Effect of beam voltage on the properties of aluminium nitride prepared by ion beam assisted deposition

The effects of nitrogen-beam voltage on the structure, stress, energy band gap and hardness of AIN thin films deposited on Si (111), Si (100) and sapphire (0001) by ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) are reported. As the nitrogen-beam voltage was increased from 50 to 200 V, the stress and disorder in the AIN films increased as determined by X-ray diffraction, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. The preferred orientation of the film's c-axis changed from completely normal to the film at 100 V, to a mixture of normal and in the plane of the film at 200 V. For AIN films deposited under the same conditions, the films were more highly oriented on sapphire (0001) than in Si (111). The hardness of the films increased from 18.2 to 23.7 GPa with the nitrogen-beam voltage, and possible reasons for this change in hardness are considered.     

双离子束溅射制备非晶SiOxNy薄膜的强黄光发射

用双离子束溅射法制备了SiOxNy薄膜,并对薄膜的结构和光致发光(PL)性质进行了研究.XRD和TEM的实验结果表明薄膜是非晶结构;用XPS对样品进行了表征,在397.8eV位置处出现一个对应于N1s的对称峰,表明样品中的N原子主要与Si原子结合,FTIR的实验结果也说明了这一点.光吸收测量结果显示SiOxNy薄膜的光学带隙比Si-SiO2薄膜宽.在225nm波长的激发下,测得在590nm处有强的黄光发射,并利用能带模型讨论了可能的发光机制.     

Homogeneously aligned liquid crystal display on silicon oxynitride thin film using ion beam bombardment

This paper introduces the homogeneously aligned liquid crystal (LC) display using ion beam (IB) bombardment of a new silicon oxynitride (SiON) alignment layer for the first time. The pretilt angle was shown to be a function of the IB incident energy, and possible mechanisms of LC alignment were investigated with physical and chemical methods. An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed that the LC alignment on the IB-bombarded SiON inorganic surface was due to the reformation of Si–O bonds as a major factor. The electro-optical characteristics were comparable to those of rubbed polyimide films.     

Effect of microstructure on degradation of AlN films prepared by ion beam assisted deposition

Two kinds of aluminum nitride (AlN) films were prepared by ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) by changing the nitrogen ion beam energy; one was deposited with a 0.2 keV ion beam, showing a columnar structure, and the other was deposited with a 1.5 keV ion beam, showing a granular structure. The effect of microstructure on degradation of AlN films was studied by immersing them in aqueous HNO₃, HCl, and NaOH solutions at room temperature. Degradation was examined mainly in terms of changes in optical transmittance and surface morphology. After immersion in HNO₃ and HCl solutions, the average transmittance of the columnar film decreased gradually from the beginning of immersion, while that of the granular film maintained the initial level of transmittance for about 60 h immersion in HNO₃ solution and about 80 h immersion in HCl solution. In NaOH solution, both films were detached readily from the substrate and no remarkable difference in the degradation behavior was observed between the two films. It is concluded that the IBAD AlN films with the granular structure show higher durability against aqueous acid solutions than the films with the columnar structure.     

Silicon nitride and oxynitride films prepared by ion beam reactive sputtering

The composition of particles sputtered from a silicon target during bombardment by nitrogen and oxygen ions was measured. Elementary processes on both the substrate and the target were examined. A model of silicon nitride film formation was proposed, in which the main idea is the interaction of silicon on the substrate with the atomic nitrogen sputtered from the target. The dependence of the film properties on the oxygen concentration in N₂O₂ mixtures was investigated. The relationship between the nitrogen and silicon concentrations in silicon nitride films, the nitrogen ion beam incidence angle and the ejection angle of the sputtered particles was revealed experimentally. In the proposed model this relationship is interpreted as a result of the difference between the angular distribution of silicon and nitrogen atoms sputtered from the target.     

Deposition of titanium nitride films onto silicon by an ion beam assisted deposition method

Titanium nitride (TiN) films were deposited onto silicon wafers using an ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) method with an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source for ionizing the nitrogen (N₂) gas under a condition of high nitrogen ion to titanium neutral ratio. The deposition rate of the TiN films was strongly dependent on the evaporation rate, d_Ti, of Ti metal and decreased with increasing nitrogen ion current. The deposition rate can be approximated as d=βd_Ti?_N2/{1/k+?_N2}−αI, where β, k and α are proportional constants, ?_N2 is the sum rate of neutral and ionized nitrogen impinging onto the substrate, and I is the nitrogen ion current.     

离子束辅助沉积铂碳混合膜及其抑制栅电子发射性能

采用离子束辅助沉积技术,在硅、钼衬底上分别制备铂碳混合膜.XRD的分析结果表明,当铂碳混合膜中铂的组份较多时,有较强的铂(111)面衍射峰和较弱的铂(200)面衍射峰,铂的组份呈(111)择优取向.Raman谱的分析结果表明,碳基本上呈非晶状态.模拟二极管的实验表明,在纯钼阳极上镀覆铂碳混合膜,其抑制热电子发射的性能明显优于纯钼阳极.     

Improved stability of organic light-emitting diode with aluminum cathodes prepared by ion beam assisted deposition

We have fabricated highly stable organic electroluminescent devices based on spin-coated poly-p-phenylene-vynylene (PPV) thin films. The electrical properties of aluminum cathode, prepared by ion beam assisted deposition, on PPV have been investigated and compared to those by thermal evaporation. Although energetic particles of Al assisted by Ar⁺ ion may damage the organic material, I–V–L characteristics are improved by applying thin Al buffer layer. In addition, a dense Al cathode inhibits the permeation of H₂O and O₂ into PPV film through pinhole defects, and thus retards dark spot growth. It may be deduced from highly packed structure of Al cathode with an increase in the contact area between Al and PPV that reduce the contact resistance. In conclusion, the lifetime of organic light-emitting device (OLED) has been extended effectively by dense Al film through ion beam assisted deposition process.     

离子束增强沉积VO2多晶薄膜的相变模拟

用多晶薄膜晶粒—晶界两相结构模型,考虑晶格畸变和载流子对晶界势垒区的隧穿机制,在10～100℃范围内,模拟了离子束增强沉积(IBED)VO2多晶薄膜的相变。模拟结果显示,由于晶粒中间隙位置氩的存在,使VO2晶格畸变,导致了薄膜中部分晶粒的相交温度降低,使IBED VO2薄膜在48℃开始由半导体相向金属相转变。     

离子束溅射淀积光学薄膜的膜厚均匀性实验

介绍了离子束溅射技术改善薄膜均匀性的两种方法。研究了修正板技术,根据工程需要将修正板技术应用于行星转动条件下的光学薄膜的均匀性修正。分别研究了靶摆动和不摆动的情况下,淀积薄膜的均匀性修正。实验结果表明,修正后的均匀性结果优于 1%,能满足实际应用的要求;靶摆动修正的均匀性结果优于修正板技术。     

The effect of the ion beam energy on the properties of indium tin oxide thin films prepared by ion beam assisted deposition

Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films have been deposited onto polycarbonate substrates by ion beam assisted deposition technique at room temperature. The structural, optical and electrical properties of the films have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, optical transmittance, ellipsometric and Hall effect measurements. The effect of the ion beam energy on the properties of the films has been studied. The optical parameters have been obtained by fitting the ellipsometric spectra. It has been found that high quality ITO film (low electrical resistivity and high optical transmittance) can be obtained at low ion beam energy. In addition, the ITO film prepared at low ion beam energy gives a high reflectance in IR region that is useful for some electromagnetic wave shielding applications.     

Characterization of silicon oxynitride thin films deposited by electron beam physical vapor deposition technique

Thin films of silicon oxynitride (SiO_xN_y) were deposited successfully on silicon wafer substrates using electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) technique by varying the substrate temperature (T=100–450 °C) and deposition time (t=0.5–2.5 min). The films were characterized by UV–Visible and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Tally step measurement and Ellipsometry. The minimum reflectivity R=1.72% is obtained for the films deposited under the conditions of T=350 °C, t=1.5 min at λ=548 nm. Further, the characterization results revealed that the refractive index (RI) of the films increases with increase in the substrate temperature due to increase in silicon nitride content. The refractive index and the thickness of the films were found to be in the range of n=1.72–1.90 and d=40–138 nm, respectively. The values n=1.88 and d=79 nm observed corresponding to the minimum reflectivity R=1.72% satisfy the condition of near quarter wavelength single layer antireflection coating. Thus, the above films might have the tremendous potential for antireflective coating applications.     

Characterization of Hafnium-Zirconium-Oxide-Nitride films grown by ion beam assisted deposition

Hafnium-Zirconium-Oxide-Nitride (Hf_1−xZr_xO_1−yN_y) films are prepared by ion beam assisted deposition on p-Si and quartz substrates with a composite target of sintered high-purity HfO₂ and ZrO₂. The thermal stability and microstructure characteristics for Hf_1−xZr_xO_1−yN_y films have been investigated. EDS results confirmed that nitrogen was successfully incorporated into the Hf_1−xZr_xO₂ films. XRD and Raman analyses showed that the Hf_1−xZr_xO_1−yN_y films remain amorphous after 1100 °C under vacuum ambient, and monoclinic HfO₂ and ZrO₂ crystals separate from Hf_1−xZr_xO_1−yN_y films with a increase of the annealing temperature up to 1300 °C. Meanwhile, the Hf_1−xZr_xO_1−yN_y films can also effectively suppress oxygen diffusion during high temperature annealing. AFM measurements demonstrated that surface roughness of the Hf_1−xZr_xO_1−yN_y films increase slightly. Then the optical properties of the samples were observed in the ultraviolet-visible range at room temperature. The variation in E_g from 5.64 to 6.09 eV as a function of annealing temperature has also been discussed briefly.     

High energy xenon ion beam assisted deposition of TiN film and its industrial application

TiN films have been synthesized by ion beam assisted deposition employing xenon ions with an energy of 40 keV. The formed TiN films were investigated systematically in respect of surface morphology, composition, structure and mechanical properties. Then, they were applied to surface protection of scoring dies. Atomic force microscopy and interferometric observation showed that the TiN film is relatively smooth. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy analysis indicated that few xenon atoms are retained in the film. It was found by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction experiments that the formed TiN is a nanocrystal (< 10 nm) film and exhibits slightly (200) preferred orientation. An ultra low load microhardness indentor system was used to examine the plastic property of the film and a hardness of 2300 kgf mm^–2 was calculated from the measured data. Scratch tests showed that the adhesion of TiN film deposited by ion beam assisted deposition at ambient temperature is superior to that of high temperature physical vapour deposited (PVD) TiN film. Both a pin-on-dick tribotest and SRV wear test revealed that the wear resistance of the specimen can be greatly improved by TiN coating. A five times increase of service life of different scoring dies could be obtained by protection of TiN coating.     

Biaxially textured Ag films by grazing ion beam assisted deposition

The effect of grazing incidence 4 keV Ar⁺ ion irradiation on the early stage of Ag thin film growth on amorphous Si was investigated. The double effect of axial and surface channeling resulted in grains oriented along the 〈110〉 axis in-plane, while the (111) out-of-plane texture was maintained. A slight average tilt of the (111) out-of-plane texture axis towards the ion beam direction is proposed to result from the difference between terrace and step edge sputtering yield. The observed tilt is consistent with a minimum erosion orientation of the surface profile.     

Effect of bias voltage on growth property of Cr-DLC film prepared by linear ion beam deposition technique

Cr-containing diamond-like carbon films were deposited on silicon wafers by a combined linear ion beam and DC magnetron sputtering. The influence of the bias voltage on the growth rate, atomic bond structure, surface topography and mechanical properties of the films were investigated by SEM, XPS, Raman spectroscopy, AFM, and nano-indentation. It was shown that the chromium concentration of the films increased with negative bias voltage and that a carbide phase was detected in the as-deposited films. The surface topography of the films evolved from a rough surface with larger hillocks reducing to form a smoother flat surface as the bias voltage increased from 0 to −200 V. The highest hardness and elastic modulus were obtained at a bias voltage of about −50 V, while the maximum sp³ bonding fraction was acquired at −100 V. It was suggested that the mechanical properties of the films not only depended on the sp³ bonding fraction in the films but also correlated with the influence of Cr doping and ion bombardment.     

Plasma-enhanced deposition of silicon oxynitride films

Optical, mechanical and chemical properties of plasma-enhanced chemically vapor-deposited silicon oxynitride films were investigated for the SiH₄ (10% in helium), NH₃ and N₂O system at 13.56 MHz. The film composition was varied by changing the ratio of N₂O to NH₃ in the gas phase. The deposition rate, refractive index and stress were observed to be linear functions of the mole fraction of N₂O in the feed gases. The ratio of oxygen to nitrogen in the film, determined by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, was found to be a linear function of the ratio of N₂O to NH₃. The relative hydrogen content of the films was found to decrease as the N₂O concentration increased. Film structure and composition were also varied by changing the total pressure.     

Stability of indium-oxide thin-film transistors by reactive ion beam assisted deposition

This work reports on the performance and stability of bottom-gate In₂O₃-TFTs with PECVD silicon dioxide gate dielectric. A highly-resistive amorphous In₂O₃ channel layer was deposited at room temperature by reactive ion beam assisted evaporation (IBAE). The field-effect mobility of the n-channel TFT is 33 cm²/V-s, along with an ON/OFF current ratio of 10⁹, and threshold voltage of 2 V. Device stability was demonstrated through measurement of the threshold voltage shift during long-term gate bias-stress and current stress experiments. Device performance, including stability, together with low-temperature processing, makes the indium-oxide TFT an attractive candidate for flexible transparent electronics, and display applications.     

Photocatalytic properties of Cr-doped TiO2 films prepared by oxygen cluster ion beam assisted deposition

We prepared Cr-doped titanium dioxide (TiO₂) films by oxygen (O₂) cluster ion beam assisted deposition method, and investigated photocatalytic properties of the films as well as crystallographic property, optical property and surface morphology. The films prepared at a substrate temperature below 200 °C were found to be amorphous from the X-ray diffraction measurement. For the substrate temperatures such as 300 °C and 400 °C, the films exhibited rutile and/or anatase structures. The film surface measured by the atomic force microscope (AFM) was smooth at an atomic level. Furthermore, the optical band gap decreased with increase of Cr-composition, and it was approximately 3.3 eV for the non-doped films, 3.2 eV for the 1% Cr-doped films and 3.1 eV for the 10% Cr-doped films, respectively. With regard to the photocatalytic properties of the Cr-doped TiO₂ films, we measured the change of contact angle as well as the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue by the UV light irradiation. Compared with the non-doped films, the 1% Cr-doped films prepared at a substrate temperature of 400 °C showed high degradation efficiency. In addition, the contact angle of the 1% Cr-doped films with an initial value of 60° decreased to 10° by the UV light irradiation for 20 min, and the films exhibited the predominant properties of photocatalytic hydrophilicity even for the UV light irradiation with longer wavelengths.