Structural and optical properties of Bi x Se1−x films

Bi _x Se_1–x thin films have been studied because of their structural and optical properties with a view to judging their suitability as the recording medium in phase-change type optical recording. Amorphous films deposited at room temperature were crystallized by thermal annealing. X-ray diffraction analysis and surface morphological studies are reported. A maximum reflectivity difference of 25% at =830 nm was obtained upon amorphous-to-crystalline transition. The optical constants calculated by the Newton-Raphson method using the experimental transmittance, reflectance and thickness data are reported.     

Optical and structural properties of (Ba, Sr)TiO3 thin films grown by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering

We studied the structural and optical properties of (Ba, Sr)TiO₃ (BST) films deposited on the transparent substrates at various temperatures of 350–650°C and annealed at 450–650°C. Improved crystallization can be observed on 650°C annealed film whose substrate temperature is 350°C. The refractive index increased from 2.17 to 2.59 at =410 nm for the BST films deposited at 350–650°C and it varied from 2.17 to 2.25 after annealing up to 650°C. In addition, the refractive-index dispersion data related to the short-range-order structure of BST films obeyed the single-oscillation energy model. The indirect energy gap of the films deposited on Al₂O₃ and quartz substrates was found to be about 3.5 eV. According to the analysis of reflectance data, the optical inhomogeneity of films can be reduced by depositing the films at intermediate temperatures 450–550°C.     

Characterization of thermally evaporated AgGaTe<Subscript>2</Subscript> films grown on KCl substrates

Silver gallium telluride (AgGaTe₂) films have been grown by thermal evaporation technique onto the KCl substrates kept at different temperatures (483–563 K) in a vacuum of 1.3 × 10^–3Pa. The experimental conditions were optimised to obtain better crystallinity of the films. The films so prepared have been studied for their structural, optical and electrical properties. Observations reveal that the crystallinity of the films increases with increase in substrate temperature. Average crystallite size of 0.2–0.5 m has been observed in case of films deposited at 563 K. Analysis of optical spectra of the films in the range 300–1100 nm show an allowed direct transition near the fundamental absorption edge (E_g1) in addition to a transition originating from crystal field split levels (E_g2). It has been observed that the carrier concentration and Hall mobility of films increases with increase in substrate temperature.     

Effect of cerium oxide addition on the optical absorption edge of tungsten trioxide

Thin films of WO₃/CeO₂ deposited by vacuum co-evaporation (10^–6 torr) on to Corning 7059 glass slides at room temperature have been shown to be amorphous in structure. The optical absorption spectra of amorphous WO₃/CeO₂ thin films have been measured at room temperature. The optical absorption edge of WO₃/CeO₂ and WO₃ thin films above 10⁵ cm^–1 follows the Davis and Mott equation for the non-direct optical transitions. The optical absorption coefficient, , below this obeys the Urbach exponential relation. The value of the optical band gap of amorphous WO₃ thin films is in good agreement with that found by Deb. The shift of the optical gap to lower energies and that of the Urbach energies to higher energies as the content of CeO₂ is increased, indicate that both parameters are strongly dependent on the concentration of Ce⁴⁺ present in the structure. Thus, the increase of Ce⁴⁺ is thought to lead to strong potential fluctuations which cause an increase in the density of localized states in the gap.     

Preparation, characterization and femtosecond time-resolved optical Kerr effect of plasma polybenzonitrile derivative films

Plasma-polymerized thin films based on two benzonitrile derivatives, aminobenzonitrile (ABN) and nitrobenzonitrile (NBN), were prepared by r.f. glow discharge techniques. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and UV-Visible absorption spectra revealed that extensively conjugated C N double bonds have been formed during plasma polymerization in both derivatives. The films formed are transparent and dark brown in color. Morphological study using a field emission microscope (FEM) indicated that fine and homogeneous films could be obtained at comparatively low discharge powers. The femtosecond time-resolved optical Kerr effect was used to measure the third-order optical nonlinearity. A unique ultrafast response and non-resonant optical Kerr effect of two polybenzonitrile derivative films were observed. Furthermore, the effects of polymer molecular structures on the non-linear optical properties were also tentatively discussed.     

Growth of n-type and p-type ZnSe thin films using an electrochemical technique for applications in large area optoelectronic devices

ZnSe layers have been grown by a low temperature (65 °C) electrochemical deposition technique in an aqueous medium. The resulting thin films have been characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive analysis by X-rays (EDAX), glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) for bulk material properties. A photo-electrochemical (PEC) cell and an optical absorption method have been used for determination of the electrical and optical properties of the thin films. XRD patterns indicate the growth of ZnSe layers with (1 1 1) as the preferred orientation. The XPS spectra are similar to those of commercially available ZnSe and the EDAX, GDOES and XRF also indicate the presence of Zn and Se in the layers. PEC studies show p-type semiconducting properties for the as deposited layers and n-type ZnSe can be produced by appropriate doping. Optical absorption is maximum around 460 nm indicating a band gap of 2.7 eV. Annealing at 200 °C for 15 mins improves both the crystallinity of the layers and the photoresponse of the electrolyte/ZnSe liquid/solid Schottky junction. © 1998 Chapman & Hall     

Chemical solution method for fabrication of nanocrystalline iron(III) oxide thin films

A chemical solution technique for preparation of nanocrystalline iron(III) oxide thin films is developed. The deposition process is essentially based on the thermal decomposition of urea. The as-deposited and post-deposition heat-treated materials were characterized by X-ray analysis and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Basic optical and electrical investigations were also performed. X-ray analysis confirmed that post-deposition heat-treated material is nontextured -iron(III) oxide, with an average crystal size of 22 nm. The optical investigations show that the absorption of films (as-deposited and post-deposition treated) gradually decreases with an increase of the wavelength in the 390–820 nm region. The optical band gap for the as-deposited and post-deposition heat-treated films was determined to be 3.2 eV and 2.0 eV, respectively. The obtained -Fe₂O₃ thin films exhibit a rather high resistivity at room temperature. However, our preliminary qualitative investigations have shown that the room temperature resistivity of -Fe₂O₃ thin films is highly sensitive to moisture, indicating their potential applicability in moisture sensing systems.     

Effect of heat treatment on the structural and optical properties of CuInTe2 thin films

The CuInTe2 thin films were prepared by thermal vacuum evaporation of the bulk compound. The structural and optical properties in the temperature range 300–47 K of thin films grown on glass substrates and annealed in vacuum were studied. The films were investigated by X-ray diffraction and electron microscope techniques. The calculated lattice constants for CuInTe₂ powder were found to bea=0.619 nm andc –1,234 nm. From the reflection and transmission data, the optical constants, refractive indexn, absorption index,k, and the absorption coefficient, , werw computed. The optical energy gap was determined for CuInTe₂ thin films heat treated at different temparatures for different periods of time. It was found thatE _g increases with both increasing temperature and time of annealing.     

Structure and optical properties of thin titanium films deposited on different substrates

Thin films of titanium were deposited on different substrates at room temperature. Measurements were made of the optical constants and of the transmittance of titanium films evaporated on to fused quartz. Films of titanium 10 to 40 nm thick were found to have quite uniform transmittance throughout the visible spectrum. Because titanium getters strongly during its evaporation, pure and compact titanium films can only be produced by fast evaporation under extremely good vacuum conditions. All films prepared for optical measurements, for X-ray and for scanning electron microscopy studies were, therefore, deposited at a pressure 10^–4 Pa and with deposition rate 4 nm sec^–1. The measurements were made using a Beckman double-beam spectrophotometer UV 5230, Siemens D 500 X-ray diffractometer, and SEMCO nanolab 7 scanning electron microscopy.     

Variation of the optical energy gap with γ-radiation and thickness in Bi-thin films

The effect of -radiation and thickness on the optical energy gap of Bi-thin films has been investigated by measuring their optical absorbance. The measurements were carried out on thermally evaporated films having thicknesses in the range 5–20 nm. Different -radiation doses were used ranging from 0–300 Mrad. The optical energy gap as well as the absorption coefficient were found to be -dose dependent.     

Electrical and optical properties of vacuum-evaporated CdS films

1 m CdS films for the window layer of CdS/CulnSe₂ solar cells have been prepared by vacuum evaporation at various deposition conditions. Deposition rates were 0.73 and 3.3 nms^–1, and substrate temperature ranged from 50 to 225 C. The effect of the deposition conditions on the properties of CdS films was investigated by measuring electrical resistivity, optical transmittance and reflectance.The resistivity of the evaporated CdS films strongly decreased as substrate temperature decreased and the films with high deposition rate showed lower resistivity compared to the films with low deposition rate. Interestingly, the combination of high deposition rate and very low substrate temperature resulted in an increase of resistivity. The optical transmittance of CdS films increased as substrate temperature decreased and then decreased with further decrease in substrate temperature. The transmittance strongly depended on deposition rate at low substrate temperature (<100C), while it was independent of deposition rate at high substrate temperature (>100C). In particular, high transmittance can be extended to lower substrate temperature by reducing deposition rate. Low optical reflectance can be obtained by lowering substrate temperature. The results indicate that CdS films of low resistivity and high transmittance can be produced by vacuum evaporation at low substrate temperature and low deposition rate.     

Studies on the optical band gap and cluster size of the polyaniline thin films irradiated with swift heavy Si ions

Polyaniline thin films prepared by RF plasma polymerisation were irradiated with 92 MeV Si ions for various fluences of 1×10¹¹, 1×10¹² and 1×10¹³ ions/cm². FTIR and UV-vis-NIR measurements were carried out on the pristine and Si ion irradiated polyaniline thin films for structural evaluation and optical band gap determination. The effect of swift heavy ions on the structural and optical properties of plasma-polymerised aniline thin film is investigated. Their properties are compared with that of the pristine sample. The FTIR spectrum indicates that the structure of the irradiated sample is altered. The optical studies show that the band gap of irradiated thin film has been considerably modified. This has been attributed to the rearrangement in the ring structure and the formation of CC terminals. This results in extended conjugated structure causing reduction in optical band gap.     

Preparation of alumina films by the sol-gel method

This review describes our study on preparation of alumina films by a sol-gel process and their several applications that have been investigated since 1986. Alumina films were prepared from alkoxide or inorganic salt. Both as-prepared alumina films were transparent in ultraviolet, visible and near infrared regions. The alumina from inorganic salt (inorganic alumina) was structureless even after annealed at 300–700°C in air, while the alumina from alkoxide (alkoxide alumina) was in pseudo-boehmite at an annealing temperature lower than 400°C and was in - or -type at 400–700°C. Both alumina films became opaque after annealed at temperatures above 1000°C. The inorganic alumina film annealed at 800°C showed a gas permeability that was influenced by physico-chemical properties of penetrant and alumina. Composite films of alumina and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were hydrophilic but insoluble in water, and removal of PVA from the composite films by annealing at 600°C led to formation of transparent alumina films. Such properties enabled us to use a counter diffusion method for fabricating -Fe₂O₃-doped alumina films. Alumina films doped with organic dyes such as laser dyes, hole-burning dyes and non-linear optical dyes, which were fabricated by gelation of dye-added alumina sol, exhibited laser emission, hole-spectra and second- or third-harmonic generation properties, respectively. Hydrogenation of alkene was catalyzed by Ni nanoparticles doped alumina films that were prepared by gelation of Ni²⁺ solution-added alumina sol and annealing the Ni²⁺-doped alumina gel in hydrogen gas. Nonlinear optical properties were observed for alumina films doped with CdS, Au and Ag nanoparticles, which were fabricated by gelation of Cd²⁺, HAuCl₄ and AgNO₃ solution-added alumina sols and annealing the Cd²⁺-doped alumina gel in H₂S gas and the Ag⁺- and Au³⁺-doped alumina gels in H₂ gas. Rare earth metal ion-doped alumina films, which were prepared by gelation of rare earth metal ion solution-added alumina sol and annealed the ion-doped alumina gel, exhibited not only normal luminescence but also up-conversion emission, energy transfer type luminescence and long lasting luminescence.     

Low-temperature PECVD deposition of highly conductive microcrystalline silicon thin films

In this paper, we present the characterization results of doped n-type microcrystalline hydrogenated-silicon (c-Si : H) films deposited in a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition in the temperature range between 70 and 250 °C. The interest in these films arises from the fact that they combine the high optical absorption of amorphous silicon with the electronic behavior of the crystalline silicon, making them interesting for the production of large electronic devices such as solar cells, image sensors, and flat panels. It is shown that n-type c-Si : H films with high electrical conductivity can be obtained even at low temperature deposition, around 120 °C (=2.9 S cm^–1). The structural properties of the films have been studied by Raman and infrared spectroscopy that allowed for the determination of the crystalline fraction. Electrical measurements were performed by a.c. impedance spectroscopy, Hall effect, and dark conductivity. Characteristics suitable for application in electronic devices were obtained with the developed deposition parameters set-up; the best dark conductivity values were around 1 S cm^–1 for deposition temperatures within the 120–140 °C range. Some conclusions regarding the correlation between electrical and structural properties are presented for the considered temperature range.     

Optical and structural investigations on spray-deposited CdS films

CdS and indium doped CdS thin films have been prepared by the spray pyrolysis method. The optical band gaps of CdS and doped CdS were found to be 2.35 and 2.39 eV, respectively. The carrier concentration of doped CdS, calculated from an optical method, was found to be 7.5×1018 cm-3. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the films were polycrystalline and exhibited hexagonal structure. In order to calculate theoretical XRD intensity values for CdS, the structure factor F(hkl)2 was derived. The temperature correction factor was employed for both Cd and S to correct intensity values. The theoretically calculated XRD intensity values of (hkl) coincided with those of experimental values. © 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers     

Electrical conductivity and optical properties of ZnO films annealed in hydrogen atmosphere after chemical vapor deposition

The d.c. electrical conductivity and optical properties of polycrystalline zinc oxide films (220–450 nm thick) annealed in hydrogen after chemical vapor deposition are investigated. A minimum film resistivity after the annealing gives 0.31 cm for the film as-deposited at a substrate temperature of 823 K. From the temperature dependence of conductivity, band conduction is confirmed for the films at temperatures above 250 K. The effect of grain-boundary scattering is due to thermionic emission of electrons over grain boundary barriers. At temperatures below 250 K, variable-range hopping transport is found to be dominant. The films are transparent in the wavelength range 400 to 1000 nm and have sharp ultraviolet absorption edges at 380 nm. The absorption edge analysis reveals the optical band gap energy for the films to be 3.18–3.23 eV. The Urbach tail analysis gives the width of localized states E_e=0.06-0.14eV.     

Infrared Refractive Index and Extinction Coefficient of Polyimide Films

We have measured the transmittance of several polyimide (C₂₂H₁₀N₂O₄) films at wave numbers from 6000 to 500 cm^–1 (wavelengths from 1.67 to 20 m) using a Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer. The free-standing polyimide films are made by spin coating and thermal curing processes. The thickness of the films ranges from 0.1 to 4 m. In the nonabsorbing region from 6000 to 4000 cm^–1, the minimum transmittance caused by interference is used to obtain the refractive index for film thicknesses greater than 1 m. The film thicknesses are determined by fitting the spectral transmittance using the refractive index. Molecular absorption strongly reduces the transmittance at wave numbers from 2000 to 500 cm^–1. The optical constants, i.e., the refractive index and the extinction coefficient, are determined from the measured transmittance for several films of different thickness using a least-squares method. A Lorentzian oscillator model is also developed, which in general agrees well with the measured transmittance at wave numbers from 6000 to 500 cm^–1. This study will facilitate the application of polyimide films in the fabrication of infrared filters and other optoelectronic applications. The methods presented in this paper can be used to determine the optical constants of other types of thin-film materials.     

Bias voltage dependence properties of cadmium oxide films deposited by d.c. reactive magnetron sputtering

Cadmium oxide films were grown on glass substrates using d.c. reactive magnetron sputtering technique by sputtering from a metallic cadmium target in an oxygen partial pressure of 1×10^–3 mbar under various substrate bias voltages. The substrate bias voltage significantly influences the crystallographic structure of the deposited films. The influence of substrate bias voltage on the electrical and optical properties of the films was systematically studied. The films formed at a substrate temperature of 473 K and bias voltage of –80 V showed an electrical resistivity of 1×10^–3 cm, optical transmittance of 86%, optical band gap of 2.47 eV and a figure of merit of 7×10^{–3 –1}.