Annealing Temperature dependence of Photoluminescence from Silicon-rich silica Films

1. IlltroductionSince the observation of strong photolumines-cence (PL) of porous silicon [1], a great interest innanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) has been stimulatedbecause of its potential applications as light-emittingdevices comPatible wlth silicon--based optoelectronicintegrated circults. In recent years, many techniques[2~5], such as sputterlng, laser chemlcal vaPor de-position, Ion implanatation, and plasma enhancedCVD ! have been adopted for preparatlon of nc-Sl em-bedded in the mat…     

Radiation effect on the photoluminescence properties of Si/SiO2 thin films

Silicon ions were implanted into SiO₂ thin films with various doses and energies. For the films implanted with various ion doses the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of 470 nm firstly increased with the increase of Si ion dose, which is similar to the variation trend of displacement per atom (DPA) number during ion radiation. Further increasing Si ion dose the PL intensity of 470 nm decreased gradually since the neutral oxygen vacancy centers were destroyed. For the samples implanted with different energy the variation trend of PL intensity for 470 nm peak is similar to the result of DPA under different radiation energy according to SRIM2006 simulation. With the increase of radiation energy a new PL peak at 550 nm appeared because of the variation of defect type. Combining with the simulation results and PL spectra the radiation effect on Si/SiO₂ thin films were proposed.     

Plasma-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition of Titanium Oxide Films by Dielectric Barrier Discharge in TiCl_4/O_2/N_2 Gas Mixtures

Low-pressure dielectric barrier discharge（DBD） TiCl4/O2and N2 plasmas have been used to deposit titanium oxide films at different power supply driving frequencies. A homemade large area low pressure DBD reactor was applied, characterized by the simplicity of the experimental set-up and a low consumption of feed gas and electric power, as well as being easy to operate. Atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy,and contact angle measurements have been used to characterize the deposited films. Experimental results show all deposited films are uniform and hydrophilic with a contact angle of about 15 o.Compared to titanium oxide films deposited in TiCl4/O2gas mixtures, those in TiCl4/O2/N2gas mixtures are much more stable. The contact angle of titanium oxide films in TiCl4/O2/N2gas mixtures with the addition of 50% N2 and 20% TiCl4 is still smaller than 20 o, while that of undoped titanium oxide films is larger than 64 owhen they are measured after one week. The low-pressure TiCl4/O2plasmas consist of pulsed glow-like discharges with peak widths of several microseconds, which leads to the uniform deposition of titanium oxide films. Increasing a film thickness over several hundreds of nm leads to the film’s fragmentation due to the over-high film stress. Optical emission spectra（OES） of TiCl4/O2DBD plasmas at various power supply driving frequencies are presented.     

Ion beam induced modifications in electron beam evaporated aluminum oxide thin films

Al₂O₃ thin films find wide applications in optoelectronics, sensors, tribology etc. In the present work, Al₂O₃ films prepared by electron beam evaporation technique are irradiated with 100 MeV swift Si⁷⁺ ions for the fluence in the range 1 × 10¹² to 1 × 10¹³ ions cm⁻² and the structural properties are studied by glancing angle X-ray diffraction. It shows a single diffraction peak at 38.2° which indicates the γ-phase of Al₂O₃. Further, it is observed that as the fluence increases up to 1 × 10¹³ ions cm⁻² the diffraction peak intensity decreases indicating amorphization. Surface morphology studies by atomic force microscopy show mean surface roughness of 34.73 nm and it decreases with increase in ion fluence. A strong photoluminescence (PL) emission with peak at 442 nm along with shoulder at 420 nm is observed when the samples are excited with 326 nm light. The PL emission is found to increase with increase in ion fluence and the results are discussed in detail.     

Incorporation of Nitrogen into Amorphous Carbon Films Produced by Surface-Wave Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition

In order to study the influence of nitrogen incorporated into amorphous carbon films, nitrogenated amorphous carbon films have been deposited by using surface wave plasma chemical vapor deposition under various ratios of N2/CH4 gas flow. Optical emission spectroscopy has been used to monitor plasma features near the deposition zone. After deposition, the samples are checked by Raman spectroscopy and x-ray photo spectroscopy (XPS). Optical emission intensities of CH and N atom in the plasma are found to be enhanced with the increase in the N2/CH4 gas flow ratio, and then reach their maximums when the N2/CH4 gas flow ratio is 5%. A contrary variation is found in Raman spectra of deposited films. The intensity ratio of the D band to the G band (ID/IG) and the peak positions of the G and D bands all reach their minimums when the N2/CH4 gas flow ratio is 5%. These show that the structure of amorphous carbon films has been significantly modified by introduction of nitrogen。     

Cleaning of nitrogen-containing carbon contamination by atmospheric pressure plasma jet

Atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) was used to clean nitrogen-containing carbon films (C–N) fabricated by plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition method employing the plasma surface interaction linear device at Sichuan University (SCU-PSI). The properties of the contaminated films on the surface of pristine and He-plasma pre-irradiated tungsten matrix, such as morphology, crystalline structure, element composition and chemical structure were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, grazing incidence x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The experimental results revealed that the removal of C–N film with a thickness of tens of microns can be realized through APPJ cleaning regardless of the morphology of the substrates. Similar removal rates of 16.82 and 13.78 μm min−1 were obtained for C–N films deposited on a smooth pristine W surface and rough fuzz-covered W surface, respectively. This is a remarkable improvement in comparison to the traditional cleaning method. However, slight surface oxidation was found after APPJ cleaning, but the degree of oxidation was acceptable with an oxidation depth increase of only 3.15 nm. Optical emission spectroscopy analysis and mass spectrometry analysis showed that C–N contamination was mainly removed through chemical reaction with reactive oxygen species during APPJ treatment using air as the working gas. These results make APPJ cleaning a potentially effective method for the rapid removal of C–N films from the wall surfaces of fusion devices.     

Study on the Hydrogenated Diamond-Like Carbon Films Synthesized by RF-PECVD from n-decane

Using a mixture of n-decane and hydrogen, diamond-like carbon thin films (DLCTFs) with high growth rate of 35?nm/min are deposited by radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. We show that n-decane can be considered as a promising carbon source in DLCTF deposition. The properties of the deposited films such as structure, hydrogen content, deposition rate and refractive index are studied for 20, 50 and 100?sccm hydrogen flow rates (HFRs). It is shown that the deposition rate has a maximum of 35?nm/min for HFR?=?20?sccm and by increasing hydrogen concentration, deposition rate drops to 19?nm/min for HFR?=?100?sccm. The Raman spectra reveal that the films represent hydrogenated diamond-like carbon features. The photoluminescence background of the Raman spectra is used as a measure for hydrogen content of the films. The hydrogen content varies from 29 to 46% which yields a various amount of sp³ fraction. The results of the spectroscopic ellipsometry indicate that by increasing HFR, refractive index decreases from 2.1 to 1.9 at 632?nm. The aforementioned trends are attributed to the increase of hydrogen content in DLCTFs which is in very good agreement with enhancing of the photoluminescence background of the Raman spectra.     

Reactive DC Magnetron Sputter Deposited Titanium-Copper-Nitrogen Nano-Composite Thin Films with an Argon/Nitrogen Gas Mixture

A sintered Ti13Cu87 target was sputtered by reactive direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering with a gas mixture of argon/nitrogen for different sputtering powers. Titanium-copper-nitrogen thin films were deposited on Si (111), glass slide and potassium bromide (KBr) substrates. Phase analysis and structural properties of titanium-copper-nitrogen thin films were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The chemical bonding was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The results from XRD show that the observed phases are nano-crystallite cubic anti rhenium oxide (anti ReO3) structures of titanium doped Cu3N (Ti:Cu3N) and nano-crystallite face centered cubic (fcc) structures of copper. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX) were used to determine the film morphology and atomic titanium/copper ratio, respectively. The films possess continuous and agglomerated structure with an atomic titanium/copper ratio ( 0.07) below that of the original target ( 0.15). The transmittance spectra of the composite films were measured in the range of 360 to 1100 nm. Film thickness, refractive index and extinction coefficient were extracted from the measured transmittance using a reverse engineering method. In the visible range, the higher absorption coefficient of the films prepared at lower sputtering power indicates more nitrification in comparison to those prepared at higher sputtering power. This is consistent with the formation of larger Ti:Cu3N crystallites at lower sputtering power. The deposition rate vs. sputtering power shows an abrupt transition from metallic mode to poisoned mode. A complicated behavior of the films’ resistivity upon sputtering power is shown.     

PIXE measurements of Kr-sputtered TiN coatings

Titanium nitride films of 30–300 nm thickness deposited via dc magnetron sputtering were irradiated with 150–700 keV Kr ions at fluences up to 2.1 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻². These films were then scanned with a well-collimated 400 keV proton beam and the X-ray yield of Ti was measured both in and outside the Kr beam spot. This procedure results in a precision determination of the average film thickness (± 1% in the case of tens of nm films). The PIXE results are found to be consistent with RBS data of the same specimens. Sputtering yields were determined from the variation of X-ray yields assuming unchanged Ti/N stoichiometry in the implanted area. For thick TiN films (d₀ > 100 nm) the sputtering yields are in good agreement with predictions of the collisional cascade model by Sigmund. In contrast, sputtering of thin layers (d₀ = 30 nm) depended sensitively on the ion energy, being a factor of 2 higher at 150 keV than at 500 keV.     

Influence of N2 flow rate on structure and properties of TiBCN films prepared by multi-cathodic arc ion plating and studied with ion beam scattering spectroscopy

TiBCN films were deposited on Si(100) and cemented carbide substrates by using multi-cathodic arc ion plating in C_2H_2 and N_2atmosp~here. Their structure and mechanical properties were studied systematically under different N_2 flow rates. The results showed that the Ti BCN films were adhered well to the substrates. Rutherford backscattering sp~ectroscopy was employed to determine the relative concentration of Ti, B, C and N in the films.The chemical bonding states of the films were explored by X-ray photoelectron sp~ectroscopy, revealing the presence of bonds of Ti N, Ti(C,N), BN, pure B, sp~2C–C and sp~3C–C, which changed with the N_2 flow rate. Ti BCN films contain nanocrystals of Ti N/Ti CN and Ti B_2/Ti(B,C)embedded in an amorphous matrix consisting of amorphous BN and carbon at N_2 flow rate of up to 250 sccm.     

Preparation and characterization of Ag-coated cenospheres by magnetron sputtering method

In this paper, we show the feasibility of the magnetron sputtering deposition technique to grow 10-100-nm thick, uniform, continuous and well adhesive silver films on cenosphere particles so that the properties of the core particles can be suitably modified. Experiments were conducted with a magnetron sputtering deposition system in which a newly designed sample stage equipped with an ultrasonic vibration generator was used for the tumbling of cenosphere particles. The cenosphere particles are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and inductively coupled plasma-atom emission spectrometer (ICP-AES) before and after the coating process. All results show the metal film has been successfully coated onto cenosphere particles. Under the given conditions, up to 3.0 wt.% silver was deposited on cenosphere particles measured by ICP-AES. The FE-SEM results indicate that at the micro-scale the relatively uniform, compact and well adhesive silver films with about 51 nm thickness were successfully deposited on cenosphere particles. The XRD analytic result indicates that the nanometer metal film has a face-centered cubic structure.     

Effects of Annealing on Luminescence of ZnO Films Deposited on Si Substrates by RF Magnetron Sputtering

Effects of growth ambience, annealing ambience and temperature on the photoluminescence (PL) emission properties of ZnO films deposited on Si (100) substrates by RF magnetron sputtering have been investigated. After annealing, the crystal quality of ZnO films was markedly improved, and the intensity of UV emission peak increased obviously. By varying the flow rate ratio of O2/Ar, annealing atmosphere in oxygen-deficient or oxygen-rich ambience and heating temperature during deposition, the evolution of peak intensities and positions for blue and green emission is formed. This is attributed to the deposition and annealing parameters that control the desorptions and adsorptions of oxygen atoms on the films, and leads to the changes of concentrations of Zinc and oxygen vacancies in the films.     

11-巯基十一烷酸包裹的金纳米颗粒薄膜的二次电子发射

采用改进的Peterk合成法合成11-巯基十一烷酸(Mercaptoundecanoic Acid,MUA)包覆的金纳米颗粒。通过调控MUA与氯金酸质量比,得到分布均匀且稳定性较好的不同粒径(3 nm)的纳米金颗粒前驱体溶液,进而滴加该溶液形成薄膜。扫描电子显微镜(Scanning Electron Microscope,SEM)观测到薄膜中具有大量微米级的块状集团。同步辐射掠入射X射线衍射(Grazing Incidence X-ray Diffraction,GIXRD)揭示其具有面外长程有序的超晶格结构;X射线光电子谱(X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy,XPS)证实薄膜中Au-S键的形成。通过紫外光电子能谱(Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy,UPS)进一步发现常温下1.5 nm粒径的薄膜具有比单晶金样品强10倍的优异二次电子发射能力,且发射峰半高宽是单晶金样品的1/4。本研究表明,MUA包覆的金纳米薄膜在电子发射源以及光电探测上具有应用前景。     

The excitation power density effect on the Si nanocrystals photoluminescence

In the present work we have studied the photoluminescence (PL) behavior from Si nanocrystals (NCs) as a function of the excitation power density and annealing time. The NCs were produced in a SiO₂ matrix by Si implantations from room temperature (RT) up to 700 °C, followed by post-annealing in N₂ atmosphere at high temperature. With this aim we have changed the excitation power density (from 2 × 10⁻³ W/cm² up to 15 W/cm²) and the annealing time (from 10 min up to 15 h). The strong PL signal, which at 15 W/cm² is composed by a single-peak structure (650–1000 nm) centered at around 780 nm, expands up to 1200 nm showing a two-peak structure when measured at 20 × 10⁻³ W/cm². The peak structure located at the short wavelength side is kept at 780 nm, while the second peak, starting at around 900 nm, redshifts and increases its intensity with the implantation temperature and annealing time. The effect of the annealing time on the PL spectra behavior measured at low excitation power agrees by the first time with the Si NC growth according to quantum confinement effects.     

The properties of N-doped diamond-like carbon films prepared by helicon wave plasma chemical vapor deposition

In this paper, N-doped diamond-like carbon(DLC) films were deposited on silicon substrates by using helicon wave plasma chemical vapor deposition(HWP-CVD) with the Ar/CH_4/N_2 mixed gas. The surface morphology, structural and mechanical properties of the N-doped DLC films were investigated in detail by scanning electron microscopy(SEM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), Raman spectra, and atomic force microscopy(AFM). It can be observed from SEM images that surface morphology of the films become compact and uniform due to the incorporation of N. The maximum of the deposition rate of the films is 143 nm min~(-1), which is related to the high plasma density. The results of XPS show that the N incorporates in the films and the C-C sp~3 bond content increases firstly up to the maximum(20%) at 10 sccm of N_2 flow rate, and then decreases with further increase in the N_2 flow rate. The maximum Young's modulus of the films is obtained by the doping of N and reaches 80 GPa at 10 sccm of N_2 flow rate, which is measured by AFM in the scanning probe microscope mode. Meanwhile, friction characteristic of the N-doped DLC films reaches a minimum value of 0.010.     

Synthesis of nanostructured multiphase (Ti,Al)N/a-Si3N4 thin films using dense plasma focus device

A 2.3 kJ pulsed plasma focus device was used to prepare thin films of nc-(Ti,Al)N/a-Si₃N₄ at room temperature. The plasma focus device, fitted with copper anode encapsulated with Ti_0.5Al_0.5 anode, was operated with nitrogen as the filling gas. Films were deposited with various number of focus shots, at 90 mm from top of the anode and at zero angular position with respect to anode axis. XRD patterns show the growth of polycrystalline (Ti,Al)N thin films with orientations in the (1 1 1), (2 0 0), (2 2 0) and (3 1 1) crystallographic planes. Behavior of lattice constant, grain size and film roughness of deposited film as a function of variation in number of focus shots is discussed. SEM micrographs of film deposited with 15 number of focus shots exhibit well-developed net like structure of nc-(Ti,Al)N/a-Si₃N₄ and possibly nc-(Ti,Al)N/a-Si₃N₄/a-AlN or nc-TiN/a-Si₃N₄/a-AlN. Surface Roughness ranging 64 nm to 89 nm was also observed.     

Photoluminescence and radiation effect of Er and Pr implanted silicon-rich silicon oxide thin films

Er and Pr ions were implanted into silicon-rich silicon oxide (SRSO) thin films with Si crystals embedded in SiO₂ matrix. The 525 and 546 nm luminescence peaks were clearly observed in Er-only doped film, but disappeared in the photoluminescence (PL) spectra of Er-Pr codoped films. Instead, a broad PL spectrum extending from 450 to 700 nm was obtained for Er-Pr codoped films with Er/Pr concentration ratio of 1. Concentration profiles of Si, Er and Pr ions in films were simulated by SRIM2006 and related radiation effect on PL response was also discussed. Our results indicate that this material is a potential candidate for the development of white light-emitting diode (LED) and field emission displays for its visible luminescence.     

ZnO thin films deposited by capillaritron ion beam sputtering deposition

ZnO thin films were deposited by capillaritron ion beam sputtering deposition. The crystalline quality, stoichiometry and photoluminescence properties of as-deposited and annealed ZnO thin films were studied. The as-deposited ZnO films show no preferred crystallographic orientations while annealed films exhibit a strong single ZnO (0 0 2) diffraction peak at 34.50°. The stoichiometry of ZnO films were found to be dependent on both beam energy and annealing conditions that the atomic percent ratio of Zn/O can be controlled between 0.95 and 1.10. ZnO films deposited with 4 keV ion beam and annealed at 800 °C in oxygen shows the lowest defect related deep level visible emission, while 80% of oxygen atoms are still located in fully oxidized stoichiometric ZnO matrixes.     

Surface decomposition and annealing behavior of GaN implanted with Eu

Investigations on surface decomposition of GaN implanted with low energy (80keV) Eu ion to a low dose (1×1014cm-2), and its annealing behavior under high temperature (1050℃) in N2 are performed. The as-grown, as-implanted and annealed GaN films are characterized by proton elastic scattering (PES), Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), photoluminescence (PL) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results show that Eu ion implantation induces radiation defects and decomposition of GaN. The GaN surface decomposition is more serious during high temperature annealing. The atomic ratio of N in as-grown, as-implanted and annealed GaN film is 47 at.%, 44 at.% and 40 at.%, respectively. As a result, a rough Ga-rich layer is formed at the surface, though the lattice defects are partly removed after high temperature annealing.     

PL and XPS study of radiation damage created by various slow highly charged heavy ions on GaN epitaxial layers

Photoluminescence (PL) spectrum, in conjunction with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is used to evaluate the surface damage of GaN layer by highly-charged Xe^q+ (18 ? q ? 30), Ar^q+ (6 ? q ? 16) and Pb^q+ (q = 25,35) ions. The intensity of PL emission of GaN layer, including near band-edge peak and yellow luminescence, decreases with increasing fluence and charge state of the incident ions. Finally the PL emission is completely quenched after irradiation to high fluences at high charge state. A new peak at 450 nm appeared in PL spectra of the specimens irradiated with Xe¹⁸⁺, Ar⁶⁺ and Ar¹¹⁺, indicating that radioactive recombination within donor-acceptor pairs (DAPs) during irradiation. After irradiation, XPS spectra show N deficient or Ga rich on GaN surface and XPS spectra of Ga3d core levels indicate spectral peak evidently shifts from a Ga-N to Ga-Ga and Ga-O bond. The relative content of Ga-N bond decreases and the content of Ga-Ga bond increases with the increase of ion fluence and ion charge state. The binding energy of Ga3d_5/2 electron corresponding to Ga-Ga bond of the irradiated GaN film is found to be smaller than that of metallic Gallium (Ga⁰), which can be attributed to irradiation damage.