Synthesis of CeB6 thin films by physical vapor deposition and their field emission investigations

High quality CeB₆ thin films have been obtained through direct evaporation of raw micron-sized CeB₆ powders at a pressure of 70 Pa. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectrum, scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) and the field-emission equipment were used to characterize the morphology, structure, composition and FE properties of the samples. The XRD and Raman spectrum analysis results show the as-prepared product is cubic phase CeB₆. The TEM, SAED and HRTEM analysis reveal that the samples are mixtures of thin films (polycrystalline) and small crystals (single crystallines aligned preferentially in the [1 1 0] direction). Compared to oxide nanostructures, field-emission measurements show that the CeB₆ films have better FE performance with turn-on field and threshold field of 12.93 V/μm and 14.86 V/μm, respectively.     

Surface plasmon characteristics of nanocrystalline gold/DLC composite films prepared by plasma CVD technique

Composite films containing gold nanoparticles embedded in diamond-like carbon (Au–DLC) matrix were deposited on glass and Si (1 0 0) substrates by using capacitatively coupled plasma (CCP) chemical vapour deposition technique (CVD). Particle size and metal volume fraction varied between 2.7–3.5 nm and 0.04–0.7, respectively with the amount of argon in the methane + argon gas mixture in the plasma. Bonding environment in these films were obtained from XPS, Raman and FTIR studies. Microstructural studies were carried out by SEM, XRD and TEM studies. Blue-shift of the surface plasmon resonance peak (located 540–561 nm) in the optical absorbance spectra of the films could be associated with the reduction of the particle size while red shift was associated with the increase in volume fraction of metal particles. The experimental results have been discussed in light of the core–shell model.     

Crystallinity and surface roughness dependent photoluminescence of Y1 − xGdxVO4:Eu thin films grown on Si (100) substrate

Gd-substitution dependency on the photoluminescence in YVO₄:Eu³⁺ films grown on Si (100) substrates have been investigated by analyzing the crystalline phase and surface morphology of the films. The substitution of Gd induced not only the change of crystallinity but also the surface roughness of the films. The change of the preferred orientation in the films can be explained on the basis of the lattice mismatch between the film and Si (100) substrate. Also, the surface roughness of the films shows the similar behavior to the grain size as a function of Gd amounts. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity obtained from the Y_1 − xGd_xVO₄:Eu³⁺ films grown under optimized conditions have indicated that the PL intensity is more dependent on the surface roughness than the crystallinity of films. In particular, the incorporation of Gd into the YVO₄ lattice remarkably enhanced the intensity of PL and the highest emission intensity of Y_0.57Gd_0.40Eu_0.03VO₄ film was 3.3 times higher than that of YVO₄:Eu³⁺ film.     

CVD金刚石膜的场发射机制

利用热灯丝化学气相沉积方法在光滑的钼上沉积了金刚石膜,用扫描电子显微镜和Raman谱对金刚石膜进行了分析。结果表明金刚石膜是由许多金刚石晶粒组成,晶粒间界主要是石墨相,并且在膜内有许多缺陷。金刚石膜的场发射结果表明高浓度CH4形成的金刚石膜场发射阈位电场较低浓度CH4形成的金刚石为低。这意味着杂质（如石墨）和缺陷（悬挂键）极大地影响了膜的场发射性能。根据以上结果,提出了一种CVD金刚石膜的场发射机制即膜内的缺陷增强膜内的电场,石墨增大电子的隧穿系数以增强CVD金刚石膜的场发射。     

Ion beam effects on dust grains: 2—Influence of charging history

Dust grains in space are charged by various processes. Impacts of energetic ions lead to deposition of positive charge on the grain, increasing the grain potential and, as a consequence, the electric field at its surface. The accumulated charge is spontaneously released as an emission current when the electric field reaches a threshold. This discharging current is usually attributed to field ionization of any gas surrounding the grain or to ion field emission and would thus be predominantly a function of the surface potential. However, preliminary studies [Velyhan A, Z?ilavý P, Pavl? J, S?afránková J, Něme?ek Z. Ion beam effects on dust grains. Vacuum 2004;76:447-55] using melamine formaldehyde spheres have shown that the discharging current depends strongly on the energy of primary ions. The present paper continues these investigations with the motivation to understand the whole charging/discharging process. The experiment is based on the capture of a single dust grain in an electrodynamic quadrupole. The trapped grain is exposed to an ion beam with different energies up to 5 keV and its charge and surface potential are estimated from the frequency of its oscillations in the quadrupole. The charging/discharging currents are determined from temporal changes of the grain charge. Our results suggest that the grain charge is accumulated in a thick surface layer of non-conducting samples. The thickness of this layer depends on the mass and energy of primary ions. On the other hand, the beam ions probably recombine on the metallic surfaces and create an adsorbed layer there. We believe that the main discharging process is field desorption complemented in this particular case with post-ionization.     

Surface plasmon effect in nanocrystalline copper/DLC composite films by electrodeposition technique

Composite films of nanocrystalline copper embedded in DLC matrix prepared by electrodeposition technique were studied for their optical properties. Particle size and metal volume fractions were tailored by varying the amount of copper containing salt in the electrolyte. Blue-shift of the surface plasmon resonance peak in the absorbance spectra of the films was observed with the reduction in size and volume fraction of metal particles. Mie theory was found to describe the experimental spectra quite well.     

Mechanical properties of SiNxCx ceramic films prepared by plasma CVD

The mechanical properties of Si₃N₄-SiC, SiN_x and SiC_y films prepared at a low temperature of 400 °C by plasma chemical vapour deposition are reported. Microhardness, internal stress of the film and adhesive strength between the film and glass or stainless steel substrate were evaluated as principal mechanical properties. Microhardness was measured to be about 10 to 20 G Pa dependent on the film composition in each system. Internal stress of the films on borosilicate glass substrates extensively varied from tensile to compressive with the film composition change from Si₃N₄ to SiC. Adhesive strength, as ascertained by the scratch test, was about 580 to 800 MPa for crown glass substrates, and about 210 to 310 M Pa for 316 stainless steel substrates. It is pointed out that tensile stress in these films brought about more abrupt decreases of the adhesive strength than did compressive stress.     

Effects of substrate temperature on Bi0.8La0.2FeO3 thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Bi_0.8La_0.2FeO₃ thin films on Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrates at various substrate temperatures from 500 °C to 750 °C are prepared by pulsed laser deposition, and their microstructures and ferroelectric/magnetic properties are carefully investigated using various techniques. It is observed that the crystallographic orientation and Fe-ion valence state depend significantly on the substrate temperature, which consequently influences considerably on the ferroelectric and magnetic properties of the thin films. A considerable improvement of the ferroelectric and magnetic properties of the thin films can be achieved by optimizing the substrate temperature for deposition.     

PBII制备TiNx/DLC多层膜的结构及摩擦学性能

采用等离子体基离子注入技术在30CrMnSi钢上制备了TiNx/DLC多层膜，通过X射线光电子谱和激光喇曼光谱测试分析了膜的结构特征，TiNx/DLC膜大气下的摩擦性能和在球盘式摩擦磨损试验机上进行。结果表明：DLC膜的结构强烈依赖于基权脉冲偏压，－5kV制得的DLC膜具有较多的C－H键结构，因而硬度最低，仅有8.3GPa；而-15kV的DLC膜由于含有较多的sp^3键，获得了最高的显微努氏硬度（23.6GPa)。DLC膜与GCr15钢球大气下的摩擦因数为0.17左右，其磨损性能由于TiNx，过渡层引入而显著提高。     

磁控溅射法制备的纳米金薄膜的工艺条件和结构分析

通过直流溅射沉积法在玻璃衬底上制备了不同生长条件下的纳米金薄膜,利用X射线衍射(XRD)和原子力显微镜(AFM)对其进行表面形貌分析.XRD 图显示Au膜具有(111)面择优取向;AFM图显示,在不同的生长阶段Au膜具有不同的表面微结构.总结了不同的工艺条件对薄膜晶粒生长的影响,这项研究对实现金属薄膜的可控性生长有重要意义.     

Low-dimensional SiC nanostructures: Fabrication, luminescence, and electrical properties

Nanostructured silicon carbide has unique properties that make it useful in microelectronics, optoelectronics, and biomedical engineering. In this paper, the fabrication methods as well as optical and electrical characteristics of silicon carbide nanocrystals, nanowires, nanotubes, and nanosized films are reviewed. Silicon carbide nanocrystals are generally produced using two techniques, electrochemical etching of bulk materials to form porous SiC or embedding SiC crystallites in a matrix such as Si. Luminescence from SiC crystallites prepared by these two methods is generally believed to stem from surface or defect states. Stable colloidal 3C-SiC nanocrystals which exhibit intense visible photoluminescence arising from the quantum confinement effects have recently be produced. The field electron emission and photoluminescence characteristics of silicon carbide nanostructures as well as theoretical studies of the structural and electronic properties of the materials are described.     

Microstructure and electronic properties of microcrystalline silicon carbide thin films prepared by hot-wire CVD

An overview on microstructural and electronic properties of stoichiometric microcrystalline silicon carbide (μc-SiC) prepared by Hot-Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition (HWCVD) at low substrate temperatures will be given. The electronic properties are strongly dependent on crystalline phase, local bonding, strain, defects, impurities, etc. Therefore these quantities need to be carefully investigated in order to evaluate their influence and to develop strategies for material improvement. We will particularly address the validity of different experimental methods like Raman spectroscopy and IR spectroscopy to provide information on the crystalline volume fraction by comparing the results with Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and X-Ray diffraction data. Finally the electronic properties as derived from optical absorption and transport measurements will be related to the microstructure.     

Luminescent properties of BaWO4 films prepared by cell electrochemical technique

Highly crystallized BaWO₄ films (45 × 30 mm²) have been prepared by cell electrochemical technique at room temperature. X-ray diffraction measurement reveals that the as-prepared BaWO₄ thin films have a scheelite structure. Under cell conditions, due to the decrease of crystal size and disappearance of large clusters, films' homogeneity has been improved markedly. With the UV excitation the peculiar and tunable luminescence of BaWO₄ films has been observed. Investigations uncover that exciting energies can be transferred among different emission centers, and that the yellow emission is probably relevant to the vacancies of Ba in the outermost layers of films.     

Field emission from nanostructured AlN/GaN films on Si substrate prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Nanostructured AIN/GaN films with different thickness are synthesized on Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). GaN and AIN single-layer films are also deposited for comparison. It is found that the turn-on field of the nanostructured AIN/GaN films is considerably decreased 2 orders of magnitude than that of single-layer films. The improvement of field emission (FE) characteristics is attributed to the quantum structure effects, which supplies a favorable location of electron emission and enhances tunneling ability. We show that by tuning the thickness of AIN/GaN, various FE characteristics can be obtained. It indicates that the optimal thickness of the nanostructured AIN/GaN films exists for their best field emission performance.     

High performance polyimide composite films prepared by homogeneity reinforcement of electrospun nanofibers

Highly aligned polyimide (PI) and PI nanocomposite fibers containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were produced by electrospinning. Scanning electron microscopy showed the electrospun nanofibers were uniform and almost free of defects. Transmission electron microscopy indicated that the CNTs were finely dispersed and highly oriented along the CNT/PI nanofiber axis at a relatively low concentration. The as-prepared well-aligned electrospun nanofibers were then directly used as homogeneity reinforcement to enhance the tensile strength and toughness of PI films. The neat PI nanofiber reinforced PI films showed good transparency, decreased bulk density and significantly improved mechanical properties. Compared with neat PI film prepared by solution casting, the tensile strength and elongation at break for the PI film reinforced with 2 wt.% CNT/PI nanofibers were remarkably increased by 138% and 104%, respectively. The significant increases in the overall mechanical properties of the nanofibers reinforced polyimide films can be ascribed to good compatibility between the electrospun nanofibers and the matrix as well as high nanofiber orientation in the matrix. Our study demonstrates a good example for fabricating high performance and high toughness polyimide nanocomposites by using this facile homogeneity self-reinforcement method.     

C基薄膜电子场发射的一般特性及发射模型

介绍了几种碳基材料的场发射特性及其发射模型.金刚石表面具有较低的或负的电子亲和势,因无法实现N型掺杂,难以用作电子发射材料.类金刚石膜及非晶碳膜材料经过"激活"后在表面形成具有较大场增强因子的熔坑,在几～几十V/μm的低阈值电场下得到非本征的电子发射,纳米结构的碳和碳纳米管本身具有较大的场增强因子,是较有前途的平面阴极场发射材料.碳基材料的导电性不同,遵循的发射模型不同.     

CVD of hard DLC films in a radio frequency inductively coupled plasma source

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of hard diamond-like carbon (DLC) films on silicon (100) substrates from methane was successfully carried out using a radio frequency (r.f.) inductively coupled plasma source (ICPS). Different deposition parameters such as bias voltage, r.f. power, gas flow and pressure were involved. The structures of the films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The hardness of the DLC films was measured by a Knoop microhardness tester. The surface morphology of the films was characterized by atomic force microscope (AFM) and the surface roughness (R_a) was derived from the AFM data. The films are smooth with roughness less than 1.007 nm. Raman spectra shows that the films have typical diamond-like characteristics with a D line peak at 1331 cm⁻¹ and a G line peak at 1544 cm⁻¹, and the low intensity ratio of I_D/I_G indicate that the DLC films have a high ratio of sp³ to sp² bonding, which is also in accordance with the results of FTIR spectra. The films hardness can reach approximately 42 GPa at a comparatively low substrate bias voltage, which is much greater than that of DLC films deposited in a conventional r.f. capacitively coupled parallel-plate system. It is suggested that the high plasma density and the suitable deposition environment (such as the amount and ratio of hydrocarbon radicals to atomic or ionic hydrogen) obtained in the ICPS are important for depositing hard and high quality DLC films.     

The ac conductivity and dielectric properties of Europium-Indium oxide films prepared on silicon (100) substrate

Thin Eu-In oxide films were prepared on glass and Si (P) substrates to form metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices. These films were annealed at different conditions and characterised by UV-absorption spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The ac-conductance and capacitance of the devices were studied as a function of frequency in the range of (500 Hz-100 kHz), temperature in the range of (293-363 K), and gate voltage. It was observed that the frequency dependence of the ac-conductivity and capacitance of the insulator is controlled by the “corrected barrier hopping” model, which based on the relaxation processes of hopping of current carriers between equilibrium sites. The temperature dependence of ac-conductance showing small activation energy characterises the hopping process. The method of capacitance-gate voltage (C-V_g) and conductance-gate voltage (G-V_g) were used to investigate the effect of annealing in air or in vacuum on the trapped-charge density in the oxide and the surface density of states (N_ss) at the insulator/semiconductor interface. It was observed that the prepared solid solution (SS) of Eu₂O₃-In₂O₃ has a sufficiently high dielectric constant (ε), around 30, which suggests that it is a promising candidate for high-ε dielectric applications.     

Field emission studies of CVD diamond thin films: effect of acid treatment

Field emission from CVD diamond thin films deposited on silicon substrate has been studied. The diamond films were synthesized using hot filament chemical vapor deposition technique. Field emission studies of as-deposited and acid-treated films were carried out using ‘diode’ configuration in an all metal UHV chamber. Upon acid treatment, the field emission current is found to decrease by two orders of magnitude with increase in the turn-on voltage by 30%. This has been attributed to the removal of sp² content present in the film due to acid etching. Raman spectra of both the as-deposited and acid-treated films exhibit identical spectral features, a well-defined peak at 1333 cm⁻¹ and a broad hump around 1550 cm⁻¹, signatures of diamond (sp³ phase) and graphite (sp² phase), respectively. However upon acid treatment, the ratio (I_d/I_g) is observed to decrease which supports the speculation of removal of sp² content from the film. The surface roughness was studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The AFM images indicate increase in the number of protrusions with slight enhancement in overall surface roughness after acid etching. The degradation of field emission current despite an increase in film surface roughness upon acid treatment implies that the sp² content plays significant role in field emission characteristics of CVD diamond films.     

Growth and characterization of Ni:DLC composite films using pulsed laser deposition technique

The structure and surface morphology of Ni-incorporated diamond like carbon (Ni:DLC) films have been investigated. These films were deposited on Si substrates using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. A KrF Excimer laser (λ = 248 nm) was used for co-ablation from multi component Ni–graphite target. The concentration of Ni was varied by ablating the Ni part of the target with various numbers of laser pulses. The SEM and AFM analysis reveals that the surface is composed of segregates of Ni which increases with the increase in Ni content during the growth process. The structural investigations by XRD and Raman spectroscopy provided information about the orientation of the incorporated constituent and the ordering of the carbon species. Maximum height of the nano structures which were observed on the surface was ∼50 nm. The G-peak of the graphite was shifted towards higher wave number due to enhancement in SP² sites which have been increased due to the increase in the Ni concentration. A small change in the surface roughness ranging from 7.78 nm to 13.1 nm due to increased Ni concentration was also observed.