Ellipsometry study of poly(o-methoxyaniline) thin films

Spin-coated poly(o-methoxyaniline) (POMA) thin films on various substrates were investigated using spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) in the 1.5–4.5 eV photon energy range. Spin-coating process parameters are reported (spin speed and concentration). Substrates with higher surface energy were found to increase polymer film thickness and decrease roughness. An optical model was developed using SE data along with complementary data from atomic force microscopy and UV–vis spectroscopy to obtain optical properties—refractive index n and extinction coefficient k for POMA. The model includes Lorentz oscillators for the POMA film and a Bruggeman effective medium approximation for roughness. In-plane film optical anisotropy was not observed, but a small out of plane anisotropy was detected for the polymer.     

Transparent high refractive index nanocomposite thin films

This work reports the preparation of acetic acid-modified TiO₂ nanoparticles by sol–gel synthesis method. The nanoparticles can be incorporated directly into the polymer matrix to form transparent high refractive index nanocomposite thin films. The result shows that increasing the titania content in the hybrid nanocomposite thin films can significantly increase the refractive index. Hybrid nanocomposite thin film with refractive index value of 2.38 had been prepared. All prepared films also exhibit excellent optical transparency in the visible region.     

Characterization of photoactive polymer thin films using transmission spectrum

There are many different methods applied to obtain the optical constants of thin films using transmission spectrum, none of them applied to photoactive polymer thin films. The aim of this work is to find the suitable method for routine measurements of photoactive polymer thin films. In order to achieve this goal, different methods are applied to simulated thin films of known optical constants to compare their accuracies, hence choosing the most suitable method for studying the photoactive polymer thin films. It is found that the fitting methods are not suitable for photoactive polymer thin films while numerical solution of two independent transmission measurements is suitable for such films, so poly methy1 methacrylate (PMMA) films doped with different concentrations of photoactive unit Disperse Red 1 (DSR1) are characterized using this method. The refractive index of PMMA doped with 0.2% of DSR1 (1 g PMMA, 2 mg DSR1) is found to be 1.534 with error 0.656% at λ = 630 nm. It is also found that the refractive index of photoactive polymer thin films increases linearly with increasing photoactive unit up to concentration 0.25%.     

Synthesis of c-axis preferred orientation ZnO:Al transparent conductive thin films using a novel solvent method

Transparent aluminum doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al, AZO) conducting thin films with a high-preferential c-axis orientation were synthesized using a new sol-gel formula. The films were deposited using a spin-coating route onto borosilicate glass substrates. We used propylene glycol methyl ether (PGME) as the solvent in place of ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGME), which is commonly used because it is easier to deposit onto the substrates. PGME is also superior in terms of health and safety. PGME solvent does not need to settle for several days before use and can be spin-coated as soon as the raw material and solvent are mixed. The effects of this novel solvent on the structural, morphological, electrical and optical properties are discussed using XRD, SEM, a four-point probe and UV-VIS spectrophotometry. It was found that the films produced with PGME showed a high-preferential c-axis orientation and compact microstructure in comparison films produced using EGME. The electrical resistivity of AZO thin films produced with PGME solvent was lowered to 3.474 × 10^− 3Ω cm after annealing in 95 N₂/5H₂ atmosphere. In addition, the optical transmittances of AZO thin films on glass plates were higher than 90% in the visible wavelength region.     

Domains and domain nucleation in magnetron-sputtered CoCr thinfilms

The magnetic domain configurations in magnetron-sputtered CoCr thin films have been examined by Lorentz transmission electron microscopy. The thinnest (10 nm) films display in-plane 180° domain walls, while thicker (50 nm) films exhibit out-of-plane dot-type domain structures. The dot domains were observed even in films that had not yet developed a columnar morphology. Intermediate thickness films show a featherlike contrast, indicating that both in-plane and out-of-plane magnetization components are present. Magnetization reversal is seen to occur by domain wall motion in films displaying in-plane anisotropy and by rotation for perpendicular anisotropy films. Intrinsic film stress was found to play a major role in determining the preferred magnetization direction, and thus the resulting magnetic domain configurations     

Effect of interfacial refractive index on optical molecular orientation measurements

The sensitivity of optical molecular orientation measurements to assumptions regarding thin film refractive index was investigated. Specifically, the influence of the interfacial refractive index on second harmonic generation (SHG) and linear dichroism measurements made in a total internal reflection (TIR) geometry was probed for five distinct molecular systems. The five molecular thin films ranged from weakly adsorbed species in equilibrium with solution to covalently bound molecules. Polarization data from the two techniques were fit using a range of assumed interfacial refractive indices. Surprisingly, a linear relationship between the difference in calculated apparent orientation angle and the difference in solvent-prism refractive index was observed. The trend indicates that for a TIR geometry, the error introduced by the thin film refractive index is negligible when the difference in solvent and prism refractive indices is less than approximately 0.08. However, there are clearly cases, such as a glass/air interface, in which assumptions regarding the thin film refractive index can result in significant error in the extracted orientation angle.     

Internal stress and optical properties of Nb2O5 thin films deposited by ion-beam sputtering

The influence on the internal stress and optical properties of Nb2O5 thin films with ion-beam energy was investigated. Nb2O5 thin films were deposited on unheated glass substrates by means of ion-beam sputtering with different ion-beam voltage, Vb. The refractive index, extinction coefficient, and surface roughness were found to depend on the ion-beam energy. The stresses in thin films were measured by the phase-shifting interferometry technique. The film stress was also found to be related to Vb, and a high compressive stress of -0.467 GPa was measured at Vb = 850 V. The Nb2O5-SiO2 multilayer coatings had smaller average compressive stress as compared with single-layer Nb2O5 film.     

Studies of optical anisotropy in opals by normal incidence ellipsometry

Anisotropy of thin opal films was studied by ellipsometric technique in a visible spectral range. At normal light incidence, the ellipsometric data were directly related to anisotropy parameters measured by polarization modulation technique. In the (111)-oriented thin films, the optical anisotropy was mainly caused by internal strain-induced birefringence with anisotropy axes oriented along [110] and [-112] directions. The deviation from 180°-symmetry, which has been observed for ellipsometric parameters in the in-plane sample rotation experiments at normal incidence, was enhanced at oblique incidence and assigned to particular properties of opal. Experimental data were discussed in the model of stacked anisotropic layers.     

Phase separation and surface morphology of spin-coated films of polyetherimide/polycaprolactone immiscible polymer blends

The surface morphology in thin films of immiscible polyetherimide and polycaprolactone blends was studied using scanning electron and atomic force microscopy. The thin films were obtained by spin-coating from dichloromethane solution. A self-assembled periodic pattern of phase separated domains was observed, which was induced by capillary effects along with the solution radial flow and the unsteady air flow field above the film during the initial stages of spin-coating. A secondary phase separation was observed during the solvent evaporation stage of spin-coating. The differences in surface topographies of the two distinct phases are attributed to different solvent evaporation rates within each phase. In addition, a great variety of domain structures and surface morphologies were observed as a function of polymer blend composition.     

Ga-Ti共掺杂ZnO透明导电薄膜的微观结构和光电性能研究

采用磁控溅射方法在玻璃基片上制备了Ga-Ti共掺杂ZnO(GTZO)透明导电薄膜,通过XRD、四探针仪和分光光度计测试,研究了氩气压强对GTZO薄膜光电性能和晶体结构的影响。结果表明:所有GTZO薄膜均为(002)择优取向的六角纤锌矿结构,其光电性能和晶体结构与氩气压强密切相关。当氩气压强为0.4Pa时,GTZO薄膜具有最大的晶粒尺寸(85.7nm)、最小的压应力(-0.231GPa)、最高的可见光区平均透射率(86.1%)、最低的电阻率(1.56×10-3Ω·cm)和最大的品质因子(4.28×105Ω-1·cm-1),其光电综合性能最佳。另外,采用光学表征方法计算了薄膜的光学能隙和折射率,并利用有效单振子理论对折射率的色散性质进行了分析,获得了GTZO薄膜的色散参数。     

Effect of ethylene glycol monomethyl ether ratio in mixed solvent on surface morphology,wettability and photocatalytic properties of ZnO thin films

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films with different ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGME) ratio were prepared on Si substrates using a two-step process. The results show that they possess a polycrystalline hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure. The topography of the ZnO thin films evolves from nanoparticles to hexagonal nanorods with the decrease of EGME content. The photoluminescence spectra consist of a near-band-edge emission and two visible emissions. The optical band gap energy decreases first and then increases with the increase of EGME ratio in mixed solvent, the broadening of the optical band gap can be explained by Moss–Burstein effect. The wetting behavior of all the samples can switch from hydrophobicity to hydrophilicity through UV illumination. The degradation efficiency of the thin films increases with decreasing EGME content, photocatalytic reaction mechanism of the ZnO thin films is discussed in detail.     

Properties of flexible, transparent barium titanate nanoparticle/poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) hybrid

A transparent BaTiO₃ particle/poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) hybrid was synthesized from a Ba–Ti double alkoxide modified with an organic ligand, and the refractive index and ferroelectric properties of the hybrid were studied. The transparent hybrid was flexible and could be shaped not only in the form of thin films on substrates but also in the form of flexible self-standing films. BaTiO₃ particles around 5 nm in diameter were dispersed uniformly in the polymer matrix. The refractive indexes of the hybrid films increased with decreasing wavelength and were dependent on the volume fractions of the BaTiO₃ and polymer phases. The hybrid film synthesized at a molar ratio of BaTiO₃:2-vinlyloxyethanol:H₂O:PHEMA = 1:8:30:5 gave the best result, with a refractive index of 1.55 at 589 nm and an Abbe number of 37.5. A transparent hybrid film on platinized silicone substrates exhibited a polarization–electric field hysteresis loop.     

Optical properties of N,N′-bis(3-phenoxy-3-phenoxy-phenoxy)-1,4,5,8-naphthalene-tetracarboxylic diimide by spectroscopic ellipsometry

Optical properties of N,N′-bis(3-phenoxy-3-phenoxy-phenoxy)-1,4,5,8-naphthalene-tetracarboxylic diimide were investigated using variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry in the visible light range. An oscillator model with one Tauc–Lorentzian and three Gaussian oscillators was constructed and found physically consistent with the experimental results. No measurable optical anisotropy is found in-plane or out of the film plane, indicating a random arrangement of molecules in spin cast thin films. Refractive index n and absorption index k are reported in the 1.5–4.5 eV (840 nm to 280 nm) optical range.     

Optical and dielectric properties of double helix DNA thin films

In this work, the thin film of wheat DNA was deposited by spin-coating technique onto glass substrate, and the optical and dielectric properties of the double helix DNA thin film were investigated. The optical constants such as refractive index, extinction coefficient, dielectric constant, dissipation factor, relaxation time, and optical conductivity were determined from the measured transmittance spectra in the wavelength range 190–1100 nm. Meanwhile, the dispersion behavior of the refractive index was studied in terms of the single oscillator Wemple–DiDomenico (W–D) model, and the physical parameters of the average oscillator strength, average oscillator wavelength, average oscillator energy, the refractive index dispersion parameter and the dispersion energy were achieved. Furthermore, the optical band gap values were calculated by W–D model and Tauc model, respectively, and the values obtained from W–D model are in agreement with those determined from the Tauc model. The analysis of the optical absorption data indicates that the optical band gap E_g was indirect transitions. These results provide some useful references for the potential application of the DNA thin films in fiber optic, solar cell and optoelectronic devices.     

溶胶—凝胶法制备TiO2—SiO2复合薄膜的研究

采用溶胶－凝胶方法在单晶Ｓｉ基片上制备了ＴｉＯ２－ＳｉＯ２复合薄膜，研究了溶剂、ｐＨ值对先体溶液成胶时间的作用，溶液的浓度、甩胶时的旋转速度、涂覆层数以及热处理温度对薄膜厚度、光学性能的影响。薄膜的折射率随温度增大，其主要贡献来自于薄膜中结构的变化。并测量了薄膜的Ｉ－Ｖ、Ｃ－ｆ特性，由于薄膜中的热击穿效应而使得ＴｉＯ２含量较高的薄膜２的Ｉ－Ｖ呈非线性变化。     

Determination of properties of wedged, nonuniformly thick, and absorbing thin films by using a new numerical method

Nonuniformity in the thickness of thin films can severely distort their transmission spectra as compared with those of flat, smooth films. Methods that extract properties such as refractive index, thickness, and extinction coefficient of such films can suffer inaccuracies when they are applied to wedged or nonuniformly thick films. To accurately extract optical properties of nonuniform films, we have developed a novel numerical method and efficient constitutive relations that can determine film properties from just the transmission spectrum for films that are locally smooth with negligible scattering loss. This optimum parameter extraction (OPE) method can accommodate films with two-dimensional thickness variation that would result in significant errors in the values of refractive index and film thickness if not considered. We show that for carefully chosen test cases and for actual pulsed-laser-deposition AlN thin films, properties such as refractive index, extinction coefficient, and film thickness were very accurately determined by using our OPE method. These results are compared with previous techniques to determine the properties of thin films, and the accuracy of and applicable conditions for all these methods are discussed.     

Structural and optical properties of both pure poly(3-octylthiophene) (P3OT) and P3OT/fullerene films

We have investigated the structural and optical properties of P3OT and P3OT/fullerene thin films in view of their application as active layer in plastic solar cells. Films of these materials were prepared by spin coating from toluene solutions onto silicon substrates. Their optical properties were studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry, which provides the anisotropic dielectric function of the films. Moreover, structural properties were studied using X-ray diffraction. A close correlation between the results obtained by both methods could be found. Especially, the strong optical anisotropy of the films can be explained in terms of a preferable orientation of the polymer chains parallel to the substrate. The effect of the optical anisotropy on the performance of optoelectronic devices is discussed.     

The substrate effect on Ge doped GaN thin films coated by thermionic vacuum arc

This study focuses on characterization and understanding of the substrate effect on Ge doped GaN thin films coated onto transparent substrates. The produced films were deposited onto unheated glass and unheated polyethylene terephthalate by using thermionic vacuum arc technique. Gallium nitride and germanium pellets were used in the thin film production. Reflectance, refractive index and thicknesses of Ge doped GaN thin films were measured by optical interferometer using Cauchy model for fitting. The transmittances were determined in the wavelength range between 200 and 1000 nm by using UV–Vis double beam spectrophotometer. The optical Tauc method was used to determine the band gap energies of produced thin films. Surface morphologies of produced thin films were characterized by atomic force microscopy and also field emission scanning electron microscopy. In conclusion, the substrate effect on the optical and morphological properties of the produced thin films was observed.     

Room temperature synthesis and characterization of polythiophene thin films by chemical bath deposition (CBD) method

Polythiophene thin films were deposited successfully on glass substrate by chemical bath deposition method using FeCl₃ as an oxidant and chloroform as solvent. The effect of oxidant concentration on the properties of polythiophene thin films was studied. The surface morphology was influenced by oxidant concentration and deposition time. The oxidation concentration also strongly affects the optical properties of the polythiophene thin films. The transmittance decreases while the absorption, band gap and refractive index increases due to increase in oxidant concentration.     

The effects of Al doping on the optical constants of ZnO thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis method

Aluminum doped ZnO (AZO) thin films doped with different aluminum concentrations have been prepared by spray pyrolysis method onto glass substrates. The optical and structural properties of the films have been investigated by X-ray diffraction and optical characterization methods. The X-ray diffraction spectra showed that all of the thin films are of polycrystalline nature. The thin films have (002) as the preferred orientation. The optical band gaps of the films were calculated. The E _g values decrease with increasing Al doping concentration. The refractive index, the extinction coefficient, and the real and imaginary components of dielectric constant are calculated. The obtained results show that all optical parameters keep constant in the visible region, whereas in the ultraviolet region, doping concentration strongly affects the optical parameters of AZO thin films. Optical constants tend to decrease with increasing doping concentration.