Effect of magnetic field on galvanomagnetic properties of mica/Bi/EuS heterostructures

The dependences of the Hall coefficient R_H and magnetoresistance Δρ/ρ on magnetic field (B=0.01?1.0 T) were obtained in the temperature range 77–300 K for thin Bi films with thicknesses d=40–250 nm, grown on mica substrates and covered by a EuS layer. It was established that in the entire temperature range for all Bi films the criterion of weak field was fulfilled at magnetic fields up to 1 T: R_H remained practically constant in the entire range of magnetic field and Δρ/ρ for all investigated samples changed with changing magnetic field according to a parabolic law.     

Study of the correlation between structural and photoluminescence properties of CdSe thin films deposited by close-spaced vacuum sublimation

CdSe polycrystalline films were deposited by a close-spaced vacuum sublimation method at different substrate temperatures (T_s) using glass slides as substrates. At T_s≤673 K the films have a structure with strong dispersion of grain size (d) (from 0.1 to 0.3 μm). In this case the layer-by-layer mechanism determines the growth process of the layers. For T_s=873 K they have a columnar-like structure with a clear growth texture and the average grain size d=3–4 μm. The films obtained at T_s>473 K are n-type and only correspond to a single wurtzite phase. The crystallites are preferentially oriented with the (102) planes parallel to the substrate. At lower temperatures the films are bi-phase. The microstress level in CdSe films obtained at Т_s=873 K (0.5×10⁻³) is considerably smaller than for the films deposited at Т_s=773 K (4.0×10⁻³). Increase of the value of T_s improves the stoichiometry of CdSe films. Analysis of the low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra let us determine the nature and energy of point and extended defects in the investigated films. It was shown that the films contain Na(Li) and P residual impurities. The results of the structural and PL measurements showed that the CdSe polycrystalline films are of fairly good crystal and optical quality for T_s=873 K and can be suitable for various applications.     

Influence of annealing temperature on the phase composition and optical properties of CuInS2 films

We studied the growth of CuInS₂ thin films by single-source evaporation of CuInS₂ powder in a high-vacuum system with a base pressure of 10^?3 Pa. After evaporation, the films were annealed in a sulfur atmosphere at temperatures from 200 to 500 °C for 1 h. XRD curves and Raman spectra of the films demonstrated that chalcopyrite CuInS₂ was the major crystalline phase. The morphology of Cu_xS exhibited a star-like structure, which we report for the first time. The phase composition and optical properties of our polycrystalline thin films were effectively modified by annealing in S. For films annealed at 200 and 350 °C, a secondary CuIn₁₁S₁₇ phase appeared, which may be related to solid-state reaction in the S atmosphere. This secondary CuIn₁₁S₁₇ phase has not been widely reported in previous studies. After annealing at 500 °C, only a chalcopyrite phase was detected, with bandgap energy of 1.46 eV, which is nearly identical to the optimal bandgap energy (1.5 eV) of single-crystal CuInS₂. This indicates that the composition of the CuInS₂ film annealed at 500 °C was nearly stoichiometric. The bandgap of the samples first increased and then decreased with increasing annealing temperature, which may be attributed to an increase in grain size, the secondary CuIn₁₁S₁₇ phase, and deviation from stoichiometry.     

Characterization of cadmium sulfide/titania heterostructure films by utilizing microstructure and optical characteristics

Engineering and controlling the bandgap of semiconducting metal oxide (TiO₂) to enhance photoactivity under visible light is challenging. Impact of the changing CdS thickness (50–150 nm) on the structure and optical properties of the CdS/TiO₂ heterostructure films (HSFs) which fabricated by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) was observed. XRD, FE-SEM, AFM, UV–vis and PL spectroscopy measurements were utilized to characterize structural and optical behaviors of the films. XRD measurement shows gradual increments of the lattice constants of the films with the increase of CdS thickness. The mean values of the calculated lattice constants and cell volume (V) were a=b=0.3785 nm, c=0.9475 nm and V=13.58 nm³ respectively. The average of crystallite sizes estimated for TiO₂ and CdS/TiO₂ at various CdS thickness is 12.20, 13.49, 24.24 and 43.10 nm. FESEM images prove the high quality nanocrystalline nature of the films without cracks and dislocation. The root means square roughness of the films was increased with the increase of CdS thickness as showed by AFM images. UV–vis measurement reveals an improvement in the optical absorbance of HSFs in the range of 380–550 nm due to presence of CdS. Interestingly, the PL intensity was enhanced by a factor of nineteen compare to pure TiO₂ attributed to the charge carrier recombination in the band gap. The current results suggest that possibility to improve the optical and structural properties of the TiO₂ films and also it possible to fabricate high quality CdS/TiO₂ HSFs by variation of the CdS thickness.     

Determination of structural and optical properties of gold phthalocyanine thin films using density functional theory

We determined some optical and electrical properties of thin gold phthalocyanine films. Calculations were performed in the framework of density functional theory using the full potential linear augmented plane wave method. Studies on the density of states and band structure yielded a bandgap energy (E_g) of approximately 2 eV. Two trap energy levels were observed at 0.9 and 1.3 eV. Analysis of the dielectric function and electric loss function revealed a plasmon oscillation at 1.8 eV. In addition, we determined static refractive index values in the x, y and z directions of n_0xx = 2.16, n_0yy = 1.66 and n_0zz = 2.07. The optical bandgap of gold phthalocyanine was estimated to be 0.97 eV. Calculations revealed strong absorption at 400–700 nm, which compares favorably with experimental results.     

Device characteristics of AlGaN/GaN MIS–HEMTs with high-k HfxZr1−xO2 (x = 0.66, 0.47, 0.15) insulator layer

This study investigates the characteristics of AlGaN/GaN MIS–HEMTs with Hf_xZr_1−xO₂ (x = 0.66, 0.47, and 0.15) high-k films as gate dielectrics. Sputtered Hf_xZr_1−xO₂ with a dielectric constant of 20–30 and a bandgap of 5.2–5.71 eV was produced. By increasing the Zr content of HfZrO₂, the V_TH shifted from −1.8 V to −1.1 V. The highest Hf content at this study reduced the gate leakage by approximately one order of magnitude below that of those Zr-dominated HFETs. The maximum I_DS currents were 474 mA/mm, 542 mA/mm, and 330 mA/mm for Hf content of 66%, 47%, 15% at V_GS = 3 V, respectively.     

Study on mobility enhancement in MOVPE-grown AlGaN/AlN/GaN HEMT structures using a thin AlN interfacial layer

Al_0.26Ga_0.74N/AlN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) structures with AlN interfacial layers of various thicknesses were grown on 100-mm-diameter sapphire substrates by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy, and their structural and electrical properties were characterized. A sample with an optimum AlN layer thickness of 1.0 nm showed a highly enhanced Hall mobility (μ_Hall) of 1770 cm²/Vs with a low sheet resistance (ρ_s) of 365 Ω/sq. (2DEG density n_s = 1.0 × 10¹³/cm²) at room temperature compared with those of a sample without the AlN interfacial layer (μ_Hall = 1287 cm²/Vs, ρ_s = 539 Ω/sq., and n_s = 0.9 × 10¹³/cm²). Electron transport properties in AlGaN/AlN/GaN structures were theoretically studied, and the calculated results indicated that the insertion of an AlN layer into the AlGaN/GaN heterointerface can significantly enhance the 2DEG mobility due to the reduction of alloy disorder scattering. HEMTs were successfully fabricated and characterized. It was confirmed that AlGaN/AlN/GaN HEMTs with the optimum AlN layer thickness show superior DC properties compared with conventional AlGaN/GaN HEMTs.     

Properties of fluorine-doped tin oxide films prepared by an improved sol-gel process

Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) films were prepared by an improved sol-gel process, in which FTO films were deposited on glass substrates using evaporation method, with the precursors prepared by the conventional sol-gel method. The coating and sintering processes were combined in the evaporation method, with the advantage of reduced probability of films cracking and simplified preparation process. The effects of F-doping contents and structure of films on properties of films were analyzed. The results showed the performance index (Φ_TC=3.535×10⁻³ Ω⁻¹ cm) of the film was maximum with surface resistance (R_sh) of 14.7 Ω cm⁻¹, average transmittance (T) of 74.4% when F/Sn=14 mol%, the reaction temperature of the sol was 50 °C, and the evaporation temperature was 600 °C in muffle furnace, and the film has densification pyramid morphology and SnO_2−xF_x polycrystalline structure with tetragonal rutile phase. Compared with the commercial FTO films (Φ_TC=3.9×10⁻³ Ω⁻¹ cm, R_sh=27.4 Ω cm⁻¹, T=80%) produced by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, the Φ_TC value of FTO films prepared by an improved sol-gel process is close to them, the electrical properties are higher, and the optical properties are lower.     

Properties of V–Ce mixed-oxide thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering

Thin films of vanadium cerium mixed oxides are good counter-electrodes for electrochromic devices because of their passive optical behavior and very good charge capacity. We deposited thin films of V–Ce mixed oxides on glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering under argon at room temperature using different power settings. The targets were pressed into pellets of a powder mixture of V₂O₅ and CeO₂ at molar ratios of 2:1, 1:1, and 1:2. For a molar ratio of 2:1, the resulting crystalline film comprised an orthorhombic CeVO₃ phase and the average grain size was 89 nm. For molar ratios of 1:1 and 1:2, the resulting films were completely amorphous in nature. Scanning electron microscopy images and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy data confirmed these results. The optical properties of the films were studied using UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometry. The transmittance and indirect allowed bandgap for the films increased with the RF power, corresponding to a blue shift of the UV cutoff. The average transmittance increased from 60.9% to 85.3% as the amount of CeO₂ in the target material increased. The optical bandgap also increased from 1.94 to 2.34 eV with increasing CeO₂ content for films prepared at 200 W. Photoacoustic amplitude (PA) spectra were recorded in the range 300–1000 nm. The optical bandgap was calculated from wavelength-dependent normalized PA data and values were in good agreement with those obtained from UV-Vis-NIR data. The thermal diffusivity calculated for the films increased with deposition power. For thin films deposited at 200 W, values of 53.556×10⁻⁸, 1.069×10⁻⁸, and 0.2198×10⁻⁸ m²/s were obtained for 2:1, 1:1, and 1:2 V₂O₅/CeO₂, respectively.     

Investigation on post annealed copper sulfide thin films from photochemical deposition technique

Cu_xS thin films were deposited on glass substrates at room temperature by photochemical deposition after 1 h photo irradiation using the precursor solution containing copper sulphate pentahydrate (CuSO₄·5H₂O), sodium thiosulphate (Na₂S₂O₃) as a source material for Copper and Sulphur respectively and Di Sodium salt of EDTA as a chelating agent in acidic medium (pH~3.0). The as deposited and annealed Cu_xS thin films were investigated using XRD, UV–vis, AFM, SEM and Hall measurements. The deposited thin films were annealed at temperature up to 400 °C for 1 h. Above 200 °C the deposited film of Cu_xS changes from anilite phase (Cu_1.75S) to digenite (Cu_1.8S) phase. The reduction in sulphur content of the films is evident in the EDX analysis. From the Hall Effect results as deposited and annealed films show p-type conductivity with increasing bulk concentration. Analyses of the optical bandgap of the films indicate an indirect bandgap between 1.75 and 2.35 eV.     

Pulse electrodeposited copper indium sulfide films

Copper indium sulfide (CISu) films were deposited by the pulse galvanostatic deposition technique at different duty cycles. The films are polycrystalline with peaks corresponding to the chalcopyrite phase of CISu. The grain size and surface roughness increased from 10 to 25 nm and 0.85 to 2.50 nm respectively with increase of duty cycle. Optical band gap in the range of 1.30–1.51 eV was observed for the films deposited at different duty cycles. Room temperature resistivity of the films is in the range of 0.1–3.67 Ω cm. Photoconductivity measurements were made at room temperature. Photocurrent spectra exhibited maximum corresponding to the band gap of copper indium sulphide. CdS/CuInS₂ fabricated with CISu films deposited at 50% duty cycle have exhibited a V_oc of 0.62 V, J_sc of 16.30 mA cm^?2, FF of 0.71 and efficiency of 7.16%.     

Effect of different sputtering gas mixtures on the structural,electrical, and optical properties of p-type NiO thin films

We investigated how mixtures of Ar and O₂ or N₂ gases affect the structural, electrical and optical properties of RF-magnetron-sputtered NiO films. It is shown that the addition of O₂ gas to Ar ambient (namely, Ar:O₂=2:1 to 1:2) slightly reduces the (2 0 0) texturing of the NiO films. The introduction of N₂ gas (from 0 to 2 sccm) to Ar:O₂ (2:1) mixture enhances the (2 0 0) texturing, while the addition of N₂ gas (from 0 to 2 sccm) to Ar ambient slightly weakens the (1 1 1) texturing. The deposition rate is reduced from 6.1 to 1.5 nm/min when O₂ gas is added to Ar ambient. The addition of N₂ gas to the Ar:O₂ (2:1) mixture slightly increases the deposition rate from 1.8 to 2.6 nm/min, whereas adding N₂ gas to Ar only ambient somewhat reduces the rate from 6.1 to 4.4 nm/min. The carrier concentration of the films is increased and the mobility is decreased as the O₂ flow rate in the Ar:O₂ mixture is increased. The addition of N₂ gas to the Ar:O₂ (2:1) mixture increases the resistivity of the films, while adding N₂ gas to Ar ambient decreases the resistivity. The transmittance and optical bandgap of the films are reduced (from 58.4 to 45.5% at 550 nm and from 3.5 to 3.3 eV, respectively) with increasing O₂ flow to Ar ambient. When N₂ gas is added to the Ar:O₂ (2:1) mixture, the transmittance in the visible wavelength range increases from 58.4 to 71.3% and the optical bandgap increases from 3.5 to 3.6 eV. However, adding N₂ gas to the Ar only ambient results in decrease in the transmittance in the visible wavelength region (from 69.3 to 56%) and the optical bandgap (from 3.7 to 3.5 eV).     

Structural,surface morphology and optical properties of sputter-coated CaCu3Ti4O12 thin film: Influence of RF magnetron sputtering power

This study focusses on the investigation of RF power variations (100–300 W) effects on structural, morphological and optical properties of CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ thin film deposited on ITO/glass substrate in a non-reactive atmosphere (Ar). The increase of RF power from 100 W to 300 W led to evolution of (112), (022), (033), and (224) of CCTO XRD peaks. The results indicated that all the films were polycrystalline nature with cubic structure. The crystallite size increased from 20 nm to 25 nm with increasing RF power. FESEM revealed that the films deposited were uniform, porous with granular form, while the grain size increased from 30 to 50 nm. AFM analysis confirmed the increment in surface roughness from 1.6 to 2.3 nm with increasing film grain size. Besides, optical transmittance values decreased to minimum 70% with increasing RF power while optical energy bandgap increased from 3.20 eV to 3.44 eV. Therefore, favorable CCTO thin film properties can be possibly obtained for certain application by controlling RF magnetron sputtering power.     

Aggregation,crystallization, and resistance properties of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) solid films gel-cast from CHCl3/p-xylene mixed solvents

In this study we found that the gelation time and crystallinity of P3HT solid films are adjustable when aging and casting from CHCl₃/p-xylene mixed solvents. After aging for 36 h in pure p-xylene, CHCl₃, or various mixtures of the two as cosolvents, we found that the solid P3HT film gel-cast from 20 vol% CHCl₃ had the highest degree of crystallinity of its main chain (ϕ_m = 0.54), highest melting point of its main chain (T_m = 232.7 °C), fastest gelation time (30 min), largest melting enthalpy of its main chain (ΔH_m = 19.81 J g⁻¹), and lowest resistance (R_P = 0.76 MΩ); the latter value was three orders and one order of magnitude lower than those of the films cast from pure CHCl₃ (ca. 110 MΩ) and pure p-xylene (ca. 4.4 MΩ), respectively. In differential scanning calorimetry scans, we attribute the presence of melting peaks near 75 °C to the solid-to-solid phase transition of the side chain crystallites of P3HT, thereby affecting the aggregation of the P3HT main chain and resulting in the changes in resistance, crystallinity, melting enthalpy, and melting point of the gel-cast P3HT solid films.     

Effects of ammonia concentration on property of Cd1−xZnxS films by chemical bath deposition

Cd_1−xZn_xS thin films were grown on soda–lime glass substrates by chemical-bath deposition (CBD) at 80 °C with stirring. All the samples were annealed at 200 °C for 60 min in the air. The crystal structure, surface morphology, thickness and optical properties of the films were studied with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), step height measurement instrument and spectrophotometer respectively. The results revealed that Cd_1−xZn_xS thin films had cubic crystal structure and the intensity of the diffraction peak increased gradually as ammonia concentration rose and the grain size varied from 5.1 to 8.3 nm. All of Cd_1−xZn_xS thin films had a granular surface with some smaller pores and the average granule sizes increased from 92 to 163 nm with an increase in ammonia concentration. The Cd_1−xZn_xS thin films had the highest transmittance with ammonia concentration of 0.5 M L⁻¹, whose thickness was 50 nm and band gap was 2.62 eV.     

Contact resistivity of amorphous and crystalline GeCu2Te3 to W electrode for phase change random access memory

We have investigated the contact resistivity of GeCu₂Te₃ (GCT) phase change material to a W electrode using the circular transfer length method (CTLM). The contact resistivity ρ_c of as-deposited amorphous GCT to W was 3.9×10⁻² Ω cm². The value of ρ_c drastically decreased upon crystallization and crystalline GCT that annealed at 300 °C showed a ρ_c of 4.8×10⁻⁶ Ω cm². The ρ_c contrast between amorphous (as-deposited) and crystalline (annealed at 300 °C) states was larger in GCT than in conventional Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ (GST). Consequently, it was suggested from a calculation based on a simple vertical structure memory cell model that a GCT memory cell shows a four times larger resistance contrast than a GST memory cell.     

Electrical measurements of dielectric properties of molybdenum-doped zinc oxide thin films

Effects of molybdenum element content on electrical conductivity of ZnO sprayed thin films were investigated using the impedance spectroscopy method in the frequency ranging from 5 Hz to 13 MHz for temperature lying in 300–475 °C domain. It is observed that AC conductivity is a power law. The values of dielectric constants ε₁ and ε₂ were found to decrease with frequency and increase with temperature. The activation energy determined from the plot of both DC conductivity and the hopping frequency with 1000/T shows that the hopping conduction is the dominant mechanism. Also, experimental data of DC conductivity were analyzed using the small polaron hopping model. The impedance analysis of undoped ZnO and Mo-doped ZnO (1% and 2%) shows only one semicircle implying the response originated from a single capacitive element corresponding to the bulk grains. However, the same analysis for ZnO:Mo (3% ) shows two semicircles which proves the existence of grain boundaries. Finally, analyses of polaron hopping mechanism and Urbach tailing allow some explanations of these transport phenomena. This study shows an effective variation of electrical measurements of Mo-doped ZnO films in terms of temperature leading to possible use of such films as gas sensors.     

High photosensitivity with enhanced photoelectrical contribution in hybrid nanocomposite flexible UV photodetector

To devise a reliable strategy to develop an ultraviolet (UV) sensitive hybrid photodetector, plasma process is utilized as a single step method for production of large area nanocomposite films based on plasma polymerized aniline–titanium dioxide (PPani–TiO₂). The synthesis of PPani–TiO₂ nanocomposite films are made using reactive magnetron sputtering in combination with plasma polymerization. The deposited PPani–TiO₂ nanocomposite films are characterized and discussed in terms of structural, optical and electrochemical properties. A hybrid flexible nanostructured UV photodetector is constructed from PPani–TiO₂ nanocomposite and its optoelectronic properties are evaluated which exhibits a greatly enhanced photosensitivity resulting in high photoconductive gain (G = 4.56 × 10⁴) and high responsivity (R = 9.36 × 10³ AW⁻¹) under UV illumination of 254 nm. The flexible devices are successfully operated under bending up to 170° (bending radius, R = 8 mm) and showed a good folding strength and stability. The proposed plasma based method provides a green technology where the self-assembly of molecules, that is, the spontaneous association of atomic or molecular building blocks under plasma environment, emerge as a successful strategy to form well-defined structural and morphological units of nanometer dimensions.     

Poly(2-(N-carbazolyl)ethyl acrylate) as a host for high efficiency polymer light-emitting devices

Poly(2-(N-carbazolyl)ethyl acrylate), a poly(acrylate) comprised of carbazole-side groups attached via a flexible chain to the polymer backbone (PVAK) has been tested as host for solution-processed polymer light-emitting devices (PLEDs). This non-conjugated polymer proved to be an excellent candidate to host wide-bandgap phosphors. Notably, this polymer exhibited a high thermal stability (T_d = 322 °C), a glass transition temperature (T_g) of 91 °C and a wide bandgap corresponding to the pendent carbazole units and the disrupted π-conjugation of the polymer main chain, making this polymeric host a suitable candidate for wide bandgap triplet emitters. When tested as a host for FIrpic and Ir(ppy)₃, the resulting blue and green light-emitting devices showed a maximum luminous efficiency of 18.25 and 17.74 cd/A, respectively, which are comparable to recent reports of devices made using other carbazole-based oxygen-rich polymeric hosts. The polymer was also characterized by UV–visible absorption, photoluminescence spectroscopy as well as cyclic voltammetry.     

Pulse electrodeposited copper indium sulpho selenide films and their properties

Copper indium sulpho selenide films of different composition were deposited by the pulse plating technique at 50% duty cycle (15 s ON and 15 s OFF). X-ray diffraction studies indicated the formation of single phase chalcopyrite copper indium sulpho selenide films. Transmission Electron Microscope studies indicated that the grain size increased from 10 nm–40 nm as the selenium content increased. The band gap of the films was in the range of 0.95 eV–1.44 eV. Room temperature resistivity of the films is in the range of 16.0 Ω cm–33.0 Ω cm. Films of different composition used in photoelectrochemical cells have exhibited photo output. Films of composition, CuInS_0.9Se_0.1 have exhibited maximum output, a V_OC of 0.74 V, J_SC of 18.50 mA cm^?2, ff of 0.75 and efficiency of 11.40% for 60 mW cm^?2 illumination.