Gas sensitivity of metal oxide mixed tin oxide films prepared by spray pyrolysis

Various kinds of SnO₂ films, modified with the addition of iron, antimony, copper, titanium, manganese, nickel, cobalt or calcium oxides, were fabricated by using the spray pyrolysis technique and their gas-sensing characteristics were studied. From electrical measurements in air, the relative sensitivity towards inflammable gas of these SnO₂-based film sensors was compared. It was observed that SnO₂-based films of higher electrical resistance had a tendency to have higher sensitivity towards ethanol than the SnO₂-based films of lower resistance. The addition of p-type metal oxides, such as NiO and MnO, to the SnO₂ matrix was found to be effective in increasing the sensitivity towards inflammable gas.     

Studies on tin oxide films prepared by electron beam evaporation and spray pyrolysis methods

Transparent conducting tin oxide thin films have been prepared by electron beam evaporation and spray pyrolysis methods. Structural, optical and electrical properties were studied under different preparation conditions like substrate temperature, solution flow rate and rate of deposition. Resistivity of undoped evaporated films varied from 2.65 × 10⁻² ω-cm to 3.57 × 10⁻³ ω-cm in the temperature range 150–200°C. For undoped spray pyrolyzed films, the resistivity was observed to be in the range 1.2 × 10⁻¹ to 1.69 × 10⁻² ω-cm in the temperature range 250–370° C. Hall effect measurements indicated that the mobility as well as carrier concentration of evaporated films were greater than that of spray deposited films. The lowest resistivity for antimony doped tin oxide film was found to be 7.74 × 10⁻⁴ ω-cm, which was deposited at 350°C with 0.26 g of SbCl₃ and 4 g of SnCl₄ (SbCl₃/SnCl₄ = 0.065). Evaporated films were found to be amorphous in the temperature range up to 200°C, whereas spray pyrolyzed films prepared at substrate temperature of 300– 370°C were poly crystalline. The morphology of tin oxide films was studied using SEM.     

Perovskite-type lanthanum chromium-based oxide films prepared by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis

Ultrasonic spray pyrolysis was used to form 2–8 m thick LaCrO₃ films on different substrates from La(CrO₄)(NO₃)·nH₂O precursor films. There was an optimum substrate temperature for the formation of uniform precursor films by the spray pyrolysis. When the substrate temperature was lower than 250 °C, dry precursor films were not formed, while above 250 °C the deposition rate decreased with substrate temperature. The precursor films were converted to perovskite-type oxide films by heat treatment at 800 °C in a nitrogen atmosphere. Both A-site substituted (La_0.8Ca_0.2) CrO₃ and B-site substituted La(Cr_0.5Mn_0.5)O₃ oxide films were formed in a similar manner. Electronic conductivity of the oxide films was improved by repetitions of the spray pyrolysis and heat treatment in nitrogen.     

Substrate temperature influence on ZnS thin films prepared by ultrasonic spray

ZnS thin films were deposited by ultrasonic spray technique. The starting solution is a mixture of 0.1 M zinc chloride as source of Zn and 0.05 M thiourea as source of S. The glass substrate temperature was varied in the range of 250 °C-400 °C to investigate the influence of substrate temperature on the structure, chemical composition and optical properties of ZnS films. The DRX analyses indicated that ZnS films have nanocrystalline hexagonal structure with (002) preferential orientation and grain size varied from 20 to 50 nm, increasing with substrate temperature. The optical films characterization was carried out by the UV-visible transmission. The optical gap and films disorder were deduced from the absorption spectra and the refractive indices of the films were determined by ellipsometric measurements. It is shown that the obtained films are generally composed of ZnO and ZnS phases with varied proportion, while at deposition temperature of 400 °C, they are near stoichiometric ZnS.     

Deposition of improved optically selective conductive tin oxide films by spray pyrolysis

Antimony-doped SnO₂ films with a resistivity as low as 9×10^–4 cm were prepared by spray pyrolysis. Structural, electrical and optical properties were studied by varying the antimony concentration, film thickness and deposition temperature. About 94% average transmission in the visible region and about 87% infrared reflectance were obtained for antimony-doped SnO₂ films by a systematic optimization of the preparation parameters. As the best combination, an average transmission of 88% in the visible region and an infrared reflectance of 76% was possible for the doped SnO₂ films.     

Temperature dependence of Fluorine-doped tin oxide films produced by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis

Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) films were prepared at different substrate temperatures by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technique on glass substrates. Among F-doped tin oxide films, the lowest resistivitiy was found to be 6.2 × 10^− 4 Ω-cm for a doping percentage of 50 mol% of fluorine in 0.5 M solution, deposited at 400 °C. Hall coefficient analyses and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) measured the electron carrier concentration that varies from 3.52 × 10²⁰ cm^− 3 to 6.21 × 10²⁰ cm^− 3 with increasing fluorine content from 4.6 × 10²⁰ cm^− 3 to 7.2 × 10²⁰ cm^− 3 in FTO films deposited on various temperatures. Deposition temperature on FTO films has been optimized for achieving a minimum resistivity and maximum optical transmittance.     

Growth and characterization of indium oxide thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis

Highly transparent and conducting indium oxide thin films are prepared on glass substrates from precursor solution of indium chloride. These films are characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and optical transmission. The preferential orientation of these films is found to be sensitive to deposition parameters. A comparative study has been made on the dependence on the thickness of the film on substrate temperatures with aqueous solution and 1:1 C₂H₅OH and H₂O as precursors. Films deposited at optimum conditions have 167 nm thickness and exhibited a resistivity of 2.94 × 10⁻⁴ Ω m along with transmittance better than 82% at 550 nm. The analytical expressions enabling the derivation of the optical constants of these films from their transmission spectrum only have successfully been applied. Finally, the refractive index dispersion is discussed in terms of the single-oscillator Wemple and Didomenico model.     

Growth and characterization of indium oxide thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis

Highly transparent and conducting indium oxide thin films are prepared on glass substrates from precursor solution of indium chloride. These films are characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and optical transmission. The preferential orientation of these films is found to be sensitive to deposition parameters. A comparative study has been made on the dependence on the thickness of the film on substrate temperatures with aqueous solution and 1:1 C₂H₅OH and H₂O as precursors. Films deposited at optimum conditions have 167 nm thickness and exhibited a resistivity of 2.94 × 10⁻⁴ Ω m along with transmittance better than 82% at 550 nm. The analytical expressions enabling the derivation of the optical constants of these films from their transmission spectrum only have successfully been applied. Finally, the refractive index dispersion is discussed in terms of the single-oscillator Wemple and Didomenico model.     

Optical and electrical properties of zinc oxide films prepared by spray pyrolysis

Zinc oxide thin films were prepared on glass substrates from an aqueous solution of zinc acetate by spray pyrolysis. These films were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and optical transmission. The films were highly transparent to the visible radiation and electrically conductive. Films deposited at optimum conditions exhibited a resistivity of 3·15×10⁻³ Ωm along with a transmittance of 98% at 550 nm.     

High quality-low temperature aluminum oxide films deposited by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis

High quality aluminum oxide thin films have been prepared at relatively low substrate temperatures using aluminum acetylacetonate as source material. The structural properties were analyzed by ellipsometry and infrared spectroscopy. The electrical integrity was analyzed by I–V and C–V measurements performed in metal/oxide/semiconductor structures where the deposited oxides were incorporated. Good quality aluminum oxide films were obtained at substrate temperatures as low as 350 °C. The deposition rate has relatively high values from 7.0 to 11.4 nm/min. The refractive index takes values around 1.645, which is of the order of those obtained using vacuum processes. Destructive breakdown electric field is higher than 6 MV/cm. The capture cross section per unit area (9.3×10^-15cm²) is associated with trapping centers with coulombic potential. From quasistatic and high frequency C–V measurements, a density of interface states at midgap of 1.6×10¹¹ (eVcm²)^-1 was calculated.     

Nickel oxide thin films by spray pyrolysis

The preparative parameters have been optimized for NiO film formation in fabricated Spray Pyrolysis System using pneumatic air pressure driven aerosol formation. The structural studies by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) have been carried out to investigate crystallographic features. It was revealed that NiO crystallizes in cubic bunsenite structure. The optical band gap for direct transitions was found to be equal to 3.67 eV. Field Emission Scanning Electron Micrographs (FESEM) have been employed to study morphological aspects of the prepared films. The elemental depth profiles of film contents have been obtained Auger Electron Spectroscopic (AES) studies.     

Effect of indium doping on zinc oxide films prepared by chemical spray pyrolysis technique

We report the conducting and transparent In doped ZnO films fabricated by a homemade chemical spray pyrolysis system (CSPT). The effect of In concentration on the structural, morphological, electrical and optical properties have been studied. These films are found to show (0 0 2) preferential growth at low indium concentrations. An increase in In concentration causes a decrease in crystalline quality of films as confirmed by X-ray diffraction technique which leads to the introduction of defects in ZnO. Indium doping also significantly increased the electron concentrations, making the films heavily n type. However, the crystallinity and surface roughness of the films decreases with increase in indium doping content likely as a result of the formation of smaller grain size, which is clearly displayed in AFM images. Typical optical transmittance values in the order of (80%) were obtained for all films. The lowest resistivity value of 0.045 Ω-m was obtained for film with 5% indium doping.     

Crystalline alumina films prepared by nebulized spray pyrolysis

Crystalline alumina films have been successfully deposited on Si(100) and amorphous silica substrates by the nebulized spray pyrolysis technique. The surface morphology of the films has been studied by various microscopic techniques. The films exhibit satisfactory microhardness and frequency independent capacitance.     

Zinc oxide thin films by the spray pyrolysis method

Undoped and In-doped ZnO thin films have been prepared on glass substrates from solutions of Zn(CH₃CO₂)₂2H₂O in a mixture of deionized water and isopropyl alcohol by spray pyrolysis. Their optical, morphological and structural qualities have been studied and the effect of the preparation conditions discussed. It was shown that the main factors determining the parameters of ZnO films are the growth temperature and the indium concentration. The growth temperatures of 625–675 K, indium doping levels of 1–1.5 at.% and precursor concentrations of 0.1–0.2 mol 1⁻¹ are preferable to achieve ZnO films with optical and structural qualities as required for solar cell applications.     

Influence of substrate temperature on ultraviolet emission of ZnO films prepared by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis

ZnO films were deposited on MgO substrates (ZnO/MgO) by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis. Substrate temperature varied from 200 to 350°C. The crystallographic properties and surface morphologies of the ZnO/MgO films were studied by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The properties of photoluminescence (PL) for the films were investigated by dependence of PL spectra on the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature. Ultraviolet (UV) emission peak (3.37 eV) was dominantly detected at 18 K, which sustained at 300 K with a reduced value of the peak energy. The ZnO/MgO films prepared at 350°C showed the strongest UV emission peak at 18 and 300 K among the films in this study.     

喷雾热分解法制备SnO2·F薄膜与导电性能研究

以SnCl4·5H2O和NH4F为原料,采用喷雾热分解的方法在片状日用玻璃基材和石英玻璃基材上制得了掺氟氧化锡透明导电薄膜.采用X射线衍射仪(XRD)和扫描电镜(SEM)分别对薄膜的内部结构和表面形貌进行了表征.研究了F-的掺杂量、喷涂温度、沉积时间和热处理对薄膜方阻R□的影响.实验结果表明,当[NH4F]/[SnCl4·5H2O]=32wt%、成膜温度为450℃、喷涂时间为15s时,可使所得薄膜的方阻R□达最低,为10Ω/□.     

Modification of the properties of tin sulfide films grown by spray pyrolysis

n-Type SnS and SnS₂ sulfide films up to 0.6 μm in thickness, with resistivity in the range 2 ≤ ρ ≤ 17 kΩ cm have been grown by spray pyrolysis of aqueous solutions of the SnCl2 ? 2H₂O, SnCl₄ ? 5H₂O, and (NH₂)₂CS salts at substrate temperatures in the range 523 ≤ T_s ≤ 623 K. At constant thermal conditions of sulfide film growth, varying the chemical composition of the solutions for spray pyrolysis makes it possible to obtain films with substantially different optical properties. Undoped SnS and SnS₂ have high transmittance, T ≈ 40–70%, and a sharp intrinsic absorption edge. The optical band gap of the SnS and SnS₂ sulfide films has been shown to depend on film growth conditions.     

超声喷雾热解法制备ZnO薄膜及性能研究

以醋酸锌水溶液为前驱体溶液,使用自制的超声喷雾热解系统在玻璃基板上制备得到了ZnO薄膜.经X射线衍射(XRD),扫描电镜(SEM)分析得到ZnO薄膜的晶体结构和微观形貌.测试结果表明,ZnO薄膜为六角纤锌矿结构,在450～500℃下制备的薄膜显示出良好的结晶性能,并且沿(002)晶面择优取向生长,薄膜具有优良的均匀性和致密性.同时,制备得到的薄膜在可见光区也表现出80%以上的高透过率.     

Ag diffusion in ZnS thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis

ZnS thin films were deposited by spray pyrolysis method on glass substrates. Diffusion of Ag in ZnS thin films was performed in the temperature range 80-400 °C under a nitrogen atmosphere. The diffusion of Ag is determined with XRF, and the obtained concentration profile allows to calculate the diffusion coefficient. The temperature dependence of Ag diffusion coefficient is determined by the equation D = 8 × 10^− 9 exp(− 0.10 eV / kT). It was found that the as-grown undoped high resistive n-type ZnS thin films were converted to the p-type upon Ag doping with a slight increase in resistivity only by rapid thermal annealing at 400 °C in N₂ atmosphere. In addition, the band gap of the p-type film was decreased as compared with the undoped sample annealed under the same conditions. The results were attributed to the migration of Ag atoms in polycrystalline ZnS films by means of both along intergrain surfaces and intragrain accompanied by interaction with native point defect.