Loss Measurements on Polymer Thin Film Optical Waveguides

A simple setup for the measurement of transmission loss in polymer thin film optical waveguides is described. A new electro-optic polymer film has been prepared. The transmission loss of the film is measured before and after corona poling. And the loss is determined to be 1.84 dB/cm and 2.14 dB/cm, respectively.

Tuning of Optical Properties via Annealing of Bismuth Ferrite (BiFeO3) Thin Films

In this study we are reporting annealing induced optical properties of bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) thin films deposited on glass substrate via spin coating at 5000 rpm. The structural, optical and surface morphology of BiFeO3 (BFO) thin films have been studied via X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Optical absorption (UV-Vis) and Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. XRD spectra confirm annealing induced phase formation of BiFeO3 possessing a rhombohedral R3c structure. The films are dense and without cracks, although the presence of porosity in BFO/glass was observed. Moreover, optical absorption spectra indicate annealing induced effect on the energy band structure in comparison to pristine BiFeO3. It is observed that annealing effect shows an intense shift in the UV-Vis spectra as diffuse absorption together with the variation in the optical band gap. The evaluated optical band gap values are approximately equal to the bulk band gap value of BiFeO3.

DDI METHOD FOR MEASURING OPTICAL CONSTANTS OF THIN FILMS

双光束双波长激光干涉（ＤＤＩ）法采用自行设计的可测双波长氦氖激光器作光源，可在同一光路中通过二次测量获得薄膜样品两个波长（０．６３３μｍ，３．３９μｍ）下的光学常数，即折射率、消光系数和厚度，文中论述了调量原理、测量装置和测量结果．

Optical and magnetic properties of porous anodic alumina films embedded with Co nanowires

A simple method to tune the optical properties of porous anodic alumina （PAA） films embedded with Co nanowires （PAA@Co nanocomposite films） is reported in this paper. The films exhibit vivid structural colors and magnetic properties. The optical properties of the films can be effectively tuned by adjusting the thickness of the PAA template. The deposition of Co nanowires greatly increases the color saturation of the PAA films. The theoretical results of the changes in structural color according to the Bragg-Snell formula are consistent with the experimental results. PAA@Co films can be used in many areas, including decoration, display, and multifunctional anti-counterfeiting applications.

Effect of annealing treatment on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO thin films

Highly conductive and transparent Al-doped ZnO （AZO） thin films were prepared from a zinc target containing Al （1.5 wt.%） by direct current （DC） and radio frequency （RF） reactive magnetron sputtering. The structural, optical, and electrical properties of AZO films as-deposited and submitted to annealing treatment （at 300 and 400℃, respectively） were characterized using various techniques. The experimental results show that the properties of AZO thin films can be further improved by annealing treatment. The crystallinity of ZnO films improves after annealing treatment. The transmittances of the AZO thin films prepared by DC and RF reactive magnetron sputtering are up to 80% and 85% in the visible region, respectively. The electrical resistivity of AZO thin films prepared by DC reactive magnetron sputtering can be as low as 8.06 x 10-4 Ωcm after annealing treatment. It was also found that AZO thin films prepared by RF reactive magnetron sputtering have better structural and optical properties than that prepared by DC reactive magnetron sputtering.

Thickness dependence of the optical constants of oxidized copper thin films based on ellipsometry and transmittance

Thin oxidized copper films in various thickness values are deposited onto quartz glass substrates by electron beam evaporation. The ellipsometry parameters and transmittance in a wavelength range of 300 nm-1000 nm are collected by a spectroscopic ellipsometer and a spectrophotometer respectively. The effective thickness and optical constants, i.e., refractive index n and extinction coefficient k, are accurately determined by using newly developed ellipsometry combined with transmittance iteration method. It is found that the effective thickness determined by this method is close to the physical thickness and has obvious difference from the mass thickness for very thin film due to variable density of film. Furthermore, the thickness dependence of optical constants of thin oxidized Cu films is analyzed.

A Fiber Optic Sensor for 2,4-dichlorophenol Analysis based on Optical Composite Oxygen-sensitive Film

A novel fiber optic sensor based on optical composite oxygen-sensitive film was developed for determination of 2,4-dichlorophenol(DCP).The optical composite oxygen-sensitive film consists of tris(2,2’-bipyridyl)dichloro ruthenium(II)hexahydrate(Ru(bpy)3Cl2)as the fluorescence indicator and iron(III)tetrasulfophthalocyanine(Fe(III)PcTs)as bionic enzyme.A lock-in amplifier was used for detecting the lifetime of the composite oxygen-sensitive film by measuring the phase delay of the sensor head.The different variables affecting the sensor performance were evaluated and optimized.Under the optimal conditions(i e,pH 6.0,25℃,Fe(III)PcTs concentration of 5.0×10^-5 mol/L),the linear detection range,detection limit and response time of the fiber optic sensor are 3.0×10^-7-9.0×10^-5 mol/L,4.8×10^-8 mol/L(S/N=3),and 220 s,respectively.The sensor displays high selectivity,good repeatability and stability,which have good potentials in analyzing DCP concentration in practical water samples.

The effects of post-thermal annealing on the optical parameters of indium-doped ZnO thin films

Indium-doped ZnO thin films are deposited on quartz glass slides by RF magnetron sputtering at ambient temperature. The as-deposited films are annealed at different temperatures from 400℃ to 800 ℃ in air for 1 h. Transmittance spectra are used to determine the optical parameters and the thicknesses of the films before and after annealing using a nonlinear programming method, and the effects of the annealing temperatures on the optical parameters and the thickness are investigated. The optical band gap is determined from the absorption coefficient. The calculated results show that the film thickness and optical parameters both increase first and then decrease with increasing annealing temperature from 400℃ to 800℃. The band gap of the as-deposited ZnO：In thin film is 3.28 eV, and it decreases to 3.17 eV after annealing at 400℃. Then the band gap increases from 3.17 eV to 3.23 eV with increasing annealing temperature from 400℃ to 800℃.

Proton radiation effects on optical constants of Al film reflector

The Al film reflectors can yield a high-reflectance over a broad wavelength region, and have been widely used in the spacecraft optical instruments for high quality optical applications. Under the irradiation of charged particles in the Earth radiation belt, the reflectors could be deteriorated. In order to reveal the deterioration mechanism, the change in optical constants of Al film reflector induced by proton radiation with 60 keV was studied in an environment of vacuum with heat sink. Experimental results showed that when the radiation damage primarily occurs in the Al reflecting film, the extinction coefficient k will gradually decrease with increasing radiation fluence, which results in the decrease of the energies of reflective light. Therefore, the proton radiation induced an obvious degradation of spectral reflectance in the wavelength region from 200 to 800nm on the Al film reflector.

Optical and electronic performances of CVD diamond film andits applications in radiation detectors

The outstanding properties of CVD diamond film such as electronic, optical, thermal and mechanical and the high radiation hardness have made it an ideal candidate material for radiation detectors in severe environments. Fabrication of ＇detector grade＇ CVD diamond films and development of CVD diamond detectors have been leading edge subjects. Micro-strip gas chamber （MSGC） fabricated on CVD diamond substrate would overcome the charge-up effect and the substrate instability, which has been a hotspot in the research of gas detectors.

Microstructures and Optical Properties of Sol-gel Derived Ba_(0.9)Sr_(0.1)TiO_3 Thin Films Formed by Different Annealing Process

We investigated the effect of annealing process on microstructures and optical properties of the sol-gel derived Ba0.9Sr0.1TiO3 （BST） films. The BST films, fabricated by layer-by-layer high-temperature （≥ 650 ℃） annealing process, had laminated structures consisting of alternating dense and porous BST layers, and exhibited excellent optical performance as Bragg reflectors. The Bragg reflection characteristic can be enhanced with increasing annealing temperature. Those BST films fabricated at temperatures lower than 650 ℃ displayed uniform cross-sectional morphologies even treated at a higher temperature. The difference in the microstructures of the BST thin films was also discussed.

Microstructure and optical properties of sprayed γ-CuI thin films for CuInS_2 solar cells

γ-CuI thin films were prepared by a spraying method using acetonitrile as a solvent,CuI and iodine as reagents.The influences of substrate temperature on the structure,topography,and optical properties of CuI films were investigated.Scanning electron microscope（SEM） photos revealed that the shape and grain size of CuI grains were related to substrate temperature.X-ray diffraction results showed that substrate temperature affected the crystalline quality of CuI films.When the substrate temperature was 110°C,CuI thin films showed γ-phase zinkblende structure with（111） preferred orientation.The dimension of the globular CuI crystallite was approximately 35 nm,the energy band gap was 2.97 eV,the maximum transmittance was 87.3% in the part of the visible region,and the open circuit voltage was close to 380 mV.This opened a route for a cadmium-free buffer layer for CuInS2 solar cells.

Electrical and Optical Properties of GaSe Thin Films

The structure, electrical transport, and optical properties of GaSe films fabricated by means of radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering in Ar were investigated. The as-sputtered GaSe films were amorphous, and their optical energy gap Eg are 1.9～2.6 eV. The effect of the synthesis conditions on the optical and electrical properties of the GaSe films has also been studied

Preparation and optical characteristics of ZnO films by chelating sol-gel method

The effect of different annealing temperatures on the structure, morphology,and optical properties of ZnO thin films prepared by the chelating sol-gel method was investigated.Zinc-oxide thin films were coated on quartz glass substrates by dip coating. Zinc nitrate, absoluteethanol, and citric acid were used as precursor, solvent, and chelating agent, respectively. Theresults show that ZnO films derived from zinc-citrate have lower crystallization temperature (below400℃), and that the crystal structure is wurtzite. The films, treated over 500℃, consist ofnano-particles and show to be porous at 600℃. The particle size of the film increases with theincrease of the annealing temperature. The largest particle size is 60 nm at 600℃. The opticaltransmittances related to the annealing temperatures become 90% higher in the visible range. Thefilm shows a starting absorption at 380 nm, and the optical band-gap of the thin film (fired at500℃) is 3.25 eV and close to the intrinsic band-gap of ZnO (3.2 eV).

Optical properties of titanium oxide films obtained by cathodic arc plasma deposition

Structural and optical properties of nanometric titanium oxide（TixOy） films obtained by cathodic arc plasma deposition were investigated. Phase analysis by x-ray diffraction and Fouriertransform infrared spectroscopy showed the presence of anatase, rutile, Ti_2O_3, Ti_4O_7 and amorphous phases. Scanning electron microscopy images showed well-developed surface morphology with nano-patterns. Spectroscopic ellipsometry revealed film thicknesses of 53 and50 nm, variable refractive indices dependent on the light wavelength and close to zero extinction coefficients for wavelengths higher than 500 nm. On the basis of ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy data and using the Tauc equation, band gap values for direct and indirect electron transitions were determined.

The Third-Order Nonlinear Optical Properties in Cobalt-Doped ZnO Films

We quantitatively investigate the third-order optical nonlinear response of Co-doped ZnO thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering using the Z-scan method. The two-photon absorption and optical Kerr effect are revealed to contribute to the third-order nonlinear response of the Co-doped ZnO films. The nonlinear absorption coefficient β is determined to be approximately 8.8 × 10-5 cm/W and the third-order nonlinear susceptibility X（3） is 2.93 × 10-6 esu. The defect-associated energy levels within the band gap are suggested to be responsible for the enhanced nonlinear response observed in Co-doped ZnO films.

The Effect of Annealing Temperature and Reactive Gases on Optical Properties of Cu₂O Thin Films

The Cu2O thin films were synthesized by using RF sputtering technique. Comparisons were made with films created by deposition at room temperature followed by thermal annealing between 100°C and 400°C and using different gases, oxygen (O2) (oxidizing and reactive gas) and nitrogen (N2) (inert gas), besides air. The thickness of the thin films was kept constant, around 2000 Å (Angstrom). In addition, the RF power and pressure deposition were kept constant, as well. The thin films were evaluated for a range of wavelengths between 200 nm and 400 nm (Ultra Violet spectrum), 400 nm and 700 nm (Visible spectrum), 700 nm and 800 nm (Infrared spectrum) for both, optical transmittance and photoluminescence. From the experimental results, the higher annealing temperature and the introduction of nitrogen (N2) gas produced the following results: the optical bandgap for the Cu2O was found to be 2.23 eV and photoluminescence peaks were around 551 nm and 555 nm, which matched the theoretical analyses. Overall, there was a decrease in the optical bandgap of the Cu2O from 2.56 eV at room temperature to 2.23 eV for the film annealed in nitrogen gas at 400°C. This indicates that the Cu2O is a potential candidate in solar cell applications.

Influence of Bath Temperature, Deposition Time and S/Cd Ratio on the Structure, Surface Morphology, Chemical Composition and Optical Properties of CdS Thin Films Elaborated by Chemical Bath Deposition

Cadmium sulphide (CdS) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by the chemical bath deposition (CBD) method, using anhydrous cadmium chloride (CdCl2) and thiourea (CS(NH2)2) as sources of cadmium and sulphur ions respectively. The influence of bath temperature (Tb), deposition time (td) aSnd [S]/[Cd] ratio in the solution on the structural, morphological, chemical composition and optical properties of these films were investigated. XRD studies revealed that all the deposited films were polycrystalline with hexagonal structure and exhibited (002) preferential orientation. The films deposited under optimum conditions (Tb = 75?C, td = 60 min and [S]/[Cd] ratio = 2.5) were relatively well crystallized. These films showed large final thickness and their surface morphologies were composed of small grains with an approximate size of 20 to 30 nm and grains grouped together to form large clusters. EDAX analysis revealed that these films were nonstoichiometric with a slight sulphur deficiency. These films exhibited also a transmittance value about 80% in the visible and infra red range.

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.

Photoinduced Reorientation Process and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Ag Nanoparticle Doped Azo Polymer Films

Azobenzene polymer films doped with and without Ag nanoparticles are prepared. The photoinduced reorientation process is investigated by using an Nd：YVO4 pump beam at 532 nm and a low semiconductor laser beam at 650 nm. The reorientation rate of azo polymer films is enhanced in the presence of Ag nanoparticles, and the rate of the azo polymer film with Ag concentration of 2.2 μg/ml is larger than that of the azo polymer films with Ag concentrations of 1.1 μg/ml and 4.4 μg/ml. The third-order nonlinear optical properties of the Ag/azo composite film are obtained by the Z-scan technique at a wavelength of 532 nm, and the measured nonlinear refractive index is 9.258×10-9 esu. It is shown that the main mechanisms involved in the large nonlinear optical responses come from the local field enhancement of Ag nanoparticles and the nonlinear effect of the azo polymer matrix.