Structural and optical properties of high quality ZnO thin film on Si with SiC buffer layer

ZnO thin films are grown on Si substrates with SiC buffer layer using ion plasma high frequency magnetron sputtering. These substrates are fabricated using a technique of solid phase epitaxy. With this technique SiC layer of thickness 20-200 nm had been grown on Si substrates consisting pores of sizes 0.5-5 μm at SiC and Si interface. Due to mismatching in lattice constants as well as thermal expansion coefficients, elastic stresses have been developed in ZnO film. Pores at the interface of SiC and Si are acting as the elastic stress reliever of the ZnO films making them strain free epitaxial. ZnO film grown on this especially fabricated Si substrate with SiC buffer layer exhibits excellent crystalline quality as characterized using X-ray diffraction. Surface topography of the film has been characterized using Atomic Force Microscopy as well as Scanning Electron Microscopy. Chemical compositions of the films have been analyzed using Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy. Optical properties of the films are investigated using Photoluminescence Spectroscopy which also shows good optical quality.     

Superconducting characteristics and epitaxial-growth analyses of YBa2Cu3O7−x thin films by direct-current magnetron sputtering

Using direct-current magnetron sputtering deposition, we have successfully prepared highquality epitaxial YBa₂Cu₃O_7–x thin films, on (1 0 0) and (1 1 0) ZrO₂, SrTiO₃ and LaAlO₃ substrates. The films reached zero resistance at about 90 K and had a critical current density, J _c (at 77 K, H=O), above 10⁶ Acm^–2. Electrical measurements showed that the films had a small microwave surface resistance. The epitaxial structure of the films was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Rutherford backscattering (RBS) and channeling spectroscopy, X-ray double-crystalline diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was found that the c-axis of the film grown on the (1 0 0) substrates under optimum deposition conditions was perpendicular to the substrate surface. But on the (1 1 0) substrates, epitaxial growth was along the (1 1 0) or (1 0 3) direction. The experimental results indicate that the films had excellent superconducting properties and complete epitaxial structure.     

Preparation and characterization of amorphous manganese sulfide thin films by SILAR method

Manganese sulfide thin films were deposited by a simple and inexpensive successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method using manganese acetate as a manganese and sodium sulfide as sulfide ion sources, respectively. Manganese sulfide films were characterized for their structural, surface morphological and optical properties by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and optical absorption measurement techniques. The as-deposited film on glass substrate was amorphous. The optical band gap of the film was found to be thickness dependent. As thickness increases optical band gap was found to be increase. The water angle contact was found to be 34°, suggesting hydrophilic nature of manganese sulfide thin films. The presence of Mn and S in thin film was confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray analysis.     

Investigation of ZnO films on Si<111> substrate grown by low energy O+ assisted pulse laser deposited technology

Zinc oxide thin films (ZnO) with different thickness were prepared on Si (111) substrates using low energy O⁺ assisted pulse laser deposition (PLD). The structural and morphological properties of the films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements, respectively. The quality of ZnO films was also examined by using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy/ion channeling (RBS/C) techniques. XRD showed that there was only one sharp diffraction peak at 2θ = 34.3° with the full width at the half maximum (FWHM) of around 0.34° for two ZnO samples, which also indicated that ZnO thin films had a good c-axis preferred orientation. Results of Rutherford backscattering and ion channeling clearly indicated that the Zn:O ratio in zinc oxide thin film approached to unity and the ZnO thin film grown by low energy O⁺ assisted pulse laser deposition had a polycrystalline structure. In the case of ZnO film fabricated by low energy O⁺ assisted pulse laser deposited under identical experimental conditions except growth time, AFM analysis has shown that the root mean square (RMS) roughness (2.37 nm) of thinner ZnO film (35 nm) was far below that (13.45 nm) of the thicker ZnO film (72 nm).     

Plasticity and Interfacial Dislocation Mechanisms in Epitaxial and Polycrystalline Al Films Constrained by Substrates

Stresses in epitaxial and textured Al films were determined by substrate-curvature measurements.It was found that in both cases the flow stresses increase with decreasing film thickness.The flow stresses in the epitaxial Al films are in agreement with a dislocation-based model,while the same model strongly underestimates the flow stresses of textured Al films.In-situ transmission electron microscopy studies indicate that dislocations channeling through epitxial Al films on single-crytalline(0001)α-Al2O3 substrates frequently deposit dislocation segments adjacent to the interface.Furthermore,the Al/α-Al2O3 interface of textured Al films on oxidized sillicon substrates is between the crystalline Al and the amorphous SiOx interlayer.It is speculated that the different nature of the interfaces changes dislocation mechanisms and thus influences the flow stresses.     

Effect of heating on the residual stresses in TiN films investigated using synchrotron radiation

The structure and residual stresses of TiN films deposited by arc ion plating (AIP) on a steel substrate were investigated using a synchrotron radiation system that emits ultra-intense X-rays. In a previous study, the crystal structures of TiN films deposited by AIP were found to be strongly influenced by the bias voltage. When high bias voltages were used, TiN films that were approximately 200 nm thickness had a preferred orientation of {110}, whereas TiN films that were approximately 600 nm thickness has a multilayer film orientation of {111}/{110}. In this present study, the two-tilt method was used to evaluate the residual stresses in TiN films by measuring lattice strains in two directions determined by the crystal orientation. Residual stresses in 600-nm-thick as-deposited TiN films were found to be −10.0 GPa and −8.0 GPa for {111}- and {110}-textured layers, respectively, while they were −8.0 GPa for {110}-textured layers in 200-nm-thick as-deposited TiN films. Residual stresses of both films relaxed to thermal stress levels upon annealing.     

Evaluation of diffusion barrier and electrical properties of tantalum oxynitride thin films for silver metallization

The thermal stability and the diffusion barrier properties of DC reactively sputtered tantalum oxynitride (Ta-O-N) thin films, between silver (Ag) and silicon (Si) p⁺n diodes were investigated. Both materials characterization (X-ray diffraction analysis, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), Auger depth profiling) and electrical measurements (reverse-biased junction leakage current-density) were used to evaluate diffusion barrier properties of the thin films. The leakage current density of p⁺n diodes with the barrier (Ta-O-N) was approximately four orders of magnitude lower than those without barriers after a 30 min, 400 °C back contact anneal. The Ta-O-N barriers were stable up to 500 °C, 30 min anneals. However, this was not the case for the 600 °C anneal. RBS spectra and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy of as-deposited and vacuum annealed samples of Ag/barrier (Ta-O-N)/Si indicate the absence of any interfacial interaction between the barrier and substrate (silicon). The failure of the Ta-O-N barriers has been attributed to thermally induced stresses, which cause the thin film to crack at elevated temperatures.     

Effect of substrate temperature on properties of Cu(In,Ga, Al)Se<Subscript>2</Subscript> films grown by magnetron sputtering

Cu(In, Ga, Al)Se₂ (CIGAS) thin films were deposited by magnetron sputtering on Si(100) and soda-lime glass substrates at different substrate temperatures, followed by post-deposition annealing at 350 or 520 °C for 5 h in vacuum. Electron probe micro-analysis and secondary ion mass spectroscopy were used to determine the composition of the films and the distribution of Al across the film thickness, respectively. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the (112) peak of CIGAS films shifts to higher 2θ values with increasing substrate temperature but remains unchanged when the films were annealed at 520 °C for 5 h. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy images revealed dense and well-defined grains for both as-deposited and annealed films. However, notable increase in grain size and roughness was observed for films deposited at 500 °C. The bandgap of CIGAS films was determined from the optical transmittance and reflectance spectra and was found to increase as the substrate temperature was increased.     

X-ray and Magnetoresistance Measurements of Electrodeposited Cu-Co Granular Films

Granular CoxCu1-x alloy films were prepared by electrodeposition at room temperature directly onto semiconducting Si substrate. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that the as-deposited films formed single phase metastable fcc alloy structure. The fcc lattice parameter αwas found to decrease linearly with increasing Co concentration x in the studied range. The giant magnetoresistance (GMR) of the films was improved after annealing. Pure Co fcc diffraction peaks were observed in the diffractogram of the annealed sample, indicating phase separation occurred upon annealing. The optimal annealing temperature was 450℃. The maximum of magnetoresistance (MR) ratio 8.21% was obtained for the Co20Cu80 thin film after annealing at 450℃for 1 h. The saturation field decreased upon annealing in the MR curves of Co20Cu80 film.     

Epitaxial growth of LiNbO3 thin films in a microwave oven

Oriented LiNbO₃ thin films were prepared using a polymeric precursor solution deposited on (0001) sapphire substrate by spin coating and crystallized in a microwave oven. Crystallization of the films was carried out in a domestic microwave oven. The influence of this type of heat treatment on the film orientation was analyzed by X-ray diffraction and electron channeling patterns, which revealed epitaxial growth of films crystallized at 550 and 650 °C for 10 min. A microstructural study indicated that the films treated at temperatures below 600 °C were homogeneous and dense, and the optical properties confirmed the good quality of these films.     

Elastic strain and misfit dislocation density in Si0.92Ge0.08 films on silicon substrates

Thin (less than 1 μm) epitaxial Si_0.92Ge_0.08 films on (100) Si substrates were grown by an UHV evaporation technique at a substrate temperature of 750 °C. The film strain and misfit dislocation density were examined by means of X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. The films are shown to be in state of compression, and the misfit dislocation density depends strongly on film thickness. The critical film thickness below which pseudomorphic growth without misfit dislocations occurs is found to be about 0.1 μm. The extrapolation model of van der Merwe's misfit dislocation theory is modified assuming low lattice mismatch and a diamond structure. The misfit dislocation distances thus calculated are compared with the measured distances, and it is found that the former are always smaller than the latter.     

Influence of substrate properties on the growth of titanium films: part III

The growth of thin Ti-oxide films (12 nm) on alumina substrate films formed by reactive evaporation of Ti in an oxygen atmosphere was studied by in situ internal stress measurements under ultra high vacuum conditions and transmission electron microscopy. Oxygen pressure and substrate temperatures were the varied parameters of the reactive evaporation. These Ti-oxide-films with different oxygen content (O₂/Ti-films) were then used as substrate films for the deposition of a clean titanium film. The growth stress of the titanium film on the as-deposited O₂/Ti-substrate films is comparable with that previously found for H₂O/Ti-substrates and indicates island growth and the formation of polycrystalline titanium films. Annealing (400°C, 20 min) of the as-deposited – amorphous – O₂/Ti-films gives rise to the formation of crystalline TiO₂. The amount of TiO₂ formed during annealing is strongly dependent on the oxygen content of the O₂/Ti-film. The oxygen content, in return, is dependent on oxygen partial pressure and substrate temperature during O₂/Ti-film deposition. The corresponding changes in the substrate film properties (oxygen content, crystallinity, etc.) are reflected in significant changes in the growth stress of the titanium film. The stress vs. thickness curve of these titanium films appears to indicate a superposition of the growth stress of two different growth modes, i.e. growth of a polycrystalline film with island growth on the as-deposited, amorphous oxide substrate and epitaxial growth of a quasi single crystalline film on the crystalline TiO₂-substrate.     

Effect of substrate temperature and deposited thickness on the formation of iron silicide prepared by ion beam sputter deposition

Ion beam sputter deposition (IBSD) method was employed to find optimum conditions for the formation of epitaxial β-FeSi₂ films on Si(100) substrate. It was found that crystal structure of the films as determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis is dependent on the substrate temperature as well as on the deposited thickness of sputtered Fe. The film with best crystal properties was obtained either at 873 K with the deposited Fe thickness of 15 nm, or at 973 K with the deposited Fe thickness of 30 nm. The obtained results indicate the importance of Fe and/or Si diffusion in determining the crystal properties of β-FeSi₂ film.     

Effects of different needles and substrates on CuInS2 deposited by electrostatic spray deposition

Copper indium disulphide (CuInS₂) thin films were deposited using the electrostatic spray deposition method. The effects of applied voltage and solution flow rate on the aerosol cone shape, film composition, surface morphology and current conversion were investigated. The effect of aluminium substrates and transparent fluorine doped tin oxide (SnO₂:F) coated glass substrates on the properties of as-deposited CuInS₂ films were analysed. An oxidation process occurs during the deposition onto the metallic substrates which forms an insulating layer between the photoactive film and substrate. The effects of two different spray needles on the properties of the as-deposited films were also studied. The results reveal that the use of a stainless steel needle results in contamination of the film due to the transfer of metal impurities through the spray whilst this is not seen for the glass needle. The films were characterised using a number of different analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Rutherford back-scattering and secondary ion mass spectroscopy and opto-electronic measurements.     

Preferred growth of epitaxial TiN thin film on silicon substrate by pulsed laser deposition

Epitaxial TiN thin films on silicon substrates were prepared by pulsed excimer laser (KrF, 34 ns) ablation of a hot-pressed TiN target in nitrogen gas atmosphere. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the preferred orientations of TiN thin films did not change with substrate temperatures, nitrogen gas pressure and film thickness; however, they did change with the orientations of substrates. The epitaxial orientation relationships between high-quality epitaxial TiN thin films and silicon substrates [2 4 2] TiN [2 4 2] Si, (1 1 1) TiN(1 1 1) Si and [3 1 1] TiN [3 1 1] Si, (1 0 0) TiN(1 0 0) Si. The full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the rocking curve of XRD and the minimum channelling yield of Rutherford backscattered spectroscopy (RBS) of the epitaxial TiN thin film were estimated to be 0.3 ° and 7.3%, respectively, indicating excellent crystalline quality of the grown film. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed that the binding energies of Ti 2p 3/2 and N 1s core levels in epitaxial thin film were 455.2 and 397.1 eV, respectively, corresponding to those of TiN bulk. By calibrating the RBS spectra, the chemical composition of TiN thin films was found to be titanium-rich. The typical surface roughness of TiN thin film observed by scanning probe microscopy was about 1.5 nm. © 1998 Chapman & Hall     

双靶溅射法制备M-SmS光学薄膜的研究

为了制备难以直接获得的金属相SmS,以Sm和Sm2S3为靶材,采用双靶子溅射系统,于单晶Si基板上直接获得了常温常压下稳定存在的M-SmS微晶薄膜,并采用XRD分析、内应力和RBS成分测试等手段对M-SmS的形成机理进行了研究.结果表明:M-SmS薄膜的形成是由于薄膜中存在压应力,压应力的形成与薄膜基板温度、薄膜沉积速率、薄膜中Sm元素过量以及基板之间膨胀系数的差异有关.     

Annealing behavior of thin polycrystalline silicon films damaged by silicon ion implantation in the critical amorphization range

Thin polycrystalline silicon films were amorphized by silicon ion implantation at two different angles and subsequently annealed at 525°C. The structure of the as-deposited, as-implanted and annealed films was examined using Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and the optical appearance method. Two distinct phases were found to coexist in the as-implanted films: one phase consists of a mosaic of crystallites surrounded by amorphous silicon and the other consists of only amorphous silicon. The mosaic phase was due to ion beam channeling through properly oriented polycrystalline grains. The implantation angle was found to determine whether the film recrystallizes upon annealing by a solid phase epitaxial mechanism using the surviving crystallites as seeds.     

Effects of composition and thickness on the electrical properties of indium oxide/tin oxide multilayered films

Indium oxide/tin oxide multilayered films with a 2 nm pair thickness were deposited on glass substrates at temperatures lower than 100° C by an ion-beam sputtering method. The structure, electrical properties and visible transmissivity were investigated as a function of composition and the total thickness on as-deposited and annealed films. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the as-deposited 200 nm thick film (with 0.15 nm tin oxide layers) was partially crystalline and films thinner than 100 nm were amorphous or microcrystalline. The roomtemperature resistivity of as-prepared films increased with the increase of an average tin oxide layer thickness from ∼0.05 to ∼0.3 nm (ideal monolayer thickness) under a constant total thickness ∼100 nm. We observed a decrease of the Hall mobility with the increase of the total film thickness from 10 to 200 nm in as-deposited samples containing 0.15 nm tin oxide layers.     

Influence of deposition parameters on preferred orientation of RF magnetron sputtered BST thin films

Ba_0.65Sr_0.35TiO₃ (BST) thin films have been deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The effects of the deposition parameters on the crystallization and microstructure of BST thin films were investigated by X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The crystallization behavior of these films was apparently affected by the substrate temperature, annealing temperature and sputtering pressure. The as-deposited thin films at room temperature were amorphous. However, the improved crystallization is observed for BST thin films deposited at higher temperature. As the annealing temperature increased, the dominant X-ray diffraction peaks became sharper and more intense. The dominant diffraction peaks increased with the sputtering pressures increasing as the films deposited at 0.37–1.2 Pa. With increasing the sputtering pressure up to 3.9 Pa, BST thin films had the (110) + (200) preferred orientation. Possible correlations of the crystallization with changes in the sputtering pressure were discussed. The SEM morphologies indicated the film was small grains, smooth, and the interface between the film and the substrate was sharp and clear.     

Characterization of CuInGeSe<Subscript>4</Subscript> thin films and Al/n–Si/p–CuInGeSe<Subscript>4</Subscript>/Au heterojunction device

CuInGeSe₄ thin films of various thicknesses were prepared on a glass substrate by thermal evaporation followed by selenization at 700 K. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis shows that the CuInGeSe₄ thin films are near stoichiometric. The X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that the as-deposited CuInGeSe₄ thin films are amorphous, while the CuInGeSe₄ thin films annealed at 700 K are polycrystalline with the chalcopyrite phase. The structure of the films was further investigated by transmission electron microscopy and diffraction, with the results verifying the X-ray diffraction data. High-resolution scanning electron microscopy images show well-defined grains that are nearly similar in size. The surface roughness increases with film thickness, as confirmed by atomic force microscopy. The optical transmission and reflection spectra of the CuInGeSe₄ thin films were recorded over the wavelength range of 400–2500 nm. The variation of the optical parameters of the CuInGeSe₄ thin films, such as the refractive index n and the optical band gap E_g, as a function of the film thickness was determined. The value of E_g decreases with increasing film thickness. For the studied films, n were estimated from the Swanoepl’s method and were found to increase with increasing film thickness as well as follow the two-term Cauchy dispersion relation. A heterojunction with the configuration Al/n–Si/p–CuInGeSe₄/Au was fabricated. The built-in voltage and the carrier concentration of the heterojunction was determined from the capacitance–voltage measurements at 1 MHz and were found to be 0.61 V and 3.72?×?10¹⁷ cm^?3, respectively. Under 1000 W/m² solar simulator illumination, the heterojunction achieved a conversion efficiency of 2.83%.