A single target RF magnetron co-sputtered iron doped tin oxide films with pillars

The SnO₂ gas sensors and catalytic surfaces are produced by different techniques with a wide range of dopants improving their selectivity and sensitivities. The surface topology is important because the active surface area can be enlarged dramatically by employing nanostructures. Many reported techniques for the tin oxide nanostructures preparation require fine powders or liquid precursors together with high temperatures above 500 °C. But the nanostructures can be formed by the RF off-axis magnetron sputtering technique at room temperature from a bulk target. The single target co-sputtering of SnO₂ target with Fe inset was used to deposit SnO₂ film doped by iron.The 400 nm diameter pillars were successfully deposited in controllable density on polished Si substrates at low pressure 0.3 Pa of argon and oxygen gas mixture. The pillars were not formatted at the beginning of deposition process but certain SnO₂ film was required. The surface around the pillars was flat without any significant texture.The iron in form of the iron oxide was found to be the doping in deposited coatings when the stannic oxide was sub-stoichiometry with oxygen vacancies.     

Size-controlled synthesis and gas sensing application of tungsten oxide nanostructures produced by arc discharge

Several different synthetic methods have been developed to fabricate tungsten oxide (WO(3)) nanostructures, but most of them require exotic reagents or are unsuitable for mass production. In this paper, we present a systematic investigation demonstrating that arc discharge is a fast and inexpensive synthesis method which can be used to produce high quality tungsten oxide nanostructures for NO(2) gas sensing measurements. The as-synthesized WO(3) nanostructures are characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), finger-print Raman spectroscopy and proton induced x-ray emission (PIXE). The analysis shows that spheroidal-shaped monoclinic WO(3) crystal nanostructures were produced with an average diameter of 30?nm (range 10-100?nm) at an arc discharge current of 110?A and 300?Torr oxygen partial pressure. It is found that the morphology is controlled by the arc discharge parameters of current and oxygen partial pressure, e.g.?a high arc discharge current combined with a low oxygen partial pressure results in small WO(3) nanostructures with improved conductivity. Sensors produced from the WO(3) nanostructures show a strong response to NO(2) gas at 325?°C. The ability to tune the morphology of the WO(3) nanostructures makes this method ideal for the fabrication of gas sensing materials.     

Growth and characterization of AP-MOCVD iron doped titanium dioxide thin films

Atmospheric pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition (AP-MOCVD) was used to prepare iron doped titanium dioxide thin films. Thin films, between 40 and 150 nm thick, were deposited on Si, SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ substrates using titanium tetra isopropoxide and ferrocene as metal organic precursors. TiO₂ iron doping was achieved in the range of 1–4 at.%. The film morphology and thickness, polycrystalline texture and doping content were studied using respectively scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The influence of growth temperature, deposition time, substrate type and dopant partial pressure were studied. Electrical characterizations of the films were also performed.     

Elaboration and characterization of Fe1-xO thin films sputter deposited from magnetite target

Majority of the authors report elaboration of iron oxide thin films by reactive magnetron sputtering from an iron target with Ar-O₂ gas mixture. Instead of using the reactive sputtering of a metallic target we report here the preparation of Fe_1-xO thin films, directly sputtered from a magnetite target in a pure argon gas flow with a bias power applied. This oxide is generally obtained at very low partial oxygen pressure and high temperature. We showed that bias sputtering which can be controlled very easily can lead to reducing conditions during deposition of oxide thin film on simple glass substrates. The proportion of wustite was directly adjusted by modifying the power of the substrate polarization. Atomic force microscopy was used to observe these nanostructured layers. Mössbauer measurements and electrical properties versus bias polarization and annealing temperature are also reported.     

无催化β-Ga2O3纳米棒的可控制备

由于氧化镓(Ga₂O₃)纳米棒具有独特的物理和化学性质,在纳米光电子器件等领域具有广泛的应用前景,因此氧化镓纳米棒的可控制备具有十分重要的意义。本文采用化学气相沉积(CVD)的方法,在无催化条件下,在硅Si(100)衬底上成功生长出β-Ga₂O₃纳米棒。通过X射线衍射仪、场发射扫描电子显微镜等表征,发现氧化镓纳米棒按照气-固(V-S)机制生长,当生长温度从850℃升高到950℃时,纳米棒的密度、直径和长度增加,纳米棒的形貌从杂乱无序的随机生长转变为沿衬底垂直且具有不同夹角方向生长。结果表明,反应温度和氧气浓度决定了氧化镓纳米棒的形貌和尺寸,通过控制温度和氧气浓度能够有效调控氧化镓纳米棒的形貌和光学性能。     

Reactive oxygen plasma-enabled synthesis of nanostructured CdO: tailoring nanostructures through plasma-surface interactions

Plasma-assisted synthesis of nanostructures is one of the most precise and effective approaches used in nanodevice fabrication. Here we report on the innovative approach of synthesizing nanostructured cadmium oxide films on Cd substrates using a reactive oxygen plasma-based process. Under certain conditions, the surface morphology features arrays of crystalline CdO nano/micropyramids. These nanostructures grow via unconventional plasma-assisted oxidation of a cadmium foil exposed to inductively coupled plasmas with a narrow range of process parameters. The growth of the CdO pyramidal nanostructures takes place in the solid-liquid-solid phase, with the rates determined by the interaction of plasma-produced oxygen atoms and ions with the surface. It is shown that the size of the pyramidal structures can be effectively controlled by the fluxes of oxygen atoms and ions impinging on the cadmium surface. The unique role of the reactive plasma environment in the controlled synthesis of CdO?nanopyramidal structures is discussed as well.     

Influence of the growth conditions on the stoichiometry and on the optical properties of titanium oxide thin films prepared by reactive sputtering

Titanium oxide thin films are deposited at room temperature by reactive DC sputtering onto glass and Si (100) substrates. Different conditions of deposition were varied such as sputtering power, deposition time and oxygen partial pressure to study their influence on the titanium oxide thin films growth. The absolute amount of oxygen and the relative O/Ti composition of films have been determined by Nuclear Reaction Analysis and Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy, respectively. Additionally, the band-gap was determined by measuring the optical absorption and its behavior correlated with the oxygen film content. From the present study, it is possible to establish that the optical band-gap energy depends mainly on the sputtering oxygen partial pressure used at the preparation and that films prepared with a partial oxygen pressure of 4 × 10^− 2 Pa allows titanium oxide with near stoichiometric composition. Additionally, from the optical point of view, band-gap energies of 3.4 eV are obtained for near stoichiometric films and a decrease is observed for samples prepared with higher oxygen concentrations.     

Ultrasonic-assisted preparation of monodisperse iron oxide nanoparticles

Monodisperse iron oxide nanoparticles with 5–20 nm can be synthesized by an inexpensive and simple ultrasonic-assisted method at low temperature. This is based on the decomposition of iron pentacarbonyl in cis–trans decalin. The high energy emitted by ultrasonic irradiation at a short time can promote the crystallization process simultaneously. At low temperature, these crystalline nucleuses can grow to monodisperse nanoparticles. Effects of ultrasonic treatment, the concentration of surfactant and the refluxing time on the size and size distribution of iron oxide nanoparticles were investigated. The morphology and crystal structure of iron oxide nanoparticles obtained at different conditions were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and selected area electron diffraction.     

Deposition by magnetron sputtering and characterization of indium tin oxide thin films

In this work the properties of indium tin oxide (ITO) films deposed on glass substrates by magnetron sputtering technique in the temperature range below 200 °C are studied by various methods. The physical properties of ITO thin films have been investigated using optical transmittance, photoluminescence, atomic force microscopy, ellipsometry, Hall-effect and four point probe methods. It is established that properties of ITO layers depend drastically on the temperature and oxygen partial pressure during the deposition process and exhibit some peculiarities of the surface morphology. It is found that the band gap energy of this material varies in the energy range from 4.1 to 4.4 eV and depends on the growth conditions. It is suggested that local deviations from the stoichiometry and defects are the main physical reasons of Burstein-Moss shift of the optical band gap.     

Preparation and characterization of CuO nanostructures on copper substrate as selective solar absorbers

Selective solar absorber coatings of copper oxide (CuO) on copper substrates are prepared by room temperature oxidation of copper at different alkaline conditions. The surface morphology and structural analyses of the CuO coatings are carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and Raman spectroscopy techniques. XRD and Raman studies indicated the single phase nature and high crystallinity of the prepared CuO nanostructures. Different CuO nanostructures, viz., nanoneedles, nanofibers and nanoparticles are formed at different alkaline conditions. The influence of reaction time on morphology of the CuO nanostructures is also studied. The thermal emittance values of these nanostructured CuO samples are found to be in the range of 6–7% and their solar absorptances are ranged between 84 and 90%. The observed high solar selectivity values (>12.7) suggest that these coatings can be used as selective absorbers in solar thermal gadgets.     

Investigation of substrate influence on tin dioxide nanostructures synthesized using horizontal furnace

SnO2 nanostructures were directly synthesised by chemical vapour transport on different substrates in a horizontal furnace. The influence of substrate on the morphology of these nanostructures was investigated by changing the substrate type, coating, and temperature. The SnO2 nanowires and nanorods were one dimensional (1D) structures with widths and lengths of 50-200 nm and several micrometers respectively. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show formation of short nanorods with lengths of less than 1 microm on indium-tin oxide (ITO) substrates. The effect of substrate temperature on growth was studied. SnO2 nanowires were obtained using silicon substrate, and the effect of Au coating on the size and morphology of these structures was proposed. By coating the Si wafer with a thin layer of Au, the size of the nanostructure was reduced and the length increased. The differences in size and morphology are shown by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra show tetragonal structures for both substrates.     

Continuous-flow laser synthesis of large quantities of iron oxide nanowires in solution

Large quantities of iron oxide nanowires are rapidly synthesized at room temperature by pulsed-laser (248?nm) ablation of iron powder under methanol. By introducing a stream of methanol, a continuous flow of nanoscale products is collected. Through control of the flow rate, and hence the residence time of the products within the growth vessel, their morphology can be controlled. At high collection rates a lamellate 'nanobelt' morphology is observed, whereas at low collection rates nanowires dominate. Chemical and structural characterization suggests that the as-synthesized products have the stoichiometry of the goethite [FeO(OH)] phase. Annealing at temperatures above 400?°C crystallizes the products as hematite (α-Fe(2)O(3)).     

Characterization of crystalline structure and morphology of NiO thin films

We investigated the relation of sputtering powers with structural and morphological properties of nickel oxide (NiO) thin films. NiO thin films were fabricated by using an rf-reactive sputtering method on Si(100) substrates with a Ni target in a partial pressure of oxygen and argon. The films were deposited by various rf-sputtering powers from 100 to 200 W at room temperature. The phases and crystalline structures of the deposited films were investigated by using grazing incident X-ray diffraction (XRD). The thickness and surface morphology of the films were investigated by using a field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The different sputtering conditions drastically affected the crystallinity and the surface morphology of NiO thin films. A combined analysis of the data obtained from X-ray diffraction and SEM images demonstrates that the preferred orientation of NiO films tends to grow from (111) to (200) direction as increasing the sputtering power, which can be explained by in terms of the surface energy along the indexing plane in an fcc structure. As increasing the rf power, lattice constants decreased from 4.26 to 4.20 angstroms and samples became high-quality crystals. Under our experimental condition, NiO films prepared at 150 W with 20% partial pressure of oxygen and 7 cm distance from the sample to the target show the best quality of the crystal.     

氧分压对磁控溅射ZnO薄膜生长行为和光学特性的影响

采用反应射频磁控溅射方法, 在Si(001)基片上制备了具有高$c$轴择优取向的ZnO薄膜. 利用原子力显微镜、X射线衍射、透射光谱和室温光致荧光光谱等分析技术, 研究了氧分压对薄膜的表面形貌和光学特性的影响. 研究结果显示: 0.04～0.23Pa的氧分压范围内, ZnO薄膜存在三个不同的生长模式, 薄膜生长模式转变的临界氧分压分别位于0.04～0.08Pa和0.16～0.19Pa之间; 在0.16Pa以下时, ZnO薄膜的表面岛呈+c取向的竹笋状生长; 当氧分压>0.19Pa时, 薄膜的表面岛以-c取向生长为主; ZnO薄膜的折射率、光学带隙宽度以及PL光谱强度均随着氧分压的增大而增大, 氧分压为0.19Pa时, 薄膜的发光峰最窄, 其半峰宽为88meV.     

射频磁控反应溅射制备Al2O3薄膜的工艺研究

采用射频磁控反应溅射法,以高纯Al为靶材,高纯O2为反应气体,在不锈钢和单晶Si基片上成功地制备了氧化铝(Al2O3)薄膜,并对氧化铝薄膜的沉积速率、结构和表面形貌进行了研究.结果表明,沉积速率随着射频功率的增大先几乎呈线性增大而后缓慢增大;随着溅射气压的增加,沉积速率先增大,在一定气压时达到峰值后继续随气压增大而减小,同时随着靶基距的增大而减小;随着氧气流量的不断增加,靶面溅射的物质从金属态过渡到氧化物态,沉积速率也随之不断降低.X射线衍射图谱表明薄膜结构为非晶态;用原子力显微镜对薄膜表面形貌观察,薄膜微结构为柱状.     

工艺条件对氧化硅纳米结构的影响

通过金属催化化学气相沉积法,采用四氯化硅作为硅源合成了棒状氧化硅纳米结构.对产物进行了场发射扫描电镜、透射电镜及附带X射线能谱仪的表征测试.生长工艺条件包括沉积位置、反应时间、氩气冲洗次数和基板对产物纳米结构的影响进行了探讨,其中前三者分别影响气相硅源的浓度、获取硅源的量和残余氧的浓度,而基板的成分和表面粗糙度对纳米结构的生长影响显著.     

Pyramidal nanostructures of zinc oxide

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures have been prepared by pulsed laser deposition of the oxide onto Si(100) substrate at 600 degrees C. An examination of the morphology using atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy reveals well formed pyramidal structures consistent with the growth habit of ZnO. A domain matched epitaxy across the interface makes the ZnO pyramids orient along the axes of Si(100) surface. The pyramidal nanostructures signify an intermediate state in the growth of hexagonal nanorods of ZnO. The hardness of the nanostructures as well as their response to oxygen gas have been investigated using nanoindentation and conducting probe methods respectively. ZnO nanostructures are much harder than their bulk. The hardness of ZnO pyramids obtained by nanoindentation is 70 +/- 10 GPa which is about one order more that of bulk ZnO. Besides, the nanostructures exhibit high sensitivity towards oxygen. A 70% increase in the resistance of ZnO nanostructures is observed when exposed to oxygen atmosphere.     

Fabrication of nanostructures with different iron concentration by electron beam induced deposition with a mixture gas of iron carbonyl and ferrocene, and their magnetic properties

Electron beam induced deposition (EBID) with a mixture gas of iron carbonyl and ferrocene was carried out to fabricate nanostructures with different iron concentrations in a chamber of a scanning electron microscope. The iron concentration was controlled by changing the ratio of partial pressure of iron carbonyl and ferrocene. Electron holography observation revealed that the remanent magnetic flux density B _r values of the nanostructures were also changed depending on the iron concentration.     

Wetting characteristics of oxygen-containing iron melts on refractory oxides

As part of refractory erosion studies, the wetting behaviour of molten iron containing varying amounts of oxygen on refractory oxides was investigated by the sessile drop method. The oxides investigated in the present work were alumina, silica and mullite. The reactions were followed in static as well as dynamic modes, under isothermal conditions, through contact angle measurements. Other parameters investigated in the present study were temperature and oxygen partial pressure. For all substrates, the contact angles started decreasing due to the lowering of the surface tension of iron, as oxygen at constant partial pressure, came into contact with the surface of the drop. At a critical level of oxygen in the metal drop, a reaction product started forming at the drop/substrate interface and at this stage the contact angle dropped suddenly. In all cases there was a tendency for the contact angle to increase after this minimum. In the alumina case, the iron drop moved away from the reaction site, once the product layer had been formed at the interface, probably due to the imbalance in the surface forces. In the case of SiO₂ and mullite, liquid slags were formed. The substrates were analysed through SEM and EDS. The reaction products identified were in agreement with thermodynamic predictions. In the case of SiO₂, deep erosions were formed along the periphery of the drops, probably due to Marangoni flow. The possible mechanisms of the reactions and their impact on refractory erosion are discussed in the light of the present experimental results.     

Magnetic properties of oxidized iron thin films grown by sputtering at very low temperatures

Iron thin films have been grown by DC magnetron sputtering using Si(100) wafers as substrates, and then oxidized in a well-controlled oxygen atmosphere in the vacuum chamber. Film thickness is about 50 nm, and grains forming these samples do not exceed 20 nm. In order to control structural properties such as size and shape of these grains, growth conditions can be modified, like deposition rate or substrate temperature, varying from 150 to 300 K. Two sets of samples have been prepared considering deposition rate: (i) films grown at 0.6 nm/min and (ii) at 1.2 nm/min. In order to prevent iron films from natural oxidation, all the sample series were covered with a gold layer. Analysis of their magnetic behaviour shows a strong dependence on grain size and temperature, resulting in a more effective oxidation for samples prepared at higher deposition rates and lower substrate temperatures, which behaves as a Fe/Fe oxide granular system.