Growth and characterization of ZnMgSrO thin films lattice-matched to ZnO and with deep-UV energy band gap

Quaternary Zn_1-x-yMg_xSr_yO films were grown and characterized in detail, which were observed to be lattice matched to the ZnO by the X-ray diffraction (XRD). Cathodoluminescence measurement showed that near-band UV emission peaks of the samples move toward higher energy as concentration of Mg and Sr increases, to 3.67 eV for the Zn_0.87Mg_0.08Sr_0.05O and to 4.02 eV for the Zn_0.72Mg_0.17Sr_0.11O. It was also observed by the scanning electron microscopy and the XRD that the films are single crystalline. It is believed that the ZnMgSrO films would be one of the important candidate materials for the high quality deep-UV optoelectronic devices.     

Efficient fluorescence from 9,10-bis(m-tolylphenylamino)anthracene doped into a blue matrix in Si-based top-emitting organic light-emitting diode

We demonstrate an efficient Si-based top-emitting organic light-emitting diode using a fluorescent emitting system composed of a green dye of 9,10-bis(m-tolylphenylamino)anthracene (TPA) doped into a blue matrix of 9,9′,10,10′-tetraphenyl-2,2′-bianthracene (TPBA). The device shows green emission with a maximum luminous efficiency of 3.3 cd/A and a power efficiency of 2.3 lm/W. The maximum luminance reaches 1.3 × 10⁴ cd/m² at a driving voltage of 12 V. The excellent performances partially resulted from effective energy transfer in the emitting system of [TPBA: 2 wt.% TPA]. In addition, the emission spectra exhibit negligible variation with increasing viewing angles, indicating a weak microcavity effect because of low reflectance of Si anode.     

Preparation of high quality polycrystalline silicon thin films by aluminum-induced crystallization

High quality polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin films without Si islands were prepared by using aluminum-induced crystallization on glass substrates. Al and amorphous silicon films were deposited by vacuum thermal evaporation and radio frequency magnetron sputtering, respectively. The samples were annealed at 500 °C for 7 h and then Al was removed by wet etching. Scanning electron microscopy shows that there are two layers in the thin films. After the upper layer was peeled off, the lower poly-Si thin film was found to be of high crystalline quality. It presented a Raman peak at 521 cm^− 1 with full width at a half maximum of 5.23 cm^− 1, which is similar to c-Si wafer.     

Influence of heat treatment on indium-tin-oxide anodes and copper phthalocyanine hole injection layers in organic light-emitting diodes

Modifications of indium-tin-oxide (ITO) and copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) layers by heat treatment aimed at lowering driving voltage in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are examined. Significant changes were observed in the surface morphology and carrier injection properties of ITO and CuPc layers after annealing at T = 250 °C for 0-60 min in a glove box. In the case of ITO annealing, although the ITO work function gradually decreased and the surface of the ITO layer became smoother than that of an unannealed ITO layer, we observed an appreciable decrease in the driving voltage with an increase in annealing time. In the case of CuPc annealing, on the other hand, we observed deterioration of the OLED's characteristics. All devices demonstrated an increase in driving voltage due to the pronounced crystallization of the CuPc layer.     

Microstructural evolution of sol-gel derived ZnO thin films

Zinc oxide thin films, with thicknesses between ∼ 20 and 450 nm, were prepared by spin-coating a sol-gel precursor solution (zinc acetate dihydrate and monoethanolamine in an isopropanol solvent) onto glass substrates, followed by heat treatment at temperatures through 773 K. At 298 and 373 K, the films exhibited the structure of a lamellar ZnO precursor, Layered Basic Zinc Acetate (LBZA). At higher temperatures, LBZA released intercalated water and acetate groups and dehydroxylated to form zinc oxide nanograins with wurtzite structure, which were preferentially oriented in the c-axis direction. Both the degree of the films' c-axis orientation and the topography of their surfaces varied with heat treatment and precursor concentration. For films calcined at 773 K, a minimum of micron-scale surface wrinkles coincided with a maximum in c-axis preference at intermediate concentrations, suggesting that release of mechanical stress during densification of thicker films may have disrupted the ordering process that occurs during heat treatment.     

Studies on the electronic transport properties of some organic semiconductors in thin films

The investigated compounds are some derivatives of orthotolidin-N,N-bis (4-aminobenzene-2-sulphonic) acid. The temperature dependences of the electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient are studied on the thin films deposited from dimethylformamide solution onto glass substrates. It is known that the investigated compounds have typical semiconducting properties. The values of some important parameters of the films (thermal activation energy of electrical conduction, concentrations and mobilities of charge carriers) have been determined. The correlations between some of these parameters and molecular structure of the respective compounds are discussed.     

Electrical, optical, and structural properties of InZnSnO electrode films grown by unbalanced radio frequency magnetron sputtering

We have investigated the electrical, optical, structural, and annealing properties of indium zinc tin oxide (IZTO) films prepared by an unbalanced radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering at room temperature, in a pure Ar ambient environment. It was found that the electrical and optical properties of unbalanced RF sputter grown IZTO films at room temperature were influenced by RF power and working pressure. At optimized growth condition, we could obtain the IZTO film with the low resistivity of 3.77 × 10^− 4 Ω cm, high transparency of ~ 87% and figure of merit value of 21.2 × 10^− 3Ω^− 1, without the post annealing process, even though it was completely an amorphous structure due to low substrate temperature. In addition, the field emission scanning electron microscope analysis results showed that all IZTO films are amorphous structures with very smooth surfaces regardless of the RF power and working pressure. However, the rapid thermal annealing process above the temperature of 400 °C lead to an abrupt increase in resistivity and sheet resistance due to the transition of film structure from amorphous to crystalline, which was confirmed by X-ray diffraction examination.     

Photocatalytic degradation of selected dyes by titania thin films with various nanostructures

Titania thin films with various nanostructures of quasi-aligned nanorods, well-aligned nanotubes and nanoparticle aggregates were fabricated and utilized to assist photodegradation of three typical dye derivatives in water, i. e., rhodamine B (RB), methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO). The thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra. It is found that the bandgap of most lab-fabricated thin films can be estimated more appropriately assuming a direct transition between the valance band and the conduction band of titania. The so-called natural ageing phenomenon was evidence for all the films to assist photodegradation of RB and MB in water; but not discernible for MO, which was much reluctant to photodegradation. MB decomposed much quickly than RB when assisted by titania with predominantly anatase; on the other hand, rutile favored the photodegradation of RB than that of MB. Titania thin films with top morphologies of quasi-aligned nanorods or nanotubes were found to possess advantageous turnover frequency and photonic efficiency over commercial P25 titania and sol-gel derived titania to assist photodegradation of RB and MB in water.     

A simple atomic force microscopy method for the visualization of polar and non-polar parts in thin organic films

Here we present a scanning probe microscopy method that allows for the identification of regions of different polarity (i.e. hydrophilicity) in thin organic films. This technique is based on the analysis of the difference between phase images generated at different applied bias voltages in tapping-mode atomic force microscopy. We show that, without any chemical modification of the microscope tip, it is possible to investigate surface properties of complex macromolecular layers, yielding new insight into the functional properties of the photosynthetic electron transport macromolecular complex, Photosystem I.     

Homoleptic single molecular precursors for the deposition of platinum and palladium chalcogenide thin films

Platinum and palladium dithio/diselenoimidodiphosphinato complexes have been synthesized and used as single source precursors for the deposition of platinum and palladium chalcogenide thin films by the Low Pressure Chemical Vapour Deposition technique. Pure PtSe₂ thin films were deposited at varying temperatures from the [Pt{N(SePⁱPr₂)₂}₂] complex. However, only Pt films were obtained from the sulfur analogue. The palladium diselenoimidodiphosphinato complex gave palladium selenide films with different stochiometries depending on the growth temperature. The corresponding sulfur complex gave PdS₂ films with a regular platelet-like morphology.     

Growth and characterization of electrodeposited Cu(In,Al)Se2 thin films

Thin films of CuIn_1 − xAl_xSe₂ were grown using a cathodic electrodeposition technique. The CuIn_1 − xAl_xSe₂ films were electrodeposited on SnO₂ coated glass from aqueous baths containing different Al contents using deposition potentials ranging from − 650 mV to − 850 mV versus a saturated calomel electrode. The electrodeposited films were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive analysis of X-rays, atomic force microscopy, and UV-VIS-NIR spectroscopy. The results show that single phase CuIn_1 − xAl_xSe₂ films with Al content x around 0.27-0.33 having good stoichiometry can be produced in the above potential range. XRD and SEM studies show that films deposited at − 650 mV and − 750 mV have good crystallinity while those grown at − 850 mV have comparatively poorer crystallinity. SEM studies show that the particle size of the films grown at − 650 and − 750 mV is in the micron range but is around 100 nm when grown at − 850 mV. Optical studies show that the optical band gap shifts with Al content from 1.21 eV for x = 0.27 to about 1.42 eV for x = 0.33. The as-grown as well as vacuum annealed films were n-type in conductivity with resistivity in the range 3-5 × 10⁻³ Ω cm.     

Enhancement of light output power in GaN-based light-emitting diodes using indium tin oxide films with nanoporous structures

We fabricated GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with a transparent ohmic contact made from nanoporous indium tin oxide (ITO). The nanoporous structures are easily made and controlled using a simple wet etching technique. The transmittance, sheet resistance, and root-mean-square surface roughness of the nanoporous ITO films are correlated strongly with the etch times. On the basis of the experimental values of these parameters, we choose an optimum etch time of 50 s for the fabrication of LEDs. The wall-plug efficiency of the LEDs with nanoporous ITO is increased by 35% compared to conventional LEDs at an injection current of 20 mA. This improvement is attributed to the increase in light scattering at the nanoporous ITO film-to-air interface.     

Influence of annealing on characteristics of tin disulfide thin films by vacuum thermal evaporation

In this paper, we reported on an approach to prepare tin disulfide (SnS₂) thin films on soda-lime glass substrates by vacuum thermal evaporation using SnS₂ powders as a source. The influence of annealing on the chemical composition, crystal structure, surface morphology, and optical band gap of the SnS₂ thin films was systemically investigated. The as-grown SnS₂ thin film was amorphous, homogeneous, smooth, nearly stoichiometric, with no pinhole and crack free, and with an optical band gap of 2.41 eV. After the SnS₂ thin film was annealed at 300 °C, the crystallization of SnS₂ was demonstrated by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope with a characteristic of a preferred orientation along (001) plane with hexagonal phase and the sheet appearance of the SnS₂ crystals. At the annealing temperature of 350 °C, some SnS₂ crystallites and a few pinholes appeared on the surface of the SnS₂ thin films, though the SnS₂ thin film was not oxidized. When the annealing temperature was increased to 400 °C, SnS₂ was gradually oxidized into an approximate spherical shape of SnO₂ from the top to the bottom of the SnS₂ thin film by trace O₂ in the furnace. Therefore, our experiment suggested that the annealing temperature of the SnS₂ thin film using the vacuum thermal evaporation should not be over 300 °C as a window layer in compound thin film solar cells.     

One-step electrodeposition of CuGaSe2 thin films

CuGaSe₂ thin films have been prepared by one-step electrodeposition and rapid thermal annealing process. According to composition and morphology analysis, deposition potential of − 0.6 V vs. SCE is considered to be optimum for electrodeposition. From the X-ray diffraction and Raman studies, the as-deposited film exhibits poor crystallinity without the evidence of CuGaSe₂ or other Ga-containing phases, while the rapid thermal annealing-treated film shows chalcopyrite structure CuGaSe₂ phase containing MoSe₂ phase between the Mo substrate and the absorber and minor second phase Cu_2 − xSe. The obtained CuGaSe₂ thin film has a band gap of about 1.68 eV and p-type conductivity.     

Effects of calcination temperature on the morphology, structure and photocatalytic activity of titanate nanotube thin films

"Titanate nanotube thin films were synthesized on titanium substrate via a simple hydrothermal method. The as-prepared film was composed of Na₂Ti₃O₇, and then transformed into H₂Ti₄O₉·H₂O after acid washing process. However, H₂Ti₄O₉·H₂O was thermally unstable. The effect of calcination temperature on its morphology (nanotube, nanosheet, nanorod or a lotus-root-like appearance), structure and photocatalytic activity was carried out by annealing the films at 300-900 °C in the static air and then analyzing by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope. Based on the results, the possible evolution mechanisms were discussed for no-acid (washed with distilled water) and acid washed (washed with dilute HNO₃) samples, respectively. Finally, the photocatalytic activity of acid washed films calcined at different temperatures was evaluated by photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) under ultraviolet light. The results indicated that the film obtained at 500 °C showed the highest rate for decomposing MO solution, which could be explained by its unique surface morphology and crystal structure.     

Anode material properties of Ga-doped ZnO thin films by pulsed DC magnetron sputtering method for organic light emitting diodes

This study examined the anode material properties of Ga-doped zinc oxide (GZO) thin films deposited by pulsed DC magnetron sputtering along with the device performance of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) using GZO as the anode. The structure and electrical properties of the deposited films were examined as a function of the substrate temperature. The electrical properties of the GZO film deposited at 200 °C showed the best properties, such as a low resistivity, high mobility and high work function of 5.3 × 10^− 4Ω cm, 9.9 cm²/Vs and 4.37 eV, respectively. The OLED characteristics with the GZO film deposited under the optimum conditions showed good brightness > 10,000 cd/m². These results suggest that GZO films can be used as the anode in OLEDs, and a lower deposition temperature of 200 °C is suitable for flexible devices.     

Growth and characterization of electrosynthesized iron selenide thin films

Iron selenide (FeSe) thin films were electrodeposited onto indium doped tin oxide coated conducting glass (ITO) substrates at various bath temperatures from 30 °C to 90 °C in an aqueous electrolytic bath containing FeSO₄ and SeO₂. The deposition mechanism was investigated using cyclic voltammetry. The appropriate potential region where the formation of stoichiometric iron selenide thin films' occurs was found to be −1100 mV versus SCE. X-ray diffraction studies revealed that the deposited films are found to be hexagonal structure with a preferential orientation along (002) plane. The parameters such as crystallite size, strain, dislocation density are calculated from X-ray diffraction studies. Optical absorption measurements were used to estimate the band gap value of iron selenide thin films deposited at various bath temperatures. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to study the surface morphology. The composition of FeSe thin films was analyzed using an energy dispersive analysis by X-rays (EDX) set up attached with scanning electron microscopy. Preliminary studies for photoelectrochemical solar cells based on iron selenide thin films were carried out and the experimental observations are discussed.     

Deposition of rod-shaped antimony sulfide thin films from single-source antimony thiosemicarbazone precursors

Antimony sulfide thin films were deposited on glass substrates by aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition technique using single source precursors, namely, antimony(III) thiosemicarbazones, SbCl₃(L) (L = thiosemicarbazones of thiophene-2-carboxaldehyde (1) and cinnamaldehyde (2)). The deposited films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and UV-visible spectroscopy in order to identify their phases, morphologies, compositions and optical properties respectively. These characterizations revealed that the films were comprised of rod-shaped particles of orthorhombic stibnite (Sb₂S₃) with a Sb:S stoichiometry of ∼ 1:1.3. The calculated optical band gap from UV-vis absorption spectrum is found to be 3.48 eV.     

Characterization of carbon thin films prepared by the thermal decomposition of spin coated polyacrylonitrile layers containing metal acetates

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) layers were cast from dimethyl-formamide solutions onto quartz substrates by spin coating and subsequently annealed at up to 1000 °C in N₂ atmosphere. Carbonization was catalyzed by nickel or cobalt added to the solution as acetate salts. The synthesized films were approx. 970 nm thick and were characterized by Raman and infrared spectroscopy as well as thermogravimetric and electrical conductance measurements. We discuss the effects of carbonization temperature and metal concentration on the morphology, composition and electrical properties of the formed carbon layer. Increasing the amount of catalyst and the pyrolysis temperature was beneficial for the process and resulted in carbonaceous films with a higher degree of structural order as evidenced by the decreasing Raman I_D/I_G ratio and the increasing electrical conductivity of the films. Cobalt is a better catalyst for PAN carbonization than nickel as far as the structure of the product film is concerned.     

The effect of growth parameters on CrN thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy

In this paper, we report on the controlling of the effect of growth parameters such as substrate temperature and the ratio of Cr and N atoms on phase formation, surface morphology and crystallization of CrN(001) thin films grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on the MgO(001) substrate. The reflection high energy electron diffraction, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy are used to characterize the thin films grown under various conditions. High-quality CrN(001) thin films are achieved at a substrate temperature 430 °C with a low Cr deposition rate.