Enhanced Photoelectric Property of Mo-C Codoped TiO2 Films Deposited by RF Magnetron Cosputtering

Mo-C codoped TiO2 films were prepared by RF magnetron cosputtering. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray Analysis and X-Ray Diffraction were used to study the influences of codoping on energy gap, surface morphology, valence states of elements, ions content and crystal structure, respectively. The concentration of photogenerated carriers was measured by studying photocurrent density, while catalytic property was evaluated by observing degradation rate of methylene blue under visible light. A Mo-doped TiO2 film, whose content of Mo had been optimized in advance, was prepared and later used for subsequent comparisons with codoped samples. The result indicates that Mo-C codoping could curtail the energy gap and shift the absorption edge toward visible range. Under the illumination of visible light, codoped TiO2 films give rise to stronger photocurrent due to smaller band gaps. It is also found that Mo, C codoping results in a porous surface, whose area declines gradually with increasing carbon content. Carbon and Molybdenum doses were delicately optimized. Under the illumination of visible light, sample doped with 9.78at% carbon and 0.36at% Mo presents the strongest photocurrent which is about 8 times larger than undoped TiO2 films, and about 6 times larger than samples doped with Mo only.

The determination of the thickness and the optical dispersion property of gold film using spectroscopy of a surface plasmon in the frequency domain

We propose to use wavelength modulation approach,i.e.,the spectroscopy of a surface plasmon in the frequency domain,to characterize the optical dispersion property of gold film.Using this method,we determine the dispersion relationship of gold film in a wavelength range from 537.12 nm to 905.52 nm,and our results accord well with the reported results by other authors.This method is particularly suited for studying the optical dispersion properties of thin metal films,because a series of dielectric constants over a wide spectral range can be determined simultaneously via only a single scan of the incident angle,thereby avoiding the repeated measurements required when using the angular modulation approach.

Influence of Deposition Temperature and Pressure on Microstructure and Tribological Properties of Arc Ion Plated Ag Films

The films deposited at low temperature（LT-films） have increasingly attracted theoretical and technical interests since such films exhibit obvious difference in structure and performances compared to those deposited at room temperature.Studies on the tribological properties of LT-films are rarely reported in available literatures.In this paper,the structure,morphology and tribological properties of Ag films,deposited at LT（166 K） under various Ar pressures on AISI 440C steel substrates by arc ion plating（AIP）,are studied by X-ray diffraction（XRD）,atomic force microscopy（AFM） and a vacuum ball-on-disk tribometer,and compared with the Ag films deposited at RT（300 K）.XRD results show that（200） preferred orientation of the films is promoted at LT and low Ar pressure.The Crystallite sizes are 70 nm-80 nm for LT-Ag films deposited at 0.2 Pa and 0.8 Pa and larger than 100 nm for LT-Ag films deposited at 0.4 Pa and 0.6 Pa,while they are 55 nm-60 nm for RT-Ag films deposited at 0.2 Pa-0.6 Pa and 37 nm for RT-Ag films deposited at 0.8 Pa.The surfaces of LT-Ag films are fibre-like at 0.6 Pa and 0.8 Pa,terrace-like at 0.4 Pa,and sphere-like at 0.2 Pa,while the surfaces of RT-Ag films are composed of sphere-like grains separated by voids.Wear tests reveal that,due to the compact microstructure LT-Ag films have better wear resistances than RT-Ag film.These results indicate that the microstructure and wear resistance of Ag films deposited by AIP can be improved by low temperature deposition.

Properties of Reactive Magnetron Sputtered ITO Films without in-situ Substrate Heating and Post-deposition Annealing

Indium tin oxide (ITO) films were prepared on polyester, Si and glass substrate with relatively high deposition rate of above 0.9 nm/s by DC reactive magnetron sputtering technique at the sputtering pressure of 0.06 Pa system, respectively. The dependence of resistivity on deposition parameters, such as deposition rate, target-to-substrate distance (TSD), oxygen flow rate and sputtering time (thickness), has been investigated, together with the structural and the optical properties. It was revealed that all ITO films exhibited lattice expansion. The resistivity of ITO thin films shows significant substrate effect: much lower resistivity and broader process window have been reproducibly achieved for the deposition of ITO films onto polyester rather than those prepared on both Si and glass substrates. The films with resistivity of as low as 4.23 x 10^-4 Ω.cm and average transmittance of ～78% at wavelength of 400～700 nm have been achieved for the films on polyester at room temperature.

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

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.

Influence of Negative Bias Voltage on the Mechanical and Tribological Properties of MoS_2/Zr Composite Films

MoS2/Zr composite films were deposited on the cemented carbide YT14 （WC＋14%TiC＋6%Co） by medium-frequency magnetron sputtered and coupled with multi-arc ion plated techniques.The influence of negative bias voltage on the composite film properties,including adhesion strength,micro-hardness,thickness and tribological properties were investigated.The results showed that proper negative bias voltage could significantly improve the mechanical and tribological properties of composite films.The effects of negative bias voltage on film properties were also put forward.The optimal negative bias voltage was -200 V under this experiment conditions.The obtained composite films were dense,the adhesion strength was about 60 N,the thickness was about 2.4 μm,and the micro-hardness was about 9.0 GPa.The friction coefficient and wear rate was 0.12 and 2.1×10-7 cm3/N·m respectively after 60 m sliding operation against hardened steel under a load of 20 N and a sliding speed of 200 rev·min-1.

Phase Transformation and Enhancing Electron Field Emission Properties in Microcrystalline Diamond Films Induced by Cu Ion Implantation and Rapid Annealing

Cu ion implantation and subsequent rapid annealing at 500℃ in N2 result in low surface resistivity of 1.611 ohm/sq with high mobility of 290 cm2 V-1S-1 for microcrystalline diamond （MCD） films. Its electrical field emission behavior can be turned on at Eo = 2.6 V/μm, attaining a current density of 19.5μA/cm2 at an applied field of 3.5 V/#m. Field emission scanning electron microscopy combined with Raman and x-ray photoelectron mi- croscopy reveal that the formation of Cu nanoparticles in MCD films can catalytically convert the less conducting disorder/a-C phases into graphitic phases and can provoke the formation of nanographite in the films, forming conduction channels for electron transportation.

Electroneutral Quaternization/Sulfosuccination for Alleviating the Adverse Effect of Paste Aging on the Properties of Corn Starch Film

For the purpose of alleviating the adverse effect of paste aging on the properties of corn starch film, a series of electroneutrally quaternized/sulfosuccinylated starches（EQSS） with different degrees of substitution（DS） were synthesized via the quaternization/sulfosuccination of acid-thinned corn starch（ATS） by varying the amounts of N-（3-chloro-2-hydroxypropl） trimethylammonium chloride, maleic anhydride, and sodium hydrogen sulfite. The influence of paste aging on the properties of starch film cast from heat-induced starch paste was investigated and the properties were explored in terms of tensile strength, elongation, work at break, degree of crystallinity, and flex-fatigue resistance. The experimental results showed that the paste ageing generated adverse influence on the elongation, work at break, and flex-fatigue resistance of starch film. Further experiments showed that electroneutral quaternization/sulfosuccination of starch were able to alleviate the negative effect of paste ageing on the elongation, work at break, and flex-fatigue resistance, thereby obviously enhancing the elongation, work at break and flex-fatigue resistance, and thus reducing the drawback of brittleness. The enhancement depended on the amounts of the substituents introduced. With the increase in DS value, the elongation and work at break as well as flex-fatigue resistance continuously rose, whereas the tensile strength gradually reduced.

Structural, Optical and Luminescence Properties of ZnO Thin Films Prepared by Sol-Gel Spin-Coating Method： Effect of Precursor Concentration

Transparent zinc oxide（ZnO） thin films are fabricated by a simple sol-gel spin-coating technique on glass substrates with different solution concentrations（0.3-1.2 M） using zinc acetate dehydrate [Zn（CH_3COO）_2·2H_2O] as precursor and isopropanol and monoethanolamine（MEA） as solvent and stabilizer, respectively. The molar ratio of zinc acetate dehydrate to MEA is 1.0. X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy are employed to investigate the effect of solution concentration on the structural and optical properties of the ZnO thin films. The obtained results of all thin films are discussed in detail and are compared with other experimental data.

The Synthesis and Film Forming Properties of Unsymmetrical Phthalocyanine Bearing One Crown Ether Void

The synthesis of phthalocyanines bearing one crown ether macrocycle and three alkoxyl chains is described. They form stable monolayers and can be employed for the preparation of multilayer films by the Langmuir-Blogett technique. The orientations of the molecules in the film were affected by alkali metal ions in the subphase. lt is suggested that a kind of 'sandwich' dimer was formed in the film induced by potassium ions

Effects of Thickness and Temperature on Thermoelectric Properties of Bi2Te3-Based Thin Films

Bi_2Te_3 thin films and GeTe/B_2Te_3 superlattices of different thicknesses are prepared on the silicon dioxide substrates by magnetron sputtering technique and thermally annealed at 573 K for 30 min. Thermoelectric（TE）measurements indicate that optimal thickness and thickness ratio improve the TE performance of Bi_2Te_3 thin films and GeTe/B_2Te_3 superlattices, respectively. High TE performances with figure-of-merit（ZT） values as high as 1.32 and 1.56 are achieved at 443 K for 30 nm and 50 nm Bi_2Te_3 thin films, respectively. These ZT values are higher than those of p-type Bi_2Te_3 alloys as reported. Relatively high ZT of the GeTe/B_2Te_3 superlattices at 300-380 K were 0.62-0.76. The achieved high ZT value may be attributed to the unique nano-and microstructures of the films,which increase phonon scattering and reduce thermal conductivity. The results indicate that Bi_2Te_3-based thin films can serve as high-performance materials for applications in TE devices.

Effect of Nickel Distributions Embedded in Amorphous Carbon Films on Transport Properties

Electrical properties of C/Ni films are studied using four mosaic targets made of pure graphite and stripes of nickel with the surface areas of 1.78,3.21,3.92 and 4.64%.The conductivity data in the temperature range of400-500 K shows the extended state conduction.The conductivity data in the temperature range of 150-300 K shows the multi-phonon hopping conduction.The Berthelot-type conduction dominates in the temperature range of 50-150 K.The conductivity of the films in the temperature range about 〈 50 K is described in terms of variable-range hopping conduction.In low temperatures,the localized density of state around Fermi level（F）for the film deposition with 3.92% nickel has a maximum value of about 56.2×10^（17）cm^（-3）eV^（-1） with the minimum average hopping distance of about 3.43 × 10^（-6） cm.

Structural, Optical and Electrical Properties of Evaporated CdSe Films

CdSe films are of great interest for use in thin film photoelectric devices. A simple chemical precipitation method is adopted for the first time to synthesise CdSe powder. Films on glass obtained at different substrate temperatures TS such as 300, 373, 423 and 473 K have been characterised by X-ray diffraction, optical absorption and Hall measurements.

THE LUBRICATING PROPERTIES OF ION-PLATING FILMS OF Pb-Sn ALLOY

Experimental results of the lubricating behaviour of Pb-Sn alloy films formed by ion-plating on brass substrates are given. It is shown that the film microhardness, friction coefficient and wear life per thickness are under the influence of the substrate. The wear failure of film appears to be film adhesion and transferring by the mating surface.

Phase shift of polarized light through sculptured thin films: Experimental measurements and theoretical study

A slanted columnar TiO2 sculptured anisotropic thin film （ATF） is prepared via the glancing angle deposition technique and used as the phase retardation plate. The tilted nanocolumn microstructures of thin film induce the optical anisotropy. With the biaxial birefringent model, the optical constants dispersion equations of TiO2 ATF are derived by fitting the transmittance spectra for s-and p-polarized waves measured at normal and oblique incidence within 400 nm–1200 nm. The phase shift of polarized light after reflection and/or transmission through the TiO2 ATF is analyzed with the characteristic matrix employing the extracted structure parameters. The theoretical studies reasonably well accord with the experimental results measured with spectroscopic ellipsometry. In addition, the dependences of the phase shift on the coating physical thickness and oblique incidence angle are also discussed. Birefringence of the biaxial ATF provides a sophisticated phase modulation by varying incidence angles over a broad range to have a wide-angle phase shift.

Influence of the Source to Substrate Distance on the Growth,Tribological Properties and Optical Properties of Be Films

The Be films were prepared by thermal evaporation at different sources to substrate distances（SSD） on glass substrates. The decrease of SSD from 90 mm to 50 mm caused the increase of substrate temperature and the rising density of incident Be atoms, thus the properties of Be films greatly changed accordingly. The experimental results showed that the grain diameter in the Be films transited from below 100 nm to 300 nm, the film growth rate increased from 2.35 nm/min to 4.73 nm/min and the roughness increased from 7 nm to 49 nm. The performance study suggested that the friction coefficient of Be films increased from 0.13 to 0.27 and was related to the surface roughness and inner structure, the near-infrared reflectance of Be films increased from 40% to 85% with the increase of wavelength and concurrently decreased with the decrease of SSD, respectively. The performance study indicated that the Be film had the potential application in specific near-infrared reflectance optical system.

Structural Evolution and Phase Change Properties of C-Doped Ge_2Sb_2Te_5 Films During Heating in Air

We elucidate the importance of a capping layer on the structural evolution and phase change properties of carbondoped Ge2 Sb2 Te5（C-GST） films during heating in air. Both the C-GST films without and with a thin SiO2 capping layer（C-GST and C-GST/SiO2） are deposited for comparison. Large differences are observed between C-GST and C-GST/SiO2 films in resistance-temperature, x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,Raman spectra, data retention capability and optical band gap measurements. In the C-GST film, resistancetemperature measurement reveals an unusual smooth decrease in resistance above 110℃ during heating. Xray diffraction result has excluded the possibility of phase change in the C-GST film below 170℃. The x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy experimental result reveals the evolution of Te chemical valence because of the carbon oxidation during heating. Raman spectra further demonstrate that phase changes from an amorphous state to the hexagonal state occur directly during heating in the C-GST film. The quite smooth decrease in resistance is believed to be related with the formation of Te-rich GeTe4-n Gen（n = 0, 1） units above 110℃ in the C-GST film. The oxidation of carbon is harmful to the C-GST phase change properties.

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.