Structural and optical properties of thermally evaporated 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octahexylphthalocyanine thin films

Metal-free 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octahexylphthalocyanine was prepared directly by the cyclotetramerization of 3,6-dihexylphthalonitrile using lithium butoxide in butanol. Thin films of the material were deposited on glass substrates by the thermal evaporation technique. The structure of the films was found to be in the form, and showed a strong peak indicating preferential orientation. The surface morphology of the thin films was investigated by atomic force microscopy and showed that the molecules of 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octahexylphthalocyanine grow in stacks of parallel rows. The spectrophotometric measurements of transmittance and reflectance were carried out in the wavelength range 190–3000 nm. The refractive index, n, and absorption index, k, were found to be independent of annealing at 373 K. The B band absorption occurred at 356 nm, and the Q band showed a doublet at 667 and 739 nm. Other optical parameters, such as absorption coefficient and optical dielectric constant ε, were determined.     

Structural, optical and electrical properties of thermally evaporated Ag2S thin films

Thin films of Ag₂S are prepared on glass and quartz substrates by a thermal evaporation method. The structural studies show that the films are well crystallized with an acanthite structure. The optical properties of the films are investigated using spectrophotometric measurements of transmittance and reflectance at normal incidence in the wavelength range 500-2200 nm. The refractive index, n, and the absorption index, k, of Ag₂S are determined from the absolute values of the measured transmittance and reflectance. The dispersion of refractive index in Ag₂S is analyzed using the concept of the single oscillator. Within this concept the oscillator energy, E₀, and the dispersion energy, E_d, can be determined as 5 and 32.5 eV, respectively. It is interesting to note that Ag₂S appears to fall into the ionic class. The values of the lattice dielectric constant and the ratio of the carrier concentration to the effective mass are also determined as 7.77 and 1.7×10⁴⁷ kg⁻¹ m⁻³, respectively. The analysis of the spectral behavior of the absorption coefficient in the intrinsic absorption region reveals an indirect allowed transition with a band gap of 0.96 eV and associated phonons of 0.05 eV. Measurements of the dark electrical resistivity is studied as a function of film thickness and temperature. The dark electrical resistivity decreases with increasing film thickness. Graphical representation of log ρ as a function of reciprocal temperature yields two distinct linear parts indicating the existence of two activation energies ΔE₁ and ΔE₂ as 0.18 and 0.28 eV respectively. Discussion on the obtained results and their comparison with the previous published data is also given.     

Electrical properties of thermally evaporated tellurium thin films

Results of dielectric and conduction properties of vacuum evaporated tellurium (Te) thin film capacitors (Al-Te-Al) have been reported in the frequency range 1–100 kHz at various temperatures (303–423 K). Loss factor (tanδ) which shows a maximum with frequency increases with rise of temperature and tanδ _max shift towards high frequency region. The large values of capacitance and dielectric constant (ɛ′) in the low frequency region indicate the possibility of an interfacial polarization mechanism.I-V characteristics show ohmic, space charge limited (SCLC) and thermionic emission conduction mechanisms to operate at low, intermediate and high voltages respectively. Various transport parameters have been calculated. It has been observed that the Schottky type of conduction is predominant in the high field region and the Schottky barrier height has been determined. The Hall coefficient, Hall mobility and carrier concentration are also discussed.     

Structural and optical properties of electron beam evaporated CdSe thin films

Thin films of cadmium selenide (CdSe) as a semiconductor is well suited for opto-electronic applications such as photo detection or solar energy conversion, due to its optical and electrical properties, as well as its good chemical and mechanical stability. In order to explore the possibility of using this in optoelectronics, a preliminary and thorough study of optical and structural properties of the host material is an important step. Based on the above view, the structural and optical properties of CdSe films have been studied thoroughly in the present work. The host material, CdSe film, has been prepared by the physical vapour deposition method of electron beam evaporation (PVD: EBE) technique under a pressure of 5 × 10⁻⁵ mbar. The structural properties have been studied by XRD technique. The hexagonal structure with a preferred orientation along the (0 0 2) direction of films has been confirmed by the X-ray diffraction analysis. The films have been analysed for optical band gap and absorbed a direct intrinsic band gap of 1·92 eV.     

Structural and electrical studies of thermally evaporated nanostructured CdTe thin films

CdTe thin films were deposited on KCl and glass substrates using thermal evaporation technique under high vacuum conditions. CdTe bulk compound grown by vertical directional solidification (VDS) technique was used as the source material to deposit thin films. Powder X-ray diffraction technique was employed to identify the phase of the as grown bulk CdTe compound as well as its thin films. Surface morphology and the stoichiometry of the bulk compound and thin films was carried out by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) with an attachment of energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS). Microstructural features associated with the as deposited CdTe thin films were studied by using transmission electron microscope (TEM). The films deposited on to glass substrates at different temperatures have been used to study the I-V characteristics of the films. These parameters have been studied in detail in order to prepare good quality nanostructured thin films of CdTe compound. CdTe bulk compound grown by VDS method and its thin films prepared by thermal evaporation method found to have single phase with cubic structure. Size of the particles in the as deposited films vary between 5 and 40 nm In the present study efforts have been made to correlate the electrical and optical properties of the CdTe thin films with the corresponding microstructural features associated with them.     

Structural and optical properties of vacuum evaporated CdxZn1−xS thin films

II–VI semiconductors are of great importance due to their applications in various electro-optic devices. Sulphides of zinc and cadmium have been utilized effectively in various opto-electronic devices. We have prepared vacuumed CdZnS films by the vacuum evaporation method. Wide band gap binary films have wide application in solar cells. The structural and optical properties of these films have been studied. The band gap of these films is studied by absorption spectra in the wavelength range 400–650 nm. The films have a direct band gap, which varies from 3.50 eV for zinc sulphide to 2.44 eV for cadmium sulphide. The X-ray diffraction pattern of these films for structural analysis is also reported.     

Determination and analysis of optical constants for thermally evaporated PbSe thin films

PbSe films have been deposited on glass and quartz substrates at room temperature by thermal evaporation technique. X-ray diffraction patterns of the obtained films showed that they have polycrystalline texture and exhibit cubic FCC structure. The optical constants, the refractive index n and absorption index k were calculated in the spectral range of 400-4000 nm from transmittance and reflectance data using Murmann’s exact equations. Both n and k are practically independent on the film thickness in the range 28 nm to 210 nm. From the analysis of absorption index data, an indirect allowed energy gap of 0.16 eV and direct allowed energy gap of 0.277 eV were obtained. Other direct allowed optical transitions were obtained with energy gap of 0.49 eV and may be due to the splitting of valence band at the Γ point due to the effect of spin-orbit interaction.     

Determination and analysis of optical constants for thermally evaporated PbSe thin films

PbSe films have been deposited on glass and quartz substrates at room temperature by thermal evaporation technique. X-ray diffraction patterns of the obtained films showed that they have polycrystalline texture and exhibit cubic FCC structure. The optical constants, the refractive index n and absorption index k were calculated in the spectral range of 400–4000 nm from transmittance and reflectance data using Murmann’s exact equations. Both n and k are practically independent on the film thickness in the range 28 nm to 210 nm. From the analysis of absorption index data, an indirect allowed energy gap of 0.16 eV and direct allowed energy gap of 0.277 eV were obtained. Other direct allowed optical transitions were obtained with energy gap of 0.49 eV and may be due to the splitting of valence band at the Γ point due to the effect of spin-orbit interaction.     

Structural and electrical properties of evaporated ZnTe thin films

Zinc telluride thin films of various thicknesses are deposited by vacuum evaporation onto glass substrates at room temperature. The X-ray diffraction technique is used to determine the crystalline structure and grain size of the films, respectively. The structure was found to be cubic with preferential orientation along a (1 1 1) plane and crystallite size of about 50-80 nm. The degree of preferred orientation and crystallite size are increased as the film thickness increases. The current density-voltage (J-V) characteristics showed ohmic conduction in the lower voltage range and space-charge-limited conductivity in the higher voltage range. Capacitance measurements indicated that the films have a relative permittivity, ε_r, of approximately 8.19. Further evidence for this conduction process was provided by linear dependence of V_t on d². Analysis of the results yielded hole concentration , which is correlated with the structural properties.     

Effects of post-deposition annealing on morphology and optical properties of electron beam evaporated Bromoaluminium phthalocyanine thin films

In this paper, effects of post-deposition annealing on morphology and optical properties of electron beam evaporated Bromoaluminium phthalocyanine thin films have been investigated. Surface morphology of the films have been characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The FESEM micrographs have shown densely packed nanoparticles and nanorod-like structures for the films annealed at different temperatures. Conditions leading to β-phase have been identified by monitoring post-deposition annealing using optical absorption spectroscopy (UV–Vis). The optical absorption measurements on the as-deposited and annealed films shows that the absorption mechanism is due to direct transition. Also, it is found that the optical band gap decreases with increase in annealing temperature.     

Nano structure formation in vacuum evaporated zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) thin films

In this article we have reported the nano structure formation in ZincPhthalocyanine (ZnPc) thin films coated on glass substrates by thermal evaporation method. The structure of the films was analyzed by an X-ray diffractometer (using Cu K_α radiation with λ = 1.5418 Å). It reveals that the vacuum evaporated ZnPc thin films are having nano particles in its structure. It is confirmed by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and optical absorption studies. The results of the XRD, SEM and AFM studies have been discussed in this article. A metastable α to the stable β-phase transformation has been observed when the films are coated at higher substrate temperatures. The core structure of the ZnPc macrocycle is formed by four isoindole units endowing the molecule with a two-dimensional conjugated π electron system.     

Structural,dielectric, and electrical studies on thermally evaporated CdTe thin films

Sandwich structures of cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin films between Ag electrodes were prepared by thermal evaporation technique at a vacuum of ~2 × 10⁻⁵ torr. Structural characterization of these thin films was performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. The effect of temperature and frequency on the electrical and dielectric properties of these films was studied in detail and reported in this article. The experimental study indicates that for the CdTe thin film the dielectric constant and dielectric loss increases with temperature and decreases with frequency. However, A.C. conductivity increases both with temperature and frequency. The data of complex impedance measurements over the same range of temperature and frequency are used to describe the relaxation behavior of the CdTe film. Our results indicate that the transport behavior of carriers in CdTe thin films is consistent with the correlated barrier hopping (CBH) model.     

Physical characteristics of thermally evaporated Bismuth thin films

Thin films of bismuth with different thicknesses were produced by thermal evaporation from a molybdenum boat source onto cleaned glass substrates at room temperature. The material has been characterized using X-ray diffraction, electrical and optical measurements. A polycrystalline transition phase was observed. The resistivity was calculated for different film thicknesses and found to vary with thickness and temperature. An anomalous dependence of resistivity on temperature was observed during heating. The optical constants were determined from the transmission and reflection data of these thin films for normal incidence. The absorption coefficient revealed the existence of an allowed direct transition with energy gap (E_g) values ranging from 3.45 to 3.6 eV.     

Effect of substrate temperature on the optical parameters of thermally evaporated Ge-Se-Te thin films

Thin films of Ge₁₀Se_90 − xTe_x (x = 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50) glassy alloys were deposited at three substrate temperatures (303 K, 363 K and 423 K) using conventional thermal evaporation technique at base pressure of ~ 10^− 4 Pa. X-ray diffraction results show that films deposited at 303 K are of amorphous nature while films deposited at 363 K and 423 K are of polycrystalline nature. The optical parameters, refractive index and optical gap have been derived from the transmission spectra (using UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer) of the thin films in the spectral region 400-1500 nm. This has been observed that refractive index values remain almost constant while the optical gap is found to decrease considerably with the increase of substrate temperature. The decrease in optical gap is explained on the basis of change in nature of films, from amorphous to polycrystalline state, with the increase of substrate temperature. The optical gap has also been observed to decrease with the increase of Te content.     

Electrical resistivity studies of thermally evaporated manganese-rhenium thin films

Electrical resistivity studies have been carried out on thermally evaporated Mn_100−xRe_x thin films (with X=0.1-0.5 and 1 at.% Re) over the temperature range from 300 to 1.4 K using the van der Pauw four probe technique. A resistivity minimum a notable characteristic of α-Mn was found in all the specimens with a shift of T_min corresponding to the resistivity minimum to upper values as the concentration of Re increases. The results show a tendency towards saturation of the resistivity as the temperature approaches zero implying a Kondo scattering mechanism in the samples. The shift of T_min and the characteristic Kondo temperature T_K to upper values may be explained in terms of the Kondo scattering.     

Gamma-ray irradiation induced structural and optical constants changes of thermally evaporated neutral red thin films

Neutral red (NR) is polycrystalline in powder form, it transforms to nanocrystallite phase upon thermal deposition. Gamma-ray irradiation with doses 1.25–6 KGy induced partial transformation of nanocrystallite phase to amorphous structure. The changes of optical constants with γ-ray doses were calculated using spectrophotometer measurements of transmittance and reflectance at normal incidence of light over spectral range 200–2500 nm. The complex refractive index of NR film is highly influenced by exposure to γ-ray irradiation, the onset and optical energy gaps decrease with increasing γ-ray doses, and Urbach tail increases linearly with increasing irradiation dose. The type of electronic transition, oscillator, and electric dipole strengths and dispersion parameters were determined before and after irradiation. The spectral behavior of dielectric constant with γ-ray doses was also estimated.     

Optical characterization of electron beam evaporated chloroindium phthalocyanine thin films

In present study, the optical properties of chloroindium phthalocyanine (ClInPc) thin films prepared by electron beam evaporation have been investigated. The optical characteristics of the prepared thin films have been determined using spectrophotometric measurements of the absorbance, transmittance and reflectance at normal incidence in the spectral range 300–1,100 nm. Surface morphology of thin films is studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy. The absorption spectra recorded in UV-Visible region for the deposited films show two well defined intense absorption bands of phthalocyanine molecule; namely the Q-band and the Soret (B-band). The analysis of the spectral behavior of the absorption coefficient in the intrinsic absorption region have been performed to determine the optical band gap energy and type of the electronic transition, which reveals the probability of direct and indirect transitions. Moreover, by studying the absorption coefficient spectra just below the fundamental absorption edge, the width of band tails of localized states (Urbach energy), steepness parameter and width of the defect states have been evaluated. The obtained results of this novel grown ClInPc thin films support the desirable feature for the optoelectronic devices.     

Structural and optical properties of GaGeTe thin films

Smooth and pinhole-free thin films of Ga₅Ge₁₉Te₇₆ have been obtained by vacuum evaporation. The as-deposited films are amorphous. Thermal annealing at 222°C leads to an amorphous-to-crystalline transition. A maximum contrast of 30% in reflectivity (measured at 1 µm) has been obtained on phase transition from amorphous to crystalline state. The optical constants and the bandgap are reported.     

Electrical,structural and gas sensing properties of zinc phthalocyanine thin films

The dark conductivity of zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) has been studied as a function of material purity, crystal phase transformation and temperature with particular regard to gas sensitivity in air, O₂, N₂, argon, NH₃ and NH₃-air mixtures. α-ZnPc was found to grow in the form of randomly oriented micro- crystallites but the β form showed oriented needle-like and whisker growth. The electrical properties were found to be dependent on material purity. Entrainer- sublimed ZnPc showed higher conductivity than impure material and displayed reproducible linear characteristics with less drift and hysteresis.The conductivity of both α- and β-ZnPc is found to be critically dependent on the presence of O₂. The sensitivity to other gases differs for the α and β forms but in both cases NH₃ causes a large dark conductivity decrease, possibly owing to catalytic behaviour, effectively removing oxygen acceptors.Conductivity-temperature data indicate a transition from extrinsic to non-extrinsic conduction for most cases.The conductivity of β-ZnPc is found to be greater than that of α-ZnPc, in contrast with other phthalocyanines.The relative sensitivities to the various gases suggests that ZnPc may be a viable material for selective gas sensing devices.     

Optical properties and microcharacteristics of thermally evaporated ytterbium films

The results of investigation of the optical properties of ytterbium films over a wide spectral range, from UV to IR, are presented in this paper. Ytterbium films were thermally evaporated onto the substrate in a vacuum at room temperature. The optical constants of the ytterbium films were determined for the wavelength range 0.2–25 microm on the basis of measurements of the reflectivity of the films and using Kramers-Kronig dispersion relations. The concentration and collision frequency of conduction electrons in ytterbium films were determined from the optical constants.