimum at a thickness of 530 nm.

Effects of Vanadium Content on Structure and Chemical State of TiVN Films Prepared by Reactive DC Magnetron Co-Sputtering

TiVN films were deposited on Si(100) wafers without external heating and biasing by reactive dc magnetron co-sputtering. Titanium and vanadium metals were used as sputtering targets. Ar and N2 gases were used as sputtering gas and reactive gas, respectively. The flow rates of Ar and N2 were 8 and 4 sccm, respectively. The Ti sputtering current (ITi) was kept constant at 0.6 Aand V sputtering current (IV) was varied from 0.4 to1.0 A. The deposition time for all the deposited films was 30 min. The effects of V sputtering current on the structure, surface and cross-sectional morphologies, and chemical composition and chemical state of the films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. It was found that all the prepared film formed (Ti,V)N solid solution. The lattice parameter was found to decrease while crystallite size, RMS roughness and film thickness increased with increasing V sputtering current. High resolution XPS spectra of the Ti 2p, V 2p and N 1s revealed that the fraction of Ti-N and V-N bonds increased as the V sputtering current increased. However, the V-N bond was observed only at a high V sputtering current.

Preparation of Thin Films by a Bipolar Pulsed-DC Magnetron Sputtering System Using Ca₃Co₄O₉and CaMnO₃Targets

The thin films were deposited on the glass substrates by an asymmetric bipolar pulsed-dc magnetron sputtering system using the Ca3Co4O9 and CaMnO3 Targets (n-type) targets of 60 mm diameter and 2.5 mm thickness. The targets were prepared from powder precursors, which obtained by a solid state reaction. Optical emissions from plasmas during sputter depositions of films were detected using a high resolution spectrometer. Thickness of thin film was estimated by Tolansky’s Fizeau fringe method and ellipsometic measurement. Crystal structures were studied from X-ray diffraction. The thermoelectric properties were assessed from Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity measurements at room temperature. The power factors were calculated. It was found that the optical emission spectrums showed that the Ca, Mn, Co and O atoms were sputtered from the targets onto glass substrates. As-deposited Ca-Co-O and Ca-Mn-O films thickness values were 0.435 ?m and 0.449 ?m, respectively. The X-ray diffraction patterns clearly showed amorphous nature of the as-deposited films. Determining thermoelectric properties of Ca-Co-O film gave Seebeck coefficient of 0.146 mV/K, electrical resistivity of 0.473Ω.cm, and power factor of 4.531 μW/m?K at room temperature. Ca-Mn-O film baring a high resistance was not the experimental determination of thermoelectric properties.

脉冲峰值电流对HIPIMS/DCMS共沉积制备AlCrTiN涂层性能的影响

利用HIPIMS与DCMS共沉积技术制备AlCrTiN复合硬质涂层,通过调控Al Cr靶脉冲峰值电流来制备不同峰值电流下的AlCrTiN涂层。采用XRD、SEM等分析手段表征不同峰值电流下AlCrTiN涂层的组织结构及微观形貌;通过纳米压痕、真空退火、高温摩擦磨损试验分析涂层的力学性能、热稳定性能及摩擦学性能。结果表明:AlCrTiN涂层为典型的面心立方结构,随峰值电流的增加,(111)及(200)晶面呈现竞争生长的状态;随真空退火温度上升,各涂层硬度值出现明显下降。1 000℃退火后,各涂层硬度维持在17 GPa附近;随摩擦环境温度的上升,各涂层摩擦因数整体呈下降趋势;280 A所制备涂层因高温抗氧化性能及磨屑排出能力的不足导致其高温磨损率迅速增加,800℃下其磨损的主要形式为氧化磨损和粘着磨损。

Characterization of magnetron sputtering TiB_2 and Ti-B-N thin films

TiB 2 and Ti B N films on various substrates were synthesized using ionized dc magnetron sputtering. A two turn coil powered by 13.56 MHz r.f. was used to enhance the ionization fraction of the plasma. The structure and properties of the films are affected by several parameters such as substrate bias, total pressure and nitrogen partial pressure and by the substrate materials. The crystallinity and the hardness of the films increase with decreasing total pressure. Well crystallized TiB 2 films with strong (0001) texture and with hardness up to 50 GPa were produced. Nitrogen doping into TiB 2 films decreases their crystallinity and hardness. About 1 GPa residual compressive stress was determined by a wafer curvature technique. It was performed that the dry friction of several different hard films against hardened 52100 steel, which showed the TiB 2 and Ti B N films existing the lowest friction coefficient and the lowest wear rate. [

Investigation of High Catalyteal Durability for Porous Pt Films Deposited via Magnetron Sputtering

Porous Pt thin films were prepared on carbon papers by a single-step ultra-high dc magnetron sputtering method to obtain ideal electrodes for proton exchange membrane fuel cells.The platinum loading of the electrocatalyst layer is controlled at about 0.1 mg·cm^(-2).Structural characteristics and catalytic activities of the films were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy,atomic force microscopy,X-ray diffraction,cyclic voltammetry,and stress durability testing methods.The effect of treatment conditions of a substrate on the structural and performance characteristics of the catalytic films was shown as well.Films produced on acid-treated carbon papers at the argon pressure of 0.01 mbar possessed a homogeneous,highly developed surface along with a porous structure.Compared to Pt/TCPW(Toray carbon papers soaked in ultrapure water)electrodes,the film obtained on the acid-treated substrate had a larger electrochemical surface area(163.33 m^(2)·g^(-1))and exhibited better catalytic stability and durability due to a porous structure as a result of Pt particle accumulation.

氩气和氪气磁控溅射对Zr-Co-RE薄膜微观结构和吸氢性能的影响

为了获得吸气性能较好的Zr-Co-RE(RE为La和Ce稀土元素)吸气剂薄膜,采用直流磁控溅射方法,分别在氩气和氪气气氛中,通过改变沉积气压研究制备了不同结构的Zr-Co-RE薄膜。运用场发射扫描电镜、X射线衍射仪分析了不同溅射气压下溅射气氛对薄膜结构的影响;采用动态定压法分别测试了在氩气和在氪气中沉积的薄膜的吸氢性能,分析了溅射气氛和薄膜结构对吸氢性能的影响。结果表明,在同等气压下,用氩气溅射沉积的薄膜较致密,用氪气溅射沉积的薄膜表面分布有较多的团簇结构和裂纹结构,薄膜呈明显的柱状结构,且柱状组织间分布着大量的界面和间隙,为气体扩散提供了更多的路径;随着氩气和氪气气压增大,薄膜含有更多的裂纹和间隙结构,连续性柱状结构生长更明显,裂纹更深更宽,比表面积更大,有利于提高薄膜的吸氢性能。