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At least 1,387 records · Page 77

Impact of laser power density on tribological properties of Pulsed Laser Deposited DLC films

Fabrication of wear resistant and low friction carbon films on the engineered substrates is considered as a challenging task for expanding the applications of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films. In this paper, pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique is used to deposit DLC films on two different types of technologically important class of substrates such as silicon and AISI 304 stainless steel. Laser power density is one of the important parameter used to tailor the fraction of sp{sup 2} bonded amorphous carbon (a-C) and tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) made by sp{sup 3} domain in the DLC film. The I(D)/I(G) ratio decreases with the increasing laser power density which is associated with decrease in fraction of a-C/ta-C ratio. The fraction of these chemical components is quantitatively analyzed by EELS which is well supported to the data obtained from the Raman spectroscopy. Tribological properties of the DLC are associated with chemical structure of the film. However, the super low value of friction coefficient 0.003 is obtained when the film is predominantly constituted by a-C and sp{sup 2} fraction which is embedded within the clusters of ta-C. Such a particular film with super low friction coefficient is measured while it was deposited on steel at low laser power density of 2 GW/cm{sup 2}. The super low friction mechanism is explained by low sliding resistance of a-C/sp{sup 2} and ta-C clusters. Combination of excellent physical and mechanical properties of wear resistance and super low friction coefficient of DLC films is desirable for engineering applications. Moreover, the high friction coefficient of DLC films deposited at 9GW/cm{sup 2} is related to widening of the intergrain distance caused by transformation from sp{sup 2} to sp{sup 3} hybridized structure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effect of RF power and annealing on chemical bonding and morphology of a-CN{sub x} thin films as humidity sensor

Amorphous carbon nitride (a-CN{sub x}) thin films were deposited using radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (rf-PECVD) technique. A set of a-CN{sub x} thin films were prepared using pure methane (CH{sub 4}) gas diluted with nitrogen (N{sub 2}) gas. The rf power was varied at 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100 W. These films were then annealed at 400 °C in a quartz tube furnace in argon (Ar) gas. The effects of rf power and thermal annealing on the chemical bonding and morphology of these samples were studied. Surface profilometer was used to measure film thickness. Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) and Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) measurements were used to determine their chemical bonding and morphology respectively. The deposition rate of the films increased constantly with increasing rf power up to 80W, before decreasing with further increase in rf power. Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) studies showed a systematic change in the spectra and revealed three main peaks included C-N, C=N, C=C and C≡N triple bond. C=N and C≡N bonds decreased with increased C-N bonds after thermal annealing process. The FESEM images showed that the structure is porous for as-deposited and covered by granule-like grain structure after thermal annealing process was done. The resistance of the a-CN{sub x} thin film changed from 23.765 kΩ to 5.845 kΩ in the relative humidity range of 5 to 92 % and the film shows a good response and repeatability as a humidity sensing materials. This work showed that rf power and thermal annealing has significant effects on the chemical bonding and surface morphology of the a-CN{sub x} films and but yield films which are potential candidate as humidity sensor device.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Photoconductivity in reactively evaporated copper indium selenide thin films

Copper indium selenide thin films of composition CuInSe{sub 2} with thickness of the order of 130 nm are deposited on glass substrate at a temperature of 423 ±5 K and pressure of 10{sup −5} mbar using reactive evaporation, a variant of Gunther's three temperature method with high purity Copper (99.999%), Indium (99.999%) and Selenium (99.99%) as the elemental starting materials. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies shows that the films are polycrystalline in nature having preferred orientation of grains along the (112) plane. The structural type of the film is found to be tetragonal with particle size of the order of 32 nm. The structural parameters such as lattice constant, particle size, dislocation density, number of crystallites per unit area and strain in the film are also evaluated. The surface morphology of CuInSe{sub 2} films are studied using 2D and 3D atomic force microscopy to estimate the grain size and surface roughness respectively. Analysis of the absorption spectrum of the film recorded using UV-Vis-NIR Spectrophotometer in the wavelength range from 2500 nm to cutoff revealed that the film possess a direct allowed transition with a band gap of 1.05 eV and a high value of absorption coefficient (α) of 10{sup 6} cm{sup −1} at 570 nm. Photoconductivity at room temperature is measured after illuminating the film with an FSH lamp (82 V, 300 W). Optical absorption studies in conjunction with the good photoconductivity of the prepared p-type CuInSe{sub 2} thin films indicate its suitability in photovoltaic applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Ferromagnetic response of multiferroic TbMnO{sub 3} films mediated by epitaxial strain and chemical pressure

High quality Tb{sub 1−x}Al{sub x}MnO{sub 3} (x = 0, 0.3) films have been grown under different values of compressive/tensile strain using (001)-oriented SrTiO{sub 3} and MgO substrates. The films were grown by means of rf sputtering at substrate temperature of 800 °C. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that films are single phase, preferentially oriented in the (111) and (122) directions for films deposited on SrTiO{sub 3} and MgO substrates, respectively. Although the TbMnO{sub 3} target shows antiferromagnetic order, the films deposited on both substrates show weak ferromagnetic phase at low temperature coexisting with the antiferromagnetic phase. The introduction of Al in the films clearly enhances their ferromagnetic behavior, improving the magnetic performance of this material. Indeed, M(H) measurements at 5 K show a well-defined hysteresis for films grown on both substrates. However, a stronger magnetic signal (larger values of remanence and coercive field) is observed for films deposited on MgO substrates. The chemical pressure generated by Al doping together with the substrate-induced strain seem to modify the subtle competition between magnetic interactions in the system. It is speculated that such modification could lead to a non-collinear magnetic state that may be tuned by strain modifications. This may be performed by varying the thickness of the films and/or considering other substrate materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Effect of different thickness crystalline SiC buffer layers on the ordering of MgB{sub 2} films probed by extended x-ray absorption fine structure

Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy is a powerful method to investigate the local structure of thin films. Here, we have studied EXAFS of MgB{sub 2} films grown on SiC buffer layers. Crystalline SiC buffer layers with different thickness of 70, 100, and 130 nm were deposited on the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (0001) substrates by using a pulsed laser deposition method, and then MgB{sub 2} films were grown on the SiC buffer layer by using a hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition technique. Transition temperature of MgB{sub 2} film decreased with increasing thickness of SiC buffer layer. However, the T{sub c} dropping went no farther than 100 nm-thick-SiC. This uncommon behavior of transition temperature is likely to be created from electron-phonon interaction in MgB{sub 2} films, which is believed to be related to the ordering of MgB{sub 2} atomic bonds, especially in the ordering of Mg–Mg bonds. Analysis from Mg K-edge EXAFS measurements showed interesting ordering behavior of MgB{sub 2} films. It is noticeable that the ordering of Mg–B bonds is found to decrease monotonically with the increase in SiC thickness of the MgB{sub 2} films, while the opposite happens with the ordering in Mg–Mg bonds. Based on these results, crystalline SiC buffer layers in MgB{sub 2} films seemingly have evident effects on the alteration of the local structure of the MgB{sub 2} film.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Magnetoelectric coupling of multiferroic chromium doped barium titanate thin film probed by magneto-impedance spectroscopy

Thin film of BaTiO{sub 3} doped with 0.1 at. % Cr (Cr:BTO) has been prepared by pulsed laser deposition technique. Film was deposited on Pt/SrTiO{sub 3} substrate at 500 °C in 50 mTorr Oxygen gas pressure using KrF (298 nm) laser. Polycrystalline growth of single phase Cr:BTO thin film has been confirmed by grazing angle X-ray diffraction. Cr:BTO film exhibited remnant polarization 6.4 μC/cm{sup 2} and 0.79 MV/cm coercivity. Magnetization measurement of Cr:BTO film showed magnetic moment 12 emu/cc. Formation of weakly magnetic domains has been captured by magnetic force microscopy. Theoretical impedance equation fitted to experimental data in Cole-Cole plot for thin film in presence of transverse magnetic field resolved the increase in grain capacitance from 4.58 × 10{sup −12} to 5.4 × 10{sup −11} F. Film exhibited high value 137 mV/cm-Oe magneto-electric (ME) coupling coefficient at room temperature. The high value of ME coupling obtained can reduce the typical processing steps involved in multilayer deposition to obtain multiferrocity in thin film. Barium titanate being best ferroelectric material has been tailored to be multiferroic by non ferromagnetic element, Cr, doping in thin film form opens an avenue for more stable and reliable spintronic material for low power magnetoelectric random excess memory applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Indium doped zinc oxide nanowire thin films for antireflection and solar absorber coating applications

Indium doped ZnO nanowire thin films were prepared by thermal oxidation of Zn-In metal bilayer films at 500°C. The ZnO:In nanowires are 20-100 nm in diameter and several tens of microns long. X-ray diffraction patterns confirm the formation of oxide and indicate that the films are polycrystalline, both in the as deposited and annealed states. The transmission which is <2% for the as deposited Zn-In films increases to >90% for the ZnO:In nanowire films. Significantly, the reflectance for the as deposited films is < 10% in the region between 200 to 1500 nm and < 2% for the nanowire films. Thus, the as deposited films can be used solar absorber coatings while the nanowire films are useful for antireflection applications. The growth of nanowires by this technique is attractive since it does not involve very high temperatures and the use of catalysts.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Comparison of crystal growth and thermoelectric properties of n-type Bi-Se-Te and p-type Bi-Sb-Te nanocrystalline thin films: Effects of homogeneous irradiation with an electron beam

The effects of homogenous electron beam (EB) irradiation on the crystal growth and thermoelectric properties of n-type Bi-Se-Te and p-type Bi-Sb-Te thin films were investigated. Both types of thin films were prepared by flash evaporation, after which homogeneous EB irradiation was performed at an acceleration voltage of 0.17 MeV. For the n-type thin films, nanodots with a diameter of less than 10 nm were observed on the surface of rice-like nanostructures, and crystallization and crystal orientation were improved by EB irradiation. The resulting enhancement of mobility led to increased electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power factor for the n-type thin films. In contrast, the crystallization and crystal orientation of the p-type thin films were not influenced by EB irradiation. The carrier concentration increased and mobility decreased with increased EB irradiation dose, possibly because of the generation of defects. As a result, the thermoelectric power factor of p-type thin films was not improved by EB irradiation. The different crystallization behavior of the n-type and p-type thin films is attributed to atomic rearrangement during EB irradiation. Selenium in the n-type thin films is more likely to undergo atomic rearrangement than the other atoms present, so only the crystallinity of the n-type Bi-Se-Te thin films was enhanced.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

(001) Oriented piezoelectric films prepared by chemical solution deposition on Ni foils

Flexible metal foil substrates are useful in some microelectromechanical systems applications including wearable piezoelectric sensors or energy harvesters based on Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ (PZT) thin films. Full utilization of the potential of piezoelectrics on metal foils requires control of the film crystallographic texture. In this study, (001) oriented PZT thin films were grown by chemical solution deposition (CSD) on Ni foil and Si substrates. Ni foils were passivated using HfO₂ grown by atomic layer deposition in order to suppress substrate oxidation during subsequent thermal treatment. To obtain the desired orientation of PZT film, strongly (100) oriented LaNiO₃ films were integrated by CSD on the HfO₂ coated substrates. A high level of (001) LaNiO₃ and PZT film orientation were confirmed by X-ray diffraction patterns. Before poling, the low field dielectric permittivity and loss tangents of (001) oriented PZT films on Ni are near 780 and 0.04 at 1 kHz; the permittivity drops significantly on poling due to in-plane to out-of-plane domain switching. (001) oriented PZT film on Ni displayed a well-saturated hysteresis loop with a large remanent polarization ~36 μC/cm², while (100) oriented PZT on Si showed slanted P-E hysteresis loops with much lower remanent polarizations. The |e{sub 31,f}| piezoelectric coefficient was around 10.6 C/m² for hot-poled (001) oriented PZT film on Ni.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Comparative study of the mechanical properties of nanostructured thin films on stretchable substrates

Comparative studies of the mechanical behavior between copper, tungsten, and W/Cu nanocomposite based on copper dispersoïd thin films were performed under in-situ controlled tensile equi-biaxial loadings using both synchrotron X-ray diffraction and digital image correlation techniques. The films first deform elastically with the lattice strain equal to the true strain given by digital image correlation measurements. The Cu single thin film intrinsic elastic limit of 0.27% is determined below the apparent elastic limit of W and W/Cu nanocomposite thin films, 0.30% and 0.49%, respectively. This difference is found to be driven by the existence of as-deposited residual stresses. Above the elastic limit on the lattice strain-true strain curves, we discriminate two different behaviors presumably footprints of plasticity and fracture. The Cu thin film shows a large transition domain (0.60% true strain range) to a plateau with a smooth evolution of the curve which is associated to peak broadening. In contrast, W and W/Cu nanocomposite thin films show a less smooth and reduced transition domain (0.30% true strain range) to a plateau with no peak broadening. These observations indicate that copper thin film shows some ductility while tungsten/copper nanocomposites thin films are brittle. Fracture resistance of W/Cu nanocomposite thin film is improved thanks to the high compressive residual stress and the elimination of the metastable β-W phase.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Investigation of solution-processed bismuth-niobium-oxide films

The characteristics of bismuth-niobium-oxide (BNO) films prepared using a solution process were investigated. The BNO film annealed at 550°C involving three phases: an amorphous phase, Bi₃NbO₇ fluorite microcrystals, and Nb-rich cubic pyrochlore microcrystals. The cubic pyrochlore structure, which was the main phase in this film, has not previously been reported in BNO films. The relative dielectric constant of the BNO film was approximately 140, which is much higher than that of a corresponding film prepared using a conventional vacuum sputtering process. Notably, the cubic pyrochlore microcrystals disappeared with increasing annealing temperature and were replaced with triclinic β-BiNbO₄ crystals at 590°C. The relative dielectric constant also decreased with increasing annealing temperature. Therefore, the high relative dielectric constant of the BNO film annealed at 550°C is thought to result from the BNO cubic pyrochlore structure. In addition, the BNO films annealed at 500°C contained approximately 6.5 atm.% carbon, which was lost at approximately 550°C. This result suggests that the carbon in the BNO film played an important role in the formation of the cubic pyrochlore structure.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Voltammetric and impedance behaviours of surface-treated nano-crystalline diamond film electrodes

The electrochemical performances of hydrogen- and oxygen-terminated nano-crystalline diamond film electrodes were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and AC impedance spectroscopy. In addition, the surface morphologies, phase structures, and chemical states of the two diamond films were analysed by scanning probe microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. The results indicated that the potential window is narrower for the hydrogen-terminated nano-crystalline diamond film than for the oxygen-terminated one. The diamond film resistance and capacitance of oxygen-terminated diamond film are much larger than those of the hydrogen-terminated diamond film, and the polarization resistances and double-layer capacitance corresponding to oxygen-terminated diamond film are both one order of magnitude larger than those corresponding to the hydrogen-terminated diamond film. The electrochemical behaviours of the two diamond film electrodes are discussed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Post-annealing effect on the room-temperature ferromagnetism in Cu-doped ZnO thin films

In this work, we investigated the structural and magnetic properties of both as-deposited and post-annealed Cu-doped ZnO thin films for better understanding the possible mechanisms of room-temperature ferromagnetism (RT-FM) in ZnO-based diluted magnetic oxides. All of the films have a c-axis-oriented wurtzite structure and display RT-FM. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results showed that the incorporated Cu ions in as-deposited films are in 1+ valence state merely, while an additional 2+ valence state occurs in post-annealed films. The presence of Cu{sup 2+} state in post-annealed film accompanies a higher magnetization value than that of as-deposited film and, in particular, the magnetization curves at 10 K and 300 K of the post-annealed film separate distinctly. Since Cu{sup 1+} ion has a filled 3d band, the RT-FM in as-deposited Cu-doped ZnO thin films may stem solely from intrinsic defects, while that in post-annealed films is enhanced due to the presence of CuO crystallites.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Metastable bcc phase formation in 3d ferromagnetic transition metal thin films sputter-deposited on GaAs(100) substrates

Co{sub 100−x}Fe{sub x} and Ni{sub 100−y}Fe{sub y} (at. %, x = 0–30, y = 0–60) films of 10 nm thickness are prepared on GaAs(100) substrates at room temperature by using a radio-frequency magnetron sputtering system. The detailed growth behavior is investigated by in-situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction. (100)-oriented Co and Ni single-crystals with metastable bcc structure are formed in the early stage of film growth, where the metastable structure is stabilized through hetero-epitaxial growth. With increasing the thickness up to 2 nm, the Co and the Ni films start to transform into more stable hcp and fcc structures through atomic displacements parallel to bcc(110) slide planes, respectively. The stability of bcc phase is improved by adding a small volume of Fe atoms into a Co film. The critical thickness of bcc phase formation is thicker than 10 nm for Co{sub 100−x}Fe{sub x} films with x ≥ 10. On the contrary, the stability of bcc phase for Ni-Fe system is less than that for Co-Fe system. The critical thicknesses for Ni{sub 100−y}Fe{sub y} films with y = 20, 40, and 60 are 1, 3, and 5 nm, respectively. The Co{sub 100−x}Fe{sub x} single-crystal films with metastable bcc structure formed on GaAs(100) substrates show in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropies with the easy direction along GaAs[011], similar to the case of Fe film epitaxially grown on GaAs(100) substrate. A Co{sub 100−x}Fe{sub x} film with higher Fe content shows a higher saturation magnetization and a lower coercivity.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Electrical properties and surface morphology of electron beam evaporated p-type silicon thin films on polyethylene terephthalate for solar cells applications

One way to realize low-cost thin film silicon (Si) solar cells fabrication is by depositing the films with high-deposition rate and manufacturing-compatible electron beam (e-beam) evaporation onto inexpensive foreign substrates such as glass or plastic. Most of the ongoing research is reported on e-beam evaporation of Si films on glass substrates to make polycrystalline solar cells but works combining both e-beam evaporation and plastic substrates are still scarce in the literature. This paper studies electrical properties and surface morphology of 1 µm electron beam evaporated Al-doped p-type silicon thin films on textured polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate for application as an absorber layer in solar cells. In this work, Si thin films with different doping concentrations (including an undoped reference) are prepared by e-beam evaporation. Energy dispersion X-ray (EDX) showed that the Si films are uniformly doped by Al dopant atoms. With increased Al/Si ratio, doping concentration increased while both resistivity and carrier mobility of the films showed opposite relationships. Root mean square (RMS) surface roughness increased. Overall, the Al-doped Si film with Al/Si ratio of 2% (doping concentration = 1.57×10{sup 16} atoms/cm{sup 3}) has been found to provide the optimum properties of a p-type absorber layer for fabrication of thin film Si solar cells on PET substrate.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Tailoring of absorption edge by thermal annealing in tin oxide thin films

Tin oxide (SnO{sub 2}) thin films were deposited by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering on silicon and glass substrates in different oxygen-to-argon gas-flow ratio (O{sub 2}-to-Ar = 0%, 10%, 50%). All films were deposited at room temperature and fixed working pressures, 10 mTorr. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement suggests that all films were crystalline in nature except film deposited in argon environment. Thin films were annealed in air at 200 °C, 400 °C and 600 °C for two hours. All films were highly transparent except the film deposited only in the argon environment. It was also observed that transparency was improved with annealing due to decrease in oxygen vacancies. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), results showed that the surface of all the films were highly flat and smooth. Blue shift was observed in the absorption edge with annealing temperature. It was also observed that there was not big change in the absorption edge with annealing for films deposited in 10% and 50% oxygen-to-argon gas-flow ratio.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Study of NbC thin films for soft X-ray multilayer applications

Compound materials are being used in soft x-ray and Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) optics applications. Structural properties of compound materials changes drastically when ultrathin films are formed from bulk material. Structural properties need to be investigated to determine the suitability of compound materials in soft x-ray multilayer applications. In the present study Niobium carbide (NbC) thin films were deposited using ion beam sputtering of an NbC target on Si (100) substrate. Thickness roughness and film mass density was determined from the X-ray reflectivity (XRR) data. XRR data revealed that the film mass density was increasing with increase in film thickness. For 500Ǻ thick film, mass density of 6.85 g/cm{sup 3}, close to bulk density was found. Rms roughness for all the films was less than 10Å. Local structure of NbC thin films was determined from EXAFS measurements. The EXAFS data showed an increase in Nb-C and Nb-(C)-Nb peak ratio approaches towards bulk NbC with increasing thickness of NbC. From the present study, NbC thin films were found suitable for actual use in soft x-ray multilayer applications.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Isotope analysis of diamond-surface passivation effect of high-temperature H{sub 2}O-grown atomic layer deposition-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} films

The Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} film formed using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) method with trimethylaluminum as Al precursor and H{sub 2}O as oxidant at a high temperature (450 °C) effectively passivates the p-type surface conduction (SC) layer specific to a hydrogen-terminated diamond surface, leading to a successful operation of diamond SC field-effect transistors at 400 °C. In order to investigate this excellent passivation effect, we carried out an isotope analysis using D{sub 2}O instead of H{sub 2}O in the ALD and found that the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} film formed at a conventional temperature (100 °C) incorporates 50 times more CH{sub 3} groups than the high-temperature film. This CH{sub 3} is supposed to dissociate from the film when heated afterwards at a higher temperature (550 °C) and causes peeling patterns on the H-terminated surface. The high-temperature film is free from this problem and has the largest mass density and dielectric constant among those investigated in this study. The isotope analysis also unveiled a relatively active H-exchange reaction between the diamond H-termination and H{sub 2}O oxidant during the high-temperature ALD, the SC still being kept intact. This dynamic and yet steady H termination is realized by the suppressed oxidation due to the endothermic reaction with H{sub 2}O. Additionally, we not only observed the kinetic isotope effect in the form of reduced growth rate of D{sub 2}O-oxidant ALD but found that the mass density and dielectric constant of D{sub 2}O-grown Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} films are smaller than those of H{sub 2}O-grown films. This is a new type of isotope effect, which is not caused by the presence of isotopes in the films unlike the traditional isotope effects that originate from the presence of isotopes itself. Hence, the high-temperature ALD is very effective in forming Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} films as a passivation and/or gate-insulation layer of high-temperature-operation diamond SC devices, and the knowledge of the aforementioned new isotope effect will be a basis for further enhancing ALD technologies in general.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗