Mechanisms of nonlinear transmission in solutions and thin films of the COANP-C70 fullerene system

The process of nonlinear optical transmission in solutions and thin films of 2-cyclooctylamine-5-nitropyridine (COANP) sensitized by C₇₀ fullerene additions has been studied. Possible mechanisms responsible for the attenuation of light flux intensity are considered. Comparative DSC data for a pure COANP and one sensitized by C₇₀ fullerene are presented that confirm the existence of one of these mechanisms.     

The effect of optical attenuation of laser radiation in a fullerene-containing COANP-polyimide system

The optical attenuation of laser radiation was studied in a 2-cyclooctylamino-5-nitropyridine-polyimide (COANP-PI) system with C₇₀ fullerene additives, which is a promising nonlinear optical medium. The experiments were performed using the second-harmonic radiation of a pulsed neodymium laser. Data on the optical attenuation effect observed in the samples with different fullerene content are presented and analyzed proceeding from a qualitative model based on the possible complex formation in the system studied.     

Effect of gamma radiation on optical and electrical properties of tellurium dioxide thin films

Gamma radiation induced changes in the optical and electrical properties of tellurium dioxide (TeO₂) thin films, prepared by thermal evaporation, have been studied in detail. The optical characterization of the as-deposited thin films and that of the thin films exposed to various levels of gamma radiation dose clearly show that the optical bandgap decreases with increase in the gamma radiation dose up to a certain dose. At gamma radiation doses above this value, however, the optical bandgap has been found to increase. On the other hand, the current vs voltage plots for the as-deposited thin films and those for the thin films exposed to various levels of gamma radiation dose show that the current increases with the gamma radiation dose up to a certain dose and that the value of this particular dose depends upon the thickness of the film. The current has, however, been found to decrease with further increase in gamma radiation dose. The observed changes in both the optical and electrical properties indicate that TeO₂ thin films can be used as the real time gamma radiation dosimeter up to a certain dose, a quantity that depends upon the thickness of the film.     

The binding energy of molecules in thin fullerene films

Thin fullerene films formed using the methods of pulsed supersonic molecular beam (SMB) deposition and thermal deposition (TD) in vacuum were studied by thermodesorption (TDS) mass spectroscopy. The TDS spectra of SMB films show a significantly higher temperature of desorption (827.8 K) of fullerene molecules as compared to the value (583 K) observed in the spectra of TD films. It is suggested that the higher binding energies of fullerene molecules in the former films are explained by the formation of polymer structures due to heating in the course of TDS measurements.     

Influence of gamma radiation on the optical properties of ZnSe nanocrystalline thin films

The effect of gamma (γ) irradiation on the absorption spectra and the optical energy bandwidth of ZnSe nanocrystalline thin films have been studied. Thin films of different thicknesses from 20 to 120 nm were deposited by Inert gas condensation technique at constant temperature of 300 K and under pressure 2 × 10⁻³ Torr of Argon gas flow. The optical transmission (T) and optical reflection (R) in the wavelength range 190–2,500 nm of ZnSe nanocrystalline thin films were measure for unirradiated and irradiated films. The dependence of the absorption coefficient α on photon energy hν was determined for different γ-doses irradiated films. The ZnSe thin films show direct allowed interband transition by γ-doses. Both the absorption coefficient (α) and optical energy bandwidth were found to be γ-dose dependent. The optical energy band width has been decreased by irradiated of γ-doses. The E_gn values of irradiated thin films by 34.5 Gy of γ-doses were recovered to nearly their initial values after 100 days at 300 K.     

Effect of laser repetition frequency on the structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films by PLD

ZnO thin films were grown on Si (1 1 1) substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at various laser repetition frequency in order to investigate the structural and optical properties of the films. The optical properties of the films were studied by photoluminescence spectra using a 325 nm He-Cd laser. The structural properties of the films were investigated by XRD measurement. The results suggest that films grown at 5 Hz have excellent UV emission and high-quality crystallinity. Laser repetition frequency can affect the structural and optical properties obviously. In addition, the thickness of all samples is about 200 nm and is not as expected that the film thickness was in direct proportion to laser repetition frequency. The authors think that one laser pulse is not corresponding to one growth instantaneousness. There is a growth ambience containing essential components and partial pressure in the work cavity.     

Effect of laser flux density on ZnCdS thin films

Effect of laser flux density on the structural quality and optical properties of Zn_0.6Cd_0.4S thin films synthesized by ultraviolet pulsed laser deposition have been studied. The stoichiometric composition of this alloy was estimated using lattice constant calculated via XRD data. Surface morphology of the samples was examined using AFM. Optical properties were studied at room temperature by transmittance, absorbance, and photoluminescence measurements. Studies revealed that there is an improvement in the structural quality with increasing the laser flux density in some range. However, too high laser flux density could lead to the degradation in structural quality of thin film. It was observed from the PL data that with increase in laser flux density there is a decrease in the band gap. Transmission data shows a transmittance of more than 70% in the visible region. TEM investigation of the samples reveals that the particles are spherical in shape with average diameter of 15 nm.     

Effects of laser irradiation on the structure and optical properties of ZnO thin films

The effects of laser irradiation on the surface microstructure and optical properties of ZnO films deposited on glass substrates were investigated experimentally and compared with those of thermal annealing. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements showed that the irradiation treatment with an Ar⁺ laser of 514 nm for 5 min improves the crystalline quality of ZnO thin films through increasing the grain size and enhancing the c-axis orientation, with the effects similar to those of the thermal annealing at 500 °C for 1 h. Laser irradiation was found to be more effective both for the relaxation of the residual compressive stress in the as-grown films and for the modification of the surface morphology. A significant increase in the UV absorption and a widening in the optical band-gap of the films were also observed after laser irradiation.     

Influence of film thickness on the optical transmission through subwavelength single slits in metallic thin films

Silver and gold films with thicknesses in the range of 120-450 nm were evaporated onto glass substrates. A sequence of slits with widths varying between 70 and 270 nm was milled in the films using a focused gallium ion beam. We have undertaken high-resolution measurements of the optical transmission through the single slits with 488.0 nm (for Ag) and 632.8 nm (for Au) laser sources aligned to the optical axis of a microscope. Based on the present experimental results, it was possible to observe that (1) the slit transmission is notably affected by the film thickness, which presents a damped oscillatory behavior as the thickness is augmented, and (2) the transmission increases linearly with increasing slit width for a fixed film thickness.     

Phase transitions in thin titanium oxide films under the action of excimer laser radiation

We have studied the action of pulsed vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation of an ArF excimer laser (wavelength, 193 nm; pulse duration, 20 ns; pulse energy density, 40–50 J/cm²) on thin amorphous films of titanium oxide (TiO₂) grown by light-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. A comparison of the Raman spectra of samples measured before and after exposure shows that VUV irradiation at increasing fluence induces the crystallization of amorphous TiO₂ to anatase, which is further transformed into rutile.     

Correlations between switching of conductivity and optical radiation observed in thin graphite-like films

The satisfactory explanation of anomalous electromagnetics in thin graphite-like carbon films till now is absent. The most comprehensible explanation may be the high-temperature superconductivity (HTSC). The pulse widths of spasmodic switching of electrical conductivity measured in this work in the graphite-like nanostructured carbon films, produced by methods of the carbon arc (CA) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD), are 1 and 2 ns correspondingly. Such fast switching completely excludes the thermal mechanism of the process. According to HTSC logic, in the time vicinity close to jump of electroresistance, it is necessary to expect the generation of optical radiation in the infrared (IR) range. This work presents the first results on registration of IR radiation caused by the sharp change of conductivity in thin graphite-like carbon films.     

Sensitivity of the surface microwave impedance of superconducting thin films to modulated optical radiation

A theoretical analysis is made of the photosensitivity of the component of the microwave surface impedance of high-temperature superconducting films exposed to intensity-modulated optical excitation. The results agree with the experimental data. Pis’ma Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 25, 50–56 (February 12, 1999)     

Effect of cadmium oxide incorporation on the microstructural and optical properties of pulsed laser deposited nanostructured zinc oxide thin films

CdO doped (doping concentration 0, 1, 3 and 16 wt%) ZnO nanostructured thin films are grown on quartz substrate by pulsed laser deposition and the films are annealed at temperature 500 °C. The structural, morphological and optical properties of the annealed films are systematically studied using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Micro-Raman spectra, UV–vis spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectra and open aperture z-scan. 1 wt% CdO doped ZnO films are annealed at different temperatures viz., 300, 400, 500, 600, 700 and 800 °C and the structural and optical properties of these films are also investigated. The XRD patterns suggest a hexagonal wurtzite structure for the films. The crystallite size, lattice constants, stress and lattice strain in the films are calculated. The presence of high-frequency E₂ mode and the longitudinal optical A₁ (LO) modes in the Raman spectra confirms the hexagonal wurtzite structure for the films. The presence of CdO in the doped films is confirmed from the EDX spectrum. SEM and AFM micrographs show that the films are uniform and the crystallites are in the nano-dimension. AFM picture suggests a porous network structure for 3% CdO doped film. The porosity and refractive indices of the films are calculated from the transmittance and reflectance spectra. Optical band gap energy is found to decrease in the CdO doped films as the CdO doping concentration increases. The PL spectra show emissions corresponding to the near band edge (NBE) ultra violet emission and deep level emission in the visible region. The 16CdZnO film shows an intense deep green PL emission. Non-linear optical measurements using the z-scan technique indicate that the saturable absorption (SA) behavior exhibited by undoped ZnO under green light excitation (532 nm) can be changed to reverse saturable absorption (RSA) with CdO doping. From numerical simulations the saturation intensity (I_s) and the effective two-photon absorption coefficient (β) are calculated for the undoped and CdO doped ZnO films.     

The optical properties of AgInTe2 thin films

The optical absorption in electron-beam-evaporated AgInTe₂ thin films was studied in the energy range 0.5–2 eV. AgInTe₂ was found to be a direct gap semiconductor with a room temperature gap of 1.03±0.01 eV. Another direct transition observed at 1.04±0.01 eV was ascribed to an optical transition from the crystal-field-split valence band to the conduction band minimum. A third direct allowed transition from the spin-orbit-split valence band to the conduction band was identified at 1.77±0.03 eV. An estimate of the p-d hybridization of the uppermost valence bands yields a value of about 15%.     

On the optical properties of bismuth oxide thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

The optical properties of bismuth oxide films prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD), absorption in the photon energy range 2.50-4.30 eV and optical functions (n, k, ?₁, and ?₂) in the domain 3.20-6.50 eV, have been investigated. As-prepared films (d=0.05-1.50 μm) are characterized by a mixture of polycrystalline and amorphous phases. The fundamental absorption edge is described by direct optical band-to-band transitions with energies 2.90 and 3.83 eV. The dispersion of the optical functions provided values of 4.40-6.25 eV for electron energies of respective direct transitions. In the spectral range 400-1000 nm, bismuth oxide films show a normal dispersion, which can be interpreted in the frame of a single oscillator model.     

Effect of homo-buffer layers on the optical properties of ZnO thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition on Si (100)

The influence of homo-buffer layers deposited at high-temperature (HT) or low-temperature (LT) and post-annealing process on the structure and photoluminescence properties of ZnO films grown by pulsed laser deposition on Si (100) was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscope (AFM) and photoluminescence spectrum (PL). It is found that the optical property of the films can be improved greatly because the stress between the films and the substrates could be reduced by using buffer layers. By using LT buffer layer, high-quality ZnO films with only one strong ultraviolet emission (UV) can be obtained, but the post-annealing process in air will make the optical property of the film deteriorate.     

Effect of substrate temperature on the optical parameters of thermally evaporated Ge-Se-Te thin films

Thin films of Ge₁₀Se_90 − xTe_x (x = 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50) glassy alloys were deposited at three substrate temperatures (303 K, 363 K and 423 K) using conventional thermal evaporation technique at base pressure of ~ 10^− 4 Pa. X-ray diffraction results show that films deposited at 303 K are of amorphous nature while films deposited at 363 K and 423 K are of polycrystalline nature. The optical parameters, refractive index and optical gap have been derived from the transmission spectra (using UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer) of the thin films in the spectral region 400-1500 nm. This has been observed that refractive index values remain almost constant while the optical gap is found to decrease considerably with the increase of substrate temperature. The decrease in optical gap is explained on the basis of change in nature of films, from amorphous to polycrystalline state, with the increase of substrate temperature. The optical gap has also been observed to decrease with the increase of Te content.     

Effect of relative humidity on the optical and waveguide properties of thin chitosan films

We have measured the optical characteristics of thin films based on various ion forms of chitosan and studied their mutual correlation. Using the spectral ellipsometry and mode spectroscopy techniques, it has been established that the optical characteristics of chitosan depend on the relative humidity (RH) of the ambient medium. All samples are characterized by threshold RH values, at which the optical characteristics exhibit a change. The obtained data allow chitosan to be classified as a promising sensor material with the optical properties controlled by relative humidity of the ambient medium.     

Effect of annealing on the structural and optical properties of InSe bilayer thin films

InSe bilayer thin films with different thickness were prepared on to a glass substrate by sequential thermal evaporation. Preparation and post deposition treatment conditions were optimized in order to achieve effective bilayer mixing. The influence of bilayer film thickness and annealing temperature on the structural and optical properties was investigated. The prepared films were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, UV-Visible spectroscopy, photoconduction and resistivity measurement. Structural studies show that the material undergoes phase transition with thickness, due to co-existence of many phases. Morphological analysis revealed that Se content plays an important role in determining the surface morphology of the film. It has been observed that grain growth and grain splitting phenomena depend on film thickness and annealing temperature. From the photoconduction measurements, the photocurrent increases rapidly when the sample is illuminated using 135 K Lux of white light. Absorption coefficient is in the order of 10⁴ cm⁻¹, makes the InSe thin film useful for the preparation of absorber layer in hybrid solar cell.     

Effect of the substrate preparation with CO2 laser radiation on the laser resistance of optical layers

Conventionally cleaned fused silica substrates were irradiated immediately before the coating process with a CO₂ laser. We then used electron beam technology to produce SiO, SiO₂, ZrO₂ and Ta₂O₅ single-layer and multilayer films. The damage threshold was determined with an Nd:YAG laser (λ=1.06 μm). We observed an increase in the laser damage threshold by a factor of up to 10.