Titanium oxide film for the bottom antireflective layer in deep ultraviolet lithography

Titanium oxide thin film, fabricated with tetraisopropyltitanate and oxygen by electron cyclotron resonance-plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, is investigated as a potential candidate for the antireflective layer in KrF excimer laser (248-nm) lithography. The oxygen flow-rate dependence of the optical properties such as the refractive index (n) and the extinction coefficient (k) of the film at the 248-nm wavelength has been characterized, and the films with the expected combinations of n and k values for the antireflective layer have been deposited. Simulation results indicate that reflectance values of less than 4% and as low as 1.2% can be reached at the interface between the photoresist and the film postulating the structures of the photoresist/300-A TiO(x) film/c-Si substrate and the W-Si substrate, respectively, by selected proper combinations of n and k values. Moreover the reflectance can be further reduced to almost zero by changing the film thickness. Thus it is found that titanium oxide thin films can be used as the bottom antireflective layer in KrF excimer laser lithography.     

Influence of electron beam irradiation on nonlinear optical properties of Al doped ZnO thin films for optoelectronic device applications in the cw laser regime

We present the studies on third-order nonlinear optical properties of Al doped ZnO thin films irradiated with electron beam at different dose rate. Al doped ZnO thin films were deposited on a glass substrate by spray pyrolysis deposition technique. The thin films were irradiated using the 8 MeV electron beam from microtron ranging from 1  kG y to 5  kG y. Nonlinear optical studies were carried out by employing the single beam Z-scan technique to determine the sign and magnitude of absorptive and refractive nonlinearities of the irradiated thin films. Continuous wave He–Ne laser operating at 633 nm was used as source of excitation. The open aperture Z-scan measurements indicated the sample displays reverse saturable absorption (RSA) process. The negative sign of the nonlinear refractive index n₂ was noted from the closed aperture Z-scan measurements indicates, the films exhibit self-defocusing property due to thermal nonlinearity. The third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility χ(3) varies from 8.17 × 10⁻⁵ esu to 1.39 × 10⁻³ esu with increase in electron beam irradiation. The present study reveals that the irradiation of electron beam leads to significant changes in the third-order optical nonlinearity. Al doped ZnO displays good optical power handling capability with optical clamping of about ∼5 mW. The irradiation study endorses that the Al doped ZnO under investigation is a promising candidate photonic device applications such as all-optical power limiting.     

Optothermal property and decomposition characteristics of PtO(x) ultrathin film sandwiched between ZnS-SiO2 for super-resolution near-field recording

We have investigated the optothermal property and decomposition characteristics of PtO(x) ultrathin film protected by ZnS-SiO2 layers and effects of the constituent phases of PtO(x) on super-resolution capability and read stability of the super-RENS disk. All the ZnS-SiO2/PtO(x)/ZnS-SiO2 multilayers exhibited a steep reflectivity drop at the temperature range between 265 and 350 degrees C, corresponding to the decomposition of PtO(x). The decomposition temperature of the 4-nm-thick PtO(x) ultrathin film protected by ZnS-SiO2 layers was much lower than those obtained in thick PtO(x) films without protection. The activation energy for thermal decomposition was approximately 1.3 eV. Both the decomposition temperature and activation energy for thermal decomposition were unaffected by the constituent phases of PtO(x). Carrier to noise ratios (CNR) of over 40 dB for mark size of 150 nm were achieved in all super-resolution near-field structure (super-RENS) disks, while the super-resolution readout was limited to 2.5 x 10(3) approximately 4.5 x 10(4) cycles. The effect of constituent phases of PtO(x) on the super-resolution capability of super-RENS disk with a PtO(x) mask layer was minimal. However, as the constituent phases of PtO(x) mask layer transformed from a mixture of Pt and PtO, to pure PtO, and then to a mixture of PtO and PtO2, the readout stability of super-RENS disk increased dramatically since less heat was absorbed by the PtO(x) mask layer composed of PtO and PtO2 during the readout process, prohibiting the diffusion of materials inside the bubble to the GeSbTe phase change layer.     

Rh:BaTiO3 thin films with large nonlinear optical properties

We report the fabrication and the nonlinear optical properties of Rh-doped BaTiO3 thin films. The films were deposited on SrTiO3 (100) substrates by pulsed-laser deposition. The deposited Rh:BaTiO3 thin films were single phase and c-axis orientation investigated by x-ray diffraction. The films exhibited large nonlinear optical effects, which were determined using Z-scan technique at a wavelength of 532 nm with a laser duration of 10 ns. The real and imaginary parts of the third-order nonlinear susceptibility chi (3) were 5.71 x 10(-7) esu and 9.59 x 10(-8) esu, respectively. The value of Re chi (3) of Rh:BaTiO3 films is much larger than those of several representative nonlinear optical thin films. The results show that Rh:BaTiO3 thin films have great potential applications for nonlinear optical devices.     

Real Time,in situ Observation of the Photocatalytic Destruction of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cells by Palladium-modified Nitrogen-doped Titanium Oxide Thin Film

Palladium-modified nitrogen-doped titanium oxide(TiON/PdO) thin film was synthesized by the ion-beamassisted deposition technique,which enabled a heavy nitrogen doping and the subsequent light absorption extension to ~700 nm for a better usage of the solar spectrum.Based on TiON/PdO thin film and a phase contrast microscope,a micro-reaction chamber was developed,which allowed the simultaneous optical excitation of the photocatalytic thin film and the phase contrast image observation of cells in it.The real time,in situ observation of the photocatalytic destruction of Saccharomyces cerevisiae(S.cerevisiae),an essential eukaryotic unicellular model of living cells,was conducted with this new observation technique,which demonstrated clearly that the photocatalytic destruction effect was much stronger than the photodamage effect caused by the visible light irradiation alone in the disinfection process.     

Ellipsometry on sputter-deposited tin oxide films: optical constants versus stoichiometry, hydrogen content, and amount of electrochemically intercalated lithium

Tin oxide thin films were deposited by reactive radio-frequency magnetron sputtering onto In(2)O(3):Sn-coated and bare glass substrates. Optical constants in the 3002500-nm wavelength range were determined by a combination of variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry and spectrophotometric transmittance measurements. Surface roughness was modeled from optical measurements and compared with atomic-force microscopy. The two techniques gave consistent results. The fit between experimental optical data and model results could be significantly improved when it was assumed that the refractive index of the Sn oxide varied across the film thickness. Varying the oxygen partial pressure during deposition made it possible to obtain films whose complex refractive index changed at the transition from SnO to SnO(2). An addition of hydrogen gas during sputtering led to lower optical constants in the full spectral range in connection with a blueshift of the bandgap. Electrochemical intercalation of lithium ions into the Sn oxide films raised their refractive index and enhanced their refractive-index gradient.     

Influence of gamma irradiation on the refractive index of Fe-doped barium titanate thin films

Polycrystalline Fe-doped barium titanate (Fe-doped BaTiO₃) thin films were grown by thermal decomposition of the precursors deposited from a sol-gel system onto quartz substrates. The changes in the transmittance spectra induced by gamma irradiation on the Fe-doped BaTiO₃ thin films were quantified. The values for the optical energy band gap were in the range of 3.42-3.95 eV depending on the annealing time. The refractive index of the film, as measured in the 350-750 nm wavelength range was in the 2.17-1.88 range for the as prepared film, and this increased to 2.34-1.95 after gamma irradiation at 15 kGy. The extinction coefficient of the film was in the order of 10⁻² and increased after gamma irradiation. We obtained tuneable complex refractive index of the films by exposure to various gamma rays doses.     

Photoinduced superhydrophilic properties of Ti-B binary oxide thin films and their photocatalytic reactivity for the decomposition of NO

Characterizations of Ti-B binary oxide thin films by means of various spectroscopic measurements have shown that Ti-B binary oxide thin films are formed by ultra fine TiO2 nanoparticles. A dramatic decrease in the contact angle of water droplets to 0 degree under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation and a return to only half of its initial value under dark conditions were observed for the Ti-B binary oxide thin films. Moreover, ultraviolet irradiation of these thin film photocatalysts in the presence of NO led to photocatalytic decomposition of NO into N2 and O2. Especially when the Ti content was low, the size of the primary nanoparticles of the thin films was smaller and the photocatalytic reaction proceeded efficiently with a high selectivity for the formation of N2 and O2 from NO.     

Optical properties of Ag nanoparticles embedded Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 films prepared by alternating pulsed laser deposition

Nanocomposite thin films consisting of nanometer-sized Ag particles embedded in amorphous Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 matrix were prepared on fused silica substrates by an alternating pulsed laser deposition method. Their optical nonlinearities have been studied using the Z-scan method. The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak shifts to red and increases with the increasing the volume fraction of Ag in the nanocomposite films. The magnitude of the third-order nonlinear susceptibility of the nanocomposite with an Ag volume fraction of 3.3% was calculated to be approximately 2 x 10(-8) esu at the SPR wavelength.     

Linear optical effects in z-scan measurements of thin films

We show that it is possible, in Z-scan measurements ofthin films, to obtain data that closely resemble typical results for nonlinear optical materials, but which actually arise from linear optical effects caused by sample damage. Z-scan measurements on a silica-based thin film yielded the expected peak-valley signature of Z-scan data, but subsequent analysis and microscopic examination of the film indicated that the data resulted from an ablation hole produced in the film when it was near the laser focus. The resulting spatial variation of the linear refractive index of the film produced a lensing effect that mimicked the typical Z-scan response. Scalar diffraction theory was used to model the effects of a spatially varying refractive index and gave results that qualitatively agreed with the Z-scanmeasurements.     

Nickel oxide nanoparticles thin film saturable absorber for 1-micron pulsed all-fibre lasers operation

A passive Q-switched and mode-locked ytterbium-doped fibre laser (YDFL) pulse generation using a nickel oxide thin film as a saturable absorber is reported. The nickel oxide nanoparticle thin film was fabricated by a simple processing technique, and it has a modulation depth of 39% and saturation intensity of 0.04 MW/cm². The saturable absorber was constructed by inserting a small piece of the film between two fibre ferrules. Then it was integrated in a YDFL cavity. The Q-switching operation started at a threshold pump power of 117.73 mW with an initial wavelength of 1073.5 nm. When the pump power was raised from 117.73 to 133 mW, the repetition rate grew from 9.5 to 15.8 kHz. The pulses had a maximum pulse energy of 478 nJ. Furthermore, a stable self-started mode-locked pulse was also succesfully generated at the threshold pump power of 97.3 mW. The central wavelength and repetition rate of the laser were 1037.72 nm and 23 MHz, respectively. The maximum pulse energy of 0.56 nJ and a peak power of 26.4 W were recorded at a pump power of 137.5 mW.     

Thin film deposition on plastic substrates using silicon nanoparticles and laser nanoforming

Reduced melting temperature of nanoparticles is utilized to deposit thin polycrystalline silicon (c-Si) films on plastic substrates by using a laser beam without damaging the substrate. An aqueous dispersion of 5 nm silicon nanoparticles was used as precursor. A Nd:YAG (1064 nm wavelength) laser operating in continuous wave (CW) mode was used for thin film formation. Polycrystalline Si films were deposited on flexible as well as rigid plastic substrates in both air and argon ambients. The films were analyzed by optical microscopy for film formation, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for microstructural features, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) for impurities, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for composition and bond information of the recrystallized film and Raman spectroscopy for estimating shift from amorphous to more crystalline phase. Raman spectroscopy showed a shift from amorphous to more crystalline phases with increasing both the laser power and irradiation time during laser recrystallization step.     

溅射功率对ZnO：Si透明导电薄膜性能的影响

采用直流磁控溅射法在室温玻璃基片上制备出了掺硅氧化锌（ZnO：Si）透明导电薄膜,研究了溅射功率对ZnO：Si薄膜结构、形貌、光学及电学性能的影响,实验结果表明,溅射功率对ZnO：Si薄膜的生长速率、结晶质量及电学性能有很大影响,而对其光学性能影响不大。实验制备的ZnO：LSi薄膜为六方纤锌矿结构的多晶薄膜,且具有垂直于基片方向的c轴择优取向。当溅射功率从45W增加到105W时,薄膜的晶化程度提高、晶粒尺寸增大,薄膜的电阻率减小;当溅射功率为105W时,薄膜的电阻率达到最小值3．83~104n·cm,其可见光透过率为94．41％。实验制备的ZnO：Si薄膜可以用作薄膜太阳能电池和液晶显示器的透明电极。     

Nonlinear optical investigations on Al doping ratio in ZnO thin film under pulsed Nd:YAG laser irradiation

In the present study, it has been reported on the effect of Al doping on linear and nonlinear optical properties of ZnO thin films synthesized by spray pyrolysis method. The structural properties of ZnO thin films with different Al doping levels (0–4 wt%) were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results obtained from XRD analysis indicated that the grain size decreased as the Al doping value increased. The UV–Vis diffused refraction spectroscopy was used for calculation of band gap. The optical band gap of Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films is increased from 3.26 to 3.31 eV with increasing the Al content from 0 to 4 wt%. The measurements of nonlinear optical properties of AZO thin films have been performed using a nanosecond Nd:YAG pulse laser at 532 nm by the Z-scan technique. The undoped ZnO thin film exhibits reverse saturation absorption (RSA) whereas the AZO thin films exhibit saturation absorption (SA) that shows RSA to SA process with adding Al to ZnO structure under laser irradiation. On the other hand, all the films showed a self-defocusing phenomenon because the photons of laser stay on below the absorption edge of the ZnO and AZO films. The third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility, χ⁽³⁾, of AZO thin films, was varied from of the order of 10^?5–10^?4 esu. The results suggest that AZO thin films may be promising candidates for nonlinear optical applications.     

Impact of various irradiation photon energies and gamma doses on the optical properties of ZnSe nanostructure thin film

ZnSe thin films were prepared by thermal evaporation technique under high vacuum (10⁻⁶ Torr) at 300 K and different film thickness. The structure of thin films was measured using grazing incident in-plane X-ray diffraction (GIIXD) and shows single phase zinc blende structure. The particle sizes of the deposited films were estimated for low film thickness by TEM and high film thickness by GIIXD. The particle size of ZnSe films was decreased from ~8.53 to 3.93 nm as film thickness lowered from 200 to 20 nm which ensures the nanocrystalline structure. The optical transmission (T) and reflection (R) in the wavelength range 190–2,500 nm for irradiated and unirradiated ZnSe thin films under investigation were measured. The effect of irradiation of different energies in range (0.1–1.25 MeV) from X-ray, ¹³⁷Cs and ⁶⁰Co irradiation sources were studied for ZnSe thin films of 100 and 200 nm thicknesses. The dependence of the absorption spectra and refractive index were investigated for different energies irradiation sources. The ZnSe films show direct allowed interband transition. The effect of particle size of nanocrystalline ZnSe thin films for unirradiated and irradiated by gamma (γ) doses from ¹³⁷Cs on the optical properties was studied. Both the optical energy bandwidth and absorption coefficient (α) were found to be (γ) dose dependent.     

Thermally-induced optical property changes of sputtered PdOx films

Optical property changes of reactively sputtered palladium oxide (PdO_x) thin films during heating have been investigated by light transmission measurements and in situ Raman spectroscopy, combined with X-ray fluorescence and thermogravimetry analysis (TGA). The composition ratio and refractive index of as-deposited PdO_x films varies depending on the oxygen gas-flow ratio during sputtering deposition. The transmitted light intensity at wavelengths of 405 and 635 nm measured during heating up to 1000 °C in air exhibits a sharp leap at 832 °C due to the thermal decomposition of PdO, and shows a gradual increase around 200-300 °C. The decomposition process of PdO is also measured by TGA as a significant weight loss of the sample. In situ Raman spectra of sputtered PdO_x film obtained during heating up to 600 °C in air demonstrate that the crystallization of PdO starts above 200 °C and progresses during the whole annealing process.     

Z-scan measurement for the nonlinear absorption of Bi2.55La0.45TiNbO9 thin films

Bi_2.55La_0.45TiNbO₉ (BLTN-0.45) thin films with layered aurivillius structure were fabricated on fused silica substrates by pulsed laser deposition technique. Their structure, fundamental optical constants, and nonlinear absorption characteristics have been studied. The film exhibits a high transmittance (> 60%) in visible-infrared region. The optical band gap energy was found to be 3.44 eV. The optical constant and thickness of the films were characterized using spectroscopic ellipsometric (SE) method. The nonlinear optical absorption properties of the films were investigated by the single-beam Z-scan method at a wavelength of 800 nm laser with a duration of 80 fs. We obtained the nonlinear absorption coefficient β = 4.64 × 10^− 8 m/W. The results show that the BLTN-0.45 thin film is a promising material for applications in absorbing-type optical device.     

Spray deposition process of polycrystalline thin films of CuWO4 and study on its photovoltaic electrochemical properties

The preparation of copper tungstate (CuWO₄) thin film for the first time by Spray Pyrolysis (SP) process using its ammonical solution as precursor is presented here. The growth of the film takes place by pyrolytic decomposition of the spraying precursor solution onto the preheated glass substrates. X-ray diffraction (XRD) study confirms the polycrystalline, single-phase nature of the sintered films. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images clearly show the uniform aggregate of crystallites of dimensions 1–2 μm. The study of optical absorption spectrum in the wavelength range 350–850 nm shows direct as well as indirect optical transitions in both the materials. The films are semiconducting in nature and highly resistive at room temperature as evident from their d.c. electrical conductivity measurements obtained by the Two Point Probe method in the temperature range 310–600 K. The thin films deposited on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) coated conducting glass substrates are then used as photoanode in photovoltaic electrochemical (PVEC) cell. The PVEC cell configuration is: CuWO₄ |Ce⁴⁺, Ce³⁺| Pt; 0.1 M in 0.1 N H₂SO₄. The PVEC characterization reveals the fill factor and power conversion efficiency to be 0.33 and 0.64%, respectively. The flat band potential is found to be − 0.14 V (SCE).     

热处理对钛酸锶钡薄膜光学性能的影响

采用无水溶胶-凝胶技术制备了钛酸锶钡光学薄膜,系统研究了预处理和退火温度对钛酸锶钡薄膜的相结构、微观形貌和光性能的影响,优化了薄膜的光学性能,结果表明,膜的结构和形貌直接影响其光学性能。通过150℃预处理和850℃退火获得了晶化程度良好、表面形貌平整致密的钛酸锶钡薄膜。该膜在350-1000nm的最大光透过率为80．72％,在600-1000nm的折射率稳定在-1．93左右,消光系数最小,最小值为4x10-5。     

Optical parameters of oxide films typically used in optical coating production

Wavelength dependencies of refractive indices of thin film materials differ for various deposition conditions, and it is practically impossible to attribute a single refractive index wavelength dependence to any typical thin film material. Besides objective reasons, differences in the optical parameters of thin films may also be connected with nonadequate choices of models and algorithms used for the processing of measurement data. The main goal of this paper is to present reliable wavelength dependencies of refractive indices of the most widely used slightly absorbing oxide thin film materials. These dependencies can be used by other researchers for comparison and verification of their own characterization results.