Effect of growth temperature on structural, electrical and optical properties of dual ion beam sputtered ZnO thin films

ZnO epitaxial thin films were grown on p-type Si(100) substrates by dual ion beam sputtering deposition system. The crystalline quality, surface morphology, optical and electrical properties of as-deposited ZnO thin films at different growth temperatures were studied. Substrate temperature was varied from 100 to 600 °C at constant oxygen percentage O₂/(O₂ + Ar) % of 66.67 % in a mixed gas of Ar and O₂ with constant chamber pressure of 2.75 × 10^?4 mBar. X-Ray diffraction analyses revealed that all the films had (002) preferred orientation. The minimum value of stress was reported to be ?0.32 × 10¹⁰ dyne/cm² from ZnO film grown at 200 °C. Photoluminescence measurements demonstrated sharp near-band-edge emission (NBE) was observed at ~375 nm along with deep level emission (DLE) in the visible spectral range at room temperature. The DLE Peak was found to have decrement as ZnO growth temperature was increased from 200 to 600 °C. The minimum FWHM of the NBE peak of 16.76 nm was achieved at 600 °C growth temperature. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy study revealed presence of oxygen interstitials and vacancies point defects in ZnO film grown at 400 °C. The ZnO thin film was found to be highly resistive when grown at 100 °C. The ZnO films were found to be n-type conducting with decreasing resistivity on increasing substrate temperature from 200 to 500 °C and again increased for film grown at 600 °C. Based on these studies a correlation between native point defects, optical and electrical properties has been established.     

Nanocrystalline CuO thin films: synthesis, microstructural and optoelectronic properties

Nanocrystalline copper oxide (CuO) thin films have been synthesized by a sol–gel method using cupric acetate Cu (CH₃COO) as a precursor. The as prepared powder was sintered at various temperatures in the range of (300–700?°C) and has been deposited onto a glass substrates using spin coating technique. The structural, compositional, morphological, electrical optical and gas sensing properties of CuO thin films have been studied by X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Four Probe Resistivity measurement and UV–visible spectrophotometer. The variation in annealing temperature affected the film morphology and optoelectronic properties. X-ray diffraction patterns of CuO films show that all the films are nanocrystallized in the monoclinic structure and present a random orientation. The crystallite size increases with increasing annealing temperature (40–45?nm).The room temperature dc electrical conductivity was increased from 10^?6 to 10^?5 (Ω?cm)^?1, after annealing due to the removal of H₂O vapor which may resist conduction between CuO grain. The thermopower measurement shows that CuO films were found of n-type, apparently suggesting the existence of oxygen vacancies in the structure. The electron carrier concentration (n) and mobility (μ) of CuO films annealed at 400–700?°C were estimated to be of the order of 4.6–7.2?×?10¹⁹?cm^?3 and 3.7–5.4?×?10^?5?cm²?V^?1?s^?1?respectively. It is observed that CuO thin film annealing at 700?°C after deposition provide a smooth and flat texture suited for optoelectronic applications. The optical band gap energy decreases (1.64–1.46?eV) with increasing annealing temperature. It was observed that the crystallite size increases with increasing annealing temperature. These modifications influence the morphology, electrical and optical properties.     

Deposition of ZnO thin films on Si by RF magnetron sputtering with various substrate temperatures

Undoped ZnO thin films were successfully deposited on Si substrates by RF magnetron sputtering with different substrate temperatures. The dependence was systematically investigated the structural, morphology, chemical state and optical properties of ZnO thin films. Crystal quality, growth orientation and optical properties of ZnO thin films were improved at proper substrate temperature (450 °C) whereas were deteriorated at higher temperature (600 °C). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that proper substrate temperature promoted the formation of Zn–O bonding, resulting in an improvement of film quality, while higher temperature decreased the formation of the Zn–O bonding and increased the oxygen vacancy due to formation of an amorphous SiO₂ layer at the interface of ZnO and Si, resulting in a degradation of film quality. Moreover, the amorphous SiO₂ layer is formed by oxygen related to the Zn–O bonding, mainly. Therefore, the experimental results indicate that the substrate temperature plays an important role in the deposition of ZnO film on Si substrate and needs to be carefully selected to suppress a formation of an amorphous SiO₂ layer.     

IR transparency of the glass of ZnCl2-KBr-PbBr2 system

IR transparency and some properties of halide glass of composition 48ZnCl₂-48KBr-4PbBr₂ (mol%) have been investigated as the basic study on the development of IR glass fiber for CO₂ gas laser. The glass transition temperature Tg, crystallization temperature T_c, softning temperature T_s, and linear thermal expansion coefficient α of the glass were found to be 45–46°C, 100°C, 54°C, and 570×10^?7 / °C, respectively. The refractive index of the glass for He-Ne laser emission (632.8 nm) was about 1.63. The amount of impurity which decreases the transmissibility for CO₂ laser beam due to the absorption in the wavelength region 10–11 μm could be reduced by preparing the glass from a batch containing NH₄ Cl under reactive atmosphere of CCl₄ or CBr₄ in a glove box filled with He gas of dew point ?62～ ?45°C. The minimum value of absorption loss of the glass for CO₂ gas laser measured by laser calorimetry was about 20 dB/m.     

Effects of growth temperature on electrical and structural properties of sputtered GaN films with a cermet target

GaN films have been deposited at 100–400 °C substrate temperature on Si (100) and sapphire (0001) substrates by RF reactive sputtering in an (Ar + N₂) atmosphere. A (Ga + GaN) cermet target for sputtering was made by hot pressing the mixed powders of metallic Ga and ceramic GaN. The effects of substrate temperature on the GaN formation and its properties were investigated. The diffraction results showed that GaN films with a preferential (10–10) growth plane had a wurtzite crystalline structure. GaN films became smoother at higher substrate temperature. The Hall effect measurements showed the electron concentration and mobility were 1.04 × 10¹⁸ cm^?3 and 7.1 cm² V^?1 s^?1, respectively, for GaN deposited at 400 °C. GaN films were tested for its thermal stability at 900 °C in the N₂ atmosphere. Electrical properties slightly degraded after annealing. The smaller bandgap of ~3.0 eV is explained in terms of intrinsic defects and lattice distortion.     

Phase evolutions and electric properties of BaTiO3 ceramics by a low-temperature sintering process

BaTiO₃ (BT) nanoparticles were synthesized by a modified polymeric precursor method in a weak acid solution. The synthesized process of BT precursor with increasing calcination temperature was investigated through thermal analysis (DTA/TG), X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Good dispersive and homogeneous cubic BT nanoparticles were calcined at 800 °C, whereas dense BT ceramics were sintered at ~1,160 °C. The present results showed that the dielectric, piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of BT ceramics were dependent on the ceramics densification and crystallographic structure. The excellent electric properties (P _r = 10.5 μC/cm², d ₃₃ = 217 pC/N, k _p = 0.32 %) were found at a sintering temperature of 1,160 °C, which was due to the coexistence of tetragonal and orthorhombic phase. The depressed electric properties at higher sintering temperature were associated to oxygen vacancies and impurity phases. In addition, phase evolutions of BT nanoparticles and ceramics were all stated in detail.     

Influence of annealing temperature on structural,electrical and optical properties of undoped zinc oxide thin films

The undoped zinc oxide thin films were grown on quartz substrate at a substrate temperature of 750 °C by radio frequency magnetron sputtering and post annealed at different temperatures (600–800 °C) for a period of 30 min. The influence of annealing temperature on the structure, electrical and optical properties of undoped ZnO thin films was investigated by X-ray diffraction, Hall-effect, photoluminescence and optical transmission measurements. Results indicated that the electrical properties of the thin films were extremely sensitive to the annealing temperature and the conduction type could be changed dramatically from n-type to p-type, and finally changed to weak p-type when the temperature increased from 600 to 800 °C. Electrical and photoluminescence results indicate that native defects, such as oxygen and zinc vacancies, could play an important role in determining the conductivity of these nominally undoped ZnO thin films. The conversion of the conduction type was attributed to the competition between Zn vacancy acceptor and oxygen vacancy and interstitial Zn donors. At an intermediate annealing temperature of 750 °C, the film behaves the best p-type characteristic, which has the lowest resistivity of 12 Ωcm, hall mobility of 2.0 cm²/V s and carrier concentration of 1.5 × 10¹⁷ cm^?3. The photoluminescence results indicated that the Zn vacancy might be responsible for the intrinsic better p-type characteristic in ZnO thin films.     

Adsorption of oxygen in an activated europium ion-exchanged mordenite

The adsorption of oxygen in an activated europium ion-exchanged mordenite(Eu-M) was studied over the temperature range 25–600°C by the measurement of fluorescence of Eu₂₊ ion and a temperature programmed desorption (TPD) spectra of oxygen. When oxygen was exposed to a activated Eu-M, the intensity of emission band for Eu²⁺ ion extremely decreased. After the adsorption of oxygen at room temperature, the emission intensity was increased with a rise of degassing temperature and restored to the original emission intensity above 300°C. While, in Eu-M, at least four different states of adsorbed oxygen were indicated by the appearance of four TPD peaks with peak maxima located at about 70°C(α), 220°C(β), 300°C(γ) and >500°C(δ). The intensity of TPD peaks was dependent on the adsorption temperature. In the case of adsorption at 300°C or 600°C, the total amount of desorbed oxygen corresponded to one oxygen molecule adsorbing per Eu²⁺ ion.     

Fabrication and characterization of vapor-deposited niobium and zirconium carbides

The chemical and physical properties of vapor-deposited niobium and zirconium carbides were determined on thick-wall tubes of each carbide deposited under varying conditions. The effects studied included the coefficient of thermal expansion, the impurity level, the carbon-to-metal ratio and the metallographic structure. The most impure niobium carbide coatings contained up to 3000 ppm total impurities (mainly oxygen and chlorine), but the impurity level decreased when the deposition temperature was increased. Zirconium carbide deposited at 1050 °C contained up to 4% O and 1.5% Cl, and the coatings were unstable length and weight change) when heated above the deposition temperature. As the deposition temperature was increased, the impurity level decreased and the stability increased. Raising the deposition temperature to 1400 °C reduced the oxygen and chlorine content to about 500 ppm and produced stable coatings with a predictable and consistent coefficient of thermal expansion upon repeated heating to 2000 °C.     

Structural and electrical properties of V-doped ZnO prepared by the solid state reaction

This paper reports the synthesis, crystal structure and electrical conductivity properties of vanadium (V)-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) powders (i.e. Zn_1?2X V _X O binary system, x = 0, 0.0025, 0.005, 0.0075 and in the range 0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.15). I-phase samples, which were indexed as single phase with a hexagonal (wurtzite) structure in the V-doped ZnO binary system, were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The limit solubility of V in the ZnO lattice at this temperature is 3 mol % at 950 °C. The impurity phase at 950 °C was determined as ZnV₂O₆ when compared with standart XRD data. The research focused on single I-phase ZnO samples which were synthesized at 950 °C because of the limit of the solubility range is widest at this temperature. It was observed that the lattice parameters a and c decreased with V doping concentration. The electrical conductivity of the pure ZnO and single I-phase samples were studied using the four-point probe dc method at temperatures between 100 and 950 °C in an air atmosphere. The electrical conductivity values of pure ZnO and 3 mol % V-doped ZnO samples at 100 °C were 2.75 × 10^?6 and 7.94 × 10^?5 Ω^?1 cm^?1, and at 950 °C they were 3.4 and 54.95 Ω^?1 cm^?1, respectively. In other words, the electrical conductivity increased with V doping concentration.     

Annealing Effect on Structural and Magnetic Properties of Cu2MnAl Heusler Alloy Films

Cu₂MnAl Heusler alloy films were grown on MgO (001) substrates by using the ion beam sputtering technique. The films were post-annealed at varying temperatures in order to investigate the influence of annealing on crystal structure and magnetic properties. The structural properties of Cu₂MnAl films have been investigated by using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and magnetic properties have been investigated by both vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) techniques. The experimental data indicates that the crystal structure of the films strongly depends on the annealing temperature. When the films were annealed at 200?°C, the saturation magnetization (M _s =250?emu/cm³) achieved its maximum and the coercive field (H _c ??7?Oe) reached its minimum with B2 ordered structure. In addition, FMR results have revealed that the Cu₂MnAl film annealed 200?°C has the highest effective magnetization. The combination of structural and magnetic characterization indicates that the optimum growth temperature is 200?°C for the Cu₂MnAl Heusler alloy films on MgO substrates.     

Solvothermal route to CdS nanocrystals

We developed a facile solvothermal route to various CdS nanocrystals in diethylenetriamine. Well-crystalline CdS nanowires and flower-like CdS nanocrystals were obtained at temperatures 220°C and 200°C, respectively. The nanowires have smooth surfaces and are grown along polar [0?0?0?1] direction. The flower-like CdS nanocrystals have hierarchical architectures composed of fine nanowires with lengths up to 10?µm. The effects of temperature on the morphology and structure of the final products are also investigated. The experimental observations indicates that high temperature facilitates fabricate CdS nanocrystals with regular morphology and excellent crystallisation. Moreover, it is found that organic solvent diethylenetriamine plays an important role in the growth of CdS nanocrystals. Diethylenetriamine can bind Cd²⁺ ions to form intermediate complex, resulting in final CdS nanocrystals with regular morphologies.     

Studies on structural and electrical properties of copper-doped zinc oxide powders prepared by a solid state method at high temperatures

Abstract

The synthesis, crystal structure and electrical conductivity properties of Cu-doped ZnO powders (in the range of 0.25 – 15 mole %) is reported. I-phase samples, which were indexed as single phase with a hexagonal (wurtzite) structure in the Cu-doped ZnO binary system, were determined by X-ray diffraction. The limit solubility of Cu in the ZnO lattice at this temperature is 5 mole % at 1000°C. The impurity phase was determined as CuO when compared with standard XRD data using the PDF program. We focused on single I-phase ZnO samples which synthesised at 1000°C because the limit solubility range is widest at this temperature. It was observed that the lattice parameters a increased and c decreased with Cu doping concentration. The morphology of the I-phase samples was analysed with a scanning electron microscope. The electrical conductivity of the pure ZnO and single I-phase samples were studied using the four-probe dc method at temperatures between 100 and 950°C in an air atmosphere. The electrical conductivity values of pure ZnO and 5 mole % Cu-doped ZnO samples at 100°C were 2 × 10^?6 and 1.4 × 10^?4 ohm^?1 cm^?1, and at 950°C they were 1.8 and 3.4 ohm^?1 cm^?1, respectively. In other words, the electrical conductivity slightly increased with Cu doping concentration. Also, it was observed that the activation energy of the I-phase samples was decreased with Cu doping concentration.     

Influence of annealing on p-type Cu2ZnSnS4 thin film by dip coating solution growth technique for the application of solar cell

Thin films of Cu₂ZnSnS₄ have been deposited by solution growth dip coating method. Different Cu/Zn/Sn/S molar ratios were applied, which tells the properties of copper, Zinc, Tin, and Sulfide using X-ray diffraction, UV–vis, Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and scanning electron spectroscopy. The pure CZTS thin film showed the phase transformation from Kesterite (tetragonal) to Kesterite (orthorhombic) crystal structure. Optical measurement analysis reveals that layers have relatively high absorption coefficient in the visible spectrum with a band gap reduction of 1.51–1.49?eV with an increase in the annealing temperature from room temperature to 300?°C for 1?h in hot air furnace without any presence of an inert gas. Optical conductivity was observed to increase from 10¹² to 10¹³ (sec)^?1 and electrical conductivity was of the order of 10² (Ω?cm)^?1.     

The Influence of Titanium on the Aluminum Fixed-Point Temperature

This work describes the deliberate doping of high purity (99.9999 %) aluminum with titanium (99.8 %) impurity and the effect of this on the temperature of the aluminum liquid?Csolid phase transition (660.323 °C). The aluminum sample was in the form of an ~0.3 kg ingot (that would normally be used to realize an ITS-90 fixed point) which was doped at ~0.9 ppmw Ti and ~1.8 ppmw Ti (mass fraction in parts per million by mass). Measurements were made with procedures and equipment normally used in a metrological thermometry laboratory, rather than using special arrangements. Samples cut from the aluminum ingot were chemically analyzed by glow discharge mass spectrometry (GD-MS) before doping and after the second doping (to 1.8 ppmw). The experimental temperature offsets were compared with those calculated by interpolation from a reference book value using the mass of dopant introduced, or the chemical analysis data. The results showed that the aluminum temperature increased after adding 0.9 ppmw Ti, but apparently the temperature did not change after further doping to 1.8 ppmw Ti; which was unexpected. The first result suggested that titanium impurity increases the Al transition temperature by +5.1 mK · ppmw^?1. However, using the (total) temperature offset and the GD-MS value for the (total) added Ti impurities, then one calculates a value of 3.4 mK · ppmw^?1 (much closer to a reference book value). The experimental undoped liquid?Csolid transition curves were also compared against theoretical curves (calculated using a theoretical model ??MTDATA??). This suggested that GD-MS may not be ??exposing?? all the active impurities (some of which may be ??hidden?? in the carbon background).     

Oxygen adsorption and desorption characteristics of LSCF5582 membranes for oxygen separation applications

This study examines the oxygen adsorption and desorption characteristics of La_0.5Sr_0.5Co_0.8Fe_0.2O_3?δ (LSCF5582) membranes prepared at sintering temperatures of 1200–1300 °C, with the aim of gaining an insight into their performance in the surface reaction limited regime for oxygen separation applications. The findings of this work are then compared with our experimental data on Ba_0.5Sr_0.5Co_0.8Fe_0.2O_3?δ (BSCF5582) membranes. It is demonstrated that the adsorption rate constants of both membranes are two orders of magnitude greater than their respective oxygen desorption rate constants as the oxygen adsorption occurs in less than 24 s whilst the oxygen desorption takes approximately one hour to reach equilibrium. The activation energy for oxygen adsorption of LSCF5582 reduced to a quarter of its value with increasing the sintering temperature from 1200 °C to 1300 °C. This is attributed to the oxygen exchange occurring more rapidly along the grain boundaries resulting in a lower activation energy. The LSCF5582 grain sintered at 1200 °C is the optimum selection for oxygen separation applications at an operating temperature of 850 °C and oxygen partial pressure of 0.21 bar.     

Low temperature annealing behavior of electroplated nickel

The low temperature annealing characteristics of electroplated nickel containing an occluded brightener, fuchsin, have been studied in the temperature range 25–250°C. Supportive annealing experiments were also conducted between the temperatures 250°C and 700°C to assist in evaluating the lower temperature behavior. The effect of annealing was monitored by measuring resistivity changes at liquid nitrogen temperatures and by viewing selected samples by transmission electron microscopy. In addition, various chemical analysis techniques were employed to follow the variations in impurity content.A detailed comparison was made between deposits from a standard “watts” nickel electrolyte and those from a “watts” nickel solution containing the fuchsin additive. Isochronal anneals of fuchsin-containing deposits were characterized by a large decrease in resistivity up to a temperature of 175°C. Higher temperature annealing from 175°C to 275°C demonstrated an increase in resistivity with increasing temperature. This increase was then followed by a general decrease in resistivity at temperatures greater than 350°C. The first two minima at 175°C and 300°C on the Δ?°/Δ? versus temperature curve were found to coincide with temperatures where partial decomposition of the fuchsin reagent occured.The low temperature resistivity decrease from 28°C to 125°C was attributed to the diffusion of divacancies to fixed sinks such as grain boundaries. A high non-equilibrium vacancy concentration is believed to be present owing to the accommodation of fuchsin molecules in the nickel lattice. The resistivity decay is described by an Arrhenius-type equation:

$\text{dp}\text{dt}\text{=K exp}\text{?}\text{19.4 kcal}\text{RT}$

The experimentally determined activation energy agrees favorably with literature values for divacancy diffusion in nickel. During this interval no visual change in structure was noted, and fuchsin could be extracted from the deposit unaltered.     

Dynamic compressive behaviour and microstructural evolution of extrusion-shear deformed ZC61 alloy

In this study, a novel extrusion-shear (ES) deformation method was developed to prepare ZC61 alloy. The dynamic mechanical properties and microstructure of specimen were studied at a temperature in the range of 25–350°C and strain rate of 1300?s^?1. The results demonstrated by ES exhibited a strong {0001} basal texture, resulting in the obvious anisotropy. The shapes of stress–strain curves of samples exhibited significant differences at low temperature (<250 °C) when compression was carried out along extrusion direction (ED) and extrusion radial direction (ERD). Dynamic recrystallization occurred at the loading temperature of 300°C along ED due to the energy provided by high-density dislocation in twins. However, no obvious dynamic recrystallization was observed for the ERD samples.     

Physical and electrical attributes of sintered Ag80–Al20 high temperature die attach material with different organic additives content

In this work, the primary focus was to establish a relationship between the post-sintered physical attributes of the high temperature Ag₈₀–Al₂₀ die attach material and its electrical performance. The post-sintered Ag₈₀–Al₂₀ die attach material depicted the formation of Ag₂Al and Ag₃Al compounds. The melting point and maximum operational temperature for the Ag₈₀–Al₂₀ die attach material was determined to be 518 ± 1 °C and approximately 400 °C respectively, whereby the maximum operational temperature was based on a homologue temperature ratio of 0.85. The die attach material also demonstrated good electrical properties, i.e., an electrical conductivity value of 1.005 × 10⁵ (ohm–cm)^?1, which is higher than or equal to that of most solder systems. By varying the nanoparticle versus organics content between 83.3 and 87.0 %, it was seen that the surface morphology of the die attach material changed and the root-mean-square roughness values reduced to 175.1 nm. A similar observation was seen as the sintering temperature increased between 100 and 380 °C. This reduction in surface roughness proved that there was grain growth and particle coalescence within the die attach material. This translated to a reduction in electrical resistivity. Die attach area and thickness simulations found that smaller and thinner die attach areas are preferred for the Ag₈₀–Al₂₀ die attach material, whereby the highest recorded electrical conductivity value was 1.006 × 10⁵ (ohm–cm)^?1 for an area of 0.2 × 0.2 cm² and thickness of 25.4 μm.     

Adhesion of PE modified by capacitively coupled radio frequency plasma-induced graft polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate

A graft polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) on the pretreated polyethylene (PE) sheet samples by oxygen capacitively coupled radio frequency (RF) plasma was carried out to improve the adhesive properties of PE. The PE samples were treated with a RF power of 200 W for a treatment time of 40 s and then exposed to an oxygen atmosphere for a saturation time of 10 min. The grafting of the plasma pretreated PE performed in an aqueous GMA solution with the monomer concentration from 20 vol.% to 100 vol.% at a temperature from 20°C to 90°C for a reaction period up to 50 h. The optimum wettability of the graft polymerized PE surface with the concentration of 40 vol.% at the temperature of 70°C and for the time of 24 h was obtained as the static contact angle decreased from 104.2° for the original PE to 67.6° for the graft polymerized. After the graft polymerization, a strong absorption peak of C-O bonding was shown at 1050 cm⁻¹ in Fourier transform infrared spectrum, indicating an introduction of epoxy groups on the graft polymerized surface. Correspondingly, the surface roughness (Ra) increased from 0.137 μm for the original PE to 1.660 μm for the graft polymerized. The maximal lap adhesive strength of the graft polymerized PE samples lapped using a mixture of epoxy resin and curing agent was achieved to about 160 N·cm⁻². The fractured surfaces by tearing of the PE sheet matrix were observed on the tensioned PE samples due to the higher adhesive strength than that of the PE matrix.