Preparation of superconducting LiTi2O4 thin films

Superconducting LiTi₂O₄ thin films were prepared for the first time by the r.f. magnetron sputtering method and subsequent heat treatment. Their superconducting transition temperatures are 10.9–11.5 K, close to the transition temperatures of samples prepared by sintering or metling. Uniform films shows metallic conduction and have a resistivity of $\text{(4.3?8.8) × 10}{}^{-4}\text{Ω}\text{cm at}\text{15}\text{K}$ and a superconducting critical current density of 1.2 × 10⁴ A cm^-2 at 4.2 K. It was also found that the films are stable in an argon gas atmosphere.     

Transparent magnetic oxide thin films of Fe3O4 on glass

Transparent magnetic oxide (TMO) thin films of magnetite (Fe₃O₄) were grown on top of a (Zn,Al)O transparent conducting oxide on a glass substrate. The polycrystalline magnetite thin films show the typical Raman spectrum of Fe₃O₄, a sharp Verwey transition at 120 K and hysteretic behavior. The highest achieved average transmittance in the visible range (400-800 nm) for the entire multilayer was slightly below 80%. TMOs permit the inclusion of magnetic functionalities into transparent electronics. Our results show that TMOs can be successfully used to add magnetic functionalities to transparent conducting oxides.     

Properties of polyimide/Al2O3 and Si3N4 deposited thin films

Polyimide (PI) nanocomposites with different proportions of Al₂O₃ were prepared via two-step reaction. Silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) was deposited on PI composite films by a RF magnetron sputtering system and used as a gas barrier to investigate the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR). The thermal stability and mechanical properties of a pure PI film can be improved obviously by adding adequate content of Al₂O₃. At lower sputtering pressure (4 mTorr), the PI/Al₂O₃ hybrid film deposited with Si₃N₄ barrier film exhibits denser structure and lower root mean square (RMS) surface roughness (0.494 nm) as well as performs better in preventing the transmission of water vapor. The lowest WVTR value was obtained from the sample, 4 wt.%Al₂O₃-PI hybrid film deposited with Si₃N₄ barrier film with the thickness of 100 nm, before and after bending test. The interface bonding, Al-N and Al-O-Si, was confirmed with the XPS composition-depth profile.     

Chemistry of post-annealing of epitaxial CoFe2O4 thin films

CoFe₂O₄ thin films of different thicknesses were grown on SrTiO₃ substrates. The X-ray diffraction analysis and atomic force microscopy indicated both epitaxy and a granular microstructure. We studied the magnetic properties of these films as a function of oxygen post-annealing and film thickness. All as-deposited films exhibited similar magnetic properties with saturated magnetization (M_s) of approximately 50% of the bulk M_s, (80 Am² kg^− 1). After the post-annealing the M_s changes as a consequence of crystallographic restructuring of the film. Cation ordering in 100 nm thick films reduces M_s, whereas re-oxidation increases M_s for thinner films. 13 nm films, annealed for 1 h, reach the bulk M_s. For even thinner films the quantum-size effect reduces M_s. For a synthesis of ≥ 30 nm films an annealing cycle after deposition of every 15 nm layer is recommended.     

Structural and magnetic properties of epitaxial SnFe2O4 thin films

Epitaxial thin films of SnFe₂O₄ are deposited on sapphire substrate by ablating the sintered SnFe₂O₄ target with a KrF excimer laser (λ = 248 nm and pulsed duration of 20 ns). X-ray diffraction study reveals that SnFe₂O₄ films are epitaxial along (222) direction. The optical bandgap of SnFe₂O₄ film is estimated using transmittance vs. wavelength data and is observed to be 2.71 eV. The presence of hysteresis loop at room temperature in magnetization vs. field plot indicates the ferromagnetic behavior of the film. It is observed that the coercive field and remnant magnetization decrease with increase in temperature.     

Preparation of LiMn2O4 thin films by aqueous solution deposition

Cathode material LiMn₂O₄ thin films were prepared by aqueous solution deposition using lithium acetate and manganese acetate as starting materials. The structures, morphologies, and the first discharge specific capacity of the thin films were investigated as a function of annealing temperature and time. The cycling properties of the thin films were also examined. The results show that LiMn₂O₄ thin films prepared by this method are homogenous and crack-free. The thin film annealed at 750°C for 30 min has good rechargeability. The capacity loss per cycle is about 0.05% after being cycled 100 times.     

纳米晶ZnFe2O4薄膜的制备及其丙酮气体敏感性能研究

以尖晶石结构ZnFe2O4材料为研究对象,以可溶性无机盐为原料,利用溶胶-凝胶技术在Al2O3基片上制备了ZnFe2O4薄膜,研究其对低浓度丙酮气体的敏感特性.通过DTA,TG,XRD及SEM分析手段对制膜过程及薄膜形态进行了表征.研究发现,采用柠檬酸作为络合剂的无机盐原料溶液-溶胶-凝胶(ISG)工艺,在700℃烧结温度下,可以得到覆盖良好、结构均匀、晶粒尺寸约在100nm的尖晶石结构ZnFe2O4薄膜.通过该薄膜对丙酮气敏特性测试表明,ZnFe2O4材料对丙酮具有较好的敏感性,在550℃的操作温度下,材料对丙酮气体敏灵敏度为8,响应与恢复时间小于5s.     

Magnetization and crystal structure of RF-sputtered nanocrystalline CuFe2O4 thin films

Cu-ferrite films were deposited on glass substrates by RF-magnetron sputtering in pure Ar and mixture of (Ar + O₂) environment. The XRD studies of the as-deposited films indicate nanocrystalline cubic spinel structure. The observed increase in the intensity of (400) line at the expense of (220) line with increase in O₂ content is ascribed to the change in distribution of Cu and Fe-ions among tetrahedral A-site and octahedral B-sites. The highest saturation magnetization (M_S) of 264 emu/cm³ (in-plane) and 188 emu/cm³ (out of-plane) was obtained for the as-deposited films in pure Ar. The high deposition rate in reducing atmosphere leads to the formation of Cu⁺ ions which prefer occupation of the A-site in the spinel structure displacing Fe³⁺ cations to occupy the B-sites giving rise to the change in cation distribution among A and B-sites and consequently leading to high value of M_S. The decrease in M_S value with increase in oxygen content is ascribed to the decrease in film growth rate and Cu⁺ concentration which allow the cations to take up their preferable sites. The observed change in the film properties with environment is due to the presence of multivalent copper and iron ions with differing site preferences.     

Synthesis of (Na2O,PbO)-Nb2O5, (Na2O,BaO)-Nb2O5, and (K2O,SrO)-Nb2O5 thin films using sol-gel method

Homogeneous pore-free Ba₂NaNb₅O₁₅, KSr₂Nb₅O₁₅, and 2·Na₂O-PbO-6·Nb₂O₅ thin films were fabricated on sapphire substrates using the sol-gel technique. By controlling the gelation and coating process, thickness of thin films fabricated was controllable from ~ 40 nm to ~ 10 μm. Synthesized thin films possessed highly preferred orientated microstructure. Another advantage of this method is the subsequent heat treatment temperature dramatically decreased compared with other methods. This increases stoichiometry control and makes the large scale fabrication more feasible and efficient.     

Color emission and dielectric properties of Eu-doped Gd2O3 gate oxide thin films

High-k Gd₂O₃ used for thin film transistor (TFT) gate insulators has been synthesized via a simple solution process. Phase analysis and capacitive performance reveal that a high dielectric constant of ~ 20 and a low leakage current level of < 10⁻⁸ A/cm² at 1 MV/cm with a good transparency under the visible wavelength region are readily produced by the sol-gel method. Eu³⁺ doping leads to an increased dielectric constant induced by the additional electric dipole transition, which is evidently visualized by the photoluminescence behavior and/or by the defect-controlled thin film microstructures. Thus, the solution-processed (Gd,Eu)₂O₃ film is a viable gate insulator to be considered for the proposed “color emissive” switching devices as well as for the low power-driven TFT devices.     

Properties of La-substituted Na0.5Bi4.5Ti4O15 ferroelectric thin films

Ferroelectric Na_0.5La_0.5Bi₄Ti₄O₁₅ (NaLaBTi) thin films were prepared by a chemical solution deposition method. The NaLaBTi thin films annealed at 750 °C under oxygen atmosphere were randomly oriented polycrystalline. Electrical properties of the NaLaBTi thin films were compared to Na_0.5Bi_4.5Ti₄O₁₅ thin films and better properties were observed in the NaLaBTi thin films. Remnant polarization (2P_r) and coercive electric field (2E_c) were 43 µC/cm² and 204 kV/cm at an applied electric field of 478 kV/cm, respectively. Leakage current density was 1.95 × 10^− 6 A/cm² at 100 kV/cm. Dielectric constant and dielectric loss were 805 and 0.05 at 1 kHz, respectively. Switchable polarization was suppressed by 15% after 1.44 × 10¹⁰ switching cycles.     

Photoelectric currents in thin Al2O3 films

The photoconductivity in the 1–6 eV energy range was measured for Al₂O₃ prepared in three different ways with Mg, Al and Au counterelectrodes. C-V curves were taken on Al---Al₂O₃---p-Si and Au---Al₂O₃---p-Si devices. The leakage currents of Na---Al₂O₃---Al sandwiches were measured. From these measurements the barrier at the metal-oxide conduction band was found to be 3.5 ± 0.2 eV for Al. The photoconductivity with a threshold of about 2 eV is shown not to be due to the emitting metal electrodes for all three metals used. This threshold is independent of the work function of the counterelectrode.     

Ion-induced secondary electron emission from MgO and Y2O3 thin films

We report a detailed study of the electron emission from MgO and Y₂O₃ induced by the impact of 0.1-1 keV Ar⁺ ions. The mechanisms of ion-induced secondary electron emission from oxides are far less understood because charging of the target surface during ion irradiation prohibits the precise measurement of electron yield. For this study, targets were prepared by depositing 20 nm thick films of MgO and Y₂O₃ on the semi-conducting SnO₂ substrate, which helps in charge neutralization. Additionally, a pulsed ion beam was used to further reduce the surface charging. It was found that the electron yield of both targets increases with energy of the ion. However, at a given ion energy the electron yield of Y₂O₃ was larger than MgO. Another important result of this study is that the electron emission from these large band gap insulators did not show any threshold effect, in contrast to the metal targets. It may be due to local reduction of the band gap through electron promotion processes. In addition, a Monte Carlo program was used to calculate the yield of secondary electrons excited by projectile ions, recoiling target atoms and electron cascades, and average escape depth of the secondary electrons emitted from the MgO and Y₂O₃ thin films.     

New transparent conducting MgIn2O4---Zn2In2O5 thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering

New materials for a transparent conducting oxide film are demonstrated. Highly transparent Zn₂In₂O₅ films with a resistivity of 3.9 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm were prepared on substrates at room temperature using a pseudobinary compound powder target composed of ZnO (50 mol.%) and In₂O₃ (50 mol.%) by r.f. magnetron sputtering. MgIn₂O₄---Zn₂In₂O₅ films were prepared using MgIn₂O₄ targets with a ZnO content of 0–100 wt.%. The resistivity of the deposited films gradually decreased from 2 × 10⁻³ to 3.9 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm as the Zn/(Mg + Zn) atomic ratio introduced into the films was increased. The greatest transparency was obtained in a MgIn₂O₄ film. The optical absorption edge of the films decreased as the Zn/(Mg + Zn) atomic ratio was increased, corresponding to the bandgap energy of their materials. It was found that the resistance of the undoped Zn₂In₂O₅ films was more stable than either the undoped MgIn₂O₄, ZnO or In₂O₃ films in oxidizing environments at high temperatures.     

Luminescence of Cr-doped ZnGa2O4 thin films deposited by pulsed laser ablation

Chromium-doped zinc gallate powder is synthesized via a solid-state reaction and subsequently deposited as a thin film on quartz substrates by using a pulsed laser deposition technique under two different deposition conditions. The films are characterized with X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, UV-vis spectrophotometry and luminescent measurements. As the oxygen pressure is changed from 0 to 1 Pa, we find that the grain size gets smaller, the crystallinity improves, the band-gap energy increases, the excitation peaks of the charge transfer band exhibit a remarkable blue-shift from 263 to 247 nm and the intensity of the red emission (694 nm) is enhanced. The results suggest that the structural and luminescent properties of ZnGa₂O₄:Cr^3 + thin film phosphors are improved by deposition at an oxygen pressure of 1 Pa.     

Ozone sensing using In2O3-modified Ga2O3 thin films

It is shown that at elevated temperatures the conductance of an In ₂O₃-modified Ga₂O₃ thin film depends significantly and reversibly on the ozone concentration in the ambient air. This ozone sensitivity is much greater than with pure Ga ₂O₃ or In₂O₃ thin films, respectively. The ozone sensitivity of the In₂O₃-modified Ga₂O₃ thin film is characterized by an impressive selectivity, and is maximal at an operation temperature of about 600°C. The cross sensitivities to other gases present in ambient conditions are small compared to the ozone sensitivity, thus opening the way to use this system for ambient ozone monitoring. The results are discussed using an electron injection model     

Optical characterization of BaSm2Ti4O12 thin films by spectroscopic ellipsometry

We performed spectroscopic ellipsometric measurement to characterize BaSm₂Ti₄O₁₂ (BST) thin films grown on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/c-Si substrate by rf magnetron sputtering. The six BST films were prepared at various deposition temperatures and thermal annealing times. The resulting refractive indices and extinction coefficients of the BST films show only slight change by the deposition temperature but a significant change after thermal annealing, implying the importance of the post annealing process. The increase of the refractive index can be understood by the higher density of the BST films caused by the crystallization after annealing process.     

Structural and dielectric properties of LuFe2O4 thin films grown by pulsed-laser deposition

Epitaxial LuFe₂O₄ thin films are deposited on sapphire substrate by pulsed-laser deposition. Different growth conditions are tackled and it is found that substrate temperature is the most critical condition for the film growth; while below 750 °C the film crystallization is poor. The Lu:Fe ratio is also found to be important in forming the LuFe₂O₄ phase in the films; while higher content of Fe oxide than that of stoichiometric LuFe₂O₄ in the target is favorable for the formation of the LuFe₂O₄ phase. However, impurity phases such as Fe₃O₄ and Fe₂O₃ are induced in the film with a Fe oxide enriched target. A large dielectric tunability under electric field is revealed in the film; while the dielectric tunability decreases as the frequency increases, and eventually the dielectric tunability disappears above 500 MHz.     

Polycrystalline ZnO-In2O3 thin films as gas sensors

Polycrystalline ZnO-In₂O₃ thin films were prepared by thermal oxidation in air of metallic Zn-In films deposited onto glass substrates by thermal evaporation under vacuum. Different oxidation conditions (oxidation temperature, oxidation time, heating rate) were used in order to prepare homogeneous films that can be used as gas sensors. Polycrystalline structure of the as-obtained films was confirmed by X-ray and electron diffraction investigations. The electrical conductivity of various thin film samples ranged between 0.84 and 6.44 (Ω cm)^− 1.Gas sensitivity to six different gasses (ammonia, methane, LPG, acetone, ethanol and formaldehyde) was evaluated and it was found that the highest sensitivity was obtained for ammonia.     

Electroforming and conduction in thin anodized Y2O3 films

A study of the conduction in anodized Y₂O₃ films has revealed that YY₂O₃-metal junctions undergo two types of electroforming. Experiments on the forming characteristics indicate that one type of forming originates in flaws or weak spots of the oxide film. In the other type the forming voltage, which could be defined for both voltage polarities with good reproducibility, depends on oxide thickness and on temperature. After forming, the voltage-controlled negative resistance appears in such a manner that the probability of its appearance is correlated with the electronegativity of the counterelectrode metal. From the correlation between the forming voltage and the anodizing voltage and from knowledge of the defective structure of Y₂O₃ crystals which the oxide film may posses, it is suggested that an ionic process is operative in the initiation of forming.