Corrosion behavior of TiN, TiAlN, TiAlSiN thin films deposited on tool steel in the 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution

TiN, TiAlN and TiAlSiN hard coatings were deposited onto AISI H13 tool steel by cathodic arc plasma method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed that incorporation of Al and Si into TiN led to refinement of microstructure. From the results of potentiodynamic polarization test and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) test conducted in an aerated 3.5% NaCl solution, the TiAlSiN film showed the best corrosion resistance with the lowest corrosion current density and porosity, the highest protective efficiency and total resistance (pore resistance plus charge transfer resistance).     

Evaluation of microstructures and mechanical properties of diamond like carbon films deposited by filtered cathodic arc plasma

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were deposited by a cathodic arc plasma evaporation (CAPD) process, using a mechanical shield filter combined with a magnetic filter with enhanced arc structure at substrate-bias voltage ranging from − 50 to − 300 V. The film characteristics were investigated using Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The mechanical properties were investigated by using a nanoindentation tester, scratch test and ball on disc wear test. The Raman spectra of the films showed that the wavenumber ranging from 900 to 1800 cm^− 1 could be deconvoluted into 1140 cm^− 1, D band and G band. The bias caused a significant effect on the sp³ content which was increased with the decreasing of I_D/I_G ratio. The XPS spectra data of the films which were etched by H⁺ plasma indicated the sp³ content are higher than those of the as-deposited DLC films. This implied that there is a sp²-rich layer present on the surface of the as-deposited DLC films. The nanoindentation hardness increased as the maximum load increased. A 380 nm thick and well adhered DLC film was successfully deposited on WC-Co substrate above a Ti interlayer. The adhesion critical load of the DLC films was about 33 N. The results of the wear tests demonstrated that the friction coefficient of the DLC films was between 0.12 and 0.2.     

Preparation and characterization of pulsed laser deposited CdTe thin films at higher FTO substrate temperature and in Ar + O2 atmosphere

Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is one of the promising techniques for depositing cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin films. It has been reported that PLD CdTe thin films were almost deposited at the lower substrate temperatures (<300 °C) under vacuum conditions. However, the poor crystallinity of CdTe films prepared in this way renders them not conducive to the preparation of high-efficiency CdTe solar cells. To obtain high-efficiency solar cell devices, better crystallinity and more suitable grain size are needed, which requires the CdTe layer to be deposited by PLD at high substrate temperatures (>400 °C). In this paper, CdTe layers were deposited by PLD (KrF, λ = 248 nm, 10 Hz) at different higher substrate temperatures (T_s). Excellent performance of CdTe films was achieved at higher substrate temperatures (400 °C, 550 °C) under an atmosphere of Ar mixed with O₂ (1.2 Torr). X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of CdTe cubic phase with a strong (1 0 0) preferential orientation at all substrates temperatures on 60 mJ laser energy. The optical properties of CdTe were investigated, and the band gaps of CdTe films were 1.51 eV and 1.49 eV at substrate temperatures of 400 °C and 550 °C, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed an average grain size of 0.3–0.6 μm. Thus, under these conditions of the atmosphere of Ar + O₂ (15 Torr) and at the relatively high T_s (500 °C), an thin-film (FTO/PLD-CdS (100 nm)/PLD-CdTe (~1.5 μm)/HgTe: Cu/Ag) solar cell with an efficiency of 6.68% was fabricated.     

沉积气压对电弧离子镀制备MgO薄膜的结构及性能的影响

采用阴极真空电弧离子沉积技术在玻璃及Si衬底上成功地制备了具有择优结晶取向的透明MgO薄膜。利用X射线衍射仪（XRD）、扫描电子显微镜（SEM）及紫外-可见吸收光谱仪分别对MgO薄膜微观结构、表面形貌及可见光透过率进行了测试与分析。XRD结果表明,所制备的MgO薄膜具有NaCl型立方结构的（100）、（110）和（111）3种结晶取向,在沉积气压为0.7～3.0Pa的范围内,薄膜的择优结晶取向随沉积气压的升高先由（100）转变为（110）,最后变为（111）。SEM图表明随着沉积气压的升高,MgO薄膜的晶粒逐渐变小,薄膜结晶质量变差。在380～900nm范围内,沉积气压为0.7Pa下制备的MgO薄膜其可见光透过率高于90%,随着沉积气压的升高,薄膜的可见光透过率有所下降。     

沉积气压对电弧离子镀制备ZnO薄膜的结构和性能影响

采用阴极真空电弧离子镀技术在玻璃衬底上制备出了具有择优取向的透明ZnO薄膜. 利用X射线衍射仪、扫描电子显微镜及紫外-可见吸收光谱仪分别对ZnO薄膜的结构、表面形貌及可见光透过率进行了分析.XRD结果表明,所制备的ZnO薄膜具有六角纤锌矿结构的(002)和(101)两种取向,在沉积气压＞1.0Pa时所制备的ZnO薄膜具有(002)择优取向,并且非常稳定.SEM图表明,ZnO晶粒大小较为均匀,晶粒尺寸随着气压升高而变小.在400～1000nm范围内,ZnO薄膜的可见光透过率超过80%,吸收边在370nm附近,所对应的光学带隙约为3.33～3.40eV,并随着沉积气压上升而变大.     

Chemically deposited thin films of PbSe as an absorber component in solar cell structures

PbSe thin films were prepared by chemical deposition using dimethylselenourea as a source of selenide ions. Depending on the duration (30 min to 4 h) and temperature (30-60 °C) of the deposition, and the substrate, the films show a high degree of preferred orientation for the (111) planes. The texture coefficients could be up to 5 for these planes. The crystallite diameters are in the 30-35 nm range, and optical bad gap, 0.4-0.7 eV. The electrical conductivity is p-type, 0.01-10 (Ω cm)^− 1. These films were deposited over CdS/Sb₂S₃ or CdS/Sb₂Se₃ solar cell structures as an additional absorber. In a CdS/Sb₂Se₃/PbSe cell, this addition increases the short circuit current density (J_sc) from 0.2 mA/cm² to 8.9 mA/cm² and conversion efficiency (η) from 0.04% to 0.99%. In a CdS/Sb₂S₃/PbSe cell, J_sc is 5.91 mA/cm²; η, 0.98%; and open circuit voltage, 560 mV.     

Transparent conducting ZnO thin films deposited by vacuum arc plasma evaporation

A high rate deposition of co-doped ZnO:Ga,F and ZnO-In₂O₃ multicomponent oxide thin films on large area substrates has been attained by a vacuum arc plasma evaporation method using oxide fragments as a low-cost source material. Highly transparent and conductive ZnO:Ga,F and ZnO-In₂O₃ thin films were prepared on low temperature substrates at a deposition rate of approximately 375 nm/min with a cathode plasma power of 10 kW. A resistivity of 4.5×10⁻⁴ Ω cm was obtained in ZnO:Ga,F films deposited at 100 °C using ZnO fragments co-doped with 1 wt.% ZnF₂ and 1 wt.% Ga₂O₃ as the source material. In addition, the stability in acid solution of ZnO films was improved by co-doping. It was found that the Zn/(In+Zn) atomic ratio in the deposited ZnO-In₂O₃ thin films was approximately the same as that in the fragments used. The ZnO-In₂O₃ thin films with a Zn/(In+Zn) atomic ratio of approximately 10-30 at.% deposited on substrates at 100 °C exhibited an amorphous and smooth surface as well as a low resistivity of 3-4×10⁻⁴ Ω cm.     

Homoepitaxial MgxZn1 − xO (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.22) thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition

Homoepitaxial MgZnO thin films were grown from PLD targets with 1, 2, 4, and 10 wt.% MgO content on ZnO-buffered ZnO(001) substrates. The resulting Mg content of the films was determined from the blue-shift of the excitonic peak in low-temperature photoluminescence spectra. With increasing Mg content a considerable increase of film mosaicity was observed from HR-XRD (002) rocking curves. Triple-axis reciprocal space maps of symmetric (002) and asymmetric (104) reflections show the structural development in terms of tilt and perpendicular and parallel strain. For more than 1% Mg the films exhibit increasing tensile out-of-plane strain. Very high electron mobilities of 200 cm²/Vs at 300 K and 900 cm²/Vs at 65 K were measured in the homoepitaxial MgZnO/ZnO thin films with free electron concentrations around 10¹⁸ and 10¹⁷ cm^− 3, respectively. The homoepitaxial ZnO template film deposited from a melt-grown ZnO single crystal as PLD target shows two orders of magnitude lower carrier concentration due to high compensation.     

Effect of spatial relationship between arc plasma and substrate on the properties of transparent conducting Ga-doped ZnO thin films prepared by vacuum arc plasma evaporation

The effect of the spatial relationship between the arc plasma flow and the substrate surface on the resulting film thickness and electrical properties is investigated in transparent conducting Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) thin films deposited by a vacuum arc plasma evaporation (VAPE) method. It was found that the resulting electrical properties of GZO thin films produced by a VAPE deposition on a fixed substrate were considerably dependent on both the film thickness and the location on the substrate surface, extending from the area nearest the arc plasma source to that at the opposite end of the substrate in a direction parallel to the arc plasma flow; with GZO thin films deposited with various thicknesses in the range from 20 to 200 nm, the films exhibited a thickness dependence of resistivity that was considerably affected by the location on the substrate surface. The variation of resistivity relative to the location on the substrate surface was related to that of carrier concentration, which is mainly attributed to the distribution of the amount of oxygen reaching the substrate surface. In GZO thin films deposited with a thickness of 30-40 nm at a substrate temperature of 250 °C, a resistivity as low as 4 × 10^− 4 Ω cm was obtained in the area of the substrate nearest the arc plasma source.     

Nano-crystalline CVD diamond films deposited on cemented carbide using high current extended DC arc plasma process

Nano-crystalline diamond (NCD) films have been grown on cemented carbide substrates by high current extended DC arc plasma process using Ar/H₂/CH₄ gas mixture at low gas pressure. The plain view and cross section of films are characterized with scanning electron microscopy. A uniform and smooth surface morphology of NCD thin films is observed. Raman spectroscopy has been used to investigate purity of the NCD films. Experimental results on the synthesis and characterization of the NCD films on cemented carbide substrates are discussed in this article.     

Characterisation of thin film silicon films deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition at 162 MHz, using a large area, scalable, multi-tile-electrode plasma source

Large area (600 × 720 mm) depositions of hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) have been achieved at high deposition rates using a scalable, multi-tile electrode topology. Depositions have shown local results of μc-Si:H deposited with SiH₄ concentrations of up to 20% and at rates of up to 15 Å/s. Of particular interest for this electrode topology is the material across the inter-tile gap. Here we present measurements of the deposition uniformity across the inter-tile gap as well as the material characteristics of the layers. The behaviour of the crystalline fraction, χ_c is observed using Raman spectroscopy, x-ray diffractometry, and dark/light conductivity measurements. A qualitative interpretation of these results is presented, relating them to depletion of SiH₄ in the plasma.     

Effect of the variation of temperature on the structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films prepared on Si (1 1 1) substrates using PLD

ZnO thin films were prepared on Si (1 1 1) substrates at various temperatures from 250 to 700 °C using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique in order to investigate the structural and optical properties of the films. The structural and morphological properties of the films were investigated by XRD and SEM measurements, respectively. The quality of the films was improved with the increase of the temperature. By XRD patterns, the FWHMs of the (0 0 2) peaks of the ZnO films became narrower when the temperatures were above 500 °C. The FWHMs of the peaks of (0 0 2) of the films were as narrow as about 0.19° when films were grown at 650 and 700 °C. This indicates the superior crystallinity of the films. The optical properties of the films were studied by photoluminescence spectra using a 325 nm He-Cd laser. The two strongest UV peaks were found at 377.9 nm from ZnO films grown at 650 and 700 °C. This result is consistent with that of the XRD investigation. Broad bands in visible region from 450 to 550 nm were also observed. Our works suggest that UV emissions have close relations with not only the crystallinity but also the stoichiometry of the ZnO films.     

Properties of SnO2 films fabricated using a rectangular filtered vacuum arc plasma source

Transparent and conducting SnO₂ films of 57–200nm thickness were deposited on microscope glass slide substrates, using a rectangular filtered vacuum arc deposition system. The 40 glass slides were equally distributed on a 400 × 420mm substrate carriage, and were exposed to a Sn plasma beam, produced by a rectangular vacuum arc plasma gun with a Sn cathode, and passed through a rectangular magnetic macroparticle filter towards the substrates. The carriage with the substrates was transported past the 94 × 494mm filter outlet. The SnO₂ films were fabricated on the glass substrates at room temperature by maintaining the chamber oxygen background pressure at 0.52Pa. The film composition, and electrical and optical properties were studied as a function of the film thickness. The films were stored under ambient air conditions, and their electrical resistance was measured as a function of storage time over a period of several months.

The average resistivity of films was 10–17mΩ cm for films with thickness (t) less than 100nm, but that of t > 100nm it was 5–9mΩ cm. The resistivity of the films with t > 100nm did not change significantly after 8months of storage in ambient air. The optical transmittance of the films in the visible spectrum was in the range of 75–90%. The optical constants, i.e., the refractive index and the extinction coefficient of the films at wavelength λ = 550nm were in the range of 2.02–2.09 and 0.013–0.023, respectively, and the optical band gap energy was 4.15–4.21eV. Unlike the electrical resistivity, the optical parameters weakly depended on t.     

Effect of deposition process parameters on resistivity of metal and alloy films deposited using anodic vacuum arc technique

Thin solid films of copper, aluminum and nichrome have been deposited on glass substrates with thickness ranging from 20 nm to 200 nm, using the anodic vacuum arc deposition technique. Electrical resistivity and average grain size of deposited thin films have been measured and their dependence on the deposition process parameters has been investigated. Thickness dependence of resistivity has also been compared with numerically generated results using Fuchs-Sondheimer theory and Mayadas-Shatzkes theory which has been found to be in good agreement for film thickness greater than 80 nm. The resistivity values of Cu, Al and NiCr has been found to take a minimum value (approaching that of corresponding bulk material) of 80 A arc current and a substrate bias of around − 50 V.     

Leakage current characteristics of Bi3.15Nd0.85Ti3 − xZrxO12 thin films

Thin films of Bi_3.15Nd_0.85Ti₃O₁₂ (BNT) and Bi_3.15Nd_0.85Ti_3 − xZr_xO₁₂ (BNTZ_x, x = 0.1 and 0.2) were fabricated on Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si(100) substrates by a chemical solution deposition (CSD) technique at 700 °C. Structures, surface morphologies, leakage current characteristics and Curie temperature of the films were studied as a function of Zr ion content by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, ferroelectric test system and thermal analysis, respectively. Experimental results indicate that Zr ion substitution in the BNT film markedly decreases the leakage current of the film, while almost not changing the Curie temperature of the film, which is at about 420-460 °C. The decrease of the leakage current in BNTZ_x films is that the conduction by the electron hopping between Ti⁴⁺ and Ti³⁺ ions is depressed because Zr⁴⁺ ions can block the path between two adjacent Ti ions and enlarge hopping distance.     

基底温度复合控制对化学气相沉积纳米金刚石薄膜的影响

采用自主研制的具有基底温度开-闭环复合自动控制系统的直流弧光放电PCVD设备,当开环流量不同时,在硬质合金基体表面分别进行了纳米金刚石薄膜制备研究。并采用SEM、XRD、激光Raman光谱仪对所制备薄膜的形貌、物相和品质进行了分析。研究结果表明,当开环流量从10→5→15→20mL/min变化时,所制备纳米金刚石薄膜的表面粗糙度及石墨成分会随之增加,金刚石晶粒转变为以(110)面生长为主,且尺寸增大;并加剧了硬质合金基体中Co相粘结剂向基体表面的扩散。温控中基底温度的波动(稳定性)是影响纳米金刚石薄膜生长性能的主要原因。     

Experimental analysis and finite element modelling of nano-scratch test applied on 40-120 nm SiCN thin films deposited on Cu/Si substrate

In this work, the nano-scratch test is used to characterize the interfacial adhesion of amorphous SiCN thin films deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition on Cu/Si substrates. The experimental results show that the critical load F_c is directly related to the rupture of the SiCN/Cu interface. A strong linear dependence of F_c to the SiCN thickness independently to the adhesion is also put in evidence. A three-dimensional finite element model of the test is then built. The results show a clear relation between the stresses into the coating and the cracking and buckling of the film observed experimentally. We then discuss how the interfacial tensile stresses can explain the increase of F_c with the film thickness.     

Study of GeYSi1 − Y:H films deposited by low frequency plasma

In this work, we report a study of the optical properties measured through spectral transmission and spectroscopic ellipsometry in Ge:H and Ge_YSi_1 − Y:H (Y ≈ 0.97) films deposited by low frequency (LF) PE CVD with hydrogen (H) dilution. The dilution was varied in the range of R = 20 to 80. It was observed that H-dilution influences in a different way on the interface and bulk optical properties, which also depend on incorporation of silicon. The films with low band tail characterized by its Urbach energy, E_U, and defect absorption, α_D, have been obtained in Ge:H films for R = 50 with E_U = 0.040 eV and α_D = 2 × 10³ cm^− 1 (hν ≈ 1.04 eV), and in Ge_YSi_1 − Y:H films for R=75 with E_U = 0.030 eV and α_D = 5 × 10² cm^− 1 (hν ≈ 1.04 eV).     

Investigation on etch characteristics of MgO thin films using a HBr/Ar plasma

Etch characteristics of MgO thin films were investigated using an inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etcher in a HBr/Ar plasma. As the concentration of HBr gas increased, the etch rate of MgO thin films gradually decreased, but the etch rate of Ti hard mask showed initial decrease and then increased with increasing HBr concentration. The etch profile of MgO films was improved with increasing HBr concentration and a high degree of anisotropy in etch profile was achieved at 30% HBr/Ar gas. Based on the etch characteristics and surface analysis by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, it can be concluded that the etch mechanism of MgO thin films in a HBr/Ar gas does not follow the reactive ion etch mechanism but the sputter etching mechanism with the assistance of chemical reactions on the film surfaces.     

La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 thin films on Si (1 0 0) by DC magnetron sputtering technique using nanosized powder compacted target

La_0.67Ca_0.33MnO₃ (LCMO) thin films were successfully fabricated by a DC magnetron sputtering technique on Si (1 0 0) substrates from chemically synthesized compacted powders. Powders of proper stochiometry composites were synthesized by a novel chemical technique [D.R. Sahu, B.K. Roul, P. Pramanik, J.L. Huang, Physica B 369 (2005) 209] and were found to be nanosized (≈40-50 nm). The sinterability of the powders were improved significantly due to their large surface area with a reduction of sintering temperature (up to 500 °C) as compared to the powders prepared by other solid-state reaction route. Bulk LCMO targets were prepared and preliminary structural and magnetic properties of target were investigated for colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) properties. Films deposition parameters like DC power, gas flow rate, deposition time, etc., were critically optimized to achieve desired thickness of film using above LCMO target by DC magnetron sputtering. LCMO films fabricated on Si (1 0 0) substrates showed enhanced magnetoresistance (MR) at low temperature. Maximum MR of about 1000% was observed at 100 K. Paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transitions were observed in films below room temperature and were found at approximately 240 K. However, as compared to bulk target prepared by a chemical route, it was found that Curie temperature (T_c) and MR response of bulk target were higher than the thin films. Preliminary point chemical analysis revealed the deficiency of Ca²⁺ ions in CMR films.