X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study and humidity sensing properties of Zn doped SnO2 thin films

Undoped and Zn-doped SnO₂ thin films are deposited onto glass substrates by sol–gel spin coating method. All the films are characterized by X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR). XPS shows that Sn presence as valence of Sn⁴⁺ in the prepared SnO₂ thin films instead of Sn²⁺. In addition, it also exhibits the amount of Zn in SnO₂ thin films, which increases with increasing Zn doping percentage. The Zn (2P_3/2) peak is symmetric and centred at around 1,021.73 eV which shifts to the lower binding energy of 1,020.83 eV for 15 at.% Zn doped SnO₂ thin film. FTIR study is used to describe the local environment of undoped and Zn-doped SnO₂ thin films which also confirms the synthesis of undoped and Zn-doped SnO₂ thin films. It is found that the resistance of SnO₂ thin films increases as Zn doping concentration increases at room humidity. The resistance of all the samples increases as relative humidity (RH) increases. The sensitivity of SnO₂ thin films increases as RH increases while it decreases as Zn doping percentage increases. Response time of SnO₂ thin film decreases as Zn doping percentage increases and recovery time slightly increases with doping percentage.     

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of thin TiO2 films cosputtered with Al

In this study, titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) films were fabricated by cosputtering of a titanium (Ti) target and an aluminum (Al) slice in a smaller area by an ion-beam sputtering deposition method. The sputtered films were postannealed at 450 degrees C. The x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra were categorized by their oxygen bonding variations, which include high-binding-energy oxygen, (HBO), bridging oxygen, low-binding-energy oxygen, and shifts of the binding energies (BEs) of oxygen (O) and Ti signals. The enhancement of HBO and higher BE shifts of the O 1s spectra as a function of cosputtered Al in the film imply the formation of an Al-O-Ti linkage. Corresponding changes in the Ti 2p spectra further confirm the modification of properties of the cosputtered film that results from the variation of the chemical bonding environment. An observed correlation between the chemical structure and optical absorption of the Al cosputtered films can be used to modify the optical properties of the film.     

The charge transport properties of a-Si:H thin films under hydrostatic pressure

Time resolved thermoelectric effects (TTE) were used to simultaneously determine trap levels and trap state density differences in amorphous (a-Si:H) samples. In particular, the trap state density differences are obtained from the decay of the ambipolar charge distribution, i.e. stage 2 of the TTE transients. The trap state difference density is measured under hydrostatic pressures, up to 2.2 kbar. The trap state density difference changes from a negative peak to a positive peak with increasing hydrostatic pressure, suggesting a significant pressure induced shift of the electron and hole trap levels.     

Electrical properties of electrodeposited CdTe thin films

The electrical properties of electrodeposited CdTe thin films have been studied. The temperature-dependent electrical conductivity data obtained have been used to determine the conductivity type and semiconductor parameters (E _g, B, and α) of the films.     

a-Si:H薄膜的制备工艺对其光电特性的影响

采用MW-ECR CVD方法制备的a-SiH薄膜在模拟太阳光照射下进行光敏性(σp.σ d)和光致衰退测试.对比了有、无热丝辅助沉积的薄膜的光电特性,得出沉积温度是影响薄膜光敏性的主要因素,而适当温度的热丝辅助对于薄膜的光致衰退有一定延缓作用.     

Effect of annealing temperature on growth of Ce-ZnO nanocomposite thin films: X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study

Ce-doped ZnO nanocomposite thin films with Ce/Zn ratio fixed at optimum value (10 at.%) have been prepared via sol-gel method at different annealing temperatures varied from 180 to 500 °C. The synthesized samples were characterized employing atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. According to AFM analysis, the average grain size increased from about 70 nm to 150 nm by increasing the annealing temperature from 300 to 500 °C. Moreover, based on the XPS data analysis, it was found that three major metal ions namely Ce³⁺, Ce⁴⁺, and Zn²⁺ coexist on the surface of the nanocomposite films. XPS data analysis also revealed that Ce³⁺ ion is oxidized to Ce⁴⁺ ion with increasing annealing temperature. Due to oxidation, the ratio of [Ce^3±]/[Ce total] changed from 68.8 to 38.1% by increasing the annealing temperature from 180 to 500 °C. In addition, the Ce/Zn ratio increased from 0.21 to 0.42 when increasing the annealing temperature from 180 to 500 °C indicating migration of Ce ions toward the surface at higher temperatures. Finally, the XRD measurements determined that the ZnO thin films have a hexagonal wurtzite structure and CeO₂ crystallites are formed at 500 °C in the Ce-doped ZnO nanocomposite thin films.     

X-ray photoelectron spectrometry depth profiling of organic thin films using C60 sputtering

A buckminsterfullerene (C(60)) ion beam was used for X-ray photoelectron spectrometry depth profiling of various organic thin films. Specimens representing different interfaces in organic light-emitting diode devices, including hole-conducting poly(ethylenedioxythiophene), poly(styrenesulfonic acid) (PEDOT:PSS) thin films on ITO with and without polysilicic acid doping, light-emitting Ir-containing 4,4'-bis(carbazol-9-yl)biphenyl (CBP) molecules on PEDOT:PSS, and electron-conducting 2,2',2' '(1,3,5-benzinetriyl)tris(1-phenyl-1-H-benzimidazole) (TPBi) molecules on CBP, were studied. In all cases, a clear multilayer structure was observed. The chemical composition and elemental state were preserved after C(60+) ion sputtering. The sputter rate was found to decrease with sputtering time. This is due to the deposition of amorphous carbon on the surface, with the rate of implantation highly dependent on the surface interacting with the ion beam.     

Structure and electronic states in a-Si:H thin films

The hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin films were prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition at various substrate temperatures. This paper examined the relationship between structural evolution and electronic states of the tested thin films. Raman spectroscopy was used to evaluate the structural evolution in amorphous network. Meanwhile, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was applied to explore the change of hydrogen in thin films. Results show that the order of network on short and intermediate scales, the content and bonding mode of bonded hydrogen, as well as the intrinsic stress and silicon coordination defects, and closed rings in the thin films, vary with the deposition temperature. The dielectric spectra of samples were measured using SE850 spectra ellipsometer. The density of electronic band states (DOS) in both valence band and conduction band for a-Si:H thin films was obtained by fitting the measured dielectric spectra. The results, verified by optical measurement, reveal that the effect of hydrogenation on band edge DOS is predominant in comparison with that of network relaxation.     

Anodic stability of electrodeposited ruthenium: galvanostatic,thermogravimetric and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies

The anodic stability of an electrodeposited ruthenium electrode was measured by anodic galvanostatic polarization in 0.5 mol dm^–3 H₂SO₄ solution. The role of water and adsorbed hydroxyl groups in electrode stability was determined by means of thermogravimetric analysis. A continuous weight loss due to water removal and condensation of hydroxyl groups was detected between 120 and 430 °C. The loss of a hydrous component of the oxide layer was in direct correlation with the increase of the anodic stability. Between 430 and 480 °C a weight gain was detected on the thermogravimetric curve. It was attributed to the formation of the ruthenium oxide layer in a higher oxidative state. This finding was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements.     

Hot-wire deposition of a-Si:H thin films on wafer substrates studied by real-time spectroscopic ellipsometry and infrared spectroscopy

Film growth of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) by hot-wire chemical vapor deposition was studied simultaneously and in real-time by spectroscopic ellipsometry and attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy. The a-Si:H films were deposited on native oxide-covered GaAs(100) and Si(100) substrates at temperatures ranging from 70 to 350 °C. A temperature dependent initial growth phase is revealed by the evolution of the surface roughness and the surface and bulk SiH_x absorption peaks. It is discussed that the films show a distinct nucleation behavior by the formation of islands on the surface that subsequently coalesce followed by bulk a-Si:H growth. Insight into a temperature-activated smoothening mechanism and the creation of a hydrogen-rich interface layer is presented.     

Atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study on nanostructured silver thin films irradiated by atomic oxygen

Nanostructured silver thin films irradiated by atomic oxygen (AO) generated in a ground simulation apparatus were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). AFM results show that after irradiation, all the grain sizes of the thin films became more or less small, and the compact surface became rough and sparse. From XPS depth profile of an AO-irradiated silver thin film, it can be found that the silver oxides formed exist as two valences, that is, at the surface, the oxide is mainly AgO, and gradually change to Ag₂O, the content of unoxidized silver also increase with depth of film.     

Electrical properties of C19H20N2O4SW based molecular-materials thin films prepared by electrodeposited technique

Semiconductor molecular-material thin films of Fischer carbene tungsten(0) have been prepared by electro-deposition in the electrochemical module of the atomic force microscope (AFM). This use of the AFM is proposed as a more efficient way to generate molecular materials, as it permits thin-film synthesis to be monitored and manipulated before characterization. The films thus obtained were characterized by infrared (FTIR), AFM and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The molecular material thin films exhibit the same intra-molecular bonds and the chemistry composition as the original compounds. The effect of temperature on conductivity was also measured in these samples: its behavior found as pertaining to a semiconducting material. The activation energies of thin films are determined from Arrhenius plots with these energies being within the range from 0.4 to 1.82 eV. The electrical transport properties for the thin films were determined by their chemical structure.     

An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of ultra-thin oxynitride films

Oxynitrides prepared by nitridation of 2 to 5 nm SiO₂ films on silicon, were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at two analyser exit angles. An iterative procedure was applied to obtain simultaneously the average nitrogen content and the thickness of the nitrided layer, mutually dependent via the electron transport properties of the layer matrix. Inelastic mean free paths and elastic corrections thereof were determined in accordance with ISO18118:2004(E), whereas a set of empirical relative sensitivity factors was used. The results reveal a significant increase of the 2 nm film thickness upon nitrogen incorporation of the order of 50 at.%, whereas the 5 nm films retain their thickness upon comparable extent of nitridation.     

Structural properties of low-temperature grown ZnO thin films determined by X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy

The epitaxial growth of ZnO thin films on Al₂O₃ (0001) substrates have been achieved at a low-substrate temperature of 150 °C using a dc reactive sputtering technique. The structures and crystallographic orientations of ZnO films varying thicknesses on sapphire (0001) were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD). We used angle-dependent X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy to examine the variation of local structure. The XRD data showed that the crystallinity of the film is improved as the film thickness increases and the strain is fully released as the film thickness reached about 800 Å. The Zn K-edge XANES spectra of the ZnO films have a strong angle-dependent spectral feature resulting from the preferred c-axis orientation. The wurtzite structure of the ZnO films was explicitly shown by the XRD and EXAFS analysis. The carrier concentration, Hall mobility and resistivity of the 800 Å-thick ZnO film were 1.84 × 10¹⁹ cm^− 3, 24.62 cm²V^− 1s^− 1, and 1.38 × 10^− 2 Ω cm, respectively.