Hall effect in chromium-copper alloy films

Chromium-copper alloy was deposited in thin film form by vapor deposition at room temperature onto well cleaned glass substrates at a pressure of 10⁻⁵ Pa. The polycrystalline alloy thus formed was vacuum annealed up to a temperature of 525 K. Hall coefficient R_H and Hall mobility μ have been measured for annealed polycrystalline chromium-copper alloy films at 300 K. Below 50 nm, a film thickness dependence (size effect) was observed. Data on polycrystalline alloy film agree well with Sondheimer theory for perfect diffuse scattering so that the best fit mean free path value can be calculated. The calculated mean free path value (37 nm) agrees fairly well with the mean free path value reported from electrical resistivity data (37.6 nm) and temperature coefficient of resistivity data (36.3 nm) for perfect diffuse scattering. The decline of the Hall mobility is expected theoretically. The bulk Hall coefficient and bulk mobility of the alloy can be predicted from the experimental data and comes out to be −5.2 × 10⁻⁵ cm³/coulomb and 13.57 cm²/v-sec respectively. The results are discussed.     

Effect of annealing time on the structural,optical and electrical characteristics of DC sputtered ITO thin films

Using an Indium tin oxide (ITO) ceramic target (In₂O₃:SnO₂, 90:10 wt%), ITO thin films were deposited by conventional direct current magnetron sputtering technique onto glass substrates at room temperature. The obtained ITO films were annealed at 400 °C for different annealing times (1, 2, 5, 7, and 9 h). The effect of annealing time on their structural, optical and electrical properties was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microcopy (AFM), ultra violet–visible (UV–Vis) spectrometer, and temperature dependence Hall measurements. XRD data of obtained ITO films reveal that the films were polycrystalline with cubic structure and exhibit (222), (400) and (440) crystallographic planes of In₂O₃. AFM and Scanning Electron Microscopy SEM have been used to probe the surface roughness and the morphology of the films. The refractive index (n), thickness and porosity (%) of the films were evaluated from transmittance spectra obtained in the range 350–700 nm by UV–Vis. The optical band gap of ITO film was found to be varying from 3.35 to 3.47 eV with the annealing time. The annealing time dependence of resistivity, carrier concentration, carrier mobility, sheet resistance, and figure of merit values of the films at room temperature were discussed. The carrier concentration of the films increased from 1.21 × 10²⁰ to 1.90 × 10²⁰ cm^?3, the Hall mobility increased from 11.38 to 18 cm² V^?1 s^?1 and electrical resistivity decreased from 3.97 × 10^?3 to 2.13 × 10^?3 Ω cm with the increase of annealing time from 1 to 9 h. Additionally, the temperature dependence of the carrier concentration, and carrier mobility for the as-deposited and 400 °C annealed ITO films for 2 and 9 h were analysed in the temperature range of 80–350 K.     

Characterization of ZnO：Al Films Deposited on Organic Substrate by r.f. Magnetron Sputtering

Transparent conducting Al-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:AI) films with good adhesion have been deposited on polyimide thin film substrates by r.f. magnetron sputtering technique at low substrate temperature (25-180℃). The structural, optical and electrical properties of the deposited films were investigated. High quality films with electrical resistivity as low as 8.5×10-4 Ω·cm and the average transmittance over 74% in the wavelength range of the visible spectrum have been obtained. The electron carrier concentrations are in the range from 2.9×1020 to 7.1×1020 cm-3 with mobilities from 4 to 8.8 cm2 V-1s-1. The densities of the films are in the range from 4.58 to 5.16 g/cm-3.     

Transparent Conducting ZnO:A1 Films on Different Organic Substrates Deposited by r.f. Sputtering

Transparent conducting ZnO:AI films with good adhesion, low resistivity and high transmittance have been prepared on polyptopylene adipate (PPA), polyisocyanate (PI) and polyester substrates by r.f. magnetron sputtering. The structural, electrical and optical properties of the obtained films were studied. The polycrystalline ZnO:AI films with resistivity as Iow as 5.76×10-4 Ω·cm,carrier concentration 9.06×1020 cm-a and Hall mobility 11.98 cm2 V-1s-1 were produced on PPA substrate by controlling the deposition parameters. The average transmittance of films on PPA is ～80% in the wavelength range of visible spectrum. The films on PPA substrates have better electrical and optical properties compared with the filmson other kinds of substrates.     

Temperature-dependent Hall analysis of carbon-doped GaAs

The temperature dependence of the electrical properties, such as hole concentration, Hall mobility and resistivity of carbon-doped GaAs epilayers over a wide range of doping levels has been investigated. The carbon-doped GaAs epilayers have been grown by low pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The electrical properties have been obtained by Hall measurements. Experimental data on the carrier mobility, Hall effect, and resistivity over a wide temperature range have been analyzed and possible scattering mechanisms have been explained. Our experimental data show that the ionized impurity scattering tend to be dominant at temperatures below 100 K, while the lattice scattering as well as the ionized impurity scattering plays an important role at temperatures above 100 K. The dependence of the electrical on the doping levels has also been studied. In the case of heavily C-doped GaAs, the mobility curves are nearly flat at temperatures below 100 K and the mobility decreases as temperature increases above 100 K. The reason is that the degenerate conduction occurs at high doping level. The degenerate conduction begins at the hole concentration of about 2 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ at 77 K and at room temperature.     

Effects of Substrate Temperature on Properties for Transparent Conducting ZnO:A1 Films on Organic Substrate Deposited by r.f. Sputtering

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Characterization of CuAlO2 films prepared by dc reactive magnetron sputtering

Thin films of copper aluminum oxide (CuAlO₂) were prepared on glass substrates by dc magnetron sputtering at a substrate temperature of 523 K under various oxygen partial pressures in the range 1 × 10⁻⁴–3 × 10⁻³ mbar. The dependence of cathode potential on the oxygen partial pressure was explained in terms of oxidation of the sputtering target. The influence of oxygen partial pressure on the structural, electrical and optical properties was systematically studied. p-Type CuAlO₂ films with polycrystalline nature, electrical resistivity of 3.1 Ω cm, Hall mobility of 13.1 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and optical band gap of 3.54 eV were obtained at an oxygen partial pressure of 6 × 10⁻⁴ mbar.     

Thickness dependence of the electrical and structural properties of In2O3:Sn films

Films of In₂O₃:Sn (10 wt.% Sn) of various thicknesses were deposited onto heated glass substrates (450 °C) by spray pyrolysis. The electrical and structural properties were studied for different thicknesses, and the scattering mechanism is discussed. Hall measurements showed that thicker films (about 500 mm) have relatively higher Hall mobilities compared with those of thinner films. The electrical resistivity of a film about 600 nm thick was found to be about 2.66 x 10^-6 ωm at room temperature, and the average transmission in the visible range was found to be 86%. The high carrier concentration (6.49 × 10²⁶ m^-3) and the negligible dependence of the electrical properties on temperature show that the films are degenerate. The relationship between carrier concentration and Hall mobility revealed that the ionized impurity scattering centres were the dominant cause of scattering.     

Hall effect measurements in gas sensors based on nanosized Os-doped sol-gel derived SnO/sub 2/ thin films

The influence of dopants on the electrical properties of gas sensitive layers used in semiconductor gas sensors has to be carefully understood for getting a deeper insight in the relationship between the sensor performance and its chemical composition. In this work, undoped and Os-doped SnO/sub 2/ thin films have been prepared by the sol-gel process with an Os-Sn atomic ratio of 5%. The films have been characterized by resistivity and Hall effect measurements in a temperature range from 100 K to 500 K, both in air and in vacuum. The results have been investigated according to grain boundary scattering mechanism. We found that in air, the ambient oxygen species adsorbed on the film increase the height of the grain boundary barriers and the activation energy for the electrical conductivity increases in the doped film. In vacuum, the results showed that the height of the intergranular barrier is lower than the corresponding value in air. Both in air and in vacuum, the conductivity of the Os-doped sample is higher than the value in the undoped SnO/sub 2/ sample. The same occurs for the Hall mobility and the carrier concentration. The experimental results have been used to explain the better methane sensitivity, at low temperature, of the Os-doped films as compared with the undoped ones.     

Structure-composition-property dependence in reactive magnetron sputtered ZnO thin films

Thin films of zinc oxide (ZnO) were prepared by dc reactive magnetron sputtering on glass substrates at various oxygen partial pressures in the range 1×10⁻⁴–6×10⁻³ mbar and substrate temperatures in the range 548–723 K. The variation of cathode potential of zinc target on the oxygen partial pressure was explained in terms of target poisoning effects. The stoichiometry of the films has improved with the increase in the oxygen partial pressure. The films were polycrystalline with wurtzite structure. The films formed at higher substrate temperatures were (0 0 2) oriented. The temperature dependence of Hall mobility of the films formed at various substrate temperatures indicated that the grain boundary scattering of charge carriers was predominant electrical conduction mechanism in these films. The optical band gap of the films increased with the increase of substrate temperature. The ZnO films formed under optimized oxygen partial pressure of 1×10⁻³ mbar and substrate temperature of 663 K exhibited low electrical resistivity of 6.9×10⁻² Ω cm, high visible optical transmittance of 83%, optical band gap of 3.28 eV and a figure of merit of 78 Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹.     

Thickness dependent electrical properties of CdO thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis method

A large number of thin films of cadmium oxide have been prepared on glass substrates by spray pyrolysis method. The prepared films have uniform thickness varying from 200–600 nm and good adherence to the glass substrate. A systematic study has been made on the influence of thickness on resistivity, sheet resistance, carrier concentration and mobility of the films. The resistivity, sheet resistance, carrier concentration and mobility values varied from 1·56–5·72×10⁻³ Ω-cm, 128–189 Ω/□, 1·6–3·9×10²¹ cm⁻³ and 0·3–3 cm²/Vs, respectively for varying film thicknesses. A systematic increase in mobility with grain size clearly indicates the reduction of overall scattering of charge carriers at the grain boundaries. The large concentration of charge carriers and low mobility values have been attributed to the presence of Cd as an impurity in CdO microcrystallites. Using the optical transmission data, the band gap was estimated and found to vary from 2·20–2·42 eV. These films have transmittance around 77% and average reflectance is below 2·6% in the spectral range 350–850 nm. The films aren-type and polycrystalline in nature. SEM micrographs of the CdO films were taken and the films exhibit clear grains and grain boundary formation at a substrate temperature as low as 523 K.     

The influence of substrate temperature on the properties of aluminum-doped zinc oxide thin films deposited by DC magnetron sputtering

Transparent, conducting, aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films were deposited on Corning 1737 glass by a DC magnetron sputter. The structural, electrical, and optical properties of the films, deposited using various substrate temperatures, were investigated. The AZO thin films were fabricated with an AZO ceramic target (Al₂O₃:2 wt%). The obtained films were polycrystalline with a hexagonal wurtzite structure and preferentially oriented in the (002) crystallographic direction. The lowest resistivity was 6.0 × 10⁻⁴Ω cm, with a carrier concentration of 2.7 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³ and a Hall mobility of 20.4 cm²/Vs. The average transmittance in the visible range was above 90%.     

Nanocrystalline copper selenide thin films by chemical spray pyrolysis

Thin films of copper selenide were deposited onto amorphous glass substrates at various substrate temperatures by computerized spray pyrolysis technique. The as deposited copper selenide thin films were used to study a wide range of characteristics including structural, surface morphological, optical and electrical, Hall Effect and thermo-electrical properties. X-ray diffraction study reveals that the films are polycrystalline in nature with hexagonal (mineral klockmannite) crystal structure irrespective of the substrate temperature. The crystalline size is found to be in the range of 23–28 nm. The SEM study reveals that the grains are uniform with uneven spherically shaped and spread over the entire surface of the substrates. EDAX analysis confirmed the nearly stoichiometric deposition of the film at 350 °C. The direct band gap values are found to be in the range 2.29–2.36 eV depending on the substrate temperature. The Hall Effect study reveals that the films exhibit p-type conductivity. The values of carrier concentration and mobility for the film are found to be 5.02 × 10¹⁷ cm^?3 and 5.19 × 10^?3 cm² V^?1 s^?1; respectively for film deposited at 350 °C.     

Effect of substrate temperature on structural, optical and electrical properties of ZnO thin films deposited by pulsed laser deposition

ZnO thin films were grown by the pulse laser deposition (PLD) method using Si (100) substrates at various substrate temperatures. The influence of the substrate temperature on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of the ZnO thin films was investigated. All of the thin films showed c-axis growth perpendicular to the substrate surface. At a substrate temperature of 500 °C, the ZnO thin film showed the highest (002) peak with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 0.39°. The X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) study showed that Zn was in excess irrespective of the substrate temperature and that the thin film had a nearly stoichiometrical composition at a substrate temperature of 500 °C. The photoluminescence (PL) investigation showed that the narrowest UV FWHM of 15.8 nm and the largest ratio of the UV peak to the deep-level peak of 32.9 were observed at 500 °C. Hall effect measurement systems provided information about the carrier concentration, mobility and resistivity. At a substrate temperature of 500 °C, the Hall mobility was the value of 37.4 cm²/Vs with carrier concentration of 1.36 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ and resistivity of 2.08 × 10⁻¹ Ω cm.     

Structural,electrical, optical properties and reliability of ultra-thin tin doped indium oxide films for touch panels

Ultra-thin ITO films with thickness of 4–56 nm were deposited on glass by dc magnetron sputtering using 5 wt% SnO₂ doped ITO target. The effect of film thickness on the structural, electrical, optical properties and reliability was investigated for its application to touch panels. The 4 nm thick ITO film shows amorphous structure and other films present polycrystalline structure and the (222) preferred orientation. The ultra-thin ITO films show smooth surface with low Ra surface roughness smaller than 1 nm. The sheet resistance and visible transmittance of the ITO films decrease with the increase in film thickness. The 4 nm thick ITO film shows the highest resistivity (3.08 × 10^?3 Ω cm) with low carrier density and Hall mobility, and other films have excellent conductivity (<4.0 × 10^?4 Ω cm). The ITO films show high transmittance (>85 %) in visible light range and do not generate interference ripples between film and substrate interface. The ITO films with thickness of 18–56 nm show stable reliability under high temperature, high temperature & high humidity and alkaline environmental conditions. The only electrical degradation corresponds to the increase of sheet resistance in the ITO films with thickness of 4–12 nm.     

Growth and electrical transport properties of In2Te3 thin films

Hall coefficient and d.c. conductivity studies in the temperature range 100–625 K were made on polycrystalline In₂Te₃ films grown on glass and mica substrates. When the films were cycled above about 525 K the conductivity was found to be irreversible; this is explained in terms of structural changes at high temperature. It was found that the Hall mobilities of the films are independent of temperature, showing the predominance of neutral impurity scattering over again boundary scattering.     

Carrier transport and predominant scattering mode in pyrolytic indium oxide thin film

Electrical transport properties have been studied of polycrystalline thin films of In₂O₃ and In₂O₃Sn prepared by a chemical spray technique on a glass substrate. Dominant carrier scattering processes have been discussed critically by studying the Hall mobility and Seebeck coefficient. It has been observed that the Hall mobility in these films is mostly limited either by the optical mode of lattice scattering or by the acoustic mode of scattering, and there is a critical level of the carrier concentration at which one is masked by the other. The position and nature of the Fermi levels were also determined for these degenerate semiconductor samples.     

Preparation and characterization of indium oxide (In2O3) films by activated reactive evaporation

The electrical and optical properties of In₂O₃ films prepared at room temperature by activated reactive evaporation have been studied. Hall effect measurements at room temperature show that the films have a relatively high mobility 15 cm²v⁻¹s⁻¹, high carrier concentration 2·97 × 10²⁰/cm³, with a low resistivityρ = 1·35 × 10⁻³ ohm cm. As-prepared film is polycrystalline. It shows both direct and indirect allowed transitions with band gaps of 3·52eV and 2·94eV respectively.     

Electrical properties of polycrystalline Sb2Te3 films

Single-phase polycrystalline stoichiometric films of Sb₂Te₃ with different thicknesses were prepared on glass substrates by a flash evaporation technique at constant substrate temperature of 423 K. The electrical properties of these films, such as resistivity, Hall mobility, carrier concentration and activation energy, were determined for different film thicknesses. The optical absorption of these films was also studied. The implications are discussed.     

Effect of film thickness on properties of aluminum doped zinc oxide thin films deposition on polymer substrate

A series of aluminum doped zinc oxide thin films with different thickness (25–150 nm) were deposited on indium tin oxide coated polyethylene terephthalate substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering method at room temperature. The structural, optical and electrical properties of the films were investigated by X-ray Diffractometer, UV–Vis spectrometer and Hall Effect Measurement System. All the obtained films were polycrystalline with a hexagonal structure and a preferred orientation along [002] direction with the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate surface. The optical energy band gap (E_g) values of the films were found to be in the range from 3.36 to 3.26 eV, and their average optical transmissions were about 75 % in the visible region. The films had excellent electrical properties with the resistivities in the range from 2.78 × 10^?5 to 2.03 × 10^?4 Ω cm, carrier densities more than 3.35 × 10²¹ cm^?3 and Hall mobilities between 5.77 and 11.13 cm²/V s.