Spun-On contour coating characterizations for advanced optical lithography

Spun-on contour coating properties are characterized for two absorptive undercoats, AUCs, and a contrast-enhanced layer, CEM-388. A low-pass frequency filter contour modeling procedure is used to simulate the coating contours on a real silicon-on-sapphire epi-island layout. The computed thickness variations are used to estimate the variation in optical densities of these spun-on films on the topography. The variations in optical densities arc discussed in terms of the expected dimensional deviations introduced into the patterned resist layer. At the same spun-on thickness, one absorptive undercoat offers improvement in dimensional control when compared to the other. Changes in the thickness of the CEM-388 layer may also introduce significant dimensional deviations in the underlying positive resist layer. In, both cases the more conformal spun-on contour coating properties produce improved resist imaging.     

Nanodiamod lateral device field emission diode fabricated by electron beam lithography

Nitrogen incorporated nanodiamond film is known to aid in promoting enhanced electron emission via the induced graphitic behavior both in the bulk material and also the surface of the film. Since electron emission current is inversely proportional to the cathode to anode inter-electrode distance; it is necessary to implement electron beam lithography (EBL) to obtain a small emission gap. To achieve high resolution from EBL, a thinner nanodiamond film is required. In this work, we fabricated lateral field emitters on a 0.65 µm nanodiamond film. The nanodiamond film was deposited onto a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate in CH₄/H₂/N₂ plasma ambient by microwave chemical vapor deposition. The SOI was prepared for diamond nucleation using mechanical abrasion and ultrasonication in nanodiamond powder. Electron beam lithography (EBL) was used to delineate a 10 emitter tipped diode with a 2 µm anode-to- anode emission gap.     

n-ZnO nanorods/p-CuSCN heterojunction light-emitting diodes fabricated by electrochemical method

n-ZnO nanorods/p-CuSCN heterojunction light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been fabricated using low-temperature electrochemical method. The I-V characteristics of the heterojunction LEDs show obvious rectifying behavior. The typical room-temperature electroluminescence spectra obtained from this heterostructure device under forward bias exhibit a strong visible emission across the spectral region from 350 to 600 nm centered at 530 nm. The intensity of the visible emission rises more quickly than that of the ultraviolet emission with the increasing bias. Photocurrent and Raman spectra reveal that the growth process of CuSCN can induce more surface states and defects in the ZnO nanorods, which confirms the enhancement of visible emission from the ZnO nanorods/p-CuSCN heterostructure. Compared with the ZnO-only LEDs, a p-type CuSCN layer used as a hole-transporting material can balance the electrons and holes injection rates in the heterojunction LEDs. The processing procedure in this work is a low-cost, low-temperature and convenient way to fabricate ZnO-based heterojunction light-emitting diodes.     

模板浸润法制备非极性聚合物纳米管和纳米线

以孔径为200 nm的多孔阳极氧化铝(AAO)为模板,采用聚合物溶液或熔体浸润模板的物理方法,以非极性通用聚合物为原料,首次制备了非极性聚合物纳米管、纳米线及其阵列结构。对纳米管和纳米线的形貌和结构进行了表征,结果表明对非极性聚合物而言,温度是影响一维纳米结构的主要因素,在较低温度下只能制得纳米线;较高温度下才能得到纳米管。还指出AAO膜纳米孔的高表面效应与熔体的作用能是形成聚合物一维纳米结构的主要驱动力。     

Study of InN epitaxial films and nanorods grown on GaN template by RF-MOMBE

ABSTRACT: This paper reports on high-quality InN materials prepared on a GaN template using radio-frequency metalorganic molecular beam epitaxy. We also discuss the structural and electro-optical properties of InN nanorods/films. The X-ray diffraction peaks of InN(0002) and InN(0004) were identified from their spectra, indicating that the (0001)-oriented hexagonal InN was epitaxially grown on the GaN template. Scanning electron microscopic images of the surface morphology revealed a two-dimensional growth at a rate of approximately 0.85 mum/h. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy images identified a sharp InN/GaN interface and a clear epitaxial orientation relationship of [0001]InN // [0001]GaN and (2[MACRON]110)InN // (2[MACRON]110)GaN. The optical properties of wurtzite InN nanorods were determined according to the photoluminescence, revealing a band gap of 0.77 eV.     

Optical properties of TiO2 nanorods modified by electron-donating stabilizers

A significant change in the UV-vis absorption of TiO₂ nanorods (NRs) was induced by changing electrondonating stabilizer from oleic acid (OA) to acrylic acid (AcA). When TiO₂ NRs with an average size of 2.5 nm in diameter and 30 nm in length were dispersed in an aqueous AcA solution, a red shift in the optical absorption (0.73 eV at the band edge and 0.55 eV at the onset) was observed. The red shift was attributed to an increase in the electron density inside the TiO₂ NRs. The applicability of the AcA-exchanged TiO₂ NRs for the photocatalyst as well as a UV sensor was evaluated. The AcA-exchanged TiO₂ NRs showed significant photocatalytic activity on the degradation of toluene in the visible light region. Moreover, thin film of the AcA-exchanged TiO₂ NRs on a quartz plate was tested as a UV sensor and it exhibited a good response to a wide range of the UV light.     

Selective patterning of ZnO nanorods on silicon substrates using nanoimprint lithography

In this research, nanoimprint lithography (NIL) was used for patterning crystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods on the silicon substrate. To fabricate nano-patterned ZnO nanorods, patterning of an n-octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on SiO₂ substrate was prepared by the polymer mask using NI. The ZnO seed layer was selectively coated only on the hydrophilic SiO₂ surface, not on the hydrophobic OTS SAMs surface. The substrate patterned with the ZnO seed layer was treated with the oxygen plasma to oxidize the silicon surface. It was found that the nucleation and initial growth of the crystalline ZnO were proceeded only on the ZnO seed layer, not on the silicon oxide surface. ZnO photoluminescence spectra showed that ZnO nanorods grown from the seed layer treated with plasma showed lower intensity than those untreated with plasma at 378 nm, but higher intensity at 605 nm. It is indicated that the seed layer treated with plasma produced ZnO nanorods that had a more oxygen vacancy than those grown from seed layer untreated with plasma. Since the oxygen vacancies on ZnO nanorods serve as strong binding sites for absorption of various organic and inorganic molecules. Consequently, a nano-patterning of the crystalline ZnO nanorods grown from the seed layer treated with plasma may give the versatile applications for the electronics devices.     

Plasmonic enhancements of photoluminescence in hybrid Si nanostructures with Au fabricated by fully top-down lithography

The authors study plasmonic enhancements of photoluminescence (PL) in Si nanodisk (ND) arrays hybridized with nanostructures such as nanoplates of Au, where these hybrid nanostructures are fabricated by fully top-down lithography: neutral-beam etching using bio-nano-templates and high-resolution electron-beam lithography. The separation distance between the Si ND and Au nanostructure surfaces is precisely controlled by inserting a thin SiO₂ layer with a thickness of 3 nm. We observe that PL intensities in the Si NDs are enhanced by factors up to 5 depending on the wavelength by integrating with the Au nanoplates. These enhancements also depend on the size and shape of the Au nanoplates.     

Patterned conductive polyaniline films fabricated using lithography and in situ polymerization

In this article, we describe a novel bottom‐up technique for the preparation of transparent conductive films of polyaniline (PANI). A UV‐curable photoresist was formulated containing an acrylate‐endcapped urethane oligomer [UA(PPG400)], acrylic acid, a photoinitiator, and a reactive diluent (tripropylene glycol diacrylate), and the lithography techniques were used to pattern the structure with line widths/spaces of 100 μm/100 μm, 10 μm/10 μm, and 5 μm/5 μm on a polyethylene terephthalate substrate. The carboxylic acid units on the surface of the patterned photoresist interacted with the aniline monomer units to form anilinium complexes; using ammonium persulfate as a chemical oxidant, we then synthesized a layer of conductive PANI on the surface of the patterned resist through in situ polymerization. The optimal conductivity of the PANI conductive film was ca. 10 S/cm. The thin film was characterized, and its physical properties investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV–Vis spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, optical and atomic force microscopy, and four‐point probe conductivity measurements. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Optical assessment of silicon nanowire arrays fabricated by metal-assisted chemical etching

Silicon nanowire (SiNW) arrays were prepared on silicon substrates by metal-assisted chemical etching and peeled from the substrates, and their optical properties were measured. The absorption coefficient of the SiNW arrays was higher than that for the bulk silicon over the entire region. The absorption coefficient of a SiNW array composed of 10-μm-long nanowires was much higher than the theoretical absorptance of a 10-μm-thick flat Si wafer, suggesting that SiNW arrays exhibit strong optical confinement. To reveal the reason for this strong optical confinement demonstrated by SiNW arrays, angular distribution functions of their transmittance were experimentally determined. The results suggest that Mie-related scattering plays a significant role in the strong optical confinement of SiNW arrays.     

基于天然高分子的可再生光刻材料及其光刻机理的研究进展

基于天然高分子的新型光刻材料与石油原料的传统光刻材料相比,不仅保留了高分辨率的光刻性能,还具有绿色可再生和无毒显影等优点。本文综述了天然高分子光刻材料中的蛋白类光刻材料和多糖类光刻材料,系统的总结了各种天然高分子光刻材料的优缺点。通过对不同材料光刻机理的深入研究,得出蛋白质光刻材料的光刻机理主要依靠辐射改变蛋白结构,使其溶解度在显影液中发生改变实现光刻;而天然多糖类光刻材料则主要依赖引入光响应基团实现光刻。最后本文对基于天然高分子的可再生光刻材料的现存问题进行了分析并对发展前景做出了展望。     

Temperature dependence of electrical characteristics of Pt/GaN Schottky diode fabricated by UHV e-beam evaporation

Temperature-dependent electrical characterization of Pt/n-GaN Schottky barrier diodes prepared by ultra high vacuum evaporation has been done. Analysis has been made to determine the origin of the anomalous temperature dependence of the Schottky barrier height, the ideality factor, and the Richardson constant calculated from the I-V-T characteristics. Variable-temperature Hall effect measurements have been carried out to understand charge transport at low temperature. The modified activation energy plot from the barrier inhomogeneity model has given the value of 32.2 A/(cm² K²) for the Richardson constant A** in the temperature range 200 to 380 K which is close to the known value of 26.4A/(cm² K²) for n-type GaN.     

Optical and mechanical properties of transparent alumina fabricated by high-pressure spark plasma sintering

Transparent alumina was fabricated from untreated commercial powder by high-pressure spark plasma sintering (HPSPS) at temperatures of 1000, 1050 and 1100 °C under pressures of 250-800 MPa. It was established that transparency strongly depends on the HPSPS parameters. At all temperatures, there was a certain point when increasing the pressure led to decreasing transparency. At 1100 °C, relatively high pressure led to excessive grain growth, as well as the formation of creep-induced porosity at the center of the samples. Hardness values decreased with pressure due to grain growth, correlated with the Hall-Petch relationship. The optimal combination of optical and mechanical properties (68% in-line transmittance at a wavelength of 640 nm and a hardness value of about 2300 HV2) was achieved after sintering at 1050 °C under 600 MPa.     

GaN nanorods grown on Si (111) substrates and exciton localization

We have investigated exciton localization in binary GaN nanorods using micro- and time-resolved photoluminescence measurements. The temperature dependence of the photoluminescence has been measured, and several phonon replicas have been observed at the lower energy side of the exciton bound to basal stacking faults (I ₁). By analyzing the Huang-Rhys parameters as a function of temperature, deduced from the phonon replica intensities, we have found that the excitons are strongly localized in the lower energy tails. The lifetimes of the I ₁ and I ₂ transitions were measured to be < 100 ps due to enhanced surface recombination.     

基于天然高分子的可再生光刻材料的研究进展

与传统基于石油原料的光刻材料相比,基于天然高分子的可再生光刻材料不仅保留了高分辨率的光刻性能,还具有绿色可再生和无毒显影等优点.重点综述了天然高分子光刻材料中的蛋白类光刻材料和多糖类光刻材料,总结了各种天然高分子光刻材料的优缺点.通过对不同材料光刻机理的深入研究,总结出蛋白质光刻材料的光刻机理主要依靠辐射改变蛋白结构,使其溶解度在显影液中发生改变实现光刻;而天然多糖类光刻材料则主要依赖引入光响应基团实现光刻.最后对基于天然高分子的可再生光刻材料的现存问题进行了分析并对发展前景作出了展望.     

Uniform SiGe/Si quantum well nanorod and nanodot arrays fabricated using nanosphere lithography

This study fabricates the optically active uniform SiGe/Si multiple quantum well (MQW) nanorod and nanodot arrays from the Si_0.4Ge_0.6/Si MQWs using nanosphere lithography (NSL) combined with the reactive ion etching (RIE) process. Compared to the as-grown sample, we observe an obvious blueshift in photoluminescence (PL) spectra for the SiGe/Si MQW nanorod and nanodot arrays, which can be attributed to the transition of PL emission from the upper multiple quantum dot-like SiGe layers to the lower MQWs. A possible mechanism associated with carrier localization is also proposed for the PL enhancement. In addition, the SiGe/Si MQW nanorod arrays are shown to exhibit excellent antireflective characteristics over a wide wavelength range. These results indicate that SiGe/Si MQW nanorod arrays fabricated using NSL combined with RIE would be potentially useful as an optoelectronic material operating in the telecommunication range.     

Optical and structural properties of Diamond/GaN films

We report on the successful deposition of continuous boron-doped diamond films on p-GaN substrate in a hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) system. The Raman spectrum observed at 1331 cm^− 1 is a distinctive, asymmetric Fano line shape, which shows that the films under the present growth condition are heavily doped. The photoluminescence spectra for GaN (the diamond is taken away from the Diamond/GaN sample) are characterized by significant spectral peak located at 3.358 eV. After annealing at 700 °C, a sharp PL line located at 358 nm (3.468 eV) is then observed. Additionally, the zero phonon line is located at 3.27 eV. However, this line has a blueshift of 0.25 eV in comparison with PL spectra for p-type GaN:Mg. This blueshift, which may be accounted for a by large lattice relaxation is associated with the dissociation of C diffusion into GaN.     

Molten salt synthesis of BaTiO3 nanorods: Dielectric,optical properties,and structural characterizations

Single-crystalline perovskite BaTiO₃ (BTO) nanorods were synthesized by (BaTi₂O₅-template) molten salt synthesis (MSS) methods. The effects of process parameters (eg, calcination temperature, reaction time, molten salt content, as well as different phase structures of TiO₂ and barium oxides) on the formation of BTO nanorods and their structural characteristics were systematically investigated. The BTO nanorods synthesized at 800°C for 5 hours by MSS method with the molar salt ratios of BaCO₃:TiO₂ (anatase):NaCl:KCl equal to 1:1:60:60, exhibited smooth and clean surfaces through their lengths. Their diameters were in the range of 130-200 nm with average length of 5 μm. Large-scale amount of BTO nanorods was synthesized by BaTi₂O₅-template MSS method at 650°C with molar salt ratios of BaC₂O₄:BaTi₂O₅ (template):NaCl:KCl equal to 1:1:60:60. The BTO nanorods successfully retained the one-dimensional morphology of the BaTi₂O₅ templates and their lengths were in the range of 5-10 μm with an average diameter of ~300 nm. The single-crystalline nature of individual BTO nanorod was revealed by its selected area electron diffraction patterns and high-resolution TEM images. The BTO nanorods exhibited good optical properties with optical bandgaps in the range of 2.5-2.6 eV. Such optical bandgaps make the present BTO nanorods promising candidates for ferroelectric photovoltaic devices. Dielectric properties of the BTO nanorods synthesized by MSS method were comparatively investigated with the BTO nanorods synthesized by the BaTi₂O₅-template MSS method. It is found that the later BTO nanorods exhibit better dielectric properties and their synthesized temperature is also much lower than the former ones.     

Optical and structural properties of amorphous SexTe100-x aligned nanorods

In the present work, we report studies on optical and structural phenomenon in as-deposited thin films composed of aligned nanorods of amorphous Se_xTe_100-x (x = 3, 6, 9, and 12). In structural studies, field emission scanning electron microscopic (FESEM) images suggest that these thin films contain high yield of aligned nanorods. These nanorods show a completely amorphous nature, which is verified by X-ray diffraction patterns of these thin films. Optical studies include the measurement of spectral dependence of absorption, reflection, and transmission of these thin films, respectively. On the basis of optical absorption data, a direct optical band gap is observed. This observation of a direct optical band gap in these nanorods is interesting as chalcogenides normally show an indirect band gap, and due to this reason, these materials could not become very popular for semiconducting devices. Therefore, this is an important report and will open up new directions for the application of these materials in semiconducting devices. The value of this optical band gap is found to decrease with the increase in selenium (Se) concentration. The reflection and absorption data are employed to estimate the values of optical constants (extinction coefficient (k) and refractive index (n)). From the spectral dependence of these optical constants, it is found that the values of refractive index (n) increase, whereas the values of extinction coefficient (k) decrease with the increase in photon energy. The real and imaginary parts of dielectric constants calculated with the values of extinction coefficient (k) and refractive index (n), are found to vary with photon energy and dopant concentration.     

Synthesis and characterization of Mn-doped ZnO nanorods grown in an ordered periodic honeycomb pattern using nanosphere lithography

We report a study of the structural, optical and magnetic properties of undoped and Mn-doped ZnO nanorods grown by chemical bath deposition in a periodic honeycomb lattice formation. Mn-doping is accomplished by a diffusion process at a constant time of 8 h for different temperatures of 500 °C, 600 °C and 700 °C. Undoped and Mn-doped ZnO nanorods had a hexagonal wurtzite structure with a (0 0 2) preferred orientation. From SEM results, it was seen that Mn-doped ZnO nanorods grew vertically in the honeycomb lattice with lengths of 0.8 μm. XPS results showed that Mn³⁺ ions was successfully incorporated in the ZnO matrix by substituting for Zn²⁺ ions and that Mn-doping increased the number of oxygen vacancies in ZnO compared to undoped ZnO. This result was also supported by photoluminescence data at 10 K. Magnetic data showed that all the samples exhibited ferromagnetic character. Although the origin of undoped ZnO is related to oxygen vacancy-induced d⁰ ferromagnetism, bound magnetic polarons are responsible from the ferromagnetism of Mn-doped ZnO samples which have T_c values above the room temperature.