Solid-phase crystallization of β-FeSi2 thin film in Fe/Si structure

Dependence of solid-phase growth of β-FeSi₂ thin films on the crystal orientation of Si substrates has been investigated by using a-Fe (thickness: 20 nm)/c-Si(100), (110) and (111) stacked structures. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements suggested that the substrate orientation dependence of the formation rate of β-FeSi₂ was as follows: (100)>(111)>(110). This dependence can be explained on the basis of the lattice mismatch between β-FeSi₂ and Si substrates, i.e., the lattice mismatch between β-FeSi₂(100) and Si(100), β-FeSi₂(110) or (101) and Si(111), and β-FeSi₂(010) or (001) and Si(110) of 1.4-2.0%, 5.3-5.5% and 9.2%, respectively. The substrate orientation dependence of solid-phase growth becomes relatively remarkable for very thin films.     

Structural and electrical properties of RuO2 thin films prepared by rf-magnetron sputtering and annealing at different temperatures

Conductive ruthenium oxide (RuO₂) thin films have been deposited at different substrate temperatures on various substrates by radio-frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering and were later annealed at different temperatures. The thickness of the films ranges from 50 to 700 nm. Films deposited at higher temperatures show larger grain size (about 140 nm) with (200) preferred orientation. Films deposited at lower substrate temperature have smaller grains (about 55 nm) with (110) preferred orientation. The electrical resistivity decreases slightly with increasing film thickness but is more influenced by the deposition and annealing temperature. Maximum resistivity is 861 μΩ cm, observed for films deposited at room temperature on glass substrates. Minimum resistivity is 40 μΩ cm observed for a thin film (50 nm) deposited at 540°C on a quartz substrate. Micro-Raman investigations indicate that strain-free well-crystallized thin films are deposited on oxidized Si substrates.     

Structural,optical, and electrical properties of flash-evaporated copper indium diselenide thin films

Copper indium diselenide (CuInSe₂) compound was synthesized by reacting its elemental components, i.e., copper, indium, and selenium, in stoichiometric proportions (i.e., 1:1:2 with 5% excess selenium) in an evacuated quartz ampoule. Structural and compositional characterization of synthesized pulverized material confirms the polycrystalline nature of tetragonal phase and stoichiometry. CuInSe₂ thin films were deposited on soda lime glass substrates kept at different temperatures (300–573 K) using flash evaporation technique. The effect of substrate temperature on structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of CuInSe₂ thin films were investigated using X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), optical measurements (transmission and reflection), and Hall effect characterization techniques. XRD analysis revealed that CuInSe₂ thin films deposited above 473 K exhibit (112) preferred orientation of grains. Transmission and reflectance measurements analysis suggests that CuInSe₂ thin films deposited at different substrate temperatures have high absorption coefficient (~10⁴ cm⁻¹) and optical energy band gap in the range 0.93–1.02 eV. Results of electrical characterization showed that CuInSe₂ thin films deposited at different substrate temperatures have p-type conductivity and hole mobility value in the range 19–136 cm²/Vs. Variation of energy band gap and resistivity of CuInSe₂ thin films deposited at 523 K with thickness was also studied. The temperature dependence of electrical conductivity measurements showed that CuInSe₂ film deposited at 523 K has an activation energy of ~30 meV.     

The effects of the substrate temperature on sputter-deposited niobium films

The superconducting transition temperatures and the structural properties of Nb films prepared by sputtering have been studied over a deposition temperature range of ?130 to 700°C. Niobium films show a preferred orientation in the <110> direction perpendicular to the substrate surface. The transition temperatures of Nb films deposited onto cryogenic substrates were greatly reduced. A close correspondence between thed spacingd ₁₁₀ and superconductingT _c has been found. TheT _c of Nb films decreases rapidly with increasing spacingd ₁₁₀.     

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.     

Structure of ultrathin MgO films on Mo(001)

We have studied the structure of ultrathin MgO films grown on a single crystal Mo(001) surface. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and low energy electron diffraction (LEED) were used to investigate the effect of substrate temperature and oxygen partial pressure on the growth and morphology of these films. LEED indicates the growth of (100) films with MgO 〈110〉 directions oriented along 〈100〉 directions of the substrate. Despite the insulating nature of bulk MgO, films up to 25-Å thick are sufficiently conducting to perform STM measurements. STM reveals Mg deposition in an oxygen ambient at substrate temperatures from 300 to 900 K produces uniform films. Films as thick as eight atomic layers typically have only three layers exposed. These films consist of small domains between 20 and 60 Å in diameter. The domain shapes are random and the perimeters show no preferred orientation. In contrast, films grown at temperatures in excess of 1000 K exhibit larger three-dimensional MgO islands (Volmer-Weber growth). Steps on these high temperature films orient preferentially along thermodynamically favored MgO 〈100〉 directions. STM images of films deposited at high temperature exhibit a checkerboard pattern. The dimensions and symmetry of this pattern are consistent with the coincidence arising from the mismatch of the MgO(100) and Mo(001) lattice. Annealing room temperature deposited films results in island coalescence and produces uniform films with domains in excess of 100 Å. The perimeters of these domains are oriented along MgO 〈100〉 directions.     

Hall coefficient in vacuum-deposited copper films

The dependence of the Hall coefficient R_H of vacuum-deposited copper films of thickness, temperature and time was investigated by in situ observation. R_H values were found to be larger than the bulk value and a thickness dependence could hardly be observed down to 100 Å. The temperature dependence was appreciably larger than for bulk material, indicating the existence of the size effect predicted by Sondheimer. R_H for very thin films (below 100 Å) left in the vacuum system at 295°K changed with time, and the change was ascribed to the annihilation of lattice defects in the films.     

Study of defects and thermal stability of ultrathin Cu films on Ta(110) and Ta(100) by thermal helium desorption spectrometry

Thermal helium desorption spectrometry has been used to study the interaction of helium with defects in Cu films (5-300 Å) deposited on Ta(110) and Ta(100) single crystals by ultrahigh vacuum electron beam evaporation. The thermal stability of the Cu films was also investigated. Cu films on Ta(110) and Ta(100) at room temperature are metastable and on heating, the films transform into islands. The temperature at which this takes place is strongly dependent on the Cu film thickness and for a given thickness (> 40 Å) occurs at a lower temperature on Ta(100) than on Ta(110). The activation energy for island formation is 1.6 ± 0.4 eV for 50 Å Cu/Ta(110) and 0.8 ± 0.1 eV for 100 Å Cu/Ta(100) obtained by Kissinger analysis. The geometry of the Cu islands resulting from annealing 50 Å Cu films at 1000 K for 10 s depends strongly on the Ta substrate orientation. There is evidence for the stressed states of both the Cu films and the Ta substrates. Helium release from monovacancies and vacancy clusters in Cu films (> 75 Å) on Ta(110) and Ta(100) was detected at ~ 750 K and ~ 800-1000 K respectively. The sublimation of the Cu films from the Ta substrates could be observed by the release of retained helium at ~ 1300 K.     

Self-patterned Nano Structures in Structurally Gradient Epitaxial La0.5Ba0.5CoO3 Films

Highly epitaxial La_0.5Ba_0.5CoO₃ (LBCO) thin films with sharp interface and a thickness of 200 nm were epitaxially grown on (001) SrTiO₃ substrates using pulsed laser deposition. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction analysis revealed that the films have a triple-layered structure. The first layer, close to the film/substrate interface, has a thickness of ~ 6 nm and is a defect free single crystal disordered cubic structure (a = 3.882 Å) which has a lattice mismatch of − 0.59% with respect to the substrate. The second layer which dominates the film structure has a single crystal disordered cubic structure (a = 3.854 Å) which has a lattice mismatch of − 1.31% with respect to the substrate. The third layer located on the top of the film has a thickness of several nanometers and consists of 112-type ordered tetragonal structure. The cubic structures in the first and second layer have an orientation relationship of (001)_LBCO//(001)_STO and < 100 > _LBCO//< 100 > _STO with respect to the substrate. Self-patterned 3-dimensional nano structures with a dimension range from 2 to 10 nm were formed in the second and third layers. These nano structures were formed by the enclosure of anti-phase boundary planes which are parallel to the {100} of the cubic structure. Epitaxial LBCO thin films with such nano structures are hard ferromagnetic with a large coercive field value and magnetoresistance effect value (~ 24%), and exhibit semiconductor behavior at temperatures < 300 K.     

Low-temperature epitaxy of silicon by electron beam evaporation

In this paper we report on homoepitaxial growth of thin Si films at substrate temperatures T_s = 500-650 °C under non-ultra-high vacuum conditions by using electron beam evaporation. Si films were grown at high deposition rates on monocrystalline Si wafers with (100), (110) and (111) orientations. The ultra-violet visible reflectance spectra of the films show a dependence on T_s and on the substrate orientation. To determine the structural quality of the films in more detail Secco etch experiments were carried out. No etch pits were found on the films grown on (100) oriented wafers. However, on films grown on (110) and (111) oriented wafers different types of etch pits could be detected. Films were also grown on polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) seed layers prepared by an Aluminum-Induced Crystallisation (AIC) process on glass substrates. Electron Backscattering Diffraction (EBSD) shows that the film growth proceeds epitaxially on the grains of the seed layer. But a considerably higher density of extended defects is revealed by Secco etch experiments.     

Crystal orientation in CuSn-alloy coatings obtained by magnetron sputtering

Crystal orientation in copper-tin alloy coatings of different chemical composition as a function of substrate temperature has been studied using the X-ray texture goniometer technique. The coatings were obtained by magnetron sputtering an alloy target in argon at a gas pressure of 6 × 10⁻¹ Pa using two kinds of substrate—one of ferritic stainless steel and the other of a glass ceramic material. It has been established that Cu-Sn 7.8% alloy films, which represent an α-solution of Sn in Cu are textured. At low substrate temperature (710–770 K) the α-phase crystals have a mixed 〈100〉 and 〈110〉 orientation and at temperatures in the range from 870 to 1000 K—〈110〉 orientation. No orientation was detected when the condensation proceeded by the mechanism vapour→liquid→solid. The η-Cu₆Sn₅ and Sn phase crystals in CuSn 74% alloy films were not oriented.     

Highly textured Gd2Zr2O7 films grown on textured Ni-5 at.%W substrates by solution deposition route: Growth, texture evolution, and microstructure dependency

Growth, texture evolution and microstructure dependency of solution derived Gd₂Zr₂O₇ films deposited on textured Ni-5 at.%W substrates have been extensively studied. Influence of processing parameters, in particular annealing temperature and dwell time, as well as thickness effect on film texture and morphology are investigated in details. It is found that a rotated cube-on-cube epitaxy of Gd₂Zr₂O₇< 110>//NiW<100> in-plane texture forms as soon as the (004) out-plane texture appears, implying that epitaxial growth dominates the crystallization processes. Thermal energy plays an important role in minimizing the difference of interfacial energy along two directions in the anisotropic metallic substrate. Growth of Gd₂Zr₂O₇ films displays an ultrafast kinetics under optimized conditions. Independency of sharp epitaxial (004) and polycrystalline (222) orientation is revealed from further synchrotron diffraction studies. Fully covered films with a broad thickness range exhibit a high degree of biaxial orientation, similar surface morphology with crack free and nano-size grains microstructure, seemingly independent of neither heat treatment nor thickness. Particularly, we compared the porosity of the film surface and body according to surface or cross-sectional observation and Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry analysis, pointing to inhomogeneous structure through film thickness, i.e., dense in the surface layer but porous in the body. This is attributed to trapped gas generated during either decomposition or crystallization in the thicker films. This work not only demonstrates a route for producing textured Gd₂Zr₂O₇ buffer layers with dense structure directly on technical substrates, but also provides some fundamental understandings related to chemical solution derived films grown on metallic substrates.     

Seed layers on RABiTS tapes for Second-Generation HTS wires

Epitaxial films of CeO₂ and Y₂O₃ on RABiTS metal tapes have been obtained by pulsed laser deposition. The dependence of the film crystal orientation on the temperature of synthesis has been studied. It is established that Y₂O₃ films grow with 100% (100) orientation, whereas a parasitic orientation is present in CeO₂ films obtained in the entire range of growth temperatures. The texture sharpness in the substrate plane amounted to 8°. Electron-microscopic examination showed that an increase in the temperature of synthesis leads to the appearance of cracks on the surface of CeO₂ films, while the surface of Y₂O₃ films remains continuous in the entire range of growth temperatures. Thus, Y₂O₃ films most fully obey the requirements to seed layers in (i) being epitaxial with 100% (100) crystal orientation, (ii) inheriting the substrate texture, and (iii) having a smooth crack-free surface.     

Effect of composition and deposition parameters on optical properties of Ge25Sb15−xBixS60 thin films

The optical constants of the Ge₂₅Sb_15−xBi_xS₆₀ (0?x?15) chalcogenide films, either as-deposited or after being annealed at various temperatures have been computed in the spectral wavelength range 400-2400 nm from the transmittance and reflectance measurements of normally-incident light. With the increase in bismuth content, the optical energy gap (which is indirect) decreases, while the refractive index increases. The effects of film thickness, substrate type, deposition rate and γ-radiation on optical properties have been studied. The effect of thermal annealing on the growth characteristics and stability of the films has been studied using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The dispersion of the refractive index is discussed in terms of the single-oscillator Wemple-DiDomenico model.     

Substrate temperature dependent morphology and resistivity of pulsed laser deposited iridium oxide thin films

Iridium oxide (IrO₂) thin films were deposited on Si (100) substrates by means of pulsed laser deposition technique at various substrate (deposition) temperatures ranging from 250 to 500 °C. Effects of substrate temperature on the crystalline nature, morphology and electrical properties of the deposited films were analyzed by using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy and four-point probe method. It was found that the above properties were strongly dependent on the substrate temperature. The as-deposited films at all substrate temperatures were polycrystalline tetragonal IrO₂ and the preferential growth orientation changed with the substrate temperature. IrO₂ films exhibited fairly homogeneous thickness and good adhesion with the substrate, the average feature size increases with the substrate temperature. The room-temperature resistivity of IrO₂ films decreased with the increase of substrate temperature and the minimum resistivity of (42 ± 6) μΩ cm was obtained at 500 °C. The resistivity of IrO₂ films correlated well with the corresponding film morphology changes.     

The influence of thickness and deposition temperature on the conduction activation energy of CdSe0.2Te0.8 thin films

The electrical conductivity and stability in resistance of CdSe_0.2Te_0.8 thin films in different ambients and deposited at different substrate temperatures were investigated. A reduction in conduction activation energy with increase in film thickness and deposition temperature is accounted for by the fact that in CdSe _x Te_1–x inhomogeneous semiconductor thin films, the potential relief inhomogeneity may be reduced with increase in film thickness and substrate temperature, which results in the decrease of conduction activation energy of the films.     

Effect of deposition conditions on the InP thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis method

InP thin films were prepared by spray pyrolysis technique using aqueous solutions of InCl₃ and Na₂HPO₄, which were atomized with compressed air as carrier gas. The InP thin films were obtained on glass substrates. Thin layers of InP have been grown at various substrate temperatures in the range of 450–525°C. The structural properties have been determined by using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The changes observed in the structural phases during the film formation in dependence of growth temperatures are reported and discussed. Optical properties, such as transmission and the band gap have been analyzed. An analysis of the deduced spectral absorption of the deposited films revealed an optical direct band gap energy of 1.34–1.52 eV for InP thin films. The InP films produced at a substrate temperature 500°C showed a low electrical resistivity of 8.12 × 10³ Ω cm, a carrier concentration of 11.2 × 10²¹ cm⁻³, and a carrier mobility of 51.55 cm²/Vs at room temperature.     

Crystal orientation dependent microwave dielectric properties of sputtered SBTi thin films on fused silica substrates

Thin films of SBTi (SrBi₄Ti₄O₁₅) were deposited on fused silica substrates by rf-magnetron sputtering at substrate temperatures from 600 to 725 °C. The effect of substrate temperature on preferential orientation, microstructure, Raman scattering characteristics and microwave dielectric properties of SBTi thin films were investigated. Microwave dielectric properties were investigated using the Split Post Dielectric Resonator (SPDR) technique. As the substrate temperature increases, the preferential orientation changes from (119) to (0010). Films deposited at 700 °C exhibits less lattice distortion. It exhibits a dielectric constant about 110 and loss tangent about 0.06 at 10 GHz. It is seen from the Raman analysis that the films deposited at higher temperatures orients more towards c-axis which releases the torsional vibration mode involving TiO6 octahedra with a higher oscillator strength resulting in larger values of dielectric constant and dielectric loss for those films.     

Annealing effect of thermal spike in MgO thin film prepared by cathodic vacuum arc deposition

MgO films were prepared by using pulsed cathodic vacuum arc deposition technique. The substrate bias voltage was in the range of −150 to −750 V. Film structure was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The annealing effect of thermal spike produced by the impacting of energetic ions was analyzed. The calculated results showed that the lifetime of a thermal spike generated by an energetic ion with the energy of 150 eV was less than one picosecond and it was sufficient to allow Mg²⁺ or O^2- to move one bond length to satisfy the intrinsic stress relief in the affected volume. The MgO(200) lattice spacings of the films deposited at different bias voltages were all larger than the ideal value of 2.1056 Å. As the bias amplitude increased the lattice spacing decreased, which indicated that the compressive stress in the film was partially relieved with increasing impacting ion energy. The stress relief also could be reflected from the film orientation with bias voltage. The biaxial elastic modulus for MgO(100), MgO(110) and MgO(111) planes were calculated and they were M₍₁₀₀₎ = 199 GPa, M₍₁₁₀₎ = 335 GPa and M₍₁₁₁₎ = 340 GPa, respectively. The M values indicated that the preferred orientation will be MgO(200) due to the minimum energy configuration when the lattice strain was large. It was confirmed by the XRD results in our experiments.     

Thickness dependence of structural, electrical and optical properties of sprayed ZnO:Cu films

ZnO:Cu thin films have been deposited by spray pyrolysis techniques within two different (450 °C and 500 °C) substrate temperatures. The structural properties of ZnO:Cu thin films have been investigated by X-ray diffraction techniques. The X-ray diffraction spectra showed that ZnO:Cu thin films are polycrystalline with the hexagonal structure and show a good c-axis orientation perpendicular to the substrate. The most preferential orientation is along the (002) direction for all spray deposited ZnO:Cu films together with orientations in the (100) and (101) planes also being abundant. Some parameters of the films were calculated and correlated with the film thickness for two different substrate temperatures. The optical properties of ZnO:Cu thin films have been investigated by UV/VIS spectrometer and the band gap values were found to be ranging from 3.29 eV to 3.46 eV.