Current transport mechanism in CdS thin films prepared by vacuum evaporation method at substrate temperatures below room temperature

CdS thin films were deposited by vacuum deposition method at low substrate temperatures instead of the commonly used vacuum deposition at high substrate temperatures (T_S > 300 K). The effect of low substrate temperature on the current transport mechanisms in polycrystalline CdS thin films has been studied as a function of temperature over the temperature range 100-300 K. Both thermally assisted tunneling of carriers through and thermionic emission over the grain boundary potential have contributions to the conduction in the range 250-300 K for the sample prepared at 300 K substrate temperature. The dominant conduction mechanism of the samples prepared at 200 K and 100 K is determined as thermionic emission over 200 K and Mott's hopping process below 200 K. The Mott's hopping process is not applicable for the sample prepared at 300 K.     

Characterization of p-In2Se3 thin films

Indium selenide thin films were deposited onto glass substrates kept at 150 °C by thermal evaporation of -In₂Se₃. Some of the films were annealed at 150 °C and 200 °C and they all were found to exhibit p-type conductivity without intentional doping. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) established that the films have an atomic content of In₅₁Se₄₉. X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that the as-grown films were amorphous in nature and became polycrystalline -In₂Se₃ films after annealing. The analysis of conductivity temperature-dependence measurements in the range 320–100 K revealed that thermal excitation and thermionic emission of the carriers are the predominant conduction mechanisms above 200 K in the amorphous and polycrystalline samples, respectively. The carrier transport below 200 K is due to variable range hopping in all the samples. Hall measurements revealed that the mobility of the polycrystalline films is limited by the scattering of the charged carriers through the grain boundaries above 200 K. © 2001 Kluwer Academic Publishers     

In2O3 films prepared by thermal oxidation of amorphous InSe thin films

In₂O₃ thin films were prepared by the thermal oxidation of amorphous InSe films in air atmosphere. The structure, morphology and composition of the thermal annealed products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy, respectively. The XRD patterns indicate that the as-deposited InSe films were amorphous and they fully transformed into polycrystalline In₂O₃ films with a cubic crystal structure in the preferential (222) orientation at a temperature around 600 °C. The optical energy gap of 3.66 eV was determined at room temperature by transmittance and reflectance measurements using UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy. A preliminary characterization shows that these films have a promising response towards NO₂ gas at a working temperature around 180 °C.     

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.     

Structural and optical properties of nanocrystalline CdSe and Al:CdSe thin films for photoelectrochemical application

Nanocrystalline CdSe and Al:CdSe semiconductor thin films have been successfully synthesized onto amorphous and FTO glass substrates by spray pyrolysis technique. Aqueous solutions containing precursors of Cd and Se have been used to obtain good quality films. The optimized films have been characterized for their structural, morphological, wettability and optical properties. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies show that the films are polycrystalline in nature with hexagonal crystal structure. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies show that the film surface is smooth, uniform and compact in nature. Water wettability study reveals that the films are hydrophilic behavior. The formation of CdSe and Al:CdSe thin film were confirmed with the help of FTIR spectroscopy. UV–vis spectrophotometric measurement showed a direct allowed band gap lying in the range 1.673–1.87 eV. Output characteristics were studied by using cell configuration n- CdSe/Al:CdSe |1 M (NaOH + Na₂ + S)|C. An efficient solar cell having a power conversion efficiency of 0.38% at illumination 25 mW cm⁻² was fabricated.     

Annealing effects on the structural properties of IrO2 thin films

We have demonstrated the structural and morphological changes of iridium oxide (IrO₂) films by the thermal annealing process. We have characterized the samples by using the X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The Ir-related XRD peaks predominantly appeared after the thermal annealing at 750-1000 °C. SEM images revealed that the films became quite uneven in thickness by annealing at 750 °C, whereas island-like structures were found to agglomerate on substrate surfaces by annealing at 1000 °C. From EDX and XRD analysis, we suggested that the agglomerated structures mainly consisted of Ir phase.     

Indium tin oxide films deposited by thermionic-enhanced DC magnetron sputtering on unheated polyethylene terephthalate polymer substrate

Indium tin oxide thin films were deposited onto polyethylene terephthalate substrates via thermionic enhanced DC magnetron sputtering at low substrate temperatures. The structural, optical and electrical properties of these films are methodically investigated. The results show that compared with traditional sputtering, the films deposited with thermionic emission exhibit higher crystallinity, and their optical and electrical properties are also improved. Indium tin oxide films deposited by utilizing thermionic emission exhibit an average visible transmittance of 80% and an electrical resistivity of 4.5 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm, while films made without thermionic emission present an average visible transmittance of 74% and an electrical resistivity of 1.7 × 10⁻³ Ω cm.     

Effects of post-deposition surface treatment on the optical, structural and hydrogen sensing properties of TiO2 thin films

TiO₂ thin films were prepared by DC reactive magnetron sputtering in a mixture of oxygen and argon on glass and oxidized silicon substrates. The effect of post-deposition annealing (300 °C, 500 °C and 700 °C for 8 h in air) on the structural and morphological properties of TiO₂ thin films is presented. In addition, the effect of Pt surface modification (1, 3 and 5 nm) on hydrogen sensing was studied. XRD patterns have shown that in the range of annealing temperatures from 300 °C to 500 °C crystallization starts and the thin film structure changes from amorphous to polycrystalline (anatase phase). In the case of samples on glass substrate, optical transmittance spectra were recorded. TiO₂ thin films were tested as sensors of hydrogen at concentrations 10,000-1000 ppm and operating temperatures within the 180-200 °C range. The samples with 1 nm and in particular with 3 nm of Pt on the surface responded to hydrogen fast and with high sensitivity.     

The effects of substrate temperature on the structure and properties of ZnO films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

ZnO thin films were prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on glass substrates with growth temperature from room temperature (RT) to 500 °C. The effects of substrate temperature on the structural and optical properties of ZnO films have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission spectra, and RT photoluminescence (PL) measurements. The results showed that crystalline and (0 0 2)-oriented ZnO films were obtained at all substrate temperatures. As the substrate temperature increased from RT to 500 °C, the ratio of grain size in height direction to that in the lateral direction gradually decreased. The same grain size in two directions was obtained at 200 °C, and the size was smallest in all samples, which may result in maximum E_g and E₀ of the films. UV emission was observed only in the films grown at 200 °C, which is probably because the stoichiometry of ZnO films was improved at a suitable substrate temperature. It was suggested that the UV emission might be related to the stoichiometry in the ZnO film rather than the grain size of the thin film.     

Growth of crystalline HgCr2S4 thin films at mild reaction conditions

Thin films of crystalline HgCr₂S₄ have been deposited on glass substrates at low temperature as low as 65 °C using a chemical bath deposition method. Typical thickness of the deposited HgCr₂S₄ thin films was 264 nm.The films were composed of closely packed irregular grains of 165-175 nm in diameter. The X-ray diffraction analysis and the selected area electron diffraction analysis revealed the deposited thin films were polycrystalline with highly (2 2 0) preferential orientation. The films exhibit a pure faint black. Their direct band gap energy was 2.39 eV with room temperature electrical resistivity of the order of 10⁻³ Ω cm.     

Superhydrophilicity of TiO2 thin films using TiCl4 as a precursor

TiO₂ thin films on soda lime glass were prepared by the sol-gel method and spin coating process using TiCl₄ as a precursor. The AFM images indicate that the surface morphology of the films is granular with 72 nm particle size. The roughness and thickness of the films are about 3 nm and 140 nm, respectively. The XRD spectrum shows polycrystalline anatase phase without any considerable impurity phase. The UV-vis spectroscopy of the films show 80-90% transmission in the visible region. The absorption edge is at 370 nm, which corresponds to 3.3 eV energy band gap. The films have a high superhydrophilicity character after being exposed to UV illumination for about 10 min. The surfaces, which were synthesized by this method, can retain their superhydrophilicity property for at least 24 h. Our results are consistent with the idea that UV-induced wetting of TiO₂ surface is caused by the removal of hydrophobic layers of hydrocarbons by TiO₂-mediated photooxidation, which leads to the attractive interaction of water with clean TiO₂ surface. TiO₂ thin films on Si(1 1 1), Si(1 0 0), and quartz substrates need less time than glass and polycrystalline Si substrates to be converted to superhydrophilic surface.     

Hydrophilic properties of nano-TiO2 thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering

Microstructure and hydrophilicity of nano-titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films, deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering, annealed at different temperatures, were studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and water contact angle methods. It is found that the crystal phase transforms from amorphous to rutile structure with increase of annealing temperature from room temperature to 800 °C. It is also indicated that the organic contaminants on the surface of the films can be removed and the oxygen vacancies can be reduced by the annealing treatment. Annealed at the temperature below 300 °C, amorphous TiO₂ thin films show rather poor hydrophilicity, and annealed at the temperature range from 400 to 650 °C, the super hydrophilicity anatase of TiO₂ thin films can be observed. However, when the annealing temperature reaches 800 °C, the hydrophilicity of the films declines mainly derived from the appearance of rutile.     

Characterization of nanostructures of ZnO and ZnMnO films deposited by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method

ZnO and ZnMnO thin films were obtained by the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. All thin films were deposited on glass microscope slide. A precursor solution of 0.1 M of ZnCl₂ complexed with ammonium hydroxide and water close to boiling point (92 °C) as a second solution was used for the ZnO films. An uncomplexed bath comprised of 0.1 M ZnCl₂, 0.1 M MnCl_2, and a second solution of 0.1 ml of NH₄OH with water close to boiling point was used for the ZnMnO films. The film samples were deposited by the SILAR method and annealed at 200 °C for 15 min. These samples were characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), and Atomic Force Microscope. Atomic absorption was used to determine quantitatively the amount of Mn incorporated into the films. According to the XRD patterns these films were polycrystalline with wurtzite hexagonal structure. The morphology of the ZnO films constituted by rice-like and flower-like structures changed significantly to nanosheet structures with the Mn incorporation. The Mn inclusion in a ZnO structure was less than 4% according to the results from EDS, XRD, and atomic absorption.     

Structure and microwave dielectric properties of Bi1.5Zn1.0Nb1.5O7 thin films deposited on alumina substrates by pulsed laser deposition

Bi_1.5Zn_1.0Nb_1.5O₇ (BZN) thin films were deposited on polycrystalline alumina substrates by pulsed laser deposition at different substrate temperatures. The phase structure and surface morphology were characterized using X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and atomic force microscopy. Microwave dielectric properties were performed using split-post dielectric resonator method at spot frequencies of 10, 15 and 19 GHz, respectively. The XRD results indicate that the as-deposited Bi_1.5Zn_1.0Nb_1.5O₇ thin films deposited at 650 °C are amorphous in nature. The dielectric permittivity and loss tangent of the amorphous BZN thin films are 75.5 and 0.013 at 10 GHz, respectively. As the measure frequency increased to 19 GHz, the dielectric permittivity slightly decreases and loss tangent slightly increases. BZN thin films were crystallized after the post-annealing by a rapid thermal annealing in air for 30 min. The crystallized BZN thin films exhibit the excellent dielectric properties and frequency responses. The dielectric permittivity and loss tangent of the crystallized BZN thin films are 154 and 0.038 at 10 GHz, respectively.     

Effect of temperature on structural, optical and photoluminescence properties of antimony (Sb) doped polycrystalline CuInS2 thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis

Copper indium disulphide (CuInS₂) is an absorber material for solar cell and photovoltaic applications. By suitably doping CuInS₂ thin films with dopants such as Zn, Cd, Na, Bi, Sn, N, P and As its structural, optical, photoluminescence properties and electrical conductivities could be controlled and modified. In this work, Sb (0.01 mole (M)) doped CuInS₂ thin films are grown in the temperature range 300-400 °C on heated glass substrates. It is observed that the film growth temperature, the ion ratio (Cu/In = 1.25) and Sb-doping affects the structural, optical and photoluminescence properties of sprayed CuInS₂ films.The XRD patterns confirm that the Sb-doping suppresses the growth of CuInS₂ polycrystalline thin films along (1 1 2) preferred plane and in other characteristic planes. The EDAX results confirm the presence of Cu, In, S and Sb. About 60% of light transmission occurs in the wavelength range 350-1100 nm. The absorption coefficient (α) is found to be in the order of 10⁵ cm⁻¹. The band gap energy increases as the temperature increases from 300-400 °C (1.35-1.40 eV). SEM photographs depict that large sized crystals of Sb-doped CuInS₂ (1 μm) are formed on the surface of the films. Well defined sharp blue and green band emissions are exhibited by Sb-doped CuInS₂ thin films. Defects-related photoluminescence emissions are discussed. These Sb-doped CuInS₂ thin films are prepared by the cost effective method of spray pyrolysis from the aqueous solutions of CuCl₂, InCl₃, SC(NH₂)₂ and SbCl₃ on heated glass substrates.     

Optical and microstructural properties of p-type SrCu2O2: First principles modeling and experimental studies

In this paper, we report first principles calculations and experimental studies of the optical and microstructural properties of both bulk and thin films of SrCu₂O₂. Polycrystalline SrCu₂O₂ films were grown by a conventional Pulsed Laser Deposition method in a flowing oxygen environment on corning glass 7059 and silicon substrates. Several characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform IR (FTIR), Raman, spectroscopic ellipsometry, reflectance/transmission spectrophotometry and Atomic Force Microscopy have been used for the investigation of the microstructural and vibrational properties of both bulk and thin films of SrCu₂O₂.XRD shows that bulk SrCu₂O₂ is polycrystalline and assumes the pure tetragonal phase of SrCu₂O₂. The vibrational properties of the tetragonal phase of SrCu₂O₂ have been inferred from Raman and FTIR spectroscopies and for the first time both Raman and IR active modes have been assigned. The bulk polycrystalline SrCu₂O₂ optical band gap determined from spectroscopic ellipsometry was 3.34 ± 0.01 eV. XRD results confirmed that pure non-textured polycrystalline phase SrCu₂O₂ thin films with a smooth surface can be grown by PLD at low temperature (300 °C).     

Fabrication of highly conductive Ta-doped SnO2 polycrystalline films on glass using seed-layer technique by pulse laser deposition

We discuss the fabrication of highly conductive Ta-doped SnO₂ (Sn_1 − xTa_xO₂; TTO) thin films on glass by pulse laser deposition. On the basis of the comparison of X-ray diffraction patterns and resistivity (ρ) values between epitaxial films and polycrystalline films deposited on bare glass, we proposed the use of seed-layers for improving the conductivity of the TTO polycrystalline films. We investigated the use of rutile TiO₂ and NbO₂ as seed-layers; these are isostructural materials of SnO_2, which are expected to promote epitaxial-like growth of the TTO films. The films prepared on the 10-nm-thick seed-layers exhibited preferential growth of the TTO (110) plane. The TTO film with x = 0.05 on rutile TiO₂ exhibited ρ  = 3.5 × 10^− 4 Ω cm, which is similar to those of the epitaxial films grown on Al₂O₃ (0001).     

Structural and optical characterization of CuInSe2 films deposited by hot wall vacuum evaporation method

Copper indium diselenide (CuInSe₂) compound was prepared by direct reaction of high-purity elemental copper, indium and selenium. CuInSe₂ thin films were deposited onto well-cleaned glass substrates by a hot wall deposition technique using quartz tubes of different lengths (0.05, 0.07, 0.09, 0.11 and 0.13 m). X-ray diffraction studies revealed that all the deposited films are polycrystalline in nature and exhibit chalcopyrite structure. The crystallites were found to have a preferred orientation along the (1 1 2) direction. Micro-structural parameters of the films such as grain size, dislocation density, tetragonal distortion and strain have been determined. The grain sizes in the films were in the range of 65-250 nm. As the tube length increases up to 0.11 m the grain size in the deposited films increases, but the strain decreases. The film deposited using the 0.13 m long tube has smaller grain size and more strain. CuInSe₂ thin films coated using a tube length of 0.11 m were found to be highly crystalline when compared to the films coated using other tube lengths; it has also been found that films possess the same composition (Cu/In=1.015) as that of the bulk. Scanning electron microscope analysis indicates that the films are polycrystalline in nature. Structural parameters of CuInSe₂ thin films deposited under higher substrate temperatures were also studied and the results are discussed. The optical absorption coefficient of CuInSe₂ thin films has been estimated as 10⁴ cm⁻¹ (around 1050 nm). The direct band gap of CuInSe₂ thin films was also determined to be between 1.018 and 0.998 eV.     

Enhanced tunable dielectric properties of Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3/Bi1.5Zn1.0Nb1.5O7 multilayer thin films by a sol-gel process

Ba_0.5Sr_0.5TiO₃(BST)/Bi_1.5Zn_1.0Nb_1.5O₇(BZN) multilayer thin films were prepared on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by a sol-gel method. The structures and morphologies of BST/BZN multilayer thin films were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscope. The XRD results showed that the perovskite BST and the cubic pyrochlore BZN phases can be observed in the multilayer thin films annealed at 700 °C and 750 °C. The surface of the multilayer thin films annealed at 750 °C was smooth and crack-free. The BST/BZN multilayer thin films annealed at 750 °C exhibited a medium dielectric constant of around 147, a low loss tangent of 0.0034, and a relative tunability of 12% measured with dc bias field of 580 kV/cm at 10 kHz.     

Microstructure and thermoelectric properties of p-type Bi-Sb-Te-Se thin films prepared by electrodeposition method

P-type Bi-Sb-Te-Se thermoelectric thin films with thickness of 8 μm have been prepared by cathodic electrodeposition technique on Au substrate from nitric acid solution system at room temperature. Cyclic voltammetry was used for determination of the deposition potentials of the thin films. In order to enhance the crystallinity, as well as the thermoelectric properties of the deposited films, they were annealed at 523 K for 2 h under nitrogen atmospheric pressure condition. X-ray diffraction (XRD), environmental scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were employed to characterize the thin films. Seebeck coefficients and resistivities of the films were also evaluated. The results revealed that Bi, Sb, Te and Se could be co-deposited to form Bi-Sb-Te-Se semiconductor compound in the solution containing Bi^III, Sb^III, Te^IV and Se^IV and the compositions of the films were sensitive to the electrodepositing potentials. The XRD results suggested that the crystal structure of the thin films were changed from amorphous state to polycrystalline after annealing. The EDS data indicated that the composition of the films was consistent with XRD results. The annealed Bi-Sb-Te-Se thin films exhibited the Seebeck coefficients of 116-133 μV/K and a maximum power factor of 0.62 mW·K^− 2·m^− 1.