Optical characterization of vacuum evaporated CdZnTe thin films deposited by a multilayer method

CdZnTe thin films of thickness 450–1400 nm have been evaporated under vacuum onto unheated glass substrates, using a multilayer method. During film deposition, the two evaporation sources, separated by two glass cylinders, were maintained at temperatures of 720 K for Zn and at 925–1200 K for CdTe, respectively. After deposition, the samples were annealed in air up to 775 K. The structural and optical properties of both as-deposited and heat-treated samples were investigated. Depending on the preparation conditions and the annealing temperature, the value of the optical band gap, E_g, of respective films varied between 1.16 and 1.63 eV. The obtained results are discussed in correlation with the structure of the films and the role of Zn atoms in CdTe films.     

Structural characterization of ZnO thin films deposited by dc magnetron sputtering

In this work we present recent results on ZnO thin films grown by dc magnetron sputtering technique at room temperature (RT), focusing on structural and surface characterization using conventional cross-section transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) and high resolution cross section transmission electron microscopy (HRXTEM) in an attempt to understand the thickness influence on film, mechanical and optical properties as well as photoreduction/oxidation conductivity changes. Films were found to be polycrystalline with a columnar mode of growth. For films with thickness over 100 nm, XTEM and HRTEM analysis evidenced the presence of a small grains transition layer near interface with the substrate, feature which plays an important role in ZnO thin films for gas sensing application. The control of such structural parameters is proved to be critical for the improvement of their gas sensing performance.     

氧化锌薄膜溶胶-凝胶分析

应用sol-gel技术,在普通载玻片上制备出透明的ZnO薄膜。由于醋酸锌前驱体在醇中的溶解度小，因此刺备过程中，选用了质子化能很强的物质(如乙醇胺)改变了其在醇中的溶解度。本文还通过热分析、红外光谱等手段分析了不同温度下ZnO的sol-gel热分解过程。并应用AFM、X射线衍射和UV—Vis吸收光谱对sol-gel路线制得的薄膜进行表征。实验结果表明：二水醋酸锌-单乙醇胺-异丙醇体系sol-gel的热分解过程与纯二水醋酸锌过程的分解大相径庭。ZnO薄膜的sol-gel的分解趋于一步完成。预处理温度对ZnO薄膜的性能有显著影响。只有通过控制试验条件，才能保证ZnO薄膜的透光率。     

Optical properties of PZT thin films deposited on a ZnO buffer layer

The optical properties of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films deposited on ZnO were studied by m-lines spectroscopy. In order to retrieve the refractive index and the thickness of both layers from the m-lines spectra, we develop a numerical algorithm for the case of a two-layer system and show its robustness in the presence of noise. The sensitivity of the algorithm of the two-layer model allows us to relate the observed changes in the PZT refractive index to the PZT structural change due to the ZnO interface of the PZT/ZnO optical waveguide.     

Optical and electrical properties of ZnO nanoparticle thin films deposited on quartz by sparking process

ZnO nanoparticle thin films were deposited on quartz substrates by a novel sparking deposition which is a simple and cost-effective technique. The sparking off two zinc tips above the substrate was done repeatedly 50-200 times through a high voltage of 10 kV in air at atmospheric pressure. The film deposition rate by sparking process was approximately 1.0 nm/spark. The ZnO thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, UV-vis spectrophotometry, and ionoluminescence at room temperature. The two broad emission peaks centered at 483 nm (green emission) and 650 nm (orange-red emission) were varied after two-step annealing treatments at 400-800 °C. Moreover, the electrical resistivity of the films was likely to be proportional to the peak intensity of the orange-red emission.     

Optical and electrical properties of Bi doped ZnO thin films deposited by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis

Undoped Zinc oxide (ZnO) and Bismuth doped zinc oxide (ZBO) thin films have been prepared by a simple and inexpensive technique namely ultrasonic spray pyrolysis. Films were prepared from an aqueous solution of zinc acetate on glass and silicon substrates at temperature of 350 °C. Doping is achieved by adding a small amount of Bi(NO₃), H₂O salt to the starting solution which is mixed thoroughly prior to spraying. The goal of this work is to study the influence of doping (Bi) with different concentrations on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of Bi doped ZnO films. Structural analysis shows that the ZBO layers are polycrystalline with a wurtzite structure and (100) preferential orientation which disappears gradually with increasing doping concentration. The optical transmittance average of all films, regardless the doping concentration, was higher than 80% in the visible range. The obtained films gaps values vary in the range from 3.19 to 3.24 eV and the Urbach energy lies in the range 11 to 530 meV. The measured conductivity, in dark and at room temperature, varies with four order of decade level (from 10^?3 to 10⁺¹ (??cm)^?1)with increasing Bi doping level.     

Growth and electrical properties of ZnO thin films deposited by novel ion plating method

The URT(Uramoto-gun with Tanaka magnetic field)-IP(ion plating) method is a technique for depositing a thin film on a substrate. This method offers the advantage of low-ion damage, low deposition temperatures, large area deposition and high growth rates. Ga-doped ZnO thin films were grown using the URT-IP method, and the material properties were evaluated. The quality of ZnO thin films grown by the URT-IP method was found to be sensitive to oxygen supply during growth. It was observed that the saturation point of the growth rate corresponding to the optimum oxygen supply leads to the best electrical properties. The profiles of the dependence of film properties on oxygen supply revealed a part of growth mechanism of the URT-IP method.     

Li-Cu共掺杂ZnO纳米薄膜的溶胶凝胶法制备

采用溶胶-凝胶法,通过调整氯化锂和氯化铜的摩尔比在不同基片上制备了不同Li-Cu共掺杂浓度的ZnO薄膜.利用X射线衍射仪、扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜、紫外可见光分光光度计和伏安特性测试等表征了薄膜的结晶状况、表面形貌及光电特性.结果表明:所得Li-Cu共掺杂ZnO薄膜为六角纤锌矿多晶结构,有CuO杂质相生成.随Li和Cu摩尔比增加,共掺杂ZnO薄膜结晶度增强,晶粒长大,样品表面不平整度增加.CuO颗粒的出现,使得共掺杂ZnO薄膜透射率降低,透光性较差.Li与Cu摩尔比为1∶1时,共掺杂ZnO薄膜的综合导电性最好.     

Preparation and properties of ZnO thin films deposited by sol-gel technique

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were deposited on (100) Si substrates by sol-gel technique. Zinc acetate was used as the precursor material. The effect of different annealing atmospheres and annealing temperatures on composition, structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films was investigated by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and photoluminescence (PL), respectively. At an annealing temperature of 400°C in N₂ for 2 h, dried gel films were propitious to undergo structural relaxation and grow ZnO grains. ZnO thin film annealed at 400°C in N₂ for 2 h exhibited the optimal structure and PL property, and the grain size and the lattice constants of the film were calculated (41.6 nm, a = 3.253 ? and c = 5.210 ?). Moreover, a green emission around 495 nm was observed in the PL spectra owing to the oxygen vacancies located at the surface of ZnO grains. With increasing annealing temperature, both the amount of the grown ZnO and the specific surface area of the grains decrease, which jointly weaken the green emission. Translated from Journal of Lanzhou University (Natural Science), 2006, 42(1): 67–71 [译自: 兰州大学学报 (自然科学版)]     

ZnO thin films deposited by a CVT technique in closed ampoules

ZnO thin films were prepared on quartz glass, Si (100), and sapphire (001) substrates by a chemical vapour transport (CVT) technique. During the growing processes, the source and substrate temperatures were maintained at 1000 °C and 600 °C, respectively. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements showed that the crystalline qualities of ZnO thin films were sensitively dependent on substrates. ZnO thin film deposited on sapphire substrate exhibited the best morphology with the largest crystallite size of more than 20 μm. Meanwhile, the XRD patterns showed that ZnO thin film deposited on sapphire substrate was strongly c-axis preferred-oriented with high crystalline quality. The optical properties of ZnO thin films were investigated by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy at room temperature (RT). The results suggested that the optical properties of ZnO thin films were highly influenced by their crystalline qualities and surface morphologies.     

Transparent conducting ZnO thin films deposited by vacuum arc plasma evaporation

A high rate deposition of co-doped ZnO:Ga,F and ZnO-In₂O₃ multicomponent oxide thin films on large area substrates has been attained by a vacuum arc plasma evaporation method using oxide fragments as a low-cost source material. Highly transparent and conductive ZnO:Ga,F and ZnO-In₂O₃ thin films were prepared on low temperature substrates at a deposition rate of approximately 375 nm/min with a cathode plasma power of 10 kW. A resistivity of 4.5×10⁻⁴ Ω cm was obtained in ZnO:Ga,F films deposited at 100 °C using ZnO fragments co-doped with 1 wt.% ZnF₂ and 1 wt.% Ga₂O₃ as the source material. In addition, the stability in acid solution of ZnO films was improved by co-doping. It was found that the Zn/(In+Zn) atomic ratio in the deposited ZnO-In₂O₃ thin films was approximately the same as that in the fragments used. The ZnO-In₂O₃ thin films with a Zn/(In+Zn) atomic ratio of approximately 10-30 at.% deposited on substrates at 100 °C exhibited an amorphous and smooth surface as well as a low resistivity of 3-4×10⁻⁴ Ω cm.     

Optical and magnetic properties of Mn doped ZnO thin films grown by SILAR method

Polycrystalline Mn doped ZnO (MZO) semiconductor thin films were deposited onto glass substrates employing different number of dipping at room temperature using Successive Ionic Layers by Adsorption Reaction (SILAR) technique. The thin film deposition conditions were optimized by altering the various deposition parameters based on their structure. The structural study was carried out using X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The XRD analysis indicated that there is no change in the structure of ZnO thin films due to Mn doping. The films exhibited hexagonal wurtzite structure. The structural studies on Mn doped samples revealed that the predominant orientation is (002) lattice plane and the position of this orientation shifted toward lower angle during doping. The intensity of photoluminescence (PL) emission of ZnO is found to be augmented for Mn doped samples. The room temperature Raman spectra measurements revealed the presence of additional modes. The Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) studies show that MZO thin film has ferromagnetic properties.     

Optical properties of fluoride thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering

Fluoride thin films for 193-nm lithography were deposited by three different types of RF magnetron sputtering. Systematic analysis of the relation between optical properties and deposition conditions of these thin films is discussed.     

Optical and chemical characterization of thin TiNx films deposited by DC-magnetron sputtering

Thin titanium nitride (TiN_x) films were deposited on silicon substrates by means of a reactive DC-magnetron plasma. Layers were synthesized under various conditions of discharge power and nitrogen flows in two operation modes of the magnetron (the so-called “balanced” and “unbalanced” modes). The optical constants of the TiN_x films were investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to determine the relative atomic concentration and chemical states of the TiN_x films. The density and thickness of the films have been investigated by means of grazing incidence X-ray reflectometry (GIXR). The results of the layer analyses were combined with plasma investigations carried out by means of energy resolved mass spectrometry (ERMS) under the same conditions. It is shown that the magnetron mode has a clear influence on the titanium deposition rate and the incorporation of nitrogen into the layers.     

Characterization on pulsed laser deposited nanocrystalline ZnO thin films

Nanocrystalline zinc oxide thin films were deposited on glass and silicon substrates by using pulsed laser deposition at different laser energy densities (1.5, 2, and 3 J/cm²). The film thickness, surface roughness, composition, optical and structural properties of the deposited films were studied using an α-step surface profilometer, atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), optical transmittance, and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The film thickness was calculated as 244 nm. AFM analysis shows that the root-mean-square roughness increases with increasing laser energy density. XPS analysis shows that the interaction of zinc with oxygen atoms is greatly increased at high laser energy density. In the optical transmittance spectra, a shift of the absorption edge towards higher wavelength region confirms that the optical band gap increases with an increase in laser energy density. The particle size of the deposited films was measured by XRD, it is found to be in the range from 7.87 to 11.81 nm. It reveals that the particle size increases with an increase in laser energy density.     

Optical and electrical properties of ZnO films deposited by activated reactive evaporation

ZnO films having good transmittance and conductivity were deposited by activated reactive evaporation of Zn metal on glass and Si substrates at room temperature. Optical constants and thickness of ZnO films deposited under different deposition conditions were determined both by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) and spectrophotometry. Structural studies showed that the films exhibited a polycrystalline wurtzite structure with the preferential oriented along the (002) plane. Electrical studies by four probe technique showed that the sheet resistance of the films varied from 10⁶ to 50 Ω/square depending upon the oxygen partial pressure used during deposition, and this sheet resistance value increased with time. The increase in sheet resistance with time was found to be dependent on the surface morphology of the film and on the substrate over which they were deposited.     

Optical properties of electrochemically deposited ZnO thin films on colloidal crystal film of SiO2 microspheres

The optical properties of electrochemically deposited ZnO thin films on colloidal crystal film of SiO2 microspheres structures were studied. Colloidal crystal film of SiO2 microspheres were self-assembled by evaporation using SiO2 in solution at a constant 0.1 wt%. ZnO in thin films was then electrochemically deposited on to colloidal crystal film of SiO2 microspheres. During electrochemical deposition, the content of Zn(NO3)2 x 6H2O in solution was 5 wt%, and the process's conditions were varied between of 2-4 V and 30-120 s at room temperature, with subsequent heat-treatment between 200 and 400 degrees C. A smooth surface and uniform thickness of 1.8 microm were obtained at 3 V for 90 s. The highest PL peak intensity was obtained in the ZnO thin film heat-treated at 400 degrees C. The double layered ZnO/SiO2 colloidal crystals showed clearly better emission properties than the SiO2/ZnO and ZnO structures.     

Indium-doped ZnO thin films deposited by the sol–gel technique

Conducting and transparent indium-doped ZnO thin films were deposited on sodocalcic glass substrates by the sol–gel technique. Zinc acetate and indium chloride were used as precursor materials. The electrical resistivity, structure, morphology and optical transmittance of the films were analyzed as a function of the film thickness and the post-deposition annealing treatments in vacuum, oxygen or argon. The obtained films exhibited a (002) preferential growth in all the cases. Surface morphology studies showed that an increase in the films' thickness causes an increase in the grain size. Films with 0.18 μm thickness, prepared under optimal deposition conditions followed by an annealing treatment in vacuum showed electrical resistivity of 1.3 × 10^− 2 Ωcm and optical transmittance higher than 85%. These results make ZnO:In thin films an attractive material for transparent electrodes in thin film solar cells.     

Study on ZnO thin films deposited on sol-gel grown ZnO buffer by RF magnetron sputtering

ZnO thin films with preferential C-orientation and dense microstructure have been prepared using RF magnetron sputtering method by the insertion of a sol-gel grown ZnO buffer layer. The XRD results show that the C-orientation of the film deposited on ZnO buffer is obviously better than that deposited directly on lime-glass substrate. With an increase of the RF power from 100 to 380 W, C-orientation of the films with ZnO buffer improves and the grain size increases. When the RF power equals 550 W, the orientation of the film changes to (1 0 0) and the grain size decreases. The crystalline and microstructure quality of the films can be improved after annealing, however, the grain size is not much dependent on the annealing temperature in the range of 560-610 °C.     

Optical and structural properties of Mg doped ZnO thin films by chemical bath deposition method

The chemical bath deposition method has often been employed to successfully deposit pure and Mg doped ZnO thin films on a glass substrate. The impact of Mg creates a strained stress in ZnO films affecting its structural and optical properties. XRD patterns revealed that all thin films possess a polycrystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure and Mg doped ZnO thin films (002) plane peak position is shifted towards a lower angle due to Mg doping. From the SEM image, it is understood that the Mg doped ZnO thin films are uniformly coated and are seen as dense rods like pillers deposited over the film. The energy dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed the presence of Mg in doped ZnO thin films. The transmittance spectra exhibit that it is possible for Mg doping to enhance ZnO thin films. The optical energy gap of the films was assessed by applying Tauc’s law and it is observed to show an increasing tendency with an improvement in Mg doping concentrations. The optical constants such as reflectance, index of refraction, extinction coefficient and optical conductivity are determined by using transmission at normal incidence of light by using wavelength range of 200–800 nm. In PL spectra, the band edge emission shifted to the blue with increasing amount of Mg doping.