High Potential Columnar Nanocrystalline AlN Films Deposited by RF Reactive Magnetron Sputtering

Columnar nanocrystalline aluminum nitride(cnc-AlN) thin films with(002) orientation and uniform texture have been deposited successfully on large silicon wafers by RF reactive magnetron sputtering.At the optimum sputtering parameters, the deposited cnc-AlN thin films show a c-axis preferred orientation with a crystallite size of about 28 nm and surface roughness(RMS) of about 1.29 nm. The cnc-AlN thin films were well transparent with an optical band gap about 4.8 e V, and the residual compressive stress and the defect density in the film have been revealed by Ramon spectroscopy. Moreover, piezoelectric performances of the cnc-AlN thin films executed effectively in a film bulk acoustic resonator structure.

Properties of doped ZnO transparent conductive thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering using a series of high quality ceramic targets

To obtain high transmittance and low resistivity ZnO transparent conductive thin films,a series of ZnO ceramic targets（ZnO：Al,ZnO：（Al,Dy）,ZnO：（Al,Gd）,ZnO：（Al,Zr）,ZnO：（Al,Nb）,and ZnO：（Al,W）） were fabricated and used to deposit thin films onto glass substrates by radio frequency（RF） magnetron sputtering.X-ray diffraction（XRD） analysis shows that the films are polycrystalline fitting well with hexagonal wurtzite structure and have a preferred orientation of the（002） plane.The transmittance of above 86% as well as the lowest resistivity of 8.43 × 10^-3 Ω·cm was obtained.

RF magnetron sputtering induced the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy modification in Pt/Co based multilayers

We demonstrate that radio frequency(RF)magnetron sputtering technique can modify the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy(PMA)of Pt/Co/normal metal(NM)thin films.Influence of ion irradiation during RF magnetron sputtering should not be neglected and it can weaken PMA of the deposited magnetic films.The magnitude of this influence can be controlled by tuning RF magnetron sputtering deposition conditions and the upper NM layer thickness.According to the stopping and range of ions in matter(SRIM)simulation results,defects such as displacement atoms and vacancies in the deposited film will increase after the RF magnetron sputtering,which can account for the weakness of PMA.The amplitude changes of the Hall resistance and the threshold current intensity of spin orbit torque(SOT)induced magnetization switching also can be modified.Our study could be useful for controlling magnetic properties of PMA films and designing new type of SOT-based spintronic devices.

Influence of TiO_2 seeding layers on phase composition of lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate thin films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering

The influence of amorphous TiO_2 seeding layers on the phase composition of lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate(0.7Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.3PbTiO3,PMN-PT) films deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate by RF magnetron sputtering was examined.The relation between seeding layer thickness and phase composition at different post annealing temperature was observed by XRD.The thickness of amorphous TiO2 seeding layer and post annealing temperature had remarkable effects on PMN-PT film phase composition.When amorphous seeding layer becomes thick,a new phase of Nb2O5 exists in the films.Only when the seeding layer thickness is suitable,the film with pure perovskite phase can be attained.

Tribological performance under different environments of Ti-C-N composite films for marine wear-resistant parts

The need for reducing the wear in mechanical parts used in the industry makes self-lubricant films one of the sustainable solutions to achieve long-term protection under different environmental conditions.The purpose of this work is to study the influence of C additions on the tribological behavior of a magnetron-sputtered TiN film in air,water,and seawater.The results show that the addition of C into the TiN binary film induced a new amorphous phase,and the films exhibited a dual phase of fcc(face-centered cubic)-TiN and amorphous carbon.The antifriction and wear-resistance properties were enhanced in air and water by adding 19.1at%C.However,a further increase in the C concentration improved anti-frictional properties but also led to higher wear rates.Although the amorphous phase induced microbatteries and accelerated the corrosion of TiN phases in seawater,the negative abrasion state was detected for all Ti-C-N films due to the adhesion of the tribocorrosion debris on the wear track.

Study on SGDC Electrolyte Film Prepared by RF Magnetron Sputtering

Sm and Gd co-doped Ceria (SGDC:Sm_(0.1)Gd_(0.1)Ce_(0.8)O_(1.90)) films as the electrolytes were investigated for the IT-SOFCs (intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells).SGDC sensing films were successfully prepared on the Al_2O_3 substrates by RF-magnetron sputtering.The relationship between sputtering parameters and film microstructure was discussed, and the optimum parameters were gained.The crystal structure analysis and surface morphologic observation of the SGDC films were carried out through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).The oxygen ion conductivity of the SGDC film was evaluated by AC impedance spectroscopy at the different temperatures.The XRD analysis shows that the SGDC films grow preferentially along the (111) compact plane.The crystallinity of the SGDC films is enhanced with the increase of the RF sputtering power from 150 W to 250 W.The oxygen ion conductivity of the SGDC was measured at the temperature from 600℃to 800℃in air by AC impedance spectroscopy.The result shows that a high oxygen ion conductivity of 2.44×10^(-2) S.cm^(-1) was achieved at 800℃.

High Ferroelectricities and High Curie Temperature of BiInO3PbTiO3Thin Films Deposited by RF Magnetron Sputtering Method

Properties of ferroelectric xBiInO3-（1-x）PbTiO3（xBI-（1-x）PT） thin films deposited on（101） SrRuO3/（200）Pt/（200） MgO substrates by rf magnetron sputtering method and effects of deposition conditions are investigated.The structures of the xBI-（1-x）PT films are characterized by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy.The results indicate that the thin films are grown with mainly（001） orientation. The chemical compositions of the films are analyzed by scanning electron probe and the results indicate that the loss phenomena of Pb and Bi elements depend on the pressure and temperature during the sputtering process.The sputtering parameters including target composition, substrate temperature, and gas pressure are adjusted to obtain optimum sputtering conditions. To decrease leakage currents,2 mol% La2 O3 is doped in the targets. The P-E hysteresis loops show that the optimized xBI-（1-x）PT（x = 0.24） film has high ferroelectricities with remnant polarization2 Pr = 80μC/cm2 and coercive electric field 2 EC = 300 kV/cm. The Curie temperature is about 640℃. The results show that the films have optimum performance and will have wide applications.

Al-Doping Effect on the Surface Morphology of ZnO Films Grown by Reactive RF Magnetron Sputtering

Zinc oxide (ZnO) and aluminum-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al) thin films were deposited onto glass and silicon substrates by RF magnetron sputtering using a zinc-aluminum target. Both films were deposited at a growth rate of 12.5 nm/min to a thickness of around 750 nm. In the visible region, the films exhibit optical transmittances which are greater than 80%. The optical energy gap of ZnO films increased from 3.28 eV to 3.36 eV upon doping with Al. This increase is related to the increase in carrier density from 5.9 × 1018 cm-3 to 2.6 × 1019 cm-3. The RMS surface roughness of ZnO films grown on glass increased from 14 to 28 nm even with only 0.9% at Al content. XRD analysis revealed that the ZnO films are polycrystalline with preferential growth parallel to the (002) plane, which corresponds to the wurtzite structure of ZnO.

Preparation of Sn-doped Ga_(2)O_(3) thin films and their solar-blind photoelectric detection performance

Sn doping is an effective way to improve the response rate of Ga_(2)O_(3) film based solar-blind detectors. In this paper,Sn-doped Ga_(2)O_(3) films were prepared on a sapphire substrate by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ultraviolet visible spectroscopy, and the effect of annealing atmosphere on the properties of films was studied. The Ga_(2)O_(3) films changed from amorphous to β-Ga_(2)O_(3) after annealing at 900 °C. The films were composed of micro crystalline particles with a diameter of about 5–20 nm.The β-Ga_(2)O_(3) had high transmittance for wavelengths above 300 nm, and obvious absorption for solar-blind signals at 200–280 nm.The metal semiconductor metal type solar-blind detectors were prepared. The detector based on Sn-doped β-Ga_(2)O_(3) thin film annealed in N_2 has the best response performance to 254 nm light. The photo-current is 10 μA at 20 V, the dark-current is 5.76 pA,the photo dark current ratio is 1.7 × 10~6, the response rate is 12.47 A/W, the external quantum efficiency is 6.09 × 10~3%, the specific detection rate is 2.61 × 10~(12) Jones, the response time and recovery time are 378 and 90 ms, respectively.

Effects of Substrate Temperatures on the Structure and UV-shielding Properties of TiO_2-CeO_2 Films Deposited on Glass by Radio-frequency Magnetron Sputtering

TiO2-CeO2 films were deposited on soda-lime glass substrates at varied substrate temperatures by rf magnetron sputtering using 40% molar TiO2-60% molar CeO2 ceramic target in Ar：O2=95：5 atmosphere.The structure,surface composition,UV-visible spectra of the films were measured by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction,and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,respectively.The experimental results show that the films are amorphous,there are only Ti^4＋ and Ce^4＋ on the surface of the films,the obtained TiO2-CeO2 films shou a good uniformity and high densification,and the films deposited on the glass can shield ultraviolet light without significant absorpition of visible light,the films deposited on substrates at room temperature and 220℃ absorb UV effectively.

Thick c-BN films deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering in argon/nitrogen gas mixture with additional hydrogen gas

The excellent physical and chemical properties of cubic boron nitride(c-BN) film make it a promising candidate for various industry applications. However, the c-BN film thickness restricts its practical applications in many cases. Thus, it is indispensable to develop an economic, simple and environment-friend way to synthesize high-quality thick, stable c-BN films. High-cubic-content BN films are prepared on silicon(100) substrates by radio frequency(RF) magnetron sputtering from an h-BN target at low substrate temperature. Adhesions of the c-BN films are greatly improved by adding hydrogen to the argon/nitrogen gas mixture, allowing the deposition of a film up to 5-μm thick. The compositions and the microstructure morphologies of the c-BN films grown at different substrate temperatures are systematically investigated with respect to the ratio of Hgas content to total working gas. In addition, a primary mechanism for the deposition of thick c-BN film is proposed.

Research on Performance of ZnS∶TbF_3 Thin Film Electroluminescence Device

The electroluminescence of ZnS doped with terbium fluoride thin films prepared b y ra dio frequency magnetron sputtering method was reported. The characteristics of t h e ZnS∶TbF 3 thin film electroluminescence devices, such as film characteristi cs of the ZnS∶Tb active layer, substrate temperatures during magnetron sputteri ng and Tb concentration of the active layer, were systematically investigated. The results show that annealing can evidently improve the luminescence performance of the luminescence device.

Preparation,structure and ferromagnetic properties of the nanocrystalline Ti_(1-x)Mn_xO_2 thin films grown by radio frequency magnetron co-sputtering

This paper reported that the Mn-doped TiO2 films were prepared by radio frequency （RF） magnetron cosputtering. X-ray diffraction measurements indicate that the samples are easy to form the futile structure, and the sizes of the crystal grains grow big and big as the Mn concentration increases. X-ray photoemlssion spectroscopy measurements and high resolution transmission electron microscope photographs confirm that the manganese ions have been effectively doped into the TiO2 crystal when the Mn concentration is lower than 21%. The magnetic property measurements show that the Ti1-xMnxO2 （x = 0.21） films are ferromagnetic at room temperature, and the saturation magnetization, coercivity, and saturation field are 16.0 emu/cm^3, 167.5 × 80 A/m and 3740 × 80 A/m at room temperature, respectively. The room-temperature ferromagnetism of the films can be attributed to the new futile Ti1-xMnxO2 structure formed by the substitution of Mn^4＋ for Ti^4＋ into the TiO2 crystal .lattice, and could be explained by O vacancy （Vo）-enhanced ferromagnetism model.

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.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of CrN Films Deposited by Inductively Coupled Plasma Enhanced Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering

CrN films have been synthesized on Si（100） wafer by inductively coupled plasma （ICP）-enhanced radio frequency （RF） magnetron sputtering. The effects of ICP power on microstructure, crystal orientation, nanohardness and stress of the CrN films have been investigated. With the increase of ICP power, the current density at substrate increases and the films exhibit denser structure, while the DC self-bias of target and the deposition rate of films decrease. The films change from crystal structure to amorphous structure with the increase of ICP power. The measured nanohardness and the compressive stress of films reach the topmost at ICP power of 150 W and 200 W, respectively. The mechanical properties of films show strong dependence on the crystalline structure and the density influenced by the ICP power.

Room Temperature Ferromagnetism and Structure of Zn_(1-x)Cu_xO Films Synthesized by Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering

Zn1-xCuxO thin films were synthesized by the radio frequency （RF） magnetron sputtering technique using a ZnO target containing different pieces of small Cu-chips. X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） were employed to analyze the crystalline and microstructure of the film, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） was used to establish the bonding characteristics and oxidation states of copper inside the ZnO host. Room temperature （RT） ferromagnetism was observed in the Znl-xCuxO films by a Quantum Design superconducting quantum interference device （SQUID） and the saturation magnetic moment of the films was found to decrease with the increase in Cu content.

Synthesis and Characterization of Copper Doped Zinc Oxide Thin Films Deposited by RF/DC Sputtering Technique

Undoped and copper(Cu)doped zinc oxide(Zn_(1-x)Cu_(x)O,where x=0-0.065)nano crystal thin films have been deposited on glass substrate via RF/DC reactive co-sputtering technique.The aim of this work is to investigate the crystal structure of ZnO and Cu doped ZnO thin films and also study the effect of Cu doping on optical band gap of ZnO thin films.The identification and confirmation of the crystallinity,film thickness and surface morphology of the nano range thin films are confirmed by using X-ray diffractometer(XRD),scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope.The XRD peak at a diffractive angle of 34.44°and Miller indices at(002)confirms the ZnO thin films.Crystallite size of undoped ZnO thin films is 27 nm and decreases from 27 nm to 22 nm with increasing the atomic fraction of Cu(x_(Cu))in the ZnO thin films from 0 to 6.5%respectively,which is calculated from XRD(002)peaks.The different bonding information of all deposited films was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer in the range of wave number between 400 cm^(-1) to 4000 cm^(-1).Optical band gap energy of all deposited thin films was analyzed by ultraviolet visible spectrophotometer,which varies from 3.35 eV to 3.19 eV with the increase of x_(Cu) from 0 to 6.5%respectively.Urbach energy of the deposited thin films increases from 115 meV to 228 meV with the increase of x_(Cu) from 0 to 6.5% respectively.

Influence of Ag content on the microstructure, mechanical, and tribological properties of TaVN–Ag films

A series of TaVN-Ag nanocomposite films were deposited using a radio-frequency magnetron sputtering system. The micro- structure, mechanical properties, and tribological performance of the films were investigated. The results showed that TaVN-Ag films were composed of face-centered cubic （fcc） TaVN and fcc-Ag. With increasing Ag content, the hardness of TaVN-Ag composite films first in- creased and then decreased rapidly. The maximum hardness value was 31.4 GPa. At room temperature, the coefficient of friction （COF） of TaVN-Ag films decreased from 0.76 to 0.60 with increasing Ag content from 0 to 7.93at%. For the TaVN-Ag films with 7.93at% Ag, COF first increased and then decreased rapidly from 0.60 at 25℃ to 0.35 at 600℃, whereas the wear rate of the film increased continuously from 3.91 × 10^-7 to 19.1 × 10^7 mm3/（N·mm）. The COF of the TaVN-Ag film with 7.93at% Ag was lower than that of the TaVN film, and their wear rates showed opposite trends with increasing temperature.

Enhance of TiO_2 dopants incorporated reduced graphene oxide via RF magnetron sputtering for efficient dye-sensitised solar cells

In particular, the dye-sensitised solar cells(DSSCs) have a high potential in the rational energy conversion efficiency to secure our sustainable energy source.In the present study, advanced radio frequency(RF) magnetron sputtering technique was applied to incorporate titanium dioxide(TiO) dopants into reduced graphene oxide(rGO) nanosheet for improving the power conversion efficiency(PCE) of DSSCs device. An optimum TiOcontent incorporated onto rGO nanosheet plays an important role in improving the PCE of DSSCs by minimising the recombination losses of photo-induced charge carriers.Based on the results obtained, 40-s sputtering duration for incorporating TiOdopants onto rGO nanosheet exhibits a maximum PCE of 8.78% than that of pure rGO film(0.68%). In fact, the presence of optimum content of TiOdopants within rGO nanosheet could act as mediators for efficient separation photo-induced charge carriers. However, the excessive of sputtering duration(e.g. 60 s) of TiOdopants onto rGO nanosheet results higher charge recombination and lowers the PCE of DSSCs(5.39%).

Structural and electrical properties of SrTiO3 thin films as insulator of metal-ferroelectric-insulator-semiconductor （MFIS） structures

SrTiOs （STO） thin films were deposited on p-Si（100） substrates at various substrate temperatures from 300℃ to 700℃ by radio frequency （RF） magnetron sputtering technique. Their structure and electrical properties were investigated. It was found that the transition from amorphous phase to polycrystalline phase occurred at the substrate temperatures 300-400℃. Their crystallinity became better when the substrate temperatures further increased. The dielectric and leakage current measurements were carried out by using the Si/STO/Pt metal-insulator-semiconductor （MIS） structures at room temperature. It was found that the fixed charge density decreased and both the interface trap density and the dielectric constant increased when the substrate temperatures were increased. The leakage current mechanisms for STO MIS structures with STO films prepared at 700℃ followed the space charge limited current （SCLC） under the low applied electric field and the Poole-Frenkel emission under the high one. In addition, the resistivity for films prepared at 700℃ was higher than 10^11Ω.cm under the voltage lower than 10V （corresponding to the electric field of 1.54×10^3kV.cm^-1）. It suggested that the STO films prepared at 700℃ were suitable for acting as the insulator of metal-ferroelectric-insulator-semiconductor （MFIS） structures.