Characterization of Ni0.92V0.08Ox thin films deposited by the pulse sputter method

Based on the use of 8 at.%V-92 at.%Ni alloy target, Ni_0.92V_0.08O_x thin films are deposited via the pulse sputter method to avoid the ferromagnetic disadvantage when using a pure Ni metallic target. Crystallinity, microstructure and electrochromic (EC) properties are investigated systematically by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The optical properties of the Ni_0.92V_0.08O_x films are analyzed by a UV/VIS spectrophotometer (UV–Visible). Electrochromic tests are performed using an electrochemical analyzer. Experimental results indicate that the thickness, chemical composition, microstructure, and electrochromic properties heavily depend on the plasma power and the argon/oxygen ratio. The XPS and XRD analyses reveal that Ni²⁺, Ni³⁺, V⁴⁺ and V⁵⁺ co-exist in the Ni_0.92V_0.08O_x films and form an ideal stoichiometric compound at plasma power above 250 W, demonstrating that V can stabilize the valence state of Ni²⁺. Films deposited at 100 W yields the optimal electrochromic properties, with high optical modulation, high coloration efficiency and the lowest color memory effect at wavelengths of 400, 550 and 800 nm.     

磁控溅射Wox-Ti(Mo,Ni,V)薄膜的电致变色性能

采用反应磁控溅射工艺分别制备掺杂Ti、Mo、Ni、V的WOx薄膜,研究了掺杂对其电致变色性能的影响机理.实验结果表明,适量的掺杂可以提高薄膜的电致变色性能,Mo的掺杂可以调节光谱吸收范围,Ni、V的掺杂可以提高记忆存储能力,Ti的掺杂可以延长循环寿命;磁控溅射制备的掺杂WOx薄膜均为非晶态.     

Structural, electrical and optical characterization of N- and P-type SiC:H films deposited using ECR-CVD

Hydrogenated silicon carbide films (SiC:H) were deposited using the electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapour deposition (ECR-CVD) method from a mixture of methane, silane and hydrogen, and using diborane and phosphine as doping gases. The effects of changes in the diborane and phosphine levels on the optical bandgap and conductivity were investigated. In the case of boron-doped films, there is evidence from Raman scattering analysis to show that films deposited at a low microwave power of 150 W were largely amorphous and the bandgap decreases as the diborane levels are highly conductive and contains the whereas films deposited at a high microwave power of 800 W at low diborane levels are highly conductive and contains the silicon microcrystalline phase. These films become amorphous as the diborane level is increased, while the optical bandgap remains relatively unaffected throughout the entire range of diborane levels investigated. In the case of phosphorus-doped films, Raman scattering analysis showed that the deposition conditions strongly influence the structural, optical and electrical properties of the SiC:H films. Unlike boron doping, doping with phosphorus can have the effect of increasing the silicon microcrystalline phase in the SiC:H films which were prepared at low (150 W) and high (600 W) microwave powers. Films prepared at high microwave power showed only small variations in the optical bandgap, suggesting that good phosphorus doping efficiency can be achieved in films which contain the silicon microcrystalline phase (mc-SiC:H).     

The influence of substrate bias in I-PVD process on the properties of Ti and Al alloy films

The effects of substrate bias power on the microstructure, physical and electrical properties of thin Ti films prepared by ionized physical vapor deposition (I-PVD) process were studied. The influence of Ti underlayer with substrate bias power ranging from 0 to 400 W on the subsequent TiN/AlCu films deposited by conventional PVD process in a multilayer structure was further investigated. Decreasing substrate bias power led: (1) better Ti(002) texture, smoother surface, and lower resistivity in Ti films, and (2) better Al(111) texture, narrower grain size distribution, smoother final surface, better-defined TiN/AlCu interface, and lower residual stress in AlCu alloy films in the corresponding Ti/TiN/AlCu stacks. In both cases, lower substrate bias power resulted in films with desirable microstructures and properties, compared to higher bias powers, for use as Al-based interconnects in IC manufacturing.     

Plasma oxidation of Al thin films on Si substrates

In this study, Al thin films deposited on silicon wafers by direct current magnetron sputtering were oxidized under radio frequency 13.56 MHz O₂ plasma at temperatures up to 550 °C. During oxidation, plasma powers as well as oxidation temperature and time were varied to investigate the oxidation behavior of the Al films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy results show that the apparent alumina could be observed after O₂ plasma treatment with powers above 200 W as well as at temperatures above 250 °C. However, no alumina increment could be discerned after individual either heat treatment at 550 °C or plasma treatment at room temperature. The thickness of alumina layers increased remarkably with plasma power and could reach about 60 nm when undergone 400 W O₂ plasma treatment at 550 °C for 2 h. Moreover, the thickness of alumina increased parabolically with time during plasma oxidation aided by thermal treatment. The deduced activation energy of such plasma oxidation was 19.1 ± 0.5 kJ/mol.     

Structure and mechanical properties of ZrO2 films deposited by gas flow sputtering

ZrO₂ films were deposited by reactive gas flow sputtering (GFS) where voltage is applied to a cyindrical hollow-cathode target from a DC source, the discharge being produced at relatively high sputtering pressure. In this system, secondary electrons form a major component of the total current flow and lead to heating of the substrate which in turn has an effect on the properties of deposited films. The present experiments were carried out under the following conditions: Ar gas flow rate of 200 sccm, O₂ flow rate FO₂ in the range between 0.003 and 1 sccm, and sputtering power (P_S) in the range of 50-800 W. The reults showed that the crystal structure of the films deposited for P_S below 200 W was monoclinic but for P_S above 400 W, the films included tetragonal cystals of stable structure formed at high temperature by the electron bombardment. The films were formed with grains of 20-100 nm in diameter in a porous structure. The mechanical properties of the films were determined by a nanoindentation technique. Martens hardness (H_M) of the porous films was found to be in the range between 220 and 330 MPa which is substantially less than that of films typically deposited by rf magnetron sputtering.     

PEALD原位掺杂制备纳米TiO2-xNx光催化剂

采用等离子体增强型原子层沉积(PEALD)系统原位掺杂制备了TiO_2-xN_x光催化剂。利用光电子能谱(XPS)、高分辨率透射电镜(HRTEM)、光致发光(PL)光谱和紫外–可见光(UV-Vis)光谱对催化剂进行了表征, 并研究了TiO_2-xN_x纳米薄膜在可见光照射下水接触角的变化和催化降解亚甲基橙(MO)溶液的性能。结果表明, 等离子体功率变化可以改变掺入氮原子的结构, 在功率为50 W时主要形成替换式氮原子, 含量约为1.22at%, 晶体为锐钛矿(101)型。结构无明显缺陷, 且掺杂后TiO_2-xN_x薄膜光生电子–空穴对复合率低, 有利于光催化效率的提高。该方法解决了传统ALD工艺制备TiO_2-xN_x光催化剂时容易形成氧空位的问题, 实现了TiO2-xNx纳米材料的可见光(λ<800 nm)吸收和可见光光催化性能。     

掺杂氧化钨薄膜的电致变色特性

掺杂氧化钼对氧化钨薄膜的电致变色特性有一定的影响,本文介绍了用电子束蒸发制备不同MoO3掺杂比例的氧化钨膜,对其着色态与漂白态的光学特性以及循环伏安特性进行了实验研究,通过对循环伏安曲线的分析,对杂氧化钨薄膜电致变色的机理进行了讨论。     

Tantalum oxide film prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering deposition for all-solid-state electrochromic device

Inorganic-solid-state electrolyte tantalum oxide thin films were deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering to improve the leakage and deterioration of traditional liquid electrolytes in electrochromic devices. O₂ at 1–20 sccm flow rates was used to deposit the tantalum oxide films with various compositions and microstructures. The results indicate that the tantalum oxide thin films were amorphous, near-stoichiometric, porous with a loose fibrous structure, and highly transparent. The maximum charge capacity was obtained at an oxygen flow rate of 3 sccm and 50 W. The transmission change of the Ta₂O₅ film deposited on a WO₃/ITO/glass substrate between colored and bleached states at a wavelength of 550 nm was 56.7%. The all-solid-state electrochromic device was fabricated as a multilayer structure of glass/ITO/WO₃/Ta₂O₅/NiO_x/ITO/glass. The optical transmittance difference of the device increased with increasing applied voltage. The maximum change was 66.5% at an applied voltage of ± 5 V.     

Plasma oxidation of electron beam evaporated cadmium thin films

Thin films of pure cadmium have been deposited using electron beam evaporation technique. Effect of radio frequency (RF) plasma oxidation on structural, optical and electrical properties of cadmium thin films has been investigated. It was found that the RF plasma treatment affects on the physical properties of the oxidized cadmium films. Transmittance values of 87% in the visible region and 90% in the near infrared region have been obtained for cadmium oxide (CdO) film oxidized at a plasma-processing power of 600 W. The optical energy gap, E_g, was found to increase as the RF plasma-processing power increases. The resistivity values of 3 × 10^− 3 and 5 × 10^− 3 (Ω cm) have been obtained for CdO films oxidized at RF plasma-processing powers of 550 and 600 W respectively.     

WO3薄膜的磁控溅射法制备及电致变色性能

采用直流反应磁控溅射制备了具有优异电致变色性能的WO3薄膜。通过对成膜参数的调控,实现了低功率和短溅射时间的制膜制度,获得了较宽的工艺范围。通过X射线衍射仪、场发射扫描电子显微镜、光学轮廓仪、电化学工作站、紫外-可见-红外分光光度计研究了薄膜的物相、微观结构、厚度、电致变色性能。研究表明:在溅射功率为50 W,溅射压强为2.0 Pa,反应气体流量为20 sccm时所制得的薄膜性能最为优越。所制备薄膜具有较短的变色响应时间和大幅度的变色调制幅度,其对可见光变色调制幅度达到80%。     

Effect of tungsten on the electrochromic behaviour of sol-gel dip coated molybdenum oxide thin films

The paper describes the results obtained on the performance of Mo oxide and mixed W/Mo oxide thin films for possible electrochromic applications. Mo and W/Mo oxide films were deposited on conductive (FTO) glass substrates using sol-gel dip coating method. The films were annealed at 250 °C for 30 min. The structure and morphology of Mo and W/Mo oxide films were examined using XRD, SEM and EDS. XRD results indicate the amorphous nature of the Mo and W/Mo oxide films annealed for 30 min. The CV measurements revealed that the films prepared with 10 wt.% of tungsten exhibit maximum anodic/cathodic diffusion coefficient of 24.99/12.71 × 10⁻¹¹ cm²/s. The same film exhibits a maximum transmittance variation (ΔT%) of 83.4% at 630 nm and 81.06% at 550 nm with the optical density of 1.00 and 1.13 respectively.     

Characteristics of hydrogenated silicon thin film deposited by RF-PECVD using He–SiH4 mixture

Nanocrystalline silicon thin films (nc-Si:H) were deposited using He as the dilution gas instead of H₂ and the effect of the operating pressure and rf power on their characteristics was investigated. Especially, operating pressures higher than 4 Torr and a low SiH₄ containing gas mixture, that is, SiH₄(3 sccm)/He(500 sccm) were used to induce high pressure depletion (HPD) conditions. Increasing the operating pressure decreased the deposition rate, however at pressures higher than 6 Torr, crystallized silicon thin films could be obtained at an rf power of 100 W. The deposition of highly crystallized nc-Si:H thin film was related to the HPD conditions, where the damage is decreased through the decrease in the bombardment energy at the high pressure and the crystallization of the deposited silicon thin film is increased through the increased hydrogen content in the plasma caused by the depletion of SiH₄. When the rf power was set at a fixed operating pressure of 6 Torr, HPD conditions were obtained in the rf power range from 80 to 100 W, which was high enough to dissociate SiH₄ fully, but meantime low enough not to damage the surface by ion bombardment. At 6 Torr of operating pressure and 100 W of rf power, the nc-Si:H having the crystallization volume fraction of 67% could be obtained with the deposition rate of 0.28 nm/s.     

Characteristics of hydrogenated silicon thin film deposited by RF-PECVD using He-SiH4 mixture

Nanocrystalline silicon thin films (nc-Si:H) were deposited using He as the dilution gas instead of H₂ and the effect of the operating pressure and rf power on their characteristics was investigated. Especially, operating pressures higher than 4 Torr and a low SiH₄ containing gas mixture, that is, SiH₄(3 sccm)/He(500 sccm) were used to induce high pressure depletion (HPD) conditions. Increasing the operating pressure decreased the deposition rate, however at pressures higher than 6 Torr, crystallized silicon thin films could be obtained at an rf power of 100 W. The deposition of highly crystallized nc-Si:H thin film was related to the HPD conditions, where the damage is decreased through the decrease in the bombardment energy at the high pressure and the crystallization of the deposited silicon thin film is increased through the increased hydrogen content in the plasma caused by the depletion of SiH₄. When the rf power was set at a fixed operating pressure of 6 Torr, HPD conditions were obtained in the rf power range from 80 to 100 W, which was high enough to dissociate SiH₄ fully, but meantime low enough not to damage the surface by ion bombardment. At 6 Torr of operating pressure and 100 W of rf power, the nc-Si:H having the crystallization volume fraction of 67% could be obtained with the deposition rate of 0.28 nm/s.     

The effects of radio frequency plasma power on Ai2O3 films deposited at room-temperature by remote plasma atomic layer deposition

Al2O3 films were deposited by a remote plasma atomic layer deposition (RPALD) method at room temperature (25 degrees C) in a reactor using alternating exposures of Al(CH3)3 and O2 plasma. Oxygen plasma was used as a reactant gas to decompose the trimethylaluminum [TMA, Al(CH3)3] precursor at room temperature. The RF plasma power was increased to produce enough radicals for the deposition of the Al2O3 films at room temperature. Then, changes in the interfacial and bulk properties of the deposited Al2O3 films were investigated according to increasing RF power. Al2O3 films deposited by RPALD with RF powers over 100 W showed similar bulk properties, indicating that radicals over a certain threshold did not have a decisive effect on the additional decomposition of precursors for a low impurity content in the films. An increase in RF plasma power could improve the interfacial stability due to an increase in radicals and ions in the plasma and the minimization of plasma-induced substrate damage by adopting remote plasma.     

Studies of radiofrequency plasma deposition of hexamethyldisiloxane films and their thermal stability and corrosion resistance behavior

Hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) films (thickness: 282-929 nm) are prepared by the radiofrequency plasma assisted chemical vapour deposition (RF-PACVD) method using an Ar/HMDSO/O₂ gas mixture. The deposition process is carried out in an RF reactor at a working pressure of 1.2 × 10⁻¹ mbar and an RF power range of 20-100 W. From the studies on Ar/O₂ and Ar/HMDSO/O₂ discharge characteristics using a self-compensated emissive probe, it is revealed that electrons play an important role in the plasma polymerization of HMDSO monomers. Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy show that the plasma deposited HMDSO films tend to be more inorganic in nature at higher RF powers. A film prepared at an RF power of 100 W exhibits more thermal stability and corrosion resistance behavior in comparison to films deposited at lower powers (20-80 W). A correlation of the results obtained from OES and FT-IR analyses with the thermal stability and corrosion resistance behavior of the films has been attempted.     

Effect of sputtering power and annealing temperature on the properties of indium tin oxide thin films prepared from radio frequency sputtering using powder target

Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited on quartz substrates by radio frequency (RF) sputtering with different RF power (100–250 W) using the powder target at room temperature. The effect of sputtering power on their structural, electrical and optical properties was systematically investigated. The intensity of (400) orientation clearly increases with the sputtering power increases, although the films have (222) preferred orientation. Increasing sputtering power is benefit for lower resistivity and transmittance. The films were annealed at different temperature (500–800 °C), then we explored the relationship between their electro-optical and structural properties and temperature. It has been observed that the annealed films tend to have (400) orientation and then show the lower resistivity and transmittance. The ITO thin film prepared by RF sputtering using powder target at 700 °C annealing temperature and 200 W sputtering power has the resistivity of 2.08 × 10^?4 Ω cm and the transmittance of 83.2 %, which specializes for the transparent conductive layers.     

Properties of indium tin oxide films prepared by ion-assisted deposition

Conducting transparent films of indium tin oxide were deposited by 100 eV oxygen-ion-assisted deposition. A refractive index of 2.13 at 550 nm was obtained for films deposited onto ambient temperature substrates. The refractive index decreased with increasing substrate temperature to a value of 2.0 at 400°C. The sheet resistance of films 135 nm thick decreased from 800 Ω/□ for layers deposited onto room temperature substrates to around 25 Ω/□ at 400°C. Structural studies revealed that ion-assisted deposition onto ambient temperature substrates produced amorphous films, and that at temperatures above 100°C the films exhibit In₂O₃ crystallinity. In addition, it was found that the number of voids in the ion-bombarded films was reduced relative to that in films produced by conventional reactive evaporation.     

Oxygen plasma power dependence on ZnO grown on porous silicon substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

ZnO thin films were deposited on porous silicon by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy using different radio frequency power settings. Optical emission spectrometry was applied to study the characteristics of the oxygen plasma, and the effects of the radio frequency power on the properties of the ZnO thin films were evaluated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and photoluminescence. The grain sizes for radio frequency powers of 100, 200, and 300 W were 46, 48, and 62 nm, respectively. In addition, the photoluminescence intensities of the ultraviolet and the visible range increased at 300 W, because the density of the atomic oxygen transitions increased. The quality of the ZnO thin films was enhanced, but the deep-level emission peaks increased with increasing radio frequency power. The structural and optical properties of the ZnO thin films were improved at the radio frequency power of 300 W. Moreover, the optical properties of the ZnO thin films were improved with porous silicon, instead of Si.     

Phase transition characteristics and electrical properties of nitrogen-doped GeSb thin films for PRAM applications

We have investigated the nitrogen doping effect on phase transition characteristics and electrical property of nitrogen-doped GeSb (N-doped GS) thin films. The nitrogen gas flow rate changed from 0 sccm (GS(0)) to 6 sccm (GS(6)) during the deposition. The sheet resistance of crystalline state was increased from 2.6 to 5.1 kΩ/□ and thermal stability of amorphous was increased as nitrogen gas flow rate increased due to nitrogen doping effect. Moreover, the average grain size was decreased from 9.7 to 6.6 nm at 400 °C as nitrogen gas flow rate increased. However, the crystallization threshold time and laser power of GS(6) were shorter and lower than GS(0) caused by lower optical reflectivity. Nitrogen-doped GeSb showed the possibility of low RESET power and high speed PRAM operation.