Thin film interdiffusion of Au and In at room temperature

Results on the thin film interdiffusion of Au and In at room temperature are presented. Indium films 56–3000 Å thick were deposited by vacuum evaporation onto previously deposited gold films of thicknesses ranging from 200 to 1600 Å. The interdiffusion of Au and In occurs quickly at room temperature and the intermetallic compounds AuIn₂, AuIn, Au₇In₃ and Au₄In are formed. Which compound will be formed depends on the Au:In ratio in the layer and on the diffusion time.     

Low temperature interdiffusion in Au/In thin film couples

Interdiffusion in Au/In thin film couples was studied by in situ backscattering spectrometry. The substrate temperature was varied in the range from -170 to +50 °C. It was found that a uniform layer of AuIn₂ grows at the same rate as that at which gold condenses onto an indium film for substrate temperatures down to -50 °C. This is the fastest formation of intermetallic phases that has been reported. By lowering the substrate temperature the formation of an AuIn₂ layer during evaporation is suppressed. In this case the temperature of the thin film couple has to be raised considerably (to about 20 °C) to obtain interdiffusion within a reasonable time, and the final state of the thin film couple is different from that obtained when the phase formation is completed during evaporation. A possible explanation for this behaviour is discussed. The formation and growth of AuIn₂ after evaporation may be characterized by an activation energy of 0.23 eV.     

Thin and superthin photoconductive CdSe films deposited at room substrate temperature

Low conductive and photosensitive CdSe films were deposited on substrates at room temperature. X-ray diffraction spectra showed a microcrystalline cubic structure for film thicknesses greater than 20 nm and an amorphous structure for film thicknesses below 10 nm. An optical band gap, E _g ⁰ , of 1.6 eV was determined using the Tauc-dependence usually employed for amorphous semiconductors. The dark conductivity, , of 10^{–9 –1} cm^–1 was measured in the as-deposited state, but an increase of five orders of magnitude was observed after heating the layer above 450 K. High photosensitivity was observed under illumination with white light as well as with monochromatic light over a wide spectral region (400–750 nm). A conclusion is reached concerning the existence of compensated donor and acceptor defects in the as-deposited state.     

Synthesis of thermally evaporated ZnSe thin film at room temperature

Zinc selenide (ZnSe) thin film on glass substrates were prepared by thermal evaporation under high vacuum using the quasi-closed volume technique at room temperature (300 ± 2 K). The deposited ZnSe properties were assessed via X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscope (AFM), UV-Vis specrophotometry, Raman spectroscopy, photo-luminescence, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and spectroscopic ellipsometry. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the film exhibited reflection corresponding to the cubic (111) phase (2θ = 27.20°). This analysis indicated that the sample is polycrystalline and have cubic (Zinc blende) structure. The crystallites were preferentially oriented with the (111) planes parallel to the substrates. The AFM images showed that the ZnSe films have smooth morphology with roughness 6.74 nm. The transmittance spectrum revealed a high transmission of 89% in the infrared region (≥ 600 nm) and a low transmission of 40% at 450 nm. The maximum transmission of 89.6% was observed at 640 nm. Optical band-gap was calculated from the transmission data of specrophotometry, photo-luminescence and ellipsometry and was 2.76, 2.74 and 2.82 eV respectively. Raman spectroscopic studies revealed two longitudinal optical phonon modes at 252 cm ^-1 and 500 cm ^-1. In photoluminescence study, the luminescence peaks was observed at 452 nm corresponding to band to band emission. FT-IR study illustrated the existence of Zn-Se bonding in ZnSe thin film. The optical constants were calculated using spectroscopic ellipsometry and were determined from the best fit ellipsometric data in the wavelength regime of interest from 370-1000 nm. These results manifested excellent room temperature ZnSe synthesis and characteristics for opto-electronics technologies.     

Zinc cadmium oxide thin film transistors fabricated at room temperature

Zinc cadmium oxide (ZnCdO) transparent thin film transistors (TFTs) have been fabricated with a back-gate structure using highly p-type Si (001) substrate. For the active channel, 30 nm, 50 nm, and 100 nm thick ZnCdO thin films were grown by pulsed laser deposition. The ZnCdO thin films were wurtzite hexagonal structure with preferred growth along the (002) direction. All the samples were found to be highly transparent with an average transmission of about 80%~ in the visible range. We have investigated the change of the performance of ZnCdO TFTs as the thickness of the active layer is increased. The carrier concentration of ZnCdO thin films has been confirmed to be increased from 10¹⁶ to 10¹⁹ cm⁻³ as the film thickness increased from 30 to 100 nm. Base on this result, the ZnCdO TFTs show a thickness-dependent performance which is ascribed to the carrier concentration in the active layer. The ZnCdO TFT with 30 nm active layer showed good off-current characteristic of below ~ 10¹¹, threshold voltage of 4.69 V, a subthreshold swing of 4.2 V/decade, mobility of 0.17 cm²/V s, and on-to-off current ratios of 3.37 × 10⁴.     

Low temperature interdiffusion in the Au-Pd and Au-Rh thin film couples

Interdiffusion profiles in thin polycrystalline multilayer films of Pd-Au and Ti-Rh-Au at temperatures up to 490°C have been measured by Rutherford backscattering. Room temperature grain boundary diffusion of Au into Rh was observed and analyzed to give D_B = 3.5 × 10^-17 cm² sec^-1. The Whipple analysis is applied to our data for the diffusion of Au in Pd; using the lattice diffusivity of Neukam, an activation energy for grain boundary diffusion of 0.9 eV is found. The diffusion of Pd in Au has also been analyzed using the Whipple model, which gives a grain boundary activation energy of 0.6 eV.     

室温Zn粉直接制备ZnO纳米颗粒薄膜及其机理研究

首次在室温条件下超声方法直接将金属Zn制备ZnO纳米颗粒薄膜。利用滚压振动磨机械研磨的Zn粉作为原料,采用独特的油相水相混合溶液作为分散液,超声分散打破软团聚使金属Zn纳米颗粒水解得到了分散性较好的纳米粒子,并且可以利用该纳米粒子简单地制备出均匀致密的ZnO纳米粒子薄膜。利用X射线粉末衍射仪(XRD)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)对产物进行了表征。结果表明,采用该方法可制得具有密排六方结构的ZnO纳米颗粒,并且该产物分散较好。原子力显微镜(AFM)、静电力显微镜(EFM)表明利用该纳米粒子制备的薄膜致密均匀,EFM显示纳米粒子表面电学性质有较大差异。探针台I-V测试显示不同原料Zn粉制备出的ZnO纳米颗粒薄膜可以获得不同导通电压从而获得不同的整流效果。该方法在室温条件下由Zn粉制备出ZnO纳米颗粒和薄膜,为制备不同维度ZnO纳米结构提供了新思路,同时也为制备、改善整流器件提供了创新和经济的途径。     

Nanocluster deposition for oxide thin film growth at near room temperature

Metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) at near room temperature would not only enable integration of oxide films on polymers but would provide the capability of conformal coating of high-aspect ratio features required for fabrication of many micro-and nanoelectronic devices. The concept of near room temperature MOCVD (nanocluster deposition: NCD) consists of the production of a single phase with nanosized crystalline nuclei by a chemical vapor reaction at the showerhead maintained above the decomposition temperature of the precursors and consequently deposition of the nanosized crystalline films on unheated substrates. Deposition of the nanosized crystalline nuclei on unheated substrates was performed by controlling both the showerhead temperature and the working pressure. The Bi(3)NbO(7) (BNO) films deposited without substrate heating (real temperature of substrate surface: 50?°C) exhibit a crystalline single phase with smooth and dense morphologies, a dielectric constant of 30, a leakage current density of ～10(-6)?A?cm(-2) at 0.3?MV?cm(-1) and a step coverage of approximately 93% for films deposited at 100?°C on high-aspect ratio features. An NCD provides a new platform for near room temperature deposition of oxide thin films, opening the way for film deposition on polymer substrates to enable a flexible electronic device technology.     

SrWO4薄膜的电化学制备及室温光致发光特性

在室温条件下,采用恒电流电化学方法直接在钨片基体上制备了白钨矿结构的SrWO4晶态薄膜。电化学反应的工艺参数为:电流密度为1mA/cm2、电解液的pH值为12.5、电化学处理时间为1.5h。采用XRD、SEM、XPS技术对制备的SrWO4薄膜进行了表征;首次测试了制备的SrWO4薄膜的室温光致发光光谱,结果表明SrWO4薄膜受到波长为325nm的激光激发后,在400nm附近有一较强的发射光谱,同时在450～580nm波段之间有一个宽的谱带。     

Thick film tin oxide sensors for detecting carbon monoxide at room temperature

Further studies are reported on a novel room temperature tin oxide–platinum sensor for carbon monoxide (CO). The expected porous nature has been confirmed by scanning electron microscope pictures of these sensors. Pore sizes were 0.1–10 μm. Recovery studies confirm that high resistance sensors recover more quickly. During the recovery a second fire can be detected and there are no signs of self-poisoning by CO. Preliminary results are presented for temperature and humidity cycling.     

A novel ozone detection at room temperature through UV-LED-assisted ZnO thick film sensors

In this work a novel ozone detection at room temperature (RT) has been investigated. Two functional materials, ZnO and (W_0.9Sn_0.1)O_3 − x (WS10) oxides, have been synthesized to prepare thick film gas sensors, both used in conventional heated mode as well as at RT assisted by UV irradiation. As a source of light, a light emitting diode (LED) of 400 nm peak wavelength was used. Under typical operating conditions of the UV-LED, the radiation flux density ? over the sensor was of about 5 · 10¹⁷ photons/cm². Powders and films have been characterized by means of TG-DTA, SEM, TEM and XRD. Finally, electrical measurements have been performed on sensing films with the aim to compare conductive properties, surface barrier heights and ozone sensing features with and without UV irradiation. Despite the fact that two types of conventional heated sensors offered quite similar results with respect to ozone sensing, it turned out that, at RT and with the assistance of UV light, ZnO behaved excellently fast detecting ozone at concentrations down to 10 ppb, while for WS10 under the same operating conditions an opposite result was observed, i.e. very low response and long response time.     

Spray synthesis of rapid recovery ZnO/polyaniline film ammonia sensor at room temperature

As an excellent room temperature sensing material, polyaniline (PANI) needs to be further investigated in the field of high sensitivity and sustainable gas sensors due to its long recovery time and difficulty to complete recovery. The ZnO/PANI film with p‒n heterogeneous energy levels have successfully prepared by spraying ZnO nanorod synthesized by hydrothermal method on the PANI film rapidly synthesized at the gas‒liquid interface. The presence of p‒n heterogeneous energy levels enables the ZnO/PANI film to detect 0.1‒100 ppm (1 ppm = 10⁻⁶) NH₃ at room temperature with the response value to 100 ppm NH₃ doubled (12.96) and the recovery time shortened to 1/5 (31.2 s). The ability of high response and fast recovery makes the ZnO/PANI film to be able to detect NH₃ at room temperature continuously. It provides a new idea for PANI to prepare sustainable room temperature sensor and promotes the development of room temperature sensor in public safety.     

Conductive Ga doped ZnO/Cu/Ga doped ZnO thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering at room temperature for flexible electronics

Ga doped ZnO(GZO)/Cu/GZO multilayers were deposited by magnetron sputtering on polycarbonate substrates at room temperature. We investigated the structural, electrical, and optical properties of multilayers at various thicknesses of Cu and GZO layers. The lowest resistivity value of 3.3 × 10^− 5 Ω cm with a carrier concentration of 2.9 × 10²² cm^− 3 was obtained at the optimum Cu (10 nm) and GZO (10 nm) layer thickness. The highest value of figure of merit φ_TC is 2.68 × 10^− 3 Ω^− 1 for the GZO (10 nm)/Cu(10 nm)/GZO(10 nm) multilayer. The highest average near infrared reflectivity in the wavelength range 1000-2500 nm is as high as 70% for the GZO(10 nm)/Cu(10 nm)/GZO(10 nm) multilayer.     

Plasma exposure inducing crystallization of indium oxide film with improved electrical and mechanical properties at room temperature

A novel plasma exposure technique has been introduced into conventional magnetron sputtering process to enhance the crystallization of indium oxide (In₂O₃) films at room temperature. The effect of plasma exposure technique with different pulsed DC voltages on the electrical and mechanical properties of In₂O₃ films was investigated. It is observed that film crystallization can be significantly enhanced when the pulsed DC voltage (|V _p|) is higher than |?500 V| (|V _p| > |?500 V|). By applying the plasma exposure process, In₂O₃ films prepared at room temperature with thickness of 135 nm shows low resistivity of 4.11 × 10^?4 Ω cm, mobility of 42.1 cm²/Vs, and transmittance over 80 % in the visible range. Compared with the In₂O₃ films without plasma exposure process, the In₂O₃ films with plasma exposure show better crystallization and remarkably higher nanohardness. The plasma exposure technique is a useful candidate technique for enhancing film crystallization at low temperature.     

Divacancies at room temperature in germanium

We have studied the annealing of vacancy defects in neutron and proton irradiated germanium. After neutron irradiation the Sb-doped samples were annealed at 473, 673 and 773 K for 30 min. The positron lifetime was measured as a function of temperature (30 - 295 K). A lifetime component of 330 ps with no temperature dependence is observed in as irradiated samples, identified as the positron lifetime in a neutral divacancy. The average positron lifetime in the samples annealed at 473 K has a definite temperature dependence, suggesting that the divacancies become negative as the crystal recovers and the Fermi level moves upward in the band gap. Proton irradiation of germanium at 37 K with subsequent room temperature annealing also resulted in a similar lifetime component 315 ps, in good agreement with the neutron irradiation experiment.     

掺铁氧化锌室温磁性半导体

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了Zn0.98Fe0.02O块材样品,利用XRD检测了样品的结构.结果表明样品具有ZnO的六角结构,并且只有ZnO的衍射峰出现,没有Fe或Fe的化合物等杂相存在,说明样品只包含单相ZnO.结果还进一步说明掺杂的部分Fe替代了部分Zn的位置.利用VSM所作的分析测量表明,样品是铁磁性的,且居里温度高于室温.     

Coulomb blockade behaviors in individual Au nanoparticles as observed through noncontact atomic force spectroscopy at room temperature

Coulomb blockade behaviors in individual Au nanoparticles of 2 nm core diameter in double-barrier structures have been studied by means of noncontact atomic force spectroscopy (NC-AFS) at room temperature. The Au nanoparticles with a 1-decanethiol ligand were chemisorbed by 1,10-decanedithiol molecules of a mixed 1-octanethiol/1,10-decanedithiol self-assembled monolayer coated on a Au(111) surface; these particles were observed through NC-AFS. NC-AFS measurements of the cantilever frequency shift-sample voltage (Δf-V(S)) curves were sequentially conducted on three Au nanoparticles under the same experimental conditions; the Δf-V(S) curves were found to deviate from the parabolic (Δf(N)) curve in the cases where no extra charge existed on the Au core. The experimental Δf(CB)(=Δf-Δf(N)) and Δf(CB)/V curves agree well with the theoretical curves obtained using a golden-rule calculation and the same parabolic parameters. All the results, through NC-AFS, suggest Coulomb blockade behaviors in the Au nanoparticles at room temperature.     

Rapid synthesis of MXenes at room temperature

Ti₃C₂, one of the most studied MXenes (M is an early transition metal, and X is either C or N), has attracted considerable attention due to their excellent electrical conductivity, hydrophilicity, and catalytic activity. To date, most MXenes are prepared from powders and chemical etching under conditions of either long duration (generally ≥8?h) or high temperature (generally ≥35°C). In this study, Ti₃C₂ with –F and –O/–OH terminal groups was successfully obtained by electrochemically etching porous Ti₃AlC₂ sheet electrodes in NH₄HF₂ solution at room temperature. The reaction mechanism and the effect of voltage were demonstrated. Electrochemical etching could induce subsequent over-etching to generate carbide-derived carbons.