Evolution of the structural and optical properties of silver oxide films with different stoichiometries deposited by direct-current magnetron reactive sputtering

Nitrogen doping of silver oxide （AgxO） film is necessary for its application in transparent conductive film and diodes because intrinsic AgxO film is a p-type semiconductor with poor conductivity. In this work, a series of AgxO films is deposited on glass substrates by direct-current magnetron reactive sputtering at different flow ratios （FRs） of nitrogen to 02. Evolutions of the structure, the refiectivity, and the transmissivity of the film are studied by X-ray diffractometry and sphectrophotometry, respectively. The specular transmissivity and the specular refiectivity of the film decreasing with FR increasing can be attributed to the evolution of the phase structure of the film. The nitrogen does not play the role of an acceptor dopant in the film deposition.

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.

Electrical and optical properties of indium tin oxide/epoxy composite film

The electrical and optical properties of the indium tin oxide （ITO）/epoxy composite exhibit dramatic variations as functions of the ITO composition and ITO particle size. Sharp increases in the conductivity in the vicinity of a critical volume fraction have been found within the framework of percolation theory. A conductive and insulating transition model is extracted by the ITO particle network in the SEM image, and verified by the resistivity dependence on the temperature. The dependence of the optical transmittance on the particle size was studied. Further decreasing the ITO particle size could further improve the percolation threshold and light transparency of the composite film.

Enhanced Property of Thin Cuprous Oxide Film Prepared through Green Synthetic Route

Thin cuprous oxide films have been prepared by chemical vapor deposition(pulsed spray evaporation-chemical vapor deposition)method without post-treatment.The synthesis of cuprous oxide was produced by applying a water strategy effect.Then,the effect of water on the morphology,topology,structure,optical properties and surface composition of the obtained films has been comprehensively investigated.The results reveal that a pure phase of Cu2O was obtained.The introduction of a small quantity of water in the liquid feedstock lowers the band gap energy from 2.16 eV to 2.04 eV.This finding was mainly related to the decrease of crystallite size due to the effect of water.The topology analyses,by using atomic force microscope,also revealed that surface roughness decreases with water addition,namely more uniform covered surface.Moreover,theoretical calculations based on density functional theory method were performed to understand the adsorption and reaction behaviors of water and ethanol on the Cu2O thin film surface.Formation mechanism of the Cu2O thin film was also suggested and discussed.

Structural and Optical Dispersion Characterisation of Sprayed Nickel Oxide Thin Films

Crystalline and non-crystalline nickel oxide (NiO) thin films were obtained by spray pyrolysis technique (SPT) using nickel acetate tetrahydrate solutions onto glass substrates at different temperatures from 225 to 350℃. Structure of the as-deposited NiO thin films have been examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscope (AFM). The results showed that an amorphous structure of the films at low substrate temperature (Ts = 225℃), while at higher Ts ≥ 275℃, a cubic single phase structure of NiO film is formed. The refractive index (n) and the extinction coefficient (k) have been calculated from the corrected transmittance and reflectance measurements over the spectral range from 250 to 2400 nm. Some of the optical absorption parameters, such as optical dispersion energies, Eo and Ed, dielectric constant, ε, the average values of oscillator strength, So, wavelength of single oscillator λo and plasma frequency, ωp, have been evaluated.

Enhancement and Optimization of ATO Nano-crystalline Films Properties by the Addition of Acetylacetone as Modifier in the Sol-gel Process

Sb-doped Sn O2(ATO) thin films have been prepared using the spin coating method by selecting the proper amount of acetylacetone as solution modifier. All ATO powders and films exhibited the cassiterite rutile-like structure in a crystal size below 10 nm under all the experimental conditions and a nonpreviously reported crystal structure was observed at high acetylacetone loads. The acetylacetone molar ratio influenced notably the optical and electrical properties of ATO films. When prepared at an acetylacetone molar ratio of 4, ATO films exhibited optical transparencies above 90% in the visible region and above 40% in the UV region for thicknesses of 100 and 300 nm. Films in a thickness of 100 nm and at an annealing temperature of 650 ℃ accounted for a high transparency of 97% in the visible wavelength. Films prepared at an acetylacetone molar ratio of 4 exhibited an electric resistivity of 1.33×10-3 Ω·cm at an annealing temperature of 650 ℃. The optimal Sb content for ATO films was found to be 8 at%. The relationships among the properties of starting solutions, the experimental parameters, and properties of ATO films are discussed.

Preparation of High Quality Indium Tin Oxide Film on a Microbial Cellulose Membrane Using Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering

Microbial cellulose （MC） membranes produced by Acetobacter xylinum NUST4.1,were used as flexible substrates for the fabrication of transparent indium tin oxide （ITO） electrodes.Transparent and conductive ITO thin films were deposited on MC membrane at room temperature using radio frequency （RF） magnetron sputtering.The optimum ITO deposition conditions were achieved by examining crystalline structure,surface morphology and op-toelectrical characteristics with X-ray diffraction （XRD）,scanning electron microscopy （SEM）,atomic force mi-croscopy （AFM）,and UV spectroscopy.The sheet resistance of the samples was measured with a four-point probe and the resistivity of the film was calculated.The results reveal that the preferred orientation of the deposited ITO crystals is strongly dependent upon with oxygen content （O2/Ar,volume ratio） in the sputtering chamber.And the ITO crystalline structure directly determines the conductivity of ITO-deposited films.High conductive [sheet resis-tance ～120 Ω·square-1 （Ω·sq-1）] and transparent （above 76%） ITO thin films （240 nm thick） were obtained with a moderate sputtering power （about 60 W） and with an oxygen flow rate of 0.25 ml·min-1 （sccm） during the deposi-tion.These results show that the ITO-MC electrodes can find their potential application in optoelectrical devices.

Extraction of optical constants and thickness of nanometre scale TiO2 film

TiO2 thin films were deposited on glass substrates by sputtering in a conventional rf magnetron sputtering system. X-ray diffraction pattern and transmission spectrum were measured. The curves of refraction index and extinction coefficient distributions as well as the thickness of films calculated from transmission spectrum were obtained. The optimization problem was also solved using a method based on a constrained nonlinear programming algorithm.

Influence of O/Ar ratio on the properties of NiO thin film grown with the method of radio-frequency magnetron sputtering

In order to obtain high quality NiO thin film grown with the radio-frequency magnetron sputtering method, the influence of O/Ar ratio on the structure, band-gap, resistivity and optical transmittance of NiO thin films were studied. It was found that the obtained NiO thin film showed （111） preferred orientation and higher transparency in the visible region. With the increasing of O/ Ar ratio from 1：7 to 8： 2, the optical transmittance of NiO thin films decreased and the optical band- gap was between 3. 4 eV and 3. 7 eV, and the sheet resistivity decreased from 5. 4 ~ 107 Ω/ to 1.0 × 10^5 Ω/[]. Our study shows that the properties of NiO thin films can be adjusted in a wide range by adjusting the O/At ratio in the sputtering process.

Epitaxial Growth of Ga_XIn_(1-X) As Film by RF Sputtering and Physical Properties of the Films

Single crystal Ga X In 1-X As films have grown up on GaAs(100) substrate at 375℃ and on InP(100) substrate at 390℃, respectively, by the method of rf sputtering with using undoped GaInAs polycrystal as target. However, on Si(100) or Si(111) substrates at 260～390℃, even at 465℃, only polycrystalline films were obtained. In addition, the structure, composition, electrical characteristic and optical properties of the Ga X In 1-X As films were investigated using X ray diffraction (XRD), reflection of high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), energy dispersion analyzer of X ray (EDAX), Hall measurements and spectroscopic ellipsometry.

(Al_xGa_(1-x))_yIn_(1-y)P Films and Its Optical Constants on the Surface

The optical parameters for three samples of intrinsic, doped Si and doped Mg (Al x Ga 1- x ) y In 1- y P prepared by the MOCVD on GaAs substrate were measured by using ellipsometry and were calculated by the two-layer absorption film model. The results obtained were discussed. The grown rates and thickness of oxidic layer on the intrinsic (Al x Ga 1- x ) y In 1- y P surface exposed in the atmosphere were studied. A linear dependence of oxidic layer thickness on the time was obtained.

Study on Physical Process of Surface Oxidation of Rare Earth-Transition Metal Amorphous Magneto-Optical Thin Films

By using surface effects(Auger electron spectroscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,polar Kerr effect)and volume effects(magnetization,torque curve)the physical process of surface oxidation of rare earth-transition metal amorphous magneto-optical thin films was studied in this paper.The rare earth elements oxidize preferentially and rich at the film surface,and the transition metals deplete in oxidation layer.Fe_2O_3 in the surface oxidation layer contributes to the planar magnetization,and thereby the anomalous peak appears near 180° on the torque curves and the amplitude of the peaks is related to the depth of surface oxidation layers.The iron bonds to oxygen easier than the cobolt.RE-Co magneto-optieal thin films have good properties of resistance to oxidation and humidity.

Optical and electrical properties of TiO_2/Au/TiO_2 multilayer coatings in large area deposition at room temperature

TiO2/Au/TiO2 multilayer thin films were deposited at polymer substrate at room temperature using dc （direct current） magnetron sputtering method. By varying the thickness of each layer, the optical and electrical properties of the TiOz/Au/TiO2 multilayer films can be tailored to suit different applications. The thickness and optical properties of the Au layer and the quality of the Au-dielectric interfaces are critical for the electrical and optical performance of the Au-dielectric multilayer thin films. At the thickness of 8 rim, the Au layer forms a continuous structure having the lowest resistivity and it must be thin for high transmittance. The multilayer stack can be optimized to have a sheet resistance of 6 D./sq. at a transmittance over 80% at 680 nm in wavelength. The peak transmittance shifts towards the long wavelength region when the thickness of the two TiO2 （upper and lower） layers increases. When the film thickness of the two TiO2 film is 45 nm, a high transmittance value is obtained for the entire visible light wavelength region.

Production of HfO_2 thin films using different methods: chemical bath deposition, SILAR and sol–gel process

Hafnium oxide thin films （HOTFs） were successfully deposited onto amorphous glasses using chemical bath deposition, successive ionic layer absorption and reaction （SILAR）, and sol-gel methods. The same reactive precursors were used for all of the methods, and all of the films were annealed at 300℃ in an oven （ambient conditions）. After this step, the optical and structural properties of the films produced by using the three different methods were compared. The structures of the films were analyzed by X-ray diffTaction （XRD）. The optical properties are investigated using the ultraviolet-visible （UV-VIS） spectroscopic technique. The film thickness was measured via atomic force microscopy （AFM） in the tapping mode. The surface properties and elemental ratios of the films were investigated and measured by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy （EDX）. The lowest transmittance and the highest reflectance values were observed for the films produced using the SILAR method. In addition, the most intense characteristic XRD peak was observed in the diffraction pattern of the film produced using the SILAR method, and the greatest thickness and average grain size were calculated for the film produced using the SILAR method. The films produced using SILAR method contained fewer cracks than those produced using the other methods. In conclusion, the SILAR method was observed to be the best method for the production of HOTFs.

Structure and Waveguide Properties of Sol-Gel Derived Gd_2O_3 Films

Pure and rare earth doped gadolinium oxide (Gd 2O 3) waveguide films were prepared by a simple sol-gel process and dip-coating method. Structure of Gd 2O 3 films annealed at different temperature was investigated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Oriented growth of (400) face of Gd 2O 3 has been observed when the films were deposited on amorphous substrate. The refractive index and thickness of films were determined by m-lines spectroscopy. The laser beam (λ=632.8 nm) was coupled into the film by a prism coupler and the propagation length is about 3.5 cm. Luminescence properties of europium ions doped films were measured by waveguide fluorescence spectroscopy, which shows disordered environment for Eu 3+ at 400 ℃.

White Light Emission from the Composite System of ZnO/Porous Si

We report that the composites of ZnO/porous Si （PS） can exhibit intensively white photoluminescence （PL） under proper excitation wavelength. The PS sample is formed by electrochemical anodization of n-type （111） silicon. ZnO films are then deposited on the PS surface by pulsed laser deposition （PLD）. ZnO is transparent in the visible region, so the red PL from PS can be transmitted through the ZnO films. White PL from the ZnO layer on PS can be obtained, which consists of blue-green emission from ZnO and red emission from PS. The x-ray diffraction （XRD） pattern shows that the ZnO films deposited on PS surface are non-crystalline. Due to the roughness of the PS surface, some cracks appear in the ZnO films, which could be seen from the scanning electron microscopy （SEM） images.

RESONANT PHOTOEMISSION OF BULK CeO_(2) AND NANO-CeO_(2) FILMS

Photoemission behaviors of nano-CeO2 films with particle sizes ranging from 8 nm to 50 nm and bulk CeO2 in Ce 4 d-4 f absorption region have been investigated. Resonant enhancements of Ce 4 f valance band and Ce 5 p bands for nano film and bulk material have been observed. The variation of electron density of states in valance bands of nano and bulk structures of CeO2 is discussed in terms of Ce 4 d-4 f resonance.