Determination of optical constants of scandium films in the 20-1000 eV range

The transmittance of thin films of Sc deposited by evaporation in ultrahigh vacuum conditions has been investigated in the 20-1000 eV spectral range. Transmittance measurements were performed in situ on Sc layers that were deposited over grids coated with a C support film. Transmittance measurements were used to obtain the extinction coefficient of Sc films at each individual photon energy investigated. These data, along with the data available in the literature for the rest of the spectrum, were used to obtain the refractive index of Sc by means of the Kramers-Kr?nig analysis. Sum-rule tests indicated an acceptable consistency of the data.     

Transmittance and optical constants of erbium films in the 3.25-1580 eV spectral range

The optical constants of erbium (Er) films were obtained in the 3.25-1580 eV range from transmittance measurements performed at room temperature. Thin films of Er were deposited by evaporation in ultra high vacuum conditions and their transmittance was measured in situ. Substrates consisted of a thin C film supported on a grid. Transmittance measurements were used to obtain the extinction coefficient k of the Er films. The refractive index n of Er was calculated using the Kramers-Kr?nig analysis. k data were extrapolated both on the high- and low-energy parts of the spectrum by using experimental data and calculated k values available in the literature. Er, similar to other lanthanides, has a low-absorption band below the O(2,3) edge onset; the smallest absorption was measured at ~22.5 eV. Therefore, Er is a promising material for filters and multilayer coatings in the energy range below the O(2,3) edge, in which materials typically have an absorption stronger than at other energies. Good consistency of the data resulted from the application of f and inertial sum rules.     

Optical constants of electron-beam evaporated boron films in the 6.8-900 eV photon energy range

The optical constants of electron-beam evaporated boron from 6.8 to 900 eV were calculated through transmittance measurements of boron thin films deposited onto carbon-coated microgrids or LiF substrates in ultrahigh-vacuum conditions. In the low-energy part of the spectrum the measurements were performed in situ on freshly deposited samples, whereas in the high-energy range the samples were exposed to the atmosphere before the measurements. The extinction coefficient was calculated directly from the transmittance data, and a Kramers-Kronig analysis that combined the current data with data from the literature was performed to determine the dispersive part of the index of refraction. Finally, two different sum-rule tests were performed that indicated the good consistency of the data.     

Optical properties of scandium films in the far and the extreme ultraviolet

The optical properties of thin Sc films deposited in ultrahigh-vacuum conditions have been investigated in the 6.7-174.4-nm spectral range. We measured transmittance and multiangle reflectance in situ in the 53.6-174.4 nm spectral range and used these measurements to obtain the complex refractive index of a Sc film at every individual wavelength investigated. Transmittance measurements were made of Sc samples that were deposited over grids coated with a support C film. The transmittance and the extinction coefficient of Sc films at wavelengths shorter than 30 nm were measured ex situ. The ex situ samples were protected with an additional top C film before their removal from vacuum. To our knowledge, these are the first optical measurements of Sc films reported in the spectral ranges cited.     

Optical properties of ytterbium films in the far and the extreme ultraviolet

The optical properties of thin film of ytterbium in the 53.6-183.6-nm spectral range are described. Yb film were deposited in ultrahigh-vacuum conditians, and their transmittance and reflectance were measured in situ. Transmittance measurements showed that Yb has a certain window of lower absorption at approximately 54-100 nm, which makes Yb an interesting material for filters in this difficult spectral range. The optical constants were obtained from transmittance measurements and from multiangle reflectance measurements. These are what we believe are the first reported optical measurements of fresh Yb films at wavelengths shorter than 107.8 nm. Aging studies were performed both under vacuum and in a desiccator and showed that the optical properties of Yb are strongly modified on aging.     

ZnO thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were deposited on soda lime glass substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) in an oxygen-reactive atmosphere. The structural, optical, and electrical properties of the as-prepared thin films were studied in dependence of substrate temperature and oxygen pressure. High quality polycrystalline ZnO films with hexagonal wurtzite structure were deposited at substrate temperatures of 100 and 300 °C. The RMS roughness of the deposited oxide films was found to be in the range 2-9 nm and was only slightly dependent on substrate temperature and oxygen pressure. Electrical measurements indicated a decrease of film resistivity with the increase of substrate temperature and the decrease of oxygen pressure. The ZnO films exhibited high transmittance of 90% and their energy band gap and thickness were in the range 3.26-3.30 eV and 256-627 nm, respectively.     

基底温度对直流溅射Nb掺杂TiO2薄膜性能的影响

采用陶瓷靶直流磁控溅射,以玻璃为基底制备2.5wt%Nb掺杂TiO2薄膜,控制薄膜厚度在300~350 nm,研究了不同基底温度下所制得薄膜的结构、形貌和光学特性.XRD分析表明,基底温度为150℃、250℃和350℃时,薄膜分别为非晶态、锐钛矿(101)和金红石相(110)结构.基底温度250℃时,锐钛矿相薄膜的晶粒尺寸最大,约为32 nm.薄膜表面形貌的SEM分析显示,薄膜粗糙度和致密度随基底温度升高得到改善.薄膜的平均可见光透过率在基底温度为250℃以内约为70%,随基底温度升高至350℃,平均透过率下降为59%,金红石相的存在不利于可见光透过.Nb掺杂TiO2薄膜的光学带宽在3.68~3.78 eV之间变化.基底温度为250℃时,锐钛矿相薄膜的禁带宽度最大,为3.78 eV.     

Optical properties of tin diselenide films

SnSe₂ films were deposited on substrates at 300 K by a conventional thermal evaporation technique. The as-deposited films were amorphous and transformed to the crystalline phase on post-deposition annealing above 573 K in an inert atmosphere. The optical properties of the films were investigated, using spectrophotometric measurements of the transmittance and reflectance at normal incidence in the wavelength range 400–2000 nm. The refractive index data fit a single oscillator model with a dispersion parameter 5.149×10^–14 and 5.773×10^–14 eVm² for the amorphous and crystalline films, respectively. The high-frequency dielectric constant of the amorphous films decreased from 9.871 to 7.475 for the crystalline films. The analysis of the spectral behaviour of the absorption coefficient in the intrinsic absorption region revealed an indirect forbidden and a direct allowed transition with energy gaps 0.99 and 2.05 eV for the amorphous films and 0.96 and 2.02 eV for the crystalline films, respectively.     

Optical constants of gold in the soft-x-ray region from reflection and transmission measurements

The optical constants of gold deposited on 300-nm-thick freestanding polyimide films have been measured in the energy range of 40-1350 eV. The optical constants of the polyimide films were known from a previous investigation. By performing both transmission measurements with Kramers-Kronig analysis and multiangle reflection measurements with analysis by fitting to a Fresnel multilayer model including roughness, one could carry out a detailed error analysis. In the energy range above 500 eV systematic deviations between the results obtained by both methods were found. For gold films the discrepancies can be attributed to deviations from Beckmann-type behavior at small grazing-incidence angles.     

The optical properties of CuGa0.5In0.5Se2 thin films

CuGa_0.5In_0.5Se₂ thin films with thickness in the range 50 to 280 nm were deposited by thermal evaporation of prereacted material on glass substrates. The films were found to be polycrystalline with single phase having chalcopyrite structure as that of bulk material. The optical constants of these films were determined by transmittance and reflectance measurements at normal incidence for light in the wavelength range 400 to 1200 nm. Three characteristic energy gaps of 1.30, 1.55 and 2.46 eV were obtained from an analysis of the optical absorption spectrum. The optical constants of the films appear to be independent of the substrate temperature.     

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 of optical constants and thicknesses of In2O3:Sn films from transmittance data

Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited on quartz substrates by direct current magnetron sputtering and annealed in N₂ and air. The normal incidence transmittance of the films was measured by a spectrophotometer. The electrical parameters such as carrier concentration, mobility and resistivity were investigated by van der Pauw method. An optical model has been proposed to simulate the optical constants and thicknesses of the films from transmittance data, which combines the Forouhi-Bloomer model and modified Drude model. The relaxation energy in the Drude term is taken as energy-dependent for a better fitting in the visible spectral range. The simulated transmittance is in good agreement with the measured spectrum in the whole measurement wavelength range. The electrical parameters obtained from the optical simulation are well consistent with those measured electrically by van der Pauw method. The experimental results also indicate that the different post-deposition annealing treatments yield the distinct optical and electrical properties of ITO films.     

Optical constants of magnetron-sputtered boron carbide thin films from photoabsorption data in the range 30 to 770 eV

This work discusses the experimental determination of the optical constants (refractive index) of DC-magnetron-sputtered boron carbide films in the 30-770 eV photon energy range. Transmittance measurements of three boron carbide films with thicknesses of 54.2, 79.0, and 112.5 nm were performed for this purpose. These are believed to be the first published experimental data for the refractive index of boron carbide films in the photon energy range above 160 eV and for the near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure regions around the boron K (188 eV), carbon K (284.2 eV), and oxygen K (543.1 eV) absorption edges. The density, composition, surface chemistry, and morphology of the films were also investigated using Rutherford backscattering, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and extreme ultraviolet reflectance measurements.     

Optical properties of CdSe and CdO thin films electrochemically prepared

The present work comparatively studies the optical properties of CdO against CdSe samples potentiostatically electrodeposited onto fluorine-doped tin oxide/glasses (FTO). The films were prepared by electrochemical reduction processes in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solution. The optical properties are studied by transmittance measurements and diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). Structural properties of the films were also studied by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD). For CdSe the direct bandgap energy obtained from both transmittance measurements and first derivative peak position of the DRS is 1.69 ± 0.01 eV. In the case of CdO both direct and indirect gaps were found. Careful deconvolution of the spectra allows assigning the direct bandgap energy at 2.52 eV. A first indirect bandgap appears at 2.03 eV, while it is possible to have a second one at 0.46 eV.     

Growth and optical properties of ZnIn2Se4 films

Thin films of ZnIn₂Se₄ were deposited on quartz substrates at 297 K by the conventional thermal evaporation technique. The as-deposited films were amorphous. On annealing at 623 K under vacuum for 3 h, the films crystallized with a preferred (1 1 2) orientation corresponding to the chalcopyrite-type structure. Films deposited on a quartz substrate heated to 573 K were also crystalline. The optical constants were computed from the measured transmittance and reflectance at normal incidence of light in the wavelength range 400 to 2000 nm. The analysis of the data gave a direct gap of 2.2 and 2.06 eV for the amorphous and crystallized films, respectively. The dispersion curve exhibited a peak above the absorption edge. An indirect gap of 1.8 eV for the crystallized films and a direct forbidden gap of 1.75 eV for the amorphous films were also deduced. A direct allowed transition with a gap of 2.065 eV and an indirect transition with a gap of 1.69 eV were deduced for the crystalline films deposited on the heated substrate.     

Influences of carbon content and power density on the uniformity of PECVD grown a-Si1−x:Cx:H thin films

Large area electronics require large size thin films whose eventual inhomogeneities arise as a problem. Hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide thin films (a-Si_1−xC_x:H) for four different source gas mixtures at two power densities were deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technique. The degree of film homogeneity was investigated through measurements of deposition rate, refractive index and optical energy gap along the radial direction of bottom electrode. Both ellipsometer at various incident angles and optical transmittance at normal incidence were used in mutual control as diagnosing tools. It seems there is a critical power density beyond which inhomogeneities of the deposited films along the radial direction of the electrode are unavoidable.     

氧化铟锡(ITO)膜的光学及电学性能

在基片加热状态下，利用直流平面磁控反应溅射技术制备重掺杂In2O3：Sn薄膜，研究其光学及电学性能。从光谱测量出发计算了膜的折射率及消光系数，并确定了膜的有效禁带宽度为4．25eV，比未掺杂的In2O3有更宽的禁带宽度。测量In2O3：Sn．膜的霍耳系数，并从介电常数的计算获得了膜的电子浓度约1020／cm3。     

Excimer laser deposition and characteristics of tin oxide thin films

ArF excimer laser assisted chemical vapor deposition of tin oxide thin films on Si was obtained using SnCl₄ and O₂ as precursors. Experimental measurements revealed that the deposition rate increases with incident laser energy density. The composition, structure and ultraviolet-to-visible spectra of the thin films were investigated by means of XPS, SEM, XRD and a UV–Vis techniques. It was shown that SnO₂ and SnOCl₂ coexisted in the thin films, and SnOCl₂ was almost completely converted into SnO₂ after annealing. The SnO₂ thin films deposited at room temperature were amorphous in structure and the grain size of the films became larger after annealing. The transmittance of the SnO₂ thin films is above 90%, the absorption edge is 355 nm and the energy gap is 3.49 eV.     

F-doped SnO2 thin films grown on flexible substrates at low temperatures by pulsed laser deposition

Fluorine-doped tin oxide (SnO₂:F) films were deposited on polyethersulfone plastic substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The electrical and optical properties of the SnO₂:F films were investigated as a function of deposition conditions such as substrate temperature and oxygen partial pressure during deposition. High quality SnO₂:F films were achieved under an optimum oxygen pressure range (7.4-8 Pa) at relatively low growth temperatures (25-150 °C). As-deposited films exhibited low electrical resistivities of 1-7 mΩ-cm, high optical transmittance of 80-90% in the visible range, and optical band-gap energies of 3.87-3.96 eV. Atomic force microscopy measurements revealed a reduced root mean square surface roughness of the SnO₂:F films compared to that of the bare substrates indicating planarization of the underlying substrate.     

Optical characterization of BCN films deposited at various N2/Ar gas flow ratios by RF magnetron sputtering

We present the deposition and optical characterization of amorphous thin films of boron carbonitride (BCN). The BCN thin films were deposited in a radio frequency magnetron sputtering system using a B₄C target. Films of different compositions were deposited by varying the ratio of argon and nitrogen gas in the sputtering ambient. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to perform surface characterization of the deposited films and a change in composition with nitrogen flow ratio was observed. The effect of gas flow ratios on the optical properties of the films was also investigated. It was found that the transmittance of the films increases with nitrogen incorporation. The optical band gap of the films ranged from 2.0 eV to 3.1 eV and increased with N₂/Ar gas flow ratio except at the highest ratio.