Preparation and structural properties of thin carbon films by very-high-frequency magnetron sputtering

Growth and structural properties of thin a-C films prepared by the 60 MHz very-high-frequency（VHF） magnetron sputtering were investigated. The energy and flux of ions impinging the substrate were also analyzed. It is found that the thin a-C films prepared by the 60 MHz sputtering have a lower growth rate, a smooth surface, and more sp3 contents.These features are related to the higher ion energy and the lower ions flux onto the substrate. Therefore, the 60 MHz VHF sputtering is more suitable for the preparation of thin a-C film with more sp3 contents.

Influence of oxygen gas content on the structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering at room temperature

Zinc oxide （ZnO） thin films were deposited on sapphire （0001） substrates at room temperature by radiofrequency （RF） magnetron sputtering at oxygen gas contents of 0%, 25%, 50% and 75%, respectively. The influence of oxygen gas content on the structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films was studied by a surface profile measuring system, X-ray diffraction analysis, atomic force microscopy, and UV spectro- photometry. It is found that the size of ZnO crystalline grains increases first and then decreases with the increase of oxygen gas content, and the maximum grain size locates at the 25% oxygen gas content. The crystalline quality and average optical transmittance （〉90%） in the visi- ble-light region of the ZnO film prepared at an oxygen gas content of 25% are better than those of ZnO films at the other contents. The obtained results can be attributed to the resputtefing by energetic oxygen anions in the growing process.

Structures and optical properties of tungsten oxide thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering of WO_3 bulk:Effects of annealing temperatures

Tungsten oxide thin films were deposited on glass substrates by the magnetron sputtering of WO3 bulk at room temperature. The deposited films were annealed at different temperatures in air. The structural measurements indicate that the films annealed below 300℃ were amorphous, while the films annealed at 400 ℃ were mixed crystalline with hexagonal and triclinic phases of WO3. It was observed that the crystallization of the annealed films becomes more and more distinct with an increase in the annealing temperature. At 400 ℃, nanorod-like structures were observed on the film surface when the annealing time was increased from 60 min to 180 min. The presence of W=O stretching, W-O-W stretching, W-O-W bending and various lattice vibration modes were observed in Raman measurements. The optical absorption behaviors of the films in the range of 450-800 nm are very different with changing annealing temperatures from the room temperature to 400 ℃. After annealing at 400 ℃, the film becomes almost transparent. Increasing annealing time at 400 ℃ can lead to a small blue shift of the optical gap of the film.

Effect of driving frequency on the structure of silicon grown on Ag(111) films by very-high-frequency magnetron sputtering

The effect of driving frequency on the structure of silicon grown on Ag（111） film is investigated, which was prepared by using the very-high-frequency（VHF）（40.68 MHz and 60 MHz） magnetron sputtering. The energy and flux density of the ions impinging on the substrate are also analyzed. It is found that for the 60-MHz VHF magnetron sputtering, the surface of silicon on Ag（111） film exhibits a small cone structure, similar to that of Ag（111） film substrate, indicating a better microstructure continuity. However, for the 40.68-MHz VHF magnetron sputtering, the surface of silicon on Ag（111） film shows a hybrid structure of hollowed-cones and hollowed-particles, which is completely different from that of Ag（111）film. The change of silicon structure is closely related to the differences in the ion energy and flux density controlled by the driving frequency of sputtering.

Structural and mechanical properties of amorphous carbon films deposited by the dual plasma technique

Direct current metal filtered cathodic vacuum arc （FCVA） and acetylene gas （C2H2） were wielded to synthesize Ti-containing amorphous carbon films on Si （100）. The influence of substrate bias voltage and acetylene gas on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the films were investigated. The results show that the phase of TiC in the （111） preferential crystallographic orientation exists in the film,and the main existing pattern of carbon is sp2. With increasing the acetylene flow rate,the contents of Ti and TiC phase of the film gradually reduce; however,the thickness of the film increases. When the substrate bias voltage reaches -600 V,the internal stress of the film reaches 1.6 GPa. The micro-hardness and elastic modulus of the film can reach 33.9 and 237.6 GPa,respectively,and the friction coefficient of the film is 0.25.

Influence of bias on properties of carbon films deposited by MCECR plasma sputtering method

The mirror-confinement-type electron cyclotron resonance(MCECR) plasma source has high plasma density and high electron temperature. It is quite useful in many plasma processing, and has been used for etching and thin-film deposition. The carbon films with 40 nm thickness were deposited by MCECR plasma sputtering method on Si, and the influence of substrate bias on the properties of carbon films was studied. The bonding structure of the film was analyzed by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), the tribological properties were measured by the pin-on-disk(POD) tribometer, the nanohardness of the films was measured by the nanoindenter, and the deposition speed and the refractive index were measured by the ellipse meter. The better substrate bias was obtained, and the better properties of carbon films were obtained.

Effect of Chromium on Structure and Tribological Properties of Hydrogenated Cr/a-C:H Films Prepared via a Reactive Magnetron Sputtering System

Hydrogenated Cr-incorporated carbon films （Cr/a-C：H） are deposited successfully by using a dc reactive mag- netron sputtering system. The structure and mechanical properties of the as-deposited Cr/a-C：H films are characterized systematically by field-emission scanning electron microscope, x-ray diffraction, Raman spectra, nanoindentation and scratch. It is shown that optimal Cr metal forms nanocrystalline carbide to improve the hardness, toughness and adhesion strength in the amorphous carbon matrix, which possesses relatively higher nano-hardness of 15. 7 CPa, elastic modulus of 126.8 GPa and best adhesion strength with critical load （Lc） of 36 N for the Cr/a-C：H film deposited at CH4 flow rate of 20sccm. The friction and wear behaviors of as-deposited Cr/a-C：H films are evaluated under both the ambient air and deionized water conditions. The results reveal that it can achieve superior low friction and anti-wear performance for the Cr/a-C：H film deposited at CH4 flow rate of 20sccm under the ambient air condition, and the friction coetllcient and wear rate tested in deionized water condition are relatively lower compared with those tested under the ambient air condition for each film. Superior combination of mechanical and tribological properties for the Cr/a-C：H film should be a good candidate for engineering applications.

Structure and Magnetic Properties of Fe-N Films Prepared by Dual Ion Beam Sputtering

Fe-N films were prepared on Si substrate by dual ion beam sputtering (DIBS). It is found that the crystal structure of the films varies from α-Fe, to ε-Fe2-3N, ε-Fe2-3N +γ-Fe4N, and finally γ'-Fe4N with the increase in substrate temperature (TS). The magnetic properties of the films were investigated by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The structure of the films is insensitive to the ratios of N2/Ar in main ion source(MIS), and is mainly influenced by the substrate temperature (Ts).

Composition and Microstructure of Magnetron Sputtering Deposited Ti-containing Amorphous Carbon Films

Ti-containing carbon films were deposited by using magnetron sputtering deposition. The composition and microstructure of the carbon films were characterized in detail by combining the techniques of Rutherford backscattering spectrometry （RBS）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. It is found that carbon films contain Ti 18 at pct; after Ti incorporation, the films consist of titanium carbide; C1s peak appears at 283.4 eV and it could be divided into 283.29 and 284.55 eV, representing sp2 and sp3, respectively, and sp2 is superior to sp3. This Ti-containing film with dominating sp2 bonds is nanocomposites with nanocrystalline TiC clusters embedded in an amorphous carbon matrix, which could be proved by XRD and TEM.

Effects of nitrogen content on structure and electrical properties of nitrogen-doped fluorinated diamond-like carbon films

Nitrogen-doped fluorinated diamond-like carbon(FN-DLC)films were prepared on single crystal silicon substrate by radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition(RF-PECVD)under different deposited conditions with CF4,CH4 and nitrogen as source gases.The influence of nitrogen content on the structure and electrical properties of the films was studied.The films were investigated in terms of surface morphology,microstructure,chemical composition and electrical properties.Atomic force microscopy(AFM)results revealed that the surface morphology of the films became smooth due to doping nitrogen.Fourier transform infrared absorption spectrometry(FTIR)results showed that amouts of C=N and C≡N bonds increased gradually with increasing nitrogen partial pressure r(r=p(N2)/p(N2+CF4+CH4)).Gaussian fit results of C 1s and N 1s in X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS)showed that the incorporation of nitrogen presented mainly in the forms ofβ-C3N4 and a-CNx(x=1,2,3)in the films.The current-voltage(I-V)measurement results showed that the electrical conductivity of the films increased with increasing nitrogen content.

Structural stability of single-layered LaNi_4.25Al_0.75 film and its electro-chemical hydrogen-storage properties

AB5-based hydrogen storage thin fdms （LaNi4.25Al0.75）, deposited on Cu substrate by dc magnetron sputtering were investigated in this study. X-ray diffraction （XRD） revealed that the microstructure of the layer was in crystal form. SEM and AFM analyses proved that the film appeared to be rather rough with numerous randomly sized pores of approximately 15-40 in nm diameter. Structural stability of the film was examined by the combined analyses of DSC, XRD, and SEM, which indicated that this film maintained its structural stability below 500 K or so, and a network structure was observed on the film after being heated at 700 K for 30 min. Electrochemical hydrogen-storage properties of the films were investigated by simulated battery tests. It was found that single-layered LaNi4.25A10.75 film exhibited electrochemical hydrogen-storage properties similar to typical AB5 alloys in bulk, and the maximum discharge capacity of the film was about 220 mAh/g. After 20 charge/discharge cycles, small needle-shaped aluminium oxide was formed on some fractions of the film surface.

Tribological Behavior of Binary B-C Films Deposited by Sputtering-PBII Hybrid System

In this article, the authors report on the use of Radio Frequency (RF) Magnetron Sputtering combined with Plasma-Based Ion Implantation (PBII) technique to synthesize the Boron-Carbon (B-C) films. High purity of boron carbide (99.5%) disk was used as a target with an RF power of 300 W. The mixtures of Argon (Ar)-Methane (CH4) ware used as reactive gas under varying CH4 partial flow pressure at the specified range of 0 - 0.15 Pa and fixed total gas pressure and total gas flow at 0.30 Pa and 30 sccm, respectively. The effect of CH4 flow ratio on the friction coefficient of B-C films was studied. The friction coefficient of the film depended on the concentration of B. When it was 10% or lower, the coefficient decreased to 0.2 or lower. In this concentration range of B, the specific wear rate also decreased to the order of 10-7 mm3/Nm, and excellent wear resistance was displayed.

Irradiation Effect of γ Rays on Diamond-Like Carbon Films

Diamond like carbon films, prepared by RF glow discharge on glass substrates, were irradiated by γ rays. The as deposited and irradiated films were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, electrical resistivity, and infrared transmittance. It is shown that the irradiation of the γ rays can lead to the breaking of SP 3 C H and SP 2 C H bonds, slight increasing of SP 3 C C bonds, and induced hydrogen recombination with H 2 molecules, subsequently diffusing to the surface of the films. When the γ rays irradiation dose reached 10×10 4 Gy, the numbers of SP 3 C H bonds was decreased by about 50%, the resistivity of irradiated DLC films was increased, and the diamond like character of the films became more obvious. The structure of DLC films was modified when irradiated by γ rays. The irradiation mechanisms are briefly discussed.

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.

Structure and optoelectrical properties of transparent conductive MGZO films deposited by magnetron sputtering

The transparent conductive Mg-Ga co-doped Zn O(MGZO) films were prepared by radio-frequency(RF) magnetron sputtering. The influence of substrate temperature on the structural and optoelectrical properties of the films is studied. The results show that all the films possess a preferential orientation along the(002) plane. With the increase of substrate temperature, the structure and optoelectrical properties of the films can be changed. When substrate temperature is 300 ℃, the deposited film exhibits the best crystalline quality and optoelectrical properties, with the minimum micro strain of 1.09×10^(-3), the highest average visible transmittance of 82.42%, the lowest resistivity of 1.62×10^(-3) Ω·cm and the highest figure of merit of 3.18×10~3 Ω^(-1)·cm^(-1). The optical bandgaps of the films are observed to be in the range of 3.342—3.545 eV. The refractive index dispersion curves obey the Sellmeier's dispersion model.

Properties of CdTe nanocrystalline thin films grown on different substrates by low temperature sputtering

CdTe nanocrystalline thin films have been prepared on glass, Si and Al2O3 substrates by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering at liquid nitrogen temperature. The crystal structure and morphology of the films were charac-terized by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and field-emission scanning electron microscopy （FESEM）. The XRD examinations revealed that CdTe films on glass and Si had a better crystal quality and higher preferential orientation along the （111） plane than the Al2O3. FESEM observations revealed a continuous and dense morphology of CdTe films on glass and Si substrates. Optical properties of nanocrystalline CdTe films deposited on glass substrates for different deposited times were studied.

Effects of CW CO₂Laser Annealing on Indium Tin Oxide Thin Films Characteristics

In this work ITO thin film annealing was carried out using a CW CO2 laser beam for ITO thin film annealing over a 1 cm2 area with a temperature higher than 250°C to obtain ITO grains with excellent structural quality thin films. The obtained ITO films were characterized for crystallization, surface morphology, electrical and optical properties, which has theoretical significance and application value. ITO thin films are deposited on glass substrates by sputter coater system (RF) from a high density target (In2O3-SnO2, 90-10 wt%). After deposition, ITO thin films have been irradiated by CW CO2 laser (λ = 10.6 μm) with power ranging from 1 to 10 watt. These films were annealed at temperatures 250°C, 350°C, and 450°C in the air for 20 minutes using different laser power. The main incentive was to develop a low temperature process for ITO thin films, which typically required a 350°C anneal to crystallize and achieve optimum optical and electrical properties. The XRD results showed that 350°C temperature laser annealing could crystallize ITO with a strong (222) preferred orientation and its grain size increased from 29.27 nm to 48.63 nm. The structure, optical transmission, energy gap, resistivity and sheet resistance of the ITO thin films were systematically investigated as a function of laser post annealing temperature. It was found that the lowest resistivity was 2.9 × 10-4 Ω-cm and that sheet resistance was 14.5 Ω/sq. And the highest optical transmittance (98.65%) of ITO films was obtained at 350°C annealing temperature.

Ti掺杂类金刚石薄膜的制备及其高温摩擦学性能研究

为探究金属Ti掺杂DLC薄膜在高温环境下的摩擦磨损行为,通过射频磁控溅射和直流磁控溅射混合的沉积系统制备不同Ti含量的Ti-DLC薄膜,利用SEM、XRD、Raman、纳米压痕和摩擦试验机等分析Ti含量对Ti-DLC薄膜的微观结构、力学性能及不同温度下的摩擦学性能的影响。结果表明:Ti掺杂使得Ti-DLC薄膜中sp^(3)键的占比随着Ti含量的增加先升高后下降;Ti掺杂提高了Ti-DLC薄膜的硬度和弹性模量,并一定程度上提升了Ti-DLC薄膜的膜基结合力。摩擦测试表明:在常温下,Ti-DLC薄膜的摩擦因数和磨损率随Ti含量的增加而下降,但薄膜发生明显的磨粒磨损,且磨损率略高于DLC薄膜;Ti掺杂有效地提高了DLC薄膜的热稳定性和高温摩擦学性能,在300℃的高温下,掺杂薄膜仍维持较低的摩擦因数和磨损率。

氮含量对Ti-B-C-N薄膜微观结构和性能的影响

采用反应磁控溅射法在高速钢基体上制备氮原子分数分别为10.8%,15.6%,28.1%,36.4%的Ti-B-C-N薄膜,研究了氮含量对薄膜微观结构、硬度和摩擦磨损性能的影响。结果表明:Ti-B-C-N薄膜均由α-Fe和Ti(C,N)纳米晶组成,具有Ti(C,N)纳米晶镶嵌在非晶基体相中的纳米复合结构;随着氮含量增加,非晶相含量增加,Ti(C,N)纳米晶的含量和晶粒尺寸减小;随着氮含量增加,Ti-B-C-N薄膜的显微硬度增大,摩擦因数和磨损率均减小,表面磨痕变浅,磨损机制由剥落和微观犁削转变为微观抛光。

Preparation, structure, properties, and application of copper nitride (Cu_3N) thin films: A review

Copper nitride（Cu3 N） thin films display typical trans-rhenium trioxide structures. They exhibit excellent physical properties, low cost, nontoxicity, and high stability under room temperature. However, they possess low-thermal decomposition temperature, and their lattice constant often changes significantly with prepared technologies or techniques, thereby enabling the transformation from insulators to semiconductors and even conductors. Moreover, Cu3 N thin films are becoming the new research hotspot of optical information storage devices, microelectronic semiconductor materials, and new energy materials. In this study, existing major prepared technologies of Cu3 N thin films are summarized. Influences of prepared technologies of Cu3 N thin films on crystal structure of films, as well as influences of prepared conditions and methods（e.g., nitrogen pressure, deposition power, substrate temperature, and element addition） on crystal structure and optical, electrical, and thermal properties of films were analyzed. The relationship between crystal structure and physical properties of Cu3 N thin films was explored. Finally,applications of Cu3 N thin films in photoelectricity, energy sources, nanometer devices, and other fields were discussed.