A composite optical waveguide-based polarimetric interferometer forchemical and biological sensing applications

A new polarimetric interferometer has been developed on the basis of the phase difference between transverse electric (TE)₀ and transverse magnetic (TM)₀ modes in a composite optical waveguide (OWG). The composite OWG consists of a single-mode potassium ion-exchanged planar waveguide overlaid with a high-index thin film that has two tapered ends and supports only the TE₀ mode. Applying tapered velocity coupling theory, we found that the TE₀ and TM₀ modes coexisting in the potassium ion-exchanged layer were separated in the thin film region of the composite OWG: the TE₀ mode was coupled into the thin film while the TM₀ mode was confined in the potassium ion-exchanged layer. Interference occurs between TE- and TM-polarized output components when a single output beam is passed through a 45°-polarized analyzer. The phase difference φ between both orthogonal output components is very sensitive to the superstrate index n_c in the thin film region. Our experimental results indicate that a slight change of Δn_c=3.71×10^-6 results in the phase-difference variation of Δφ=1° for a 5-mm-long TiO ₂/K⁺ composite OWG with a 34-nm-thick TiO₂ film. Such a simple polarimetric interferometer can be applied to chemical or biological sensors by modifying the upper film surface of the composite OWG with a chemically or biologically active substance     

Nd掺杂对BiFeO3薄膜微结构和电学性能的影响

采用化学溶液方法,在LaNiO3/Si(100)衬底上生长了Nd掺杂的BiFeO3薄膜.XRD分析结果表明,随着Nd掺杂量的增加,薄膜晶格变小,Nd掺杂量为20%时,薄膜出现杂相.介电测试表明,随着Nd掺杂量的增加,介电常数和损耗减小,Nd掺杂量为2%的薄膜表现出很强的介电色散现象并出现介电损耗弛豫峰,其符合类德拜模型特征.随着Nd掺杂量增加,薄膜的漏电流减小,在低电场下,电流输运遵从SCLC模型,在高场下,电流输运遵循Poole-Frenkel模型.分析结果表明Nd掺杂对薄膜微结构和电学性能有显著影响.     

Effect of substrate biasing and temperature on AlN thin film deposited by cathodic arc ion

Aluminum nitride (AlN) films have been grown in pure N₂ plasma using cathodic arc ion deposition process. The films were prepared at different substrate bias voltages and temperatures. The aim was to investigate their influence on the Al macro-particles, structural and optical properties of deposited films. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) were employed to characterize AlN thin films. XRD patterns indicated the formation of polycrystalline (hexagonal) films with preferential orientation of (002), which is suppressed at higher substrate bias voltage. FTIR and Raman spectroscopic analysis were used to assess the nature of chemical bonding and vibrational phonon modes of AlN thin films respectively. FTIR spectra depicted a dominant peak around 850 cm^?1 corresponding to the longitudinal optical (LO) mode of vibration. A shift in this LO mode peak towards higher wavenumbers was observed with the increase of substrate bias voltage and temperature, showing the upsurge of nitrogen concentration in the deposited film. Raman spectra illustrated a peak at 650 cm^?1 corresponding to E₂ (high) phonon mode depicting the c-axis oriented (perpendicular to substrate) AlN film. SEM analysis showed the AlN film deposited at higher substrate bias voltage contains fewer amounts of Al macro-particles.     

PLD法生长Al2O3基ZnO薄膜的特性

在不同衬底温度下,用脉冲激光沉积法(PLD),在Al2O3(0001)平面上生长了ZnO薄膜。研究了衬底温度对其结晶质量、电学性质以及发光性质的影响。结果显示:XRD在2θ为34°处出现了唯一的ZnO(0002)衍射峰;ZnO薄膜的电阻率随衬底温度的升高而增大;在衬底温度为500℃时,出现了位于410nm附近的特殊的光致发光(PL)峰。     

倾斜角沉积技术制备ZnS双折射雕塑薄膜

使用倾斜角沉积(GLAD)的电子束蒸发技术,制备了倾斜角度在60°~85°之间的ZnS双折射雕塑薄膜(STF)。使用X射线衍射(XRD)和扫描电镜(SEM)检测了ZnS薄膜的结晶状态和断面形貌,使用Lamda-900分光光度计测量了薄膜在不同的偏振光入射时的透过率。研究发现,室温下倾斜沉积ZnS薄膜断面为倾斜柱状结构,且薄膜的结晶程度不高。在相同的监控厚度时,随倾斜角度增大,沉积到基片上的薄膜厚度逐渐变小,但仍然大于余弦曲线显示的理论厚度。根据偏振光垂直入射时薄膜的透过光谱计算了不同角度沉积的薄膜的折射率和双折射。结果显示当倾斜角度为75°时,薄膜的双折射效应最显著,此时Δn=0.044。     

Interfacial Strain‐Induced Oxygen Disorder as the Cause of Enhanced Critical Current Density in Superconducting Thin Films

To understand the origin of the increase in critical current density of rare earth barium cuprate superconductor thin films with decreasing thickness, a series of sub‐300‐nm EuBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ thin films deposited on SrTiO₃ substrates are studied by X‐ray diffraction and electrical transport measurements. The out‐of‐plane crystallographic mosaic tilt and the out‐of‐plane microstrain both increase with decreasing film thickness. The calculated density of c‐axis threading dislocations matches the extent of the observed low‐field enhancement in critical current density for fields applied parallel to c. The in‐plane mosaic twist and in‐plane microstrain are both around twice the magnitude of the out‐of‐plane values, and both increase with decreasing film thickness. The results are consistent with the observed stronger field enhancement in critical current density for fields applied parallel to ab. The lattice parameter variation with thickness is not as expected from consideration of the biaxial strain with the substrate, indicative of in‐plane microstrain accommodation by oxygen disorder. Collectively, the results point to an enhancement of critical current by interfacial strain induced oxygen disorder which is greatest closest to the film‐substrate interface. The findings of this study have important implications for other thin functional oxide perovskite films and nanostructures where surface and interfacial strains dominate the properties.     

Nanoflower ZnO thin-film grown by hydrothermal technique based Schottky diode

This paper reports the realization of planar Schottky diodes based on nanorod ZnO thin film. The nanorod ZnO thin film was fabricated by hydrothermal technique on boron doped p-type Si (100) substrate. The Ag//ZnO/Al planar diode operating with voltage bias from –3 to 3 V. The I–V characteristics clearly indicate that the devices have rectifying performance. The thermionic emission theory governs the current across the studied Schottky diode. The device achieved a turn-on voltage of 0.9 V, barrier height 0.69 eV and saturation current of 1.2 × 10^–6 A. The diode shows a very large ideality factor (n > > 2) which is attributed to high interface trap concentration. The surface topology was investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The structural properties of the nanostructured ZnO thin film were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The SEM images reveal that the ZnO nanorods grow perpendicular to the substrate with uniformity and high density. The XRD pattern illustrates the dominant peak appearing at (002). This intense peak indicates the c-axis orientated phase of the wurtzite ZnO structure. It demonstrates that the crystals grow uniformly perpendicular to the substrate surface in good agreement with the SEM images.     

Thin film Y-Ba-Cu-O/Ag composites for fluxonic devices

We have investigated thin film composites of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ (YBCO) with Ag for fluxonic device applications. YBCO/Ag composite films are produced by first depositing a layer of Ag onto a substrate and then heating the film to the YBCO deposition temperature of 680°C or higher. YBCO is deposited by off-axis sputtering onto the Ag-coated substrate. The resulting YBCO/Ag film is a composite of YBCO with well-defined Ag regions several microns in size. Scanning electron micrograph images of the films' surfaces show a background of smooth YBCO grains dotted with Ag clusters. For a wide range of increasing Ag composition, the transition temperatures of the composite films on SrTiO₃ remain high, while the critical current densities have been reduced as much as 65 times. On MgO substrates, critical current density has been reduced by more than four orders of magnitude. Also on MgO, significant voltage response is seen in external magnetic fields of less than 1 mT. These measurements suggest that the films may be arrays of superconductor-normal-superconductor (SNS) junctions formed by weakly coupled YBCO grains with Ag in the grain boundaries. The field responsivity and low critical current densities of these composites make them potentially useful for fabrication of fluxonic devices     

A hybrid integrated waveguide isolator on a silica-based planarlightwave circuit

La and Ga substituted yttrium iron garnet single-mode buried channel waveguides, prepared using liquid-phase-epitaxial growth and Ar ion beam etching, have been successfully applied as 45° nonreciprocal waveguide rotators (NRWR) for hybrid integrated waveguide isolators at λ=1.55 μm. The optical and magneto-optical properties of the prepared 45° NRWRs and the epitaxial films are investigated in detail. We describe the assembly procedure and present optical measurement results for the hybrid integrated waveguide isolators. The hybrid isolators are composed of a 45° NRWR, a half-wave plate sheet, thin film-type polarizers, a thin plate-type permanent magnet and a silica-based waveguide on a silicon substrate. We obtained good waveguide isolators with low insertion losses (<3.2 dB) and high isolation (>25 dB) in the 1.5 μm wavelength band     

Effect of bottom electrode materials on the electrical andreliability characteristics of (Ba, Sr)TiO3 capacitors

The dielectric constant and the leakage current density of (Ba, Sr)TiO₃ (BST) thin films deposited on various bottom electrode materials (Pt, Ir, IrO₂/Ir, Ru, RuO₂/Ru) before and after annealing in O₂ ambient were investigated. The improvement of crystallinity of BST films deposited on various bottom electrodes was observed after the postannealing process. The dielectric constant and leakage current of the films mere also strongly dependent on the postannealing conditions. BST thin film deposited on Ir bottom electrode at 500°C, after 700°C annealing in O₂ for 20 min, has the dielectric constant of 593, a loss tangent of 0.019 at 100 kHz, a leakage current density of 1.9×10 ^-8 A/cm² at an electric field of 200 kV/cm with a delay time of 30 s, and a charge storage density of 53 fC/μm² at an applied field of 100 kV/cm. The BST films deposited on Ir with post-annealing can obtain better dielectric properties than on other bottom electrodes in our experiments. And Ru electrode is unstable because the interdiffusion of Ru and Ti occurs at the interface between the BST and Ru after postannealing. The ten year lifetime of time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) studies indicate that BST on Pt, Ir, IrO₂/Ir, Ru, and RuO₂/Ru have long lifetimes over ten gears on operation at the voltage bias of 2 V     

ITO玻璃衬底上PLZT铁电薄膜的制备与电性能

用sol-gel法在掺Sn的In2O3导电透明膜(ITO)衬底上,制备了La掺杂的PbZr0.5Ti0.5O3(PLZT)铁电薄膜。研究了La掺杂量对薄膜的铁电、介电和漏电性质的影响。结果表明,x(La)为5%的PLZT薄膜经650℃退火,有优良的铁电特性,外加15V电压下,剩余极化强度为35.4×10–6C/cm2,矫顽场强为111×103V/cm。100kHz时的εr和tgδ分别为984和0.13。在外加电场小于9V时,薄膜的漏电流密度不超过10–8A/cm2。     

Selective orientation of discotic films by interface nucleation

Thin films deposited from solution by the hollow capillary writing technique exhibit macroscopic uniaxial grains with an in-plane arrangement of discotic stacks. We report a method to change the orientation of thin films from in-plane to homeotropic (discotic columns perpendicular to the substrate). It is observed that annealing of open supported films at a temperature 25 °C below the equilibrium LC/isotropic phase boundary induces homeotropic alignment, while rapid cooling leads to predominantly in-plane alignment. A model based on heterogeneous nucleation at the film/substrate interface accounts for the experimental observations.     

制备工艺对ZnO薄膜的结构与光学性质的影响

利用射频磁控反应溅射技术生长出具有高度晶面(0002)取向的ZnO外延薄膜。通过AFM、XRD、吸收光谱和荧光光谱等测试手段,分别研究分析了不同衬底、不同溅射气氛和退火对ZnO薄膜结构及光学性质的影响。研究表明,在200℃低温生长的硅基ZnO薄膜具有几百纳米的氧化锌准六角结构外形;当氧氩比为4:1(质量流量比)时,吸收谱激子峰最佳;退火后,激子峰(363 nm)加强,同时出现了402 nm的本征氧空位紫光发射。     

Toward Flexible Spintronics: Perpendicularly Magnetized Synthetic Antiferromagnetic Thin Films and Nanowires on Polyimide Substrates

The successful fabrication of ultra‐thin films of CoFeB/Pt with strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and antiferromagnetic interfacial interlayer coupling on flexible polyimide substrates is demonstrated. Despite an increased surface roughness and defect density on the polyimide substrate, magnetic single layers of CoFeB still show sharp coercive switching. Magnetic Kerr imaging shows that the magnetization reversal is dominated by a greater density of nucleation sites than the identical film grown on Si. These layers maintain their magnetic characteristics down to a radius of curvature of 350 ± µm. Further, antiferromagnetically (AF) Ruderman‐Kittel‐Kasuya‐Yoshida (RKKY) coupled bilayers of CoFeB were fabricated which are robust under bending and the coupling strength is successfully modulated via interlayer engineering. Finally, a perpendicular synthetic antiferromagnetic (SAF) thin film grown on a polyimide substrate is patterned into straight 10 µm long nanowires down to 210 nm in width that displayed the robust switching characteristics of the thin film. These are extremely promising results for the fabrication of robust, flexible, magneto‐electronic, non‐volatile memory, logic, and sensor devices.     

Resistance transients in Al-based thin films and activation energymeasurements

In this work, we present a study of resistance transients (pulses) observed during noise measurements in Al-based thin films at high current densities and/or high temperatures. It was found that the maximum pulse height M gradually increases with film current density until it reaches a peak at a critical film temperature, T_c. Above the critical temperature, M decreases to a value close to its initial value then increases with the film current density. It was also found that the critical temperature is 254°C for the Al-Si(0.75%)-Cu(0.5%) samples used in this study. In addition, it was found that the number of pulses detected per measurement period increases with increasing film current density. A new technique for determining the electromigration activation energy from the Arrhenius plot of M versus film temperature is also presented. The activation energy values determined using this new technique were between 0.58 and 0.77 eV for the Al-Si(0.75%)-Cu(0.5%) samples     

衬底温度对ZnO薄膜氧缺陷的影响

采用射频磁控溅射在石英玻璃和单晶硅Si(100)衬底上制备了ZnO薄膜，研究了衬底温度对ZnO薄膜中氧缺陷的影响。实验发现，ZnO薄膜c轴取向性随温度的升高而增强；当衬底温度达到550。C时，XRD谱上仅出现一个强的(002)衍射峰和一个弱的(004)衍射峰，显示ZnO具有优异c轴取向性。同时，随着温度的升高，ZnO薄膜的紫外透射截止边带向高波长方向漂移，其电导率也随衬底温度的升高逐渐增大，表明薄膜中的氧缺陷逐渐增多。这种氧缺陷是由于ZnO的氧平衡分压高于Zn所致，可通过提高溅射气体中氧含量来改善。     

Influence of the distance between target and substrate on the properties of transparent conducting Al-Zr co-doped zinc oxide thin films

Highly transparent and conducting Al-Zr co-doped zinc oxide (ZAZO) thin films were successfully prepared on glass substrate by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering at room temperature.The distance between target and substrate was varied from 45 to 70 mm.All the deposited films are polycrystalline with a hexagonal structure and have a preferred orientation along the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate.The crystallinity increases obviously and the electrical resistivity decreases when the distance betwe...     

Fabrication of YBCO Coated Conductors on Biaxial Textured Metal Substrate by All-Sputtering

CeO2/YSZ/CeO2 buffer layers were prepared on biaxial textured Ni-5at.%W substrate by direct-current magnetron reactive sputtering with the optimum process. YBCO thin films were deposited on CeO2/YSZ/CeO2 buffered Ni-5at.%W substrate at temperature ranging from 500℃ to 700℃ by diode de sputtering. By optimizing substrate temperature, pure c-axis oriented YBCO films were obtained. The mierostruetures of CeO2/YSZ/CeO2 buffer layers were characterized by X-ray diffraction. A smooth, dense and crack-free surface morphology was observed with scanning electron microscopy. The critical current density Jc about 0.75 MA/cm2 at 77 K was obtained.     

Nernst effect in Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O superconducting films due to infrared laser heating

A Nernst effect has been observed in a high temperature superconductor for the first time. Irradiating superconducting Tl?Ba?Ca?Cu?O thin films by short pulses of a TEA-CO₂ laser, a photovoltaic signal is detected perpendicular to a magnetic field applied parallel to the film surface. The signal is attributed to magnetic flux line depinning and flux line transport driven by the laser induced temperature gradient. The results are described by thermal flux line activation leading to a calculated distribution of pinning energies from 100 K to 4000 K.     

Influence of rapid thermal and low temperature processing on theelectrical properties of polysilicon thin film transistors

In this paper rapid thermal processing (RTP) is studied for the crystallization and oxidation of deposited silicon layers. The purpose is to present and compare the results obtained by RTP, low temperature processing (LTP), or a combination of both, for the fabrication of polycrystalline silicon thin film transistors (poly-TFT's). The polysilicon and polyoxide are obtained by low thermal annealing, oxidation (LTA, O) and/or rapid thermal annealing, oxidation (RTA, O) of amorphous silicon films deposited from disilane at a temperature of 465°C. For the Si films annealed at 750°C or higher, using RTA, the grain average sizes are reduced whereas the electron/hole mobilities are increased. We suggest that there is a correlation between the optical extinction coefficient k (at λ=405 nm), the potential barrier height Φ_B due to the grains, and the field-effect mobility, μ_n,p, of the polysilicon film. This correlation indicates that the polysilicon film electrical properties depend not only on the grain size, but also on the crystalline quality of the grains. Moreover, it appears that the large amount of crystalline defects remaining in the so-called “grains” of the films annealed at 600°C (LTA) are partially annihilated when the films are annealed at higher temperatures. With regards to the TFT's electrical characteristics, the work suggests combining RT and LT steps to obtain TFT's with improved electrical performance