Plasma assisted techniques for deposition of superhard nanocomposite coatings

Various techniques based on plasma application have been successfully used for deposition of superhard nanocomposite coatings. These techniques possess many varying parameters, which in turn influence the properties of a growing coating. Therefore it is important to reveal common regularities, if any, between the process parameters and properties of the coatings. The paper addresses this issue based on the results acquired by the application of plasma assisted CVD and PVD methods. Here it is shown how different deposition parameters, such as working gas pressure, bias and temperature, affect coating properties, mainly hardness. These parameters are found to have a complex influence and the effect caused by variation of one deposition parameter can be similar to that of another one. This presents an opportunity to improve other properties of the coating while maintaining the hardness.     

Amorphous/crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells with varying i-layer thickness

We study the effect on various properties of varying the intrinsic layer (i-layer) thickness of amorphous/crystalline silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells. Double-side monocrystalline silicon (c-Si) heterojunction solar cells are made using hot-wire chemical vapor deposition on high-lifetime n-type Czochralski wafers. We fabricate a series of SHJ solar cells with the amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) i-layer thickness at the front emitter varying from 3.2 nm (0.8xi) to ~ 96 nm (24xi). Our optimized i-layer thickness is about 4 nm (1xi). Our reference cell (1xi) performance has an efficiency of 17.1% with open-circuit voltage (V_oc) of 684 mV, fill factor (FF) of 76%, and short-circuit current density (J_sc) of 33.1 mA/cm². With an increase of i-layer thickness, V_oc changes little, whereas the FF falls significantly after 12 nm (3xi) of i-layer. Transient capacitance measurements are used to probe the effect of the potential barrier at the n-type c-Si/a-Si interface on minority-carrier collection. We show that hole transport through the i-layer is field-driven transport rather than tunneling.     

Nickel nanoparticles decoration of ordered mesoporous silica thin films for carbon nanotubes growth

We report in situ successive depositions of nickel nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on ordered mesoporous silica films used as template for the catalyst particles. The mesoporous films are synthesized by the evaporation-induced self-assembly process from tetraethyl orthosilicate derived oligomers and a di-block copolymer from dip-coating deposition method. The substrates are decorated with Ni nanoparticles through Ion Beam Deposition and posterior annealing to induce metal coalescence in the mesoporous cavities. CNTs were then grown by Chemical Vapor Deposition in the presence of an electric field. These techniques provide a simple control method producing ordered arrangements of catalyst nanoparticles and ordered nanostructures for large area applications.     

Hydrogen passivation and junction formation on APIVT-deposited thin-layer silicon by hot-wire CVD

The hot-wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) technique was employed to deposit μc-Si emitters and a-SiN_x:H passivation/antireflection films, and to hydrogenate silicon thin layers grown by atmospheric-pressure iodine vapor transport (APIVT). Photovoltaic devices with HWCVD μc-Si emitters on APIVT epitaxial silicon exhibit greater than 8% efficiency, similar to those made with diffused junctions. On polycrystalline APIVT-Si layers, a HWCVD-deposited μc-Si emitter reduces open-circuit voltage loss caused by grain boundaries. Hot-wire hydrogenation improves Hall mobility by approximately 50%. HWCVD a-SiN_x:H films improve minority-carrier lifetime significantly after thermal annealing at temperatures up to 500 °C.     

Electrical properties of silicon nitride films deposited by catalytic chemical vapor deposition on catalytically nitrided Si(100)

Thin film transistor incorporating silicon nitride (SiN_x) films deposited by catalytic chemical vapor deposition (Cat-CVD) on silicon exhibit some problems such as a large-threshold voltage shift and a large hysteresis loop width of the capacitance vs. voltage (C–V) characteristics. In this work, in order to solve these problems, the surface of the silicon substrate is catalytically nitrided before SiN_x deposition. Inserting the nitridation layer, injection-type hysteresis loop of C–V curve is reduced from 1.3 to 0.05 V and large threshold voltage shift to the negative direction is reduced from 4 to 1.8 V.     

Preparation of Li–Al–O films by laser chemical vapor deposition

Li–Al–O films were prepared on AlN substrates by laser chemical vapor deposition at deposition temperatures (T_dep) of 800–1300 K and molar ratios of Li to Al precursors (R_Li/Al) of 0.1–12. Single-phase α-LiAl₅O₈ films having faceted grains with pyramidal and polygonal shapes were obtained at T_dep = 1107–1280 K and R_Li/Al = 0.1–2.9. Single-phase γ-LiAlO₂ films having pyramidal grains were prepared at T_dep = 984–1238 K and R_Li/Al = 0.9–10.6. Under the conditions of T_dep = 923 K and R_Li/Al = 11.4, single-phase β-Li₅AlO₄ films with a fluffy morphology were deposited. The highest deposition rate of Li–Al–O films was 98 μm h⁻¹ with a mixture of γ-LiAlO₂ and β-Li₅AlO₄ at T_dep = 944 K.     

Effects of hydrogen dilution on CNx film properties deposited using rf PECVD from a mixture of ethane,nitrogen and hydrogen

Carbon nitride (CN_x) thin films were deposited using radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (rf PECVD) from a mixture of ethane (C₂H₆), nitrogen (N₂) and hydrogen (H₂) gases. The C₂H₆ and N₂ flow rates were kept constant, while the H₂ flow rate was varied. The effects of hydrogen dilution on the growth rate and structural properties of the films were studied. It was found that a significant increase in the films growth rate was observed with the introduction of H₂ at as low as 25 standard cubic centimeters per minute (sccm). A set of CN_x films deposited from C₂H₆:N₂ mixture without any inclusions of H₂ were also presented in this work as a reference to compare the differences between those two sets and to understand the roles of H₂ to the films properties. At highest H₂ flow rate, the structure of the films changed from polymeric to graphitic and the quenching of PL was observed. Furthermore, higher N incorporation with lower E_g was obtained for these films compared to those of C₂H₆:N₂ films. The change in the structure of the films corresponds to changes in their chemical bonding. As N incorporation increased, the porosity of the films increases and thus affects the disorder in the film structures.     

Effect of Deposition Temperature on Dynamics and Mechanism of Deposition for Si-B-C Ceramic from BCl3/SiCH3Cl3/H2 Precursor

The deposition rate, phase, chemical composition and microstructure of deposits were determined from 950 to 1100℃. With increasing temperature, the deposition rate increases, and the morphology changes from smooth to coarse, meanwhile, the concentration of silicon increases while that of boron decreases. The deposition process is controlled by chemical reactions, and the activation energy is 271 kJ/mol. At relatively lower temperature (below 1000℃), the deposition process is dominated by formation of B4C. While at higher temperature (above 1000℃), it is governed by formation of SiC. B4C and SiC disperse uniformly in the Si-B-C co-deposition system and form a dense network structure.     

Zinc oxide thin films: Characterization and potential applications

Zinc oxide (ZnO) has attracted recent interest for a range of applications, including use as a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) and in gas sensor devices. This paper compares ZnO films grown using two methods designed for the production of thin films, namely sol-gel and aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD) for potential use in sensor and TCO applications. Materials produced by the sol-gel route were observed to be amorphous when annealed at 350 °C, but were crystalline when annealed at higher temperatures and had a relatively open grain structure when compared to the AACVD films. Electrical characterization showed that materials were highly resistive, but that their properties varied considerably when the measurements were performed in vacuum or in air. This behaviour was rapidly reversible and reproducible for room temperature measurement.In contrast materials grown by aerosol-assisted CVD were non-porous, polycrystalline and conductive. Measured electrical properties did not vary with changing measurement atmosphere. These differences are discussed in terms of the structural characterisation of the films and some comments are made regarding the suitability of both approaches for the growth of ZnO thin film sensor materials.     

Chemical vapor deposition and electrical characterization of sub-10 nm diameter InSb nanowires and field-effect transistors

Synthesis of InSb nanowires using a chemical vapor deposition technique, as a function of growth temperature and time, was investigated. High aspect ratio InSb nanowires, having a diameter of about 5–10 nm, were grown at 400 °C for 1 h on InSb (1 1 1) substrate onto which 60 nm Au particle was used as a metal catalyst. The synthesized InSb nanowires had zinc blend single crystal structure without any stacking faults, and they were covered with a thin (∼1 nm thick) amorphous layer. Electrical characterization of InSb nanowires was conducted utilizing a back-gated SNWFET. Device characterization demonstrated that NWs were n-type and exhibited a high I_on/I_off ratio of 10⁶ and device resistance of 250 kΩ.