Vacuum properties of palladium thin film coatings

A recent development, carried out at CERN for particle accelerator applications, showed that a vacuum chamber coated with a thin getter film and then exposed to ambient air may be transformed into a pump by “in situ” heating at temperatures as low as 180°C.Heating activates the diffusion into the film of the oxygen present in the surface passivation layer. Repeated air exposure-activation cycles progressively enrich the film with oxygen, reducing its performance and shortening its operating life. To overcome this inconvenience, noble metal coatings were considered. At distinction with getters, noble metals may release all the pumped gases by heating, resulting in a practically unlimited life.Thin film coatings of palladium were studied by surface analysis, electron stimulated desorption and pumping speed measurements. These coatings were found to pump H₂ and CO, even without activation by heating, but not N₂ or CO₂. Thin Pd and Pd-Ag films were also used as overlayers for protecting a getter film from oxidation while not impairing its H₂ pumping.The result of these studies are presented and discussed.     

PS-b-PNIPAAm嵌段共聚物多孔薄膜的制备及形貌研究

将两亲性PS-b-PNIPAAm嵌段共聚物(BCP)溶解在四氢呋喃中配制成浓度为2%(质量分数)的溶液,旋涂后得到初生嵌段共聚物薄膜,以乙醇为退火溶剂退火后,探讨了退火时间对薄膜微孔结构的影响,结果表明,随着退火时间的延长,膜表面的微相分离越明显,微孔结构的分布更均匀。进一步将在乙醇中退火预处理的薄膜分别在乙醇或去离子水中进行溶胀处理,通过选择性溶胀成孔法制备PS-bPNIPAAm纳米多孔膜。研究了溶胀时间、温度及溶剂类型对薄膜形貌的影响,结果发现升高溶胀温度和延长溶胀时间均有助于膜表面微孔结构的形成,且该过程中乙醇的成孔作用比水的作用更为明显。     

玻璃衬底上钯多晶膜的制备

在乙二醇和乙酰丙酮混合溶剂中将钯多晶膜沉积在玻璃片上.钯膜表面平整,由球形钯晶小颗粒密堆积而成,颗粒均匀,形状规则,直径约为130nm.对混合溶液进行了研究,给出了制备均匀的钯膜的最佳反应条件.颗粒大小和膜层厚度可以通过改变反应条件加以控制.探讨了溶剂所起的作用,提出了混合溶剂中钯膜沉积的可能机理.     

Ellipsometric study of the influence of chemical etching on thin porous silicon structures

The effect of chemical etching on Porous Silicon (PS) samples is studied and quantified by using variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE). The main aim of this work is to assess the impact of such etching on the physical properties of electrochemically etched, thin PS antireflection coatings (ARC) for solar cell applications. In this study, detailed models of PS layers etched at constant current densities are created using a graded uniaxial Bruggeman Effective Medium Approximation (BEMA). Changes in porosity, thickness, and optical anisotropy of the PS samples due to chemical etching are determined as a function of etching time after PS formation. Three series of PS films, etched at three different current densities, are investigated. It is shown that significant changes in physical properties occur for chemical etching times longer than ~ 60 s. The anodic etching process for fabricating PS ARC structures can be performed in less than 10 s. Therefore, chemical etching does not lead to significant deviations from the intended PS structure and is not seen as a hindrance to accurate control of processes for fabricating thin PS ARCs.     

纳米硅薄膜及其太阳电池研究进展

纳米硅薄膜具有新颖的结构特征和一系列独特的物理性质,可望应用于新型光电子器件、量子功能器件、集成电路等领域.本文综述了纳米硅薄膜的研究现状及其优良的光电性能和纳米硅薄膜太阳电池的研究进展,指出在生产制备与性能方面纳米硅薄膜太阳电池所具有的优势,具有良好的发展前景.     

Microscope observation of a self-standing film of porous silicon

A self-standing film (SSF) of porous silicon electrochemically isolated from the substrate has been observed under optical and electron microscopes. The SSF consists of two layers: the top layer, on the side from which anodization starts, cracks into cells exhibiting a fine porous structure: the bottom layer, on the side of isolation, shows a uniform and coarse porous structure. Under the optical microscope the film is found to expand upon wetting with methanol and to shrink back when it is dried. The change in the surface area amounts to about 10%, while any change in the thickness is undetectable. This expansion-shrinkage process can be repeated, but the film is occasionally cracked when it shrinks.     

金刚石膜在多孔硅发光中的应用

采用微波等离子体化学气相沉积（MPCVD）法成功地在多孔硅上沉积出均匀、致密的金刚石膜。光致发光测量表明,金刚石膜可以有效稳定多孔硅的发光波长和发光强度,具有明显的钝化效应。金刚石膜的这个特点再加上高硬度特性使金刚石膜成为多孔硅的一种潜在的钝化膜。     

Synthesis of Ag-TiO2 composite nano thin film for antimicrobial application

TiO2 photocatalysts have been found to kill cancer cells, bacteria and viruses under mild UV illumination, which offers numerous potential applications. On the other hand, Ag has long been proved as a good antibacterial material as well. The advantage of Ag-TiO2 nanocomposite is to expand the nanomaterial's antibacterial function to a broader range of working conditions. In this study neat TiO2 and Ag-TiO2 composite nanofilms were successfully prepared on silicon wafer via the sol-gel method by the spin-coating technique. The as-prepared composite Ag-TiO2 and TiO2 films with different silver content were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to determine the topologies, microstructures and chemical compositions, respectively. It was found that the silver nanoparticles were uniformly distributed and strongly attached to the mesoporous TiO2 matrix. The morphology of the composite film could be controlled by simply tuning the molar ratio of the silver nitrate aqueous solution. XPS results confirmed that the Ag was in the Ag(0) state. The antimicrobial effect of the synthesized nanofilms was carried out against gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli ATCC 29425) by using an 8 W UV lamp with a constant relative intensity of 0.6 mW cm(-2) and in the dark respectively. The synthesized Ag-TiO2 thin films showed enhanced bactericidal activities compared to the neat TiO2 nanofilm both in the dark and under UV illumination.     

立方氮化硼薄膜表面的XPS研究

研究立方氮化硼薄膜表面的性质对于研究立方氮化硼薄膜的成核机理和应用,具有重要的价值.本文用XPS对立方氮化硼薄膜表面进行研究,并对有关问题进行了讨论.XPS分析表明,立方氮化硼薄膜表面除了B、N外,还含有C和O.从XPS谱图计算得到含有立方相的氮化硼薄膜的N/B为0.90,较接近于氮化硼的理想化学配比11;不含立方相的氮化硼薄膜的N/B为0.86,离氮化硼的理想化学配比11较远.计算表明立方氮化硼薄膜的顶层六角相的厚度约为0.8nm.     

纳米晶硅薄膜材料的技术发展

本文综述了硅基薄膜材料的发展历程;提出了一些促进硅基薄膜电池技术进步的思路;并对硅 基薄膜电池的发展进行了有益的探讨,对最新的硅基薄膜太阳能电池作了展望.     

Investigation of silicon contamination of Ta filaments used for thin film silicon deposition

After extensive utilisation of tantalum (Ta) catalyst filaments for hot wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) of thin silicon films a strong degradation takes place. A high concentration of silicon was found not only on the surface but also in the bulk of the tantalum filament. Visual microscopic investigations, Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDX) indicate appearance of various silicides and formation of thick silicon layer (> 50 μm) on the filament surface. The high-power backscattered scanning electron microscopy (SEM BSE) and optical microscopic analysis of the filament cross section reveal a complicated, non-uniform structure of filaments after use. By XRD a recrystallisation of tantalum kernel was detected. The EDX analysis indicates that silicides on the filament surface have the highest concentration of Si.     

PEO-b-PS嵌段共聚物的合成与有序纳米膜的制备

以聚环氧乙烷-溴(PEO-Br)大分子引发剂引发苯乙烯(St)的原子转移自由基聚合(ATRP),制备了聚环氧乙烷-b-聚苯乙烯(PEO-b-PS).1H NMR分析表明嵌段共聚物中聚环氧乙烷嵌段和聚苯乙烯嵌段的数均分子量分别是5500和37000,PEO的质量分数为12.9％.考察了旋涂环境和溶剂熏蒸后处理方法对此嵌段共聚物薄膜形貌的影响,结果表明在PS的良溶剂和PEO的良溶剂共同存在下旋涂成膜,并经过两种良溶剂共同蒸汽的后处理,PEO-b-PS嵌段共聚物可以制得具有规则纳米圆柱图案的薄膜.     

Novel approach to thin film polycrystalline silicon on glass

Thin (1 μm) a-Si:H films have been deposited on glass at high-deposition rate (8 nm/s) and high substrate temperature (400 °C) by the expanding thermal plasma technique (ETP). After a Solid Phase Crystallization treatment at 650 °C for 10 h, many crystal grains are found to extend over the entire thickness (1 μm) of the polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) films. This result indicates that the scalable, high-deposition rate ETP method can contribute to increase the potential for a widespread diffusion of poly-Si based thin film solar cells on glass.     

Piezoresistive silicon thin film sensor array for biomedical applications

N-type hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon thin film piezoresistors, with gauge factor − 28, were deposited on rugged and flexible polyimide foils by Hot-wire chemical vapor deposition using a tantalum filament heated to 1750 °C. The piezoresistive response under cyclic quasi-static and dynamical (up to 100 Hz) load conditions is reported. Test structures, consisting of microresistors having lateral dimensions in the range from 50 to 100 μm and thickness of 120 nm were defined in an array by reactive ion etching. Metallic pads, forming ohmic contacts to the sensing elements, were defined by a lift-off process. A readout circuit for the array consisting in a mutiplexer on each row and column of the matrix is proposed. The digital data will be processed, interpreted and stored internally by an ultra low-power micro controller, also responsible for the communication of two-way wireless data, e.g. from inside to outside the human body.     

Oxidation of the surface of a thin amorphous silicon film

The oxidation of clean crystalline silicon surfaces is self-limiting at moderate oxygen pressures (10^− 5 Pa) and temperatures (500 °C), forming 0.7-0.8 nm thick oxide layers. This study looks at the oxidation of a surface of a thin amorphous silicon film to establish if a similar mechanism is active in this case. We have devised a special experimental procedure to check the oxidation mechanism of thin amorphous silicon films. For the spectroscopic investigations we used photoemission with synchrotron radiation with the highest possible surface sensitivity and resolution. This permits a detailed decomposition of the Si 2p spectral details, using a mathematical decomposition procedure. The results clearly show that the oxidation mechanism of the surface of an amorphous silicon film under similar conditions is severely hindered compared to cases of crystalline substrates, indicating less reactivity at the surface and less transport of oxygen into the amorphous material.     

The bending of silicon wafers by thin polycrystalline silicon film deposition and by film doping using boron diffusion

The existence of stress at the interface between a monocrystalline silicon substrate and a thin (under 1 μm) polycrystalline silicon film was demonstrated using X-ray topography. The wafer-bending direction was studied for a polycrystalline film doped by boron prediffusion and by prediffusion followed by drive-in diffusion. Wafer bending in the presence of SiO₂ thermal growth between the monocrystalline substrate and the polycrystalline film was also investigated. The causes of the wafer bending and its change during polycrystalline film doping are discussed.     

Phase transformation and optical characteristics of porous germanium thin film

In this study, we proposed a method to prepare GeO₂ by treating porous Ge thin film with thermal annealing in O₂ ambient. After annealing, the morphological transformation from porous thin film to an island structure was observed. The crystallization and composition of the porous Ge thin film prepared using different annealing time in O₂ ambient were confirmed by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectra. Initial Ge composition was gradually oxidized to GeO₂ with increasing annealing time. Comparing the photoluminescence (PL) results between Ge and GeO₂, it was found that the visible photoluminescence originated from the germanium oxide. Photoluminescence measurements obtained at different temperatures exhibited a maximum integrated PL intensity at around 200 K. A possible explanation for this behavior might be the competition between radiative recombination and nonradiative hopping process.     

Capacitance analyses of hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon based thin film transistor

The capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements within 10⁶-10^− 2 Hz frequency range were performed on the hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) bottom-gate thin film transistor (TFT) and metal-insulator-amorphous silicon (MIAS) structure, mechanically isolated from the same TFT. It was found that the conducting thin layer in nc-Si:H film expands the effective capacitor area beyond the electrode in the TFT structure, which complicates its C-V curves. Considering the TFT capacitance-frequency (C-F) curves, the equivalent circuit of the TFT structure was proposed and mechanism for this area expansion was discussed. On the other hand, the MIAS C-F curves were fitted by the equivalent circuit models to deduce its electrical properties. nc-Si:H neutral bulk effect was revealed by the dependence of the MIAS capacitance on frequency within 10⁶-10³ Hz at both accumulation and depletion regimes. The inversion in MIAS was detected at 10²-10^− 2 Hz for relatively low negative gate bias without any external activation source. The presence of the ac hopping conductivity in the nc-Si:H film was inferred from the fitting. In addition, the density of the interface traps and its energy distribution were determined.     

Control of plasma process instabilities during thin silicon film deposition

Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy (FTIR), optical emission spectroscopy (OES), self-bias voltage and plasma impedance controls were applied as in situ process diagnostics during the deposition of amorphous silicon thin-films. The diagnostic abilities of OES and FTIR are compared. The FTIR in-situ direct measurement of silane concentration in exhaust line is more precise than OES control. All in situ process diagnostics clearly indicates the inconsistency of plasma properties and therefore of deposition conditions. The drifts are comparable with the film deposition time. The FTIR measurement of reactant concentration in the process chamber evidence that the strong silane concentration drop (about 50%) in a plasma is the cause of the short-term drift of OES signals (SiH? emission), plasma impedance and self-bias voltage signals. The influences of the deposition chamber geometry and technological parameters on process drifts are considered. The decrease of the gas residence time in the reactor leads to a decrease of Initial Transient State phenomena. Finally, the improvement of solar cell performance based on thin silicon films is demonstrated when drifts are reduced.     

Surface deformation of amorphous silicon thin film on elastomeric substrate

Stiff thin layers on compliant substrates can generate various surface structures using equi-biaxial stress caused by large thermal expansion rate differences. We investigated the detailed understanding on the evolution of self-assembled wrinkle patterns of ultra-thin amorphous silicon (a-Si) layers on polydimethylsiloxane substrate. It turns out that the generation of various wrinkle patterns depends on the position of their orientation, film thicknesses, mechanical properties of the a-Si films, and the amount of pre-strain. The various self-assembled patterns include one-dimensional wavy patterns, randomly ordered two-dimensional structured patterns, and herringbone structures. The self-assembled wrinkles can be characterized by the wavelength and amplitude of the distinct structures: the amplitudes of the various patterns increase as the amount of pre-strain increases, while the wavelengths remain constant within our experimental ranges. The experimental results of the wavelengths and amplitudes for the wavy structured patterns of 270-nm-thick a-Si layer are in good agreement with the theoretical solutions of the single crystalline silicon (c-Si) model, which implies that the theoretical modeling of the deformation of c-Si film can be expandable to the case of a-Si film deformations.