Effect of annealing temperature on structural,optical and humidity sensing properties of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films

Tin doped indium oxide (ITO) thin films were prepared by sol–gel spin coating method with In (NO₃)·3H₂O and SnCl₄·5H₂O as indium and tin sources, respectively. The as deposited samples were annealed at various temperature such as, 300, 400, 500 and 600?°C for 2 h in ambient atmosphere. The grown ITO thin films are polycrystalline in nature with cubic structure of In₂O₃ with the space group La3 and the results are in good agreement with the standard JCPDS data (card no#06-0416). In addition crystalline size increases with increasing annealing temperature from 25 to 55 nm. Polycrystalline with uniform smooth surface was observed by SEM micrographs. The optical band gap energy was found to be decreased from 3.85 to 3.23 eV as the annealing temperature is increased from 300 to 600?°C. The humidity sensing performance (high sensitivity and fast response time) was significantly improved for 600?°C thin films samples, which is probably due to smaller energy band gap and physisorption between the water molecules and the surface of the thin films. The films were further characterized by PL and EDS analysis. The effect of temperature on humidity sensing mechanism of ITO thin films is also discussed.     

Effect of annealing on the structural and optical properties of InSe bilayer thin films

InSe bilayer thin films with different thickness were prepared on to a glass substrate by sequential thermal evaporation. Preparation and post deposition treatment conditions were optimized in order to achieve effective bilayer mixing. The influence of bilayer film thickness and annealing temperature on the structural and optical properties was investigated. The prepared films were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, UV-Visible spectroscopy, photoconduction and resistivity measurement. Structural studies show that the material undergoes phase transition with thickness, due to co-existence of many phases. Morphological analysis revealed that Se content plays an important role in determining the surface morphology of the film. It has been observed that grain growth and grain splitting phenomena depend on film thickness and annealing temperature. From the photoconduction measurements, the photocurrent increases rapidly when the sample is illuminated using 135 K Lux of white light. Absorption coefficient is in the order of 10⁴ cm⁻¹, makes the InSe thin film useful for the preparation of absorber layer in hybrid solar cell.     

Effect of tantalum addition on microstructure and optical properties of TiN thin films

Titanium nitride thin films were deposited by direct current magnetron sputtering with various tantalum (Ta) concentrations (2, 4 and 8 at.%). The films were characterized using UV/VIS spectrophotometer. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) were used to observe the microstructure and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to investigate the core level and the valence band of the films. It was found that the film with 2 at.% Ta is more reflective in the infrared range and more transparent in the visible region (selective behavior). The AFM showed smooth nanostructured surface for the film without Ta addition. It was found that the films with 2 at.% Ta presented relatively coarser grains with larger roughness and the reflectance are not controlled by the surface morphology. Also, this film presented higher electrical conductivity. HRTEM analysis showed that 2 at.% Ta addition gave rise to well crystallized films with elongated nanocrystallites in comparison with the films having 0, 4 and 8 at.% Ta contents.     

Zn缓冲层对氧化锌薄膜的结构和光学特性的影响

采用射频磁控溅射法在玻璃衬底上制备了具有高c轴择优取向的不同Zn缓冲层厚度的ZnO(ZnO/Zn)薄膜。利用X射线衍射(XRD)法、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)技术和光致荧光(PL)发光谱(PL)等表征了ZnO/Zn薄膜的微观结构和发光特性。XRD的分析结果显示,随着缓冲层厚度的增加,(002)衍射峰的半高宽(FWHM)逐渐变小,表明薄膜的结晶质量得到改善。通过对样品PL谱的研究,发现分别位于435(2.85eV)和480nm(2.55eV)的蓝光双峰以及530nm(2.34eV)的绿光峰,且缓冲层沉积时间为10min时,样品的单色性最好。推测位于435nm的蓝光发射主要来源于电子从锌填隙缺陷能级到价带顶的跃迁所致,而绿光峰的发光机制与氧空位有关。     

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.     

溶剂体系对c轴择优取向ZnO薄膜结构和光学性质的影响

以无水乙醇、乙二醇甲醚、乙二醇甲醚/乙醇混合溶液(1∶1)为溶剂体系,采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了ZnO透明薄膜,并利用场发射扫描电镜、X射线衍射和反射光谱仪等研究了溶剂体系对薄膜组成、结构和光学性能的影响。结果表明,3种溶剂所制备的ZnO薄膜均为六方纤锌矿型结构,具有c轴择优取向;以乙二醇单甲醚/乙醇混合溶液(1∶1)为溶剂制备的ZnO薄膜平整、致密,在可见光区域透光率达到90%左右,禁带宽度为3.25eV,具备制作薄膜太阳能电池透明导电电极材料的应用价值。     

Effect of heat treatment on the structural and optical properties of CuInTe2 thin films

The CuInTe2 thin films were prepared by thermal vacuum evaporation of the bulk compound. The structural and optical properties in the temperature range 300–47 K of thin films grown on glass substrates and annealed in vacuum were studied. The films were investigated by X-ray diffraction and electron microscope techniques. The calculated lattice constants for CuInTe₂ powder were found to bea=0.619 nm andc –1,234 nm. From the reflection and transmission data, the optical constants, refractive indexn, absorption index,k, and the absorption coefficient, , werw computed. The optical energy gap was determined for CuInTe₂ thin films heat treated at different temparatures for different periods of time. It was found thatE _g increases with both increasing temperature and time of annealing.     

Electrical and optical properties of TiN thin films

TiN thin films have been grown by reactive magnetron sputtering. It has been shown that an Ohmic contact to TiN thin-film can be made from indium. The TiN thin films have been shown to be n-type semiconductors with a carrier concentration of 2.88 × 10²² cm^?3 and resistivity of ρ = 0.4 Ω cm at room temperature. The activation energy for conduction in the TiN films at temperatures in the range 295 K < T < 420 K is 0.15 eV. The optical properties of the TiN thin films have been investigated. The material of the TiN thin films has been shown to be a direct gap semiconductor with a band gap E _g = 3.4 eV.     

Effect of gamma radiation on optical and electrical properties of tellurium dioxide thin films

Gamma radiation induced changes in the optical and electrical properties of tellurium dioxide (TeO₂) thin films, prepared by thermal evaporation, have been studied in detail. The optical characterization of the as-deposited thin films and that of the thin films exposed to various levels of gamma radiation dose clearly show that the optical bandgap decreases with increase in the gamma radiation dose up to a certain dose. At gamma radiation doses above this value, however, the optical bandgap has been found to increase. On the other hand, the current vs voltage plots for the as-deposited thin films and those for the thin films exposed to various levels of gamma radiation dose show that the current increases with the gamma radiation dose up to a certain dose and that the value of this particular dose depends upon the thickness of the film. The current has, however, been found to decrease with further increase in gamma radiation dose. The observed changes in both the optical and electrical properties indicate that TeO₂ thin films can be used as the real time gamma radiation dosimeter up to a certain dose, a quantity that depends upon the thickness of the film.     

离子束后处理对TiO2薄膜光学性质影响的实验研究

采用中频反应磁控溅射方法和线性阳极层离子源实现了TiO2薄膜在线制备和在线离子束后处理。通过对薄膜光学性质的研究,发现氧离子束后处理对提高薄膜折射率,降低薄膜吸收率具有明显效果。为工业生产中,薄膜的在线制备及后处理提供了切实可行的手段。     

Nonlinear optical and acoustic properties of thin films

The nonlinear optical and acoustic properties of thin films have been studied experimentally. The following nonlinear effects have been investigated: acoustic wave generation; stimulated light scattering due to acousto-optic interaction; and the influence of excitation conditions, film structure, and film composition on the above effects.     

Electrical sensing properties of silica aerogel thin films to humidity

Mesoporous silica aerogel thin films have been fabricated by dip coating of sol-gel derived silica colloid on gold electrode-patterned alumina substrates followed by supercritical drying. They were evaluated as the sensor elements at relative humidity 20-90% and temperature 15-35 °C under an electrical field of frequency 1-100 kHz. Film thickness and pore structure were two main parameters that determined the sensor performance. The film with a greater thickness showed a stronger dielectric characteristic when moisture abounded, and presented a smaller hysteresis loop and a higher recovery rate, due to the large size of pore throats. As the film thickness decreased, at low humidity the surface conductivity enhanced and the response rate increased. The silica aerogel based humidity sensor can be modeled as an equivalent electrical circuit composed of a resistor and a capacitor in parallel, and is driven by ionic conduction with charged proton carriers.     

Effect of annealing on the electrical and optical properties of electron beam evaporated ZnO thin films

Zinc oxide thin films have been grown on (100)-oriented silicon substrate at a temperature of 100 °C by reactive e-beam evaporation. Structural, electrical and optical characteristics have been compared before and after annealing in air by measurements of X-ray diffraction, real and imaginary parts of the dielectric coefficient, refractive index and electrical resistivity. X-ray diffraction measurements have shown that ZnO films are highly c-axis-oriented with a full width at half maximum (FWMH) lower than 0.5°. The electrical resistivity increases from 10⁻² Ω cm to reach a value about 10⁹ Ω cm after annealing at 750 °C. The FWHM decreases after annealing treatment, which proves the crystal quality improvement. Ellipsometer measurements show the improvement of the refractive index and the real dielectric coefficient after annealing treatment at 750 °C of the ZnO films evaporated by electron beam. Atomic force microscopy shows that the surfaces of the electron beam evaporated ZnO are relatively smooth. Finally, a comparative study on structural and optical properties of the electron beam evaporated ZnO and the rf magnetron deposited one is discussed.     

Effect of composition,film thickness and annealing on the optical properties of Bi-Sb-Se thin films

Thin films of Bi₁₀Sb _x Se_90–x (x35, 40, 45) of different composition and thickness, were deposited on glass substrates by vacuum evaporation. Optical absorption measurements show that the fundamental absorption edge is a function of glass composition, film thickness and annealing temperature. The optical absorption is due to indirect electronic transitions. The value of the optical band gap was found to increase with thickness and decreasing the antimony content and with increasing temperature of heat treatment. The validity of the Urbach rule was investigated and the respective parameters estimated. X-ray diffraction was used to obtain an insight into the structural information.     

Modeling the optical properties of tin oxide thin films

Searching the many papers reporting on the optical characteristics of tin oxide thin films, an obvious question arises: what is the origin of the very large differences in the reported optical and electrical properties of these films? The objective of the present work is to resolve this question by applying a modeling approach, simulating the refractive index of SnO, SnO₂, SnO + SnO₂, and porous tin oxide films in the visible range of the spectrum under various structure and composition conditions. Using the semi-empirical model of Wemple and DiDomenico for the dielectric function below the interband absorption edge of ionic and covalent solids, and the effective-medium theory of Bruggeman, the refractive indices of SnO, SnO₂, several mixtures of SnO and SnO₂ and various porous tin oxide films were calculated. The resulting data are compared with some published data to suggest the compositional and structural characteristics of the reported oxides. The correlation between the optical properties of the studied thin films and film composition is also indicated. It is proposed that the large spread in reported optical data is possibly a spread in the composition of the samples.     

Effect of high-energy electron-beam irradiation on the optical properties of ion-beam-sputtered silicon oxynitride thin films

Silicon oxynitride thin films are prepared by ion-beam sputtering, and the optical properties and surface chemical composition are studied by spectrophotometric and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. It is seen that the films sputtered by use of nitrogen alone as the sputtering species from a silicon nitride target are completely transparent (k < 0.005) and have a refractive-index dispersion from 1.85 to 1.71 over the visible and near-infrared spectral regions, and the films show distinct spectral lines that are due to silicon, Si(2s), nitrogen, N(1s), and oxygen, O(1s). Sputter deposition of argon and of argon and nitrogen produces silicon-rich silicon oxynitride films that are absorbent and have high refractive indices. These films have a direct electronic transition, with a threshold energy of 1.75 eV. Electron irradiation transforms optically transparent silicon oxynitride films into silicon-rich silicon oxynitride films that have higher refractive indices and are optically absorbing owing to the presence of nonsaturated silicon in the irradiated films. The degradation in current responsivity of silicon photodetectors, under electron irradiation, is within 3% over the wavelength region from 450 to 750 nm, which is entirely due to the degradation of optical properties of silicon oxynitride antireflection coatings.     

Influence of relative humidity on the nanoscopic topography and dielectric constant of thin films of PPy:PSS

The morphological, electric, and dielectric properties of water-based conjugated polymer blends, such as polypyrrole:polystyrene sulfonate (PPy:PSS) or poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), are known to be influenced by the water content. These properties also influence the macroscopic performance when the conjugated polymer blends are employed in a device. An in situ humidity-dependence study on thin films of PPy:PSS by Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) is presented. A particular KPFM mode, dielectric imaging, is used, which detects the second harmonic electrostatic force. Thin PPy:PSS films are drop-coated on hydrophobic graphite substrates. Upon increasing the relative humidity, the hydrophilic PSS is swelled and dewetted on the substrate, while the hydrophobic PPy remains almost unchanged. The swelling and dewetting of PSS results in irreversible morphological changes in the thin films, as well as nanoscopic rearrangement on the surface of the PPy:PSS films. The nanoscopic rearrangement can only be detected by dielectric imaging. It is also observed that relative humidity affects unannealed and thermally annealed PPy:PSS thin films differently.     

Intrinsic optical and structural properties of SrS thin films

SrS thin films were deposited by electron beam evaporation on heated silica substrates. The optical properties of the layers – complex refractive index and optical band gap –were derived from optical transmission spectra, measured by means of UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometry. The influence of post-deposition annealing by rapid thermal processing (RTP) was studied. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) was used to study the film crystal structure and preferential orientation.     

Electrical and optical properties of molybdenum trioxide thin films

Infrared spectra of vacuum-deposited molybdenum trioxide thin films have been studied. The variation of electrical conductivity with temperature for different thicknesses of films has been investigated. Electrical conductivity of the films as a function of time of UV irradiation was found to increase initially, then decreased rapidly and reached a steady value. It increased and reached a steady value with time when irradiation was cut-off.     

The optical properties of zirconium diboride thin films

The optical properties of evaporated thin films of zirconium diboride were investigated from 4.1 to 11.3 eV. The optical constants were determined by reflectance measurements made at near-normal and oblique angles of incidence. The existence and energy of interband transitions and the plasma frequency are inferred from these results.