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At least 1,369 records · Page 76
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Solution-based spin-coated tin sulfide thin films for photovoltaic and supercapacitor applications

Highlights: • Tin sulfide (SnS{sub x}) thin films were prepared by solution-based spin coating. • The SnS{sub x} films annealed at 500 °C exhibited a pure SnS phase. • The films exhibited direct band gap of 1.4 eV which is near to solar maximum. • The films with the pure SnS phase exhibited a specific capacitance of 42 F g{sup ―1}. - Abstract: In this study, tin sulfide (SnS{sub x}) thin films were prepared using a solution-based spin-coating method. The annealing temperature was observed to play a dominant role in determining the phase, crystallinity, and morphology of the SnS{sub x} thin films. The results obtained from X-ray diffraction, as well as optical and electrical measurements, revealed that the films annealed at 500 °C exhibit a pure SnS phase, with a carrier concentration and direct band gap of ∼10{sup 12} and 1.4 eV, respectively. To explore the applications of SnS in supercapacitors, electrochemical measurements were performed in a 0.2 M NaOH solution. The results indicated that films with a pure SnS phase have a high specific capacitance of 42 F g{sup ―1} at a current density of 2 A g{sup ―1}. The synthesized SnS thin films demonstrate potential for applications in electrochemical capacitors and solar cells.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

High-temperature chemical expansion of Pr0.1Ce0.9O2-δ thin films determined by Differential Laser Doppler Vibrometry

The chemical expansion of thin-film praseodymium-cerium oxide solid solutions (Pr 0.1 Ce 0.9 O 2-δ , PCO10) is investigated at temperatures ranging from 500 °C to 800 °C and oxygen activities down to about 10 -22 . Differential Laser Doppler Vibrometry (D-LDV) in combination with periodic electrochemical pumping of oxygen is used to detect very small displacements of the sample surface. With decreasing pumping frequency, the film approaches chemical equilibrium, which is nearly reached at 700 °C below 0.01 Hz. D-LDV enables direct measurement of film thickness changes as well as the bending of the underlying substrates due electrochemically induced lateral mechanical stress. The substrate bending is found to be more than an order of magnitude larger than the film thickness change, increasing the detection limit by the same factor. The thickness change of the thin film is calculated from the measured displacement of the sample surface and compared with directly measured values. Thin-film literature data available for low oxygen activities up to 650 °C agree with our measurements. In addition, the thickness change of the film is determined from the displacement at different sample positions, which validates previous measurements. Finally, thin film chemical expansion is found to be larger by a factor of about 2 than the corresponding bulk value in agreement with predictions from a mechanical model that the out-of-plane expansion of a constrained film is increased.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2011

Mechanical characterization of Lipon films using nanoindentation

Nanoindentation has been used to characterize the elastic modulus and hardness of LiPON films ranging in thickness from 1 to 10 m. Four fully dense, amorphous films were deposited on glass and sapphire substrates with one film annealed at 200 C for 20 min. The modulus of LiPON is found to be approximately 77 GPa, and argued to be independent of the substrate type, film thickness, and annealing. Based on the numerical analysis of Monroe and Newman, this value may be sufficiently high to mechanically suppress dendrite formation at the lithium/LiPON interface in thin film batteries [1]. Using Sneddon's stiffness equation and assuming the modulus is 77 GPa, the hardness is found to be approximately 3.9 GPa for all but the annealed film. The hardness of the annealed film is approximately 5% higher, at 4.1 GPa. Atomic force microscopy images of the residual hardness impressions confirm the unexpected increase in hardness of the annealed film. Surprisingly, the indentation data also reveal time-dependent behavior in all four films. This indicates that creep may also play a significant role in determining how LiPON responds to complex loading conditions and could be important in relieving stresses as they develop during service.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Epitaxial growth of oriented CoO films by radio-frequency sputtering deposition

Rock-salt CoO is a p-type semiconductor and its Neel temperature is close to room temperature. CoO-based compounds are known as promising systems for renewable energy harvest with high efficiency. CoO with catalytic and exchange bias properties can be widely used for industrial applications. In this paper, we report high-quality stable CoO(111) and (100) films epitaxially grown on c-cut (0001) and r-cut ($10\bar1$2) alpha-Al 2 O 3 substrates, respectively, using radio-frequency sputtering deposition. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements revealed that the CoO films had a rock-salt structure (Fm3m) with lattice constants of 4.2477 Å and 4.2617 Å for film grown on (0001) and ($10\bar1$2) α-Al 2 O 3 substrates, respectively. CoO films with the best crystal quality were grown at a substrate temperature of similar to ~700°C. XRD measurements of CoO(111) films indicated a lack of structural residual strain, whereas CoO(100) films had substantial amounts of structural strain. X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and transmission electron microscopy measurements showed neither oxygen vacancy nor defects in both CoO(111) and (100) films. Further, XRR revealed that the mean electron density of the CoO films was nearly identical to a pure CoO and that the films were considerably stable under the atmosphere.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Impact of Relative Humidity during Spin-Deposition of Metal Oxide Thin Films from Aqueous Solution Precursors

Relative humidity during the spin-processing of thin film solution precursors is often not controlled or measured, and its effect on film thickness is generally unappreciated. Herein, we report that the relative humidity during spin-processing has a marked impact on the film thickness of amorphous metal oxide (aluminum oxide and lanthanum zirconium oxide) and hafnium oxide-sulfate (HafSOx) thin films deposited from aqueous precursors. In the humidity range studied [20–95% relative humidity (RH)], film thicknesses varied by a factor of nearly 3, and this effect is independent of the metal precursor identity. Our data suggest that film thickness depends linearly on evaporation rate (100 – RH) for all systems studied, suggesting this effect is predominantly due to the unique characteristics of water as a solvent. In situ X-ray reflectivity studies of HafSOx films deposited under different humidities reveal that, while the thickness varies significantly with humidity, the density of the as-deposited films is similar, suggesting that humidity primarily affects the relative amount of material deposited. Because reproducible film thickness is critical for many applications, our data highlight the importance of controlling humidity during spin-processing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Thermal Conductivity Comparison of Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide Thin Films: Dependence on Temperature, Crystallinity, and Porosity

Here, the cross-plane thermal conductivity of InGaZnO (IGZO) thin films was measured using the 3ω technique from 18 to 300 K. The studied morphologies include amorphous (a-IGZO), semicrystalline (semi-c-IGZO), and c-axis-aligned single-crystal-like IGZO (c-IGZO) grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) as well as a-IGZO deposited by sputtering and by solution combustion processing. The atomic structures of the amorphous and crystalline films were simulated with ab initio molecular dynamics. The film quality and texturing information was assessed by X-ray diffraction and grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering. X-ray reflectivity was also conducted to quantify film densities and porosities. All the high-density films exhibit an empirical power-law temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity $κ \sim T^{0.6}$ in the specified temperature range. Among the PLD dense films, semi-c-IGZO exhibits the highest thermal conductivity, remarkably exceeding both films with more order (c-IGZO) and with less order (a-IGZO) by a factor of 4. The less dense combustion-synthesized films, on the other hand, exhibited lower thermal conductivity, quantitatively consistent with a porous film using either an effective medium or percolation model. All samples are consistent with the porosity-adapted Cahill–Pohl (p-CP) model of minimum thermal conductivity.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Controlling Preferred Grain Orientation in Vapor-Deposited Metal-Halide Perovskite Thin Films

Metal-halide perovskites are promising semiconductor materials for light-absorber layers in solar cells due to their optimized band gap, defect tolerance, and relative ease of synthesis. In this work, we demonstrate the viability of vapor transport deposition (VTD), a solvent-free processing method, to realize polycrystalline films of both lead iodide (PbI 2 ) and methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI 3 ) perovskites showing preferential crystallographic orientation. Notable is the difference in perovskite film texturing observed for sequentially and co-deposited VTD films of MAPbI 3 , as well as the lack of strong preferential orientation in solution-processed MAPbI 3 films. While sequential deposition of the perovskite precursors PbI 2 and methylammonium iodide (MAI) leads to a MAPbI 3 film with a limited preferential grain orientation, co-deposited MAPbI 3 films mirror the orientation of excess PbI 2 present in the film. The latter is confirmed by the similar dependence of preferential orientation for PbI 2 and co-deposited MAPbI 3 on underlayer roughness, as well as the emergence of preferential orientation in MAPbI 3 only when excess PbI 2 is present. Both MAPbI 3 and PbI 2 films show a strong preferred lattice orientation on smooth substrates, while on rougher substrates, this orientation is disrupted. Furthermore, these results are interpreted as excess PbI 2 frustrating the diffusion of MAI in the film, which would otherwise disrupt the preferred orientation, pointing to a notable difference in lattice orientation arising from processing technique and conditions.

Deposition↗
DOE OSTI2020

Structural and Optical Properties of Phase-Pure UO 2 , α-U 3 O 8 , and α-UO 3 Epitaxial Thin Films Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Fundamental understanding of the electronic, chemical, and structural properties of uranium oxides requires the synthesis of high-crystalline-quality epitaxial films of different polymorphs of one material or different phases with various oxygen valence states. Here we report the growth of single-phase epitaxial UO 2 , α-U 3 O 8 , and α-UO 3 thin films using pulsed laser deposition. Both oxygen partial pressure and substrate temperature play critical roles in determining the crystal structure of the uranium oxide films. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy demonstrate that the films are single phase with excellent crystallinity and epitaxially grown on a variety of substrates. Chemical valance states and optical properties of epitaxial uranium oxide films are studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV–vis spectroscopy, which further confirm the high-quality stoichiometric phase-pure uranium oxide thin films. Epitaxial UO2 films show a direct band gap of 2.61 eV, while epitaxial α-UO 2 , α-U 3 O 8 and α-UO 3 films exhibit indirect band gaps of 1.89 and 2.26 eV, respectively. The ability to grow high-quality epitaxy actinide oxide thin films and to access their different phases and polymorphous will have significant benefits to the future applications in nuclear science and technology.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Investigations of Si Thin Films as Anode of Lithium-Ion Batteries

Amorphous silicon thin films having various thicknesses were investigated as a negative electrode material for lithium-ion batteries. Electrochemical characterization of the 20 nm thick thin silicon film revealed a very low first cycle Coulombic efficiency, which can be attributed to the silicon oxide layer formed on both the surface of the as-deposited Si thin film and the interface between the Si and the substrate. Among the investigated films, the 100 nm Si thin film demonstrated the best performance in terms of first cycle efficiency and cycle life. Observations from scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that the generation of cracks was inevitable in the cycled Si thin films, even as the thickness of the film was as little as 20 nm, which was not predicted by previous modeling work. However, the cycling performance of the 20 and 100 nm silicon thin films was not detrimentally affected by these cracks. Lastly, the poor capacity retention of the 1 mu m silicon thin film was attributed to the delamination.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Emergence of Rapid Oxygen Surface Exchange Kinetics during in Situ Crystallization of Mixed Conducting Thin Film Oxides

The oxygen surface exchange kinetics of mixed ionic and electronic conducting oxides (MIECs) play a vital role in the efficiency of intermediate-to-high-temperature electrochemical devices. While there is increasing interest in low-temperature preparation of MIEC thin films, the impact of the resultant varied degrees of crystallinity on the surface exchange kinetics has not been widely investigated. Herein, we probe the effect of crystallization on oxygen surface exchange kinetics in situ, by applying an optical transmission relaxation (OTR) approach during annealing of amorphous films. OTR enables contact-free, in situ, and continuous quantification of the oxygen surface exchange coefficient ( k chem ); we previously applied it to Pr x Ce 1– x O 2-δ and SrTi 1– x Fe x O 3-δ thin films. In this work, the OTR approach was successfully extended to other mixed conducting thin film compositions for the first time (i.e., perovskite SrTi 0.65 Co 0.35 O 3-δ and Ruddlesden–Popper Sr 2 Ti 0.65 Fe 0.35 O 4±δ ), as well as to Pr 0.1 Ce 0.9 O 2-δ , enabling quantification of the k chem of their native surfaces and comparison of the behavior of films with different final crystal structures. All thin films were prepared by pulsed laser deposition at 25 or 700–800 °C and subject to subsequent thermal treatments with simultaneous OTR monitoring of k chem . The surface roughness, grain size, and crystallinity were evaluated by scanning probe microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Fluorite Pr 0.1 Ce 0.9 O 2-δ films grown at 25 °C did not exhibit an increase in k chem after annealing, as they were already crystalline as grown at 25 °C. For all other compositions, OTR enabled in situ observation of both the crystallization process and the emergence of rapid surface exchange kinetics immediately upon crystallization. Perovskite SrTi 0.65 Co 0.35 O 3-δ and Ruddlesden–Popper Sr 2 Ti 0.65 Fe 0.35 O 4±δ thin films grown at 25 °C exhibited at least 1–2 orders of magnitude enhanced k chem after annealing compared with highly crystalline thin films grown at 800 °C, indicating the benefits of in situ crystallization.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

A Dynamic Pore Network Model for Imbibition Simulation Considering Corner Film Flow

Wetting films can develop in the corners of angular pores under strong wetting conditions. Modeling the dynamics of corner film remains elusive using direct numerical simulations because of the significant scale difference between main meniscus and corner film flow. In this paper, the modified interacting capillary bundle model (ICB), developed in our previous work to describe accurately corner film dynamics in a single square tube, is incorporated into a single-pressure dynamic pore network model (DPNM) to simulate imbibition in strongly wetting porous media with corner film flow. The traditional pore network is decomposed into several layers of interacting subpore networks where the 0th layer of subpore network simulates the main meniscus flow and higher layers the corner film flow. The fluid flow between different layers is captured by interlayer throats. In addition, the snap-off mechanism caused by the thickening of wetting corner film is considered. The accuracy of the developed model is validated for four cases: spontaneous imbibition in a single square tube, wetting fluid redistribution through corner films under a capillary pressure difference, snap off in a narrow throat connecting two large pores, and imbibition dynamics in a real microfluidic porous geometry. The validated model is then used to simulate both spontaneous and controlled imbibition in a pore network with random pore size distribution. Finally, the interaction between corner film and main meniscus flow in porous media is analyzed from a pore-scale perspective.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2012

Robust conductive mesoporous carbon-silica composite films with highly ordered and oriented orthorhombic structures from triblock-copolymer template co-assembly

In this work, we describe a facile approach to improve the robustness of conductive mesoporous carbon-based thin films by the addition of silica to the matrix through the triconstituent organic-inorganic-organic co-assembly of resol (carbon precursor) and tetraethylorthosilicate (silica precursor) with triblock-copolymer Pluronic F127. The pyrolysis of the resol-silica-pluronic F127 film yields a porous composite thin film with well-defined mesostructure. X-Ray diffraction (XRD), grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), and electron microscopy measurements indicate that the obtained carbon-based thin films have a highly ordered orthorhombic mesostructure (Fmmm) with uniform large pore size (~3 nm). The orthorhombic mesostructure is oriented and the (010) plane is parallel to the silicon wafer substrate. The addition of silica to the matrix impacts the pore size, surface area, porosity, modulus and conductivity. For composite films with approximately 40 wt% silica, the conductivity is decreased by approximately an order of magnitude in comparison to a pure carbon mesoporous film, but the conductivity is comparable to typical printed carbon inks used in electrochemical sensing, {approx}10 S cm -1 . The mechanical properties of these mesoporous silica-carbon hybrid films are similar to the pure carbon analogs with a Young's modulus between 10 GPa and 15 GPa, but the material is significantly more porous. Moreover, the addition of silica to the matrix appears to improve the adhesion of the mesoporous film to a silicon wafer. These mesoporous silica-carbon composite films have appropriate characteristics for use in sensing applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electrochemistry-induced deposition for controlled formation of metal–organic framework films on insulator and conductor substrates

A number of technological applications of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) require the formation of their thin films on insulator and/or conductor substrates at selected areas with desired thicknesses. However, fabrication of such MOF films often requires multi-step processes and/or sophisticated instruments. Herein, we discuss electrochemistry-induced MOF deposition, which permits the direct formation of a thin MOF film with controlled thickness at a desired area on various substrates. So far, we have reported the applicability of this deposition method for the formation of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) films. In this method, a ZIF-8 film is formed on an insulator or a conductor substrate upon applying a cathodic potential to a working electrode that is placed above the substrate. Importantly, the film is formed just below the cathodic working electrode, indicating that the position and lateral dimensions (on the mm- to μm-scale) of the film can be controlled by those of the working electrode. In addition, film thickness is controllable in the range of tens to hundreds of nanometers by adjusting potential application conditions at the cathodic working electrode. These results show that the electrochemistry-induced deposition method will provide a simple means for the fabrication of a patterned MOF film on various substrates without additional lithographic processes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2011

Thermal transport in thin films measured by time-resolved, grazing incidence x-ray diffraction.

We use depth- and time-resolved x-ray diffraction to study thermal transport across single crystal Bi films grown on sapphire in order to determine the thermal conductivity of the film and the Kapitza conductance of the interface. Ultrafast Ti:sapphire laser pulses were used to heat the films; x-ray diffraction then measured the film's lattice expansion. Use of grazing incidence diffraction geometry provided depth sensitivity, as the x-ray angle of incidence was varied near the critical angle. The shift of the film's Bragg peak position with time was used to determine the film temperature averaged over an x-ray penetration depth that could be selected by choice of the angle of incidence. For films that were thick compared to the laser penetration depth, we observed a large temperature gradient at early times. In this case, measurements with the incident angle near or well above the critical angle were more sensitive to the film conductivity or Kapitza conductance, respectively. For thinner films, however, cooling was dominated by the Kapitza conductance at all accessible time scales.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Thickness effect on laser-induced-damage threshold of indium-tin oxide films at 1064 nm

Laser-induced-damage characteristics of commercial indium-tin oxide (ITO) films deposited by DC magnetron sputtering deposition on K9 glass substrates as a function of the film thickness have been studied at 1064 nm with a 10 ns laser pulse in the 1-on-1 mode, and the various mechanisms for thickness effect on laser-induced-damage threshold (LIDT) of the film have been discussed in detail. It is observed that laser-damage-resistance of ITO film shows dramatic thickness effect with the LIDT of the 50-nm ITO film 7.6 times as large as the value of 300 nm film, and the effect of depressed carrier density by decreasing the film thickness is demonstrated to be the primary reason. Our experiment findings indicate that searching transparent conductive oxide (TCO) film with low carrier density and high carrier mobility is an efficient technique to improve the laser-damage-resistance of TCO films based on maintaining their well electric conductivity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Growth of Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} Films by Sputtering with Post-Sulfurization

We have fabricated Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} films by sputtering of stacked Cu/Sn/Cu/Zn films and subsequent sulfurizations. The sulfurizations were carried out at different temperatures, i.e., 520 deg. C(CZTS lowbar L film) and 570 deg. C(CZTS lowbar H film). The CZTS lowbar L film showed impurity phase, SnS{sub 2}, in X-ray diffraction (XRD) result and a lower optical band gap, {approx}1.3 eV. Further, in CZTS lowbar L film localized highly Zn-rich and Zn-rich phases were observed. For the CZTS lowbar H film, no segregated impurity phase was observed in XRD result, but Sn-poor phases were observed all over the film surface. The optical band gap of CZTS lowbar H film was observed to be {approx}1.4 eV.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

B{sub 4}C thin films for neutron detection

Due to the very limited availability of {sup 3}He, new kinds of neutron detectors, not based on {sup 3}He, are urgently needed. Here, we present a method to produce thin films of {sup 10}B{sub 4}C, with maximized detection efficiency, intended to be part of a new generation of large area neutron detectors. B{sub 4}C thin films have been deposited onto Al-blade and Si wafer substrates by dc magnetron sputtering from {sup nat}B{sub 4}C and {sup 10}B{sub 4}C targets in an Ar discharge, using an industrial deposition system. The films were characterized with scanning electron microscopy, elastic recoil detection analysis, x-ray reflectivity, and neutron radiography. We show that the film-substrate adhesion and film purity are improved by increased substrate temperature and deposition rate. A deposition rate of 3.8 A/s and substrate temperature of 400 deg. C result in films with a density close to bulk values and good adhesion to film thickness above 3 {mu}m. Boron-10 contents of almost 80 at. % are obtained in 6.3 m{sup 2} of 1 {mu}m thick {sup 10}B{sub 4}C thin films coated on Al-blades. Initial neutron absorption measurements agree with Monte Carlo simulations and show that the layer thickness, number of layers, neutron wavelength, and amount of impurities are determining factors. The study also shows the importance of having uniform layer thicknesses over large areas, which for a full-scale detector could be in total {approx}1000 m{sup 2} of two-side coated Al-blades with {approx}1 {mu}m thick {sup 10}B{sub 4}C films.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Picosecond laser structuring of thin film platinum layers covered with tantalum pentoxide isolation

A thin film layer system consisting of platinum (Pt) as conductive layer on a glass substrate and tantalum pentoxide as isolating layer on top of the platinum is attractive for designing biocompatible conductor paths and contact pads for bio sensor chips. For the flexible and rapid patterning of the conductive and the isolating layers, both, the complete removal and the selective ablation of the individual thin films were investigated using ultra-short laser pulses with about 10 ps pulse duration and 1064 nm wavelength at low laser fluences. A platinum film covered with tantalum pentoxide shows a significantly lower ablation threshold than a single Pt film on glass alone when illuminated from the front side. Furthermore, we explored that the tantalum pentoxide film can be removed by glass side illumination from the Pt film, without affecting the Pt film and leaving the Pt film on the glass substrate intact. Those ablation phenomena occur at laser fluences of about 0.2 J/cm{sup 2}, far below the evaporation limit of platinum. We present a detailed ablation threshold value examination for the structuring of these layer systems by front side and glass side irradiation for different film thicknesses. Furthermore, we discuss the possible underlying physical mechanisms of these ablation phenomena.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗