Size reduction in crystal grains in LiNb0.5Ta0.5O3 thin films by controlling nucleation density during thermal plasma spray chemical vapor deposition

Two approaches were applied to thermal plasma spray chemical vapor deposition (TPS CVD) in order to reduce crystal grain size or/and surface roughness of LiNb_0.5Ta_0.5O₃ thin films while retaining the advantages of this method, such as high deposition rate. The first method consists of a two-step deposition, where the nucleation density is controlled in the first step and the film with high crystallinity is deposited in the second step. The surface roughness and grain size could be reduced from 1 nm to 7.7 nm, and from 200-350 nm to 120-180 nm, respectively. In the second approach, employing a one-step TPS CVD process, the conventional precursor was substituted by a double-alkoxide precursor and grain size in the deposited films could be reduced to 50-80 nm. Both approaches adopted in this work permitted to reduce the optical propagation loss.     

CVD growth and characterization of 3C-SiC thin films

Cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) thin films were grown on (100) and (111) Si substrates by CVD technique using hexamethyldisilane (HMDS) as the source material in a resistance heated furnace. HMDS was used as the single source for both Si and C though propane was available for the preliminary carbonization. For selective epitaxial growth, patterned Si (100) substrates were used. The effect of different growth parameters such as substrate orientation, growth temperature, precursor concentration, etc on growth was examined to improve the film quality. The surface morphology, microstructure and crystallinity of grown films were studied using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).     

Graphene epitaxy by chemical vapor deposition on SiC

We demonstrate the growth of high quality graphene layers by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on insulating and conductive SiC substrates. This method provides key advantages over the well-developed epitaxial graphene growth by Si sublimation that has been known for decades. (1) CVD growth is much less sensitive to SiC surface defects resulting in high electron mobilities of ～1800 cm(2)/(V s) and enables the controlled synthesis of a determined number of graphene layers with a defined doping level. The high quality of graphene is evidenced by a unique combination of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, transport measurements, scanning tunneling microscopy and ellipsometry. Our measurements indicate that CVD grown graphene is under less compressive strain than its epitaxial counterpart and confirms the existence of an electronic energy band gap. These features are essential for future applications of graphene electronics based on wafer scale graphene growth.     

Low-temperature growth of nanostructured diamond films

Nanostructured diamond films are grown on a titanium alloy substrate using a two-step deposition process. The first step is performed at elevated temperature (820 degrees C) for 30 min using a H2/CH4/N2 gas mixture to grow a thin (approximately 600 nm) nanostructured diamond layer and to improve film adhesion. The remainder of the deposition involves growth at low temperature (< 600 degrees C) in a H2/CH4/O2 gas mixture. The continuation of the smooth nanostructured diamond film growth during low-temperature deposition is confirmed by in situ laser reflectance interferometry, atomic force microscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, and surface profilometry. Similar experiments performed without the initial nanostructured diamond layer resulted in poorly adhered films with a more crystalline appearance and a higher surface roughness. This low-temperature deposition of nanostructured diamond films on metals offers advantages in cases where high residual thermal stress leads to delamination at high temperatures.     

Surface nano-structured silicon carbide thin film produced using hot filament decomposition of ethylene at low temperature on silicon wafer

The structure and spectroscopic properties of nano-structured silicon carbide (SiC) thin films were studied for films obtained through deposition of decomposed ethylene (C₂H₄) on silicon wafers via hot filament chemical vapor deposition method at low temperature followed by annealing at various temperatures in the range 300-700 °C. The prepared films were analyzed with focus on the early deposition stage and the initial growth layers. The analysis of the film's physics and structural characteristics was performed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The conditions for forming thin layer of cubic SiC phase (3C-SiC) are found. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the presence of 3C-SiC phase in the sample. The formation conditions and structure of intermediate SiC layer, which reduces the crystal lattice mismatch between Si and diamond, are essential for the alignment of diamond growth. This finding provides an easy way of forming SiC intermediate layer using the Si from the substrate.     

Structure,morphology, photocatalytic and antibacterial activities of ZnO thin films prepared by sol–gel dip-coating method

ZnO thin films were deposited on soda lime glass substrates by the sol–gel dip-coating method with variations of the initial Zn²⁺ concentrations. Various techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to investigate the effects of the initial Zn²⁺ concentrations on the structure, and surface morphology and topography of the prepared films. All prepared ZnO thin films showed a high transparency of over 88% in the visible region. The particle size increased with an increased initial Zn²⁺ concentration. This also reduced the surface denseness and the energy band gap of the ZnO thin films. All the prepared films showed photocatalytic properties through photodegradation of the methylene blue (MB) dye. The ZnO thin film prepared from the 0.1 M Zn²⁺ concentration showed the greatest efficiency as it had the highest surface area because of its greatest surface roughness. Furthermore, the prepared ZnO thin film showed antibacterial activities against the Escherichia coli bacterium.     

Low-temperature growth of highly c-oriented InN films on glass substrates with ECR-PEMOCVD

High quality InN films are deposited with an interlayer of high c-orientation (002) AZO (Aluminium-doped Zinc Oxide; ZnO:Al) films on glass substrates by electron cyclotron resonance plasma-enhanced metal organic chemical vapor deposition (ECR-PEMOCVD) at low temperature. AZO films used as a buffer layer are effective for the epitaxial growth of InN films. The influence of Trimethyl Indium (TMIn) flux on the properties of InN films is systematically investigated by reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and optical transmittance spectra. The results indicate that high quality InN films with high c-orientation and small surface roughness are successfully achieved at an optimized Trimethyl Indium (TMIn) flux of 5.5 sccm. The InN/AZO structures have great potential for the development of full spectra solar cells.     

Surface polishing of 6H-SiC substrates

The surface polishing for silicon carbide （SIC） substrates was investigated and results were presented for mechanical polishing （MP） and chemo-mechanical polishing （CMP）. High quality surfaces were obtained after CMP with colloidal silica. The removal mechanism of scratches in MP and detailed physical and chemical process during CMP were analyzed. The effects of MP and CMP on the surface roughness were assessed by optical microscopy （OM）, atomic force microscopy （AFM） and step profilometry. KOH etching and high resolution X-ray diffractometry （H RXRD） were applied to evaluate the subsurface damage of 6H-SiC substrates.     

Heteroepitaxial Growth and Characterization of 3C-SiC Films on Si Substrates Using LPVCVD

3C-SiC films have been deposited on Si (111) substrates by the low-pressure vertical chemical vapor deposition (LPVCVD) with gas mixtures of SiH4, C3Hg and H2- The growth mechanism of SiC films can be obtained through the observations using field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). It is found that the growth process varies from surface control to diffusion control when the deposition temperature increases from 1270 to 1350℃. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns show that the SiC films have good crystallinity and strong preferred orientation. The results of the high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) image and the transmission electron diffraction (TED) pattern indicate a peculiar superlattice structure of the film. The values of the binding energy in the high resolution X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) further confirm the formation of SiC.     

先驱硼薄膜的质量对MgB2超导薄膜的影响

以高纯乙硼烷(B2H6)为B源,采用化学气相沉积(CVD)方法在多晶Al2O3衬底上沉积B薄膜,然后在Mg蒸气中异位退火来制备MgB2超导薄膜.通过X射线衍射和MgB2超导薄膜的电阻-温度曲线,研究了先驱硼薄膜的质量对MgB2超导薄膜的影响.     

The effect of growth parameters on CrN thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy

In this paper, we report on the controlling of the effect of growth parameters such as substrate temperature and the ratio of Cr and N atoms on phase formation, surface morphology and crystallization of CrN(001) thin films grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on the MgO(001) substrate. The reflection high energy electron diffraction, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy are used to characterize the thin films grown under various conditions. High-quality CrN(001) thin films are achieved at a substrate temperature 430 °C with a low Cr deposition rate.     

Two-step growth of HFCVD diamond films over large areas

This paper reports the results of a two-step hot filament chemical vapor deposition method to improve the quality of diamond films. Diamond films were deposited on a Si(100) substrate having an area of 45 cm² and a thickness of 60 μm, employing a HFCVD system. The first step is the growth of CVD diamond in the HFCVD reactor. In the second step, the samples were treated in a saturated solution of H₂SO₄:CrO₃ and rinsed in a (1:1) solution of H₂O₂:NH₄OH. After this procedure, a second diamond layer was deposited. The diamond films were analyzed by Raman scattering spectroscopy (RSS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The films showed a high degree of purity with a thickness of 60 μm, presenting uniform characteristics over a large area.     

ZnO纳米结构晶体质量对其表面润湿性的影响

利用化学气相沉积法(CVD)在镀有Au(10nm)膜的石英衬底上通过控制O2流量制备不同形貌的纳米结构ZnO,通过X射线衍射(XRD)和变温光致发光谱研究晶体缺陷对ZnO表面润湿性能的影响。结果表明,除表面粗糙度之外,高密度的缺陷对样品表面润湿性能也有很重要的影响,尤其是氧空位缺陷对吸收羟基有利,能够降低ZnO表面自由能,提高其疏水性能。     

Epitaxial bilayered Nb–Mo(001) films: growth, characterization and size effect in electron conductivity

Mo–Nb and Nb–Mo epitaxial thin (10–200 nm) films growth on the r- sapphire plane under ultra high vacuum by laser ablation deposition at the growth temperature 750°C were tested. Grown films were characterized by reflected high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning atomic force microscopy and electron transport measurements. It was found that bilayered films are high quality heteroepitaxial single-crystalline (001) films with low surface roughness (0.3–0.5 nm) and large residual electron mean free path, compared to the film thickness. The superconducting transition temperature of Nb–Mo films with equal layer thickness varies from 5 up to 9 K as the thickness increases from 10 to 100 nm. Physical properties of the films are close to each other both for Nb/Mo and Mo/Nb films of equal layer thickness and do not depend on the alternation of Mo and Nb layers. This suggests the same film structure quality and mutual epitaxy of the metals. The size dependence of electron conductivity of bilayered Mo–Nb films showed that it is determined by the dimension of individual layers, constituting the film, where the effect of ‘contact’ potential formed at the interface between Mo and Nb layers and a fluctuation of film bending is important.     

Silicon surface passivation by hot-wire CVD Si thin films studied by in situ surface spectroscopy

Silicon thin films can provide an excellent surface passivation of crystalline silicon (c-Si) which is of importance for high efficiency heterojunction solar cells or diffused emitter solar cells with well-passivated rear surfaces. Hot-wire chemical vapor deposition (hot-wire CVD) is an attractive method to synthesize Si thin films for these applications as the method is ion-bombardment free yielding good quality films over a wide range of deposition rates. The properties of the interface between hot-wire CVD Si thin films and H-terminated c-Si substrates have been studied during film growth by three complementary in situ techniques. Spectroscopic ellipsometry has been used to determine the optical properties and thickness of the films, whereas information on the H-bonding modes and H-depth profile has been obtained by attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy. Second-harmonic generation (SHG), a nonlinear optical technique sensitive to surface and interface states, has been used to probe two-photon resonances related to modified Si-Si bonds at the interface. By correlating the observations with ex situ lifetime spectroscopy experiments the growth and surface passivation mechanism of the Si films are discussed.     

Fabrication of magnesium silicide thin films by pulsed ion beam ablation in a 1.6 kJ plasma focus device

The production of magnesium silicide (Mg₂Si) thin films on silicon (1 0 0) at room temperature using a low energy (1.6 kJ) plasma focus device is reported. The conventional hollow copper anode is replaced by anode fitted with solid magnesium top and the deposition is done using different numbers of deposition shots (5, 10, 15 and 20). The interaction of the high energy magnesium ion beams with silicon (1 0 0) substrates using different number of deposition shots, result in the formation of surface coatings, with different characteristic structures and morphologies. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis reveals that crystal structure characteristics of obtained thin films strongly depend on number of deposition shots. The structure growth and variation in surface smoothness with increasing of deposition shots is revealed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images. Moreover, AFM results revealed that the distribution of grain sizes on the surface of samples and surface roughness of deposited thin films increase with the number of deposition shots. Also the average thickness of deposited samples tested with surface profiler.     

Structural, morphological and optical properties of thermal annealed TiO thin films

Structural, morphological and optical properties of TiO thin films grown by single source thermal evaporation method were studied. The films were annealed from 300 to 520 °C in air after evaporation. Qualitative film analysis was performed with X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and optical transmittance and reflectance spectra. A correlation was established between the optical properties, surface roughness and growth morphology of the evaporated TiO thin films. The X-ray diffraction spectra indicated the presence of the TiO₂ phase for the annealing temperature above 400 °C.     

Laser physico-chemical vapour deposition of cubic boron nitride thin films

A laser physico-chemical vapour deposition (LPCVD) technique was developed based on the interaction of an ultraviolet laser beam with a boron nitride target and borazine gas to synthesize cubic boron nitride (CBN) thin films on silicon substrates. The process involved a hybrid of pulsed laser ablation (PLA) of a solid HBN target and chemical vapour deposition (CVD) using borazine as a feed stock. The films were characterized with scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. Results indicate that the thin films consisted of almost single-crystalline CBN structures and that the film quality in terms of adherence, particulate density and smoothness was excellent. The purity and crystal structure of target material, laser beam wavelength and energy fluence were the key variables that controlled the film characteristics. In contrast to LPCVD, the conventional PLA method did not generate CBN films.     

A study of titanium thin films in transmission laser micro-joining of titanium-coated glass to polyimide

Electron beam evaporation (EB-PVD) and cathodic arc physical vapor deposition (CA-PVD) techniques were used for the preparation of titanium (Ti) thin films onto Pyrex borosilicate 7740 glass wafers and the deposited films were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. The microstructure and surface morphology of the films were studied as a function of the film deposition techniques. Film properties such as, adherence, microstructure and roughness were interconnected to the laser joint strength between Ti coated glass wafers and polyimide films. Ti thin films on glass had a natural oxide layer on the surface as found from XPS. AFM study showed the formation of a uniform Ti coating consisted of packed crystallites with average size of 35 nm by EB-PVD. The root-mean-square surface roughness of the films was 1-2 nm. Whereas, films prepared by CA-PVD had crystallites with an average size of 120 nm and defects in the form of macro-particles which is a common attribute of this deposition system. The surface roughness of the film was 125 nm. The laser joint strength was found to be influenced by the Ti film quality on the glass substrate.     

Calorimetric and other studies of intermetallic phase formation in Ag/Al bilayer thin films

Silver and aluminium bimetallic thin film couples have been studied using constant heating rate differential scanning calorimetry both on cleaned glass substrates and freshly cleaved NaCl crystals. The most striking feature was the occurrence of two maxima in the reaction rate during the formation of a single product phase, Ag₂Al, suggesting a two-step growth process. The activation energy for this reaction was 0.98 eV in the first step and 0.93 eV in the second step. These values are in good agreement with values obtained by a different technique, i.e. Rutherford back-scattering. Transmission electron microscopy, thin film X-ray diffraction, the change in resistance of bilayer films with temperature and thermodynamic and kinetic analyses have been used to investigate the intermetallic phase formation. It was observed that substrate plays an important role in the kinetics of thin-film reaction.