Effect of substrate temperature on microstructural and optical properties of ZnO films grown by pulsed laser deposition

ZnO thin films were deposited on n-Si （111） at various substrate temperatures by pulsed laser deposition （PLD）. X-ray diffraction （XRD）, photoluminescence （PL）, Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer （FTIR）, and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） were used to analyze the structure, morphology, and optical property of the ZnO thin films. An optimal crystallized ZnO thin film was obtained at the substrate temperature of 600℃. A blue shift was found in PL spectra due to size confinement effect as the grain sizes decreased. The surfaces of the ZnO thin films were more planar and compact as the substrate temperature increased.     

Preparation and optical characteristics of ZnO films by chelating sol-gel method

The effect of different annealing temperatures on the structure, morphology, and optical properties of ZnO thinf ilms prepared by the chelating sol-gel method was investigated. Zinc-oxide thin films were coated on quartz glass substrates by dip coating. Zinc nitrate, absolute ethanol, and citric acid were used as precursor, solvem, and chelating agent, respectively. The results show that ZnO films derived flom zinc-citrate have lower crystallization temperature (below 400℃),and that the crystal structure is wurtzite. The films, treated over 500℃, consist of nano-pardcles and show to be porous at 600℃. The particle size of the film increases with the increase of the annealing temperature. The largest particle size is 60 nm at 600℃. The optical transmittances related to the annealing temperatures become 90% higher in the visible range. The film shows a stalting absorption at 380 ran, and the optical band-gap of the thin film (fired at 500℃) is 3.25 eV and close to the intrinsic band-gap of ZnO (3.2 eV).     

Effect of defect complex on magnetic properties of (Fe,Mn)-doped ZnO thin films

We have observed room temperature ferromagnetism in Mn-doped and (Fe, Mn)-codoped ZnO thin films grown under different oxygen partial pressures by pulsed laser deposition. The X-ray diffraction and optical transmission spectra studies demonstrate the natural incorporation of Fe and Mn cations into wurtzite ZnO lattices. The effects of transition metal doping and defects on the magnetic properties was investigated. It is found that room temperature ferromagnetism is sensitive to oxygen vacancy and Zn vacancy. The absence of ferromagnetism in pure ZnO films grown under different oxygen partial pressures reveals that the transition metal ions should also play an important role in inducing the ferromagnetism.     

Optical properties of nanosized ZnO films prepared by sol-gel process

Nanosized ZnO films were prepared by sol-gel process on quartz substrates. The effects of sol concentration and annealing temperature on the surface morphology, microstructure and optical properties of the films were investigated. The results show that the sols remain stable and usable for spin-coating within 7 d. The ZnO films have a homogeneous and dense surface with grain size about 30 nm. The ZnO thin film annealed at 500 ℃ for 1 h from the sol with Zn concentration of 0.8 mol/L shows an average transmittance of 94% in visible wavelength range. The optical band gaps in ZnO films by various annealing temperatures are from 3.265 eV to 3.293 eV. The violet emission located at 438 nm is probably due to the recombination transitions relating to the interface traps at the grain boundaries.     

Influence of oxygen gas content on the structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering at room temperature

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were deposited on sapphire (0001) substrates at room temperature by radiofrequency (RF) magnetron sputtering at oxygen gas contents of 0%,25%,50% and 75%,respectively.The influence of oxygen gas content on the structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films was studied by a surface profile measuring system,X-ray diffraction analysis,atomic force microscopy,and UV spectrophotometry.It is found that the size of ZnO crystalline grains increases first and then decreases with the increase of oxygen gas content,and the maximum grain size locates at the 25% oxygen gas content.The crystalline quality and average optical transmittance (>90%) in the visible-light region of the ZnO film prepared at an oxygen gas content of 25% are better than those of ZnO films at the other contents.The obtained results can be attributed to the resputtering by energetic oxygen anions in the growing process.     

Effect of annealing treatment on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO thin films

Highly conductive and transparent Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films were prepared from a zinc target containing Al (1.5 wt.%) by direct current (DC) and radio frequency (RF) reactive magnetron sputtering. The structural, optical, and electrical properties of AZO films as-deposited and submitted to annealing treatment (at 300 and 400 ℃, respectively) were characterized using various techniques. The experimental results show that the properties of AZO thin films can be further improved by annealing treatment. The crystallinity of ZnO films improves after annealing treatment. The transmittances of the AZO thin films prepared by DC and RF reactive magnetron sputtering are up to 80% and 85% in the visible region, respectively. The electrical resistivity of AZO thin films prepared by DC reactive magnetron sputtering can be as low as tering have better structural and optical properties than that prepared by DC reactive magnetron sputtering.     

Effects of Annealing Temperature on the Structural,Optical,and Electrical Properties of ZnO Thin Films Grown on n-Si<100>Substrates by the Sol–Gel Spin Coating Method

The effects of annealing temperature on the sol–gel-derived ZnO thin films deposited on n-Sh100 i substrates by sol–gel spin coating method have been studied in this paper.The structural,optical,and electrical properties of ZnO thin films annealed at 450,550,and 650 °C in the Ar gas atmosphere have been investigated in a systematic way.The XRD analysis shows a polycrystalline nature of the films at all three annealing temperatures.Further,the crystallite size is observed to be increased with the annealing temperature,whereas the positions of various peaks in the XRD spectra are found to be red-shifted with the temperature.The surface morphology studied through the scanning electron microscopy measurements shows a uniform distribution of ZnO nanoparticles over the entire Si substrates of enhanced grain sizes with the annealing temperature.Optical properties investigated by photoluminescence spectroscopy shows an optical band gap varying in the range of 3.28–3.15 eV as annealing temperature is increased from 450 to 650 °C,respectively.The fourpoint probe measurement shows a decrease in resistivity from 2:1 10 2to 8:1 10 4X cm with the increased temperature from 450 to 650 °C.The study could be useful for studying the sol–gel-derived ZnO thin film-based devices for various electronic,optoelectronic,and gas sensing applications.     

Influence of Annealing Temperature on the Microstructure and Electrical Properties of Indium Tin Oxide Thin Films

Indium tin oxide(ITO) thin films were prepared on alumina ceramic substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering.The samples were subsequently annealed in air at temperatures ranging from 500 to 1,100 °C for 1 h.The influences of the annealing temperature on the microstructure and electrical properties of the ITO thin films were investigated,and the results indicate that the as-deposited ITO thin films are amorphous in nature.All samples were crystallized by annealing at 500 °C.As the annealing temperature increases,the predominant orientation shifts from(222)to(400).The carrier concentration decreases initially and then increases when the annealing temperature rises beyond1,000 °C.The resistivity of the ITO thin films increases smoothly as the annealing temperature increases to just below900 °C.Beyond 900 °C,however,the resistivity of the films increases sharply.The annealing temperature has a significant effect on the stability of the ITO/Pt thin film thermocouples(TFTCs).TFTCs annealed at 1,000 °C show improved hightemperature stability and Seebeck coefficients of up to 77.73 μV/°C.     

Microstructure and optical properties of sprayed γ-CuI thin films for CuInS_2 solar cells

γ-CuI thin films were prepared by a spraying method using acetonitrile as a solvent,CuI and iodine as reagents.The influences of substrate temperature on the structure,topography,and optical properties of CuI films were investigated.Scanning electron microscope(SEM) photos revealed that the shape and grain size of CuI grains were related to substrate temperature.X-ray diffraction results showed that substrate temperature affected the crystalline quality of CuI films.When the substrate temperature was 110°C,...     

Preparation and properties of CdS thin films grown by ILGAR method

CdS thin films were deposited by the ion layer gas reaction (ILGAR) method. Structural, chemical, topographical development as well as optical and electrical properties of as-deposited and annealed thin films were investigated by XRD,SEM, XPS, AFM and UV-VIS. The results showed that the thin films are uniform, compact and good in adhesion to the substrates, and the growth of the films is 2.8 nm/cycle. The evolution of structure undergoes from the cubic structure to the hexagonal one with a preferred orientation along the (002) plane after annealing at 673 K. An amount of C, O and C1 impudries can be reduced by increasing the drying temperature or by annealing in N2 atmosphere. It was found that the band gap of the CdS films shifts to higher wavelength after annealing or increasing film thickness. The electrical resistivity decreases with increasing annealing temperature and film thickness.     

Analysis of Temperature Dependence of Phases and Surface Morphology of Bi2Sr2Cax-1CuxOy Thin Films Using Reactive Co-Deposition Method

A reactive co-deposition processing for obtaining high-quality single-phase Bi2Sr2Cax-1CuxOy (Bi2212) thin films has been investigated using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) with 2.7 × 10-3Pa ozone gas introduction for oxidation. The thin films with a constant composition of almost 2 : 2 : 1 : 2 were designed to be fabricated at the substrate temperature between 675 and 780℃, the substrate temperature dependence of the surface morphology and the emergence phases were investigated in detail. A noticeable result is that the distribution of Cu element in the thin films is sensitively changed with the substrate temperature. At 750℃ it is inclined to locate in the periphery of each grain through the diffusion process. At 780℃ the Cu-compositional fluctuation brought around the dendritic crystal growth in the thin films. Below 705℃, the Bi2212 single-phase cannot be achieved in the thin films.     

Increasing ionic conductivity in Li0.33La0.56TiO3thin-films via optimization of processing atmosphere and temperature

As a promising solid electrolyte for thin-film lithium batteries,the amorphous Li_0.33La_0.56TiO₃(LLTO)thin film has gained great interest.However,enhancing ionic conductivity remains challenging in the field.Here,a systematical study was performed to improve the ionic conductivity of sputter-deposited LLTO thin films via the optimization of processing atmosphere and temperature.By combining the optimized oxygen partial pressure(30%),annealing temperature(300℃),and annealing atmosphere(air),an amorphous LLTO thin film with an ionic conductivity of 5.32910^-5·S·cm^-1 at room temperature and activation energy of 0.26 eV was achieved.The results showed that,first,the oxygen partial pressure should be high enough to compensate for the oxygen loss,but low enough to avoid the abusive oxygen scattering effect on lithium precursors that results in a lithium-poor composition.The oxygen partial pressure needs to achieve a balance between lithium loss and oxygen defects to improve the ionic conductivity.Second,a proper annealing temperature reduces the oxygen defects of LLTO thin films while maintaining its amorphous state,which improves the ionic conductivity.Third,the highest ionic conductivity for the LLTO thin films that were annealed in air(a static space without a gas stream)occurs because of the decreased lithium loss and oxygen defects during annealing.These findings show that the lithium-ion concentration and oxygen defects affect the ionic conductivity for amorphous LLTO thin films,which provides insight into the optimization of LLTO thin-film solid electrolytes,and generates new opportunities for their application in thinfilm lithium batteries.     

Fabrication of ZnO films by radio frequency magnetron sputtering and annealing

ZnO thin films were deposited on Si（111） substrates through a radio frequency （rf） magnetron sputtering system. Then the samples were annealed at different temperatures in air ambience and ammonia ambience respectively. The structure and composition of the ZnO films were studied by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）. The morphology of the samples was studied by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. Measured results show that ZnO films with hexagonal wurtzite structure were grown on Si（111） substrates when annealed in the two ambiences. The volatilization process of ZnO in the ammonia ambience at high temperature was discussed and the mechanism of the reaction was analyzed.     

Properties of doped ZnO transparent conductive thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering using a series of high quality ceramic targets

To obtain high transmittance and low resistivity ZnO transparent conductive thin films,a series of ZnO ceramic targets (ZnOAl,ZnO(Al,Dy),ZnO(Al,Gd),ZnO(Al,Zr),ZnO(Al,Nb),and ZnO(Al,W)) were fabricated and used to deposit thin films onto glass substrates by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering.X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows that the films are polyerystalline fitting well with hexagonal wurtzite structure and have a preferred orientation of the (002) plane.The transmittance of above 86% as well as the lowest resistivity of 8.43 x 10-3 Ω·cm was obtained.     

Performance improvement of ZnO film by room-temperature oxygen plasma pretreatment

The room-temperature oxygen plasma treatment before depositing ZnO films on nanocrystalline diamond substrates was studied. The nanocrystalline diamond substrates were pretreated in oxygen plasma at 50 W for 30 min at room temperature and then ZnO films were sputtered on diamond substrates at 400 W. The X-ray diffraction （XRD） patterns show that the c-axis orientation of ZnO film increases evidently after oxygen plasma pretreatment. The AFM and SEM measurements also show that the high c-axis orientation of ZnO film and the average surface roughness is less than 5 nm. The resistivity of ZnO films increases nearly two orders of magnitude to 1.04 - 10^8 Ω.cm. As a result, room-temperature oxygen plasma pretreatment is indeed a simple and effective way to improve the performance of ZnO film used in SAW devices by ameliorating the combination between diamond film and ZnO film and also complementing the absence of oxygen atoms in ZnO film.     

Microstructure and properties of indium tin oxide thin films deposited by RF-magnetron sputtering

Tin-doped indium oxide （ITO） thin films were prepared using conventional radio frequency （RF） planar magnetron sputtering equipped with IR irradiation using a ceramic target of In2O3/SnO2 with a mass ratio of 1：1 at various IR irradiation temperatures T1 （from room temperature to 400℃）. The refractive index, deposited ratio, and resistivity are functions of the sputtering Ar gas pressure. The microstructure of ITO thin films is related to IR T1, the crystalline seeds appear at T1= 300℃, and the films are amorphous at the temperature ranging from 27℃ to 400℃. AFM investigation shows that the roughness value of peak-valley of ITO thin film （Rp-v） and the surface microstructure of rio thin films have a close relation with T1. The IR irradiation results in a widening value of band-gap energy due to Burstein-Moss effect and the maximum visible transmittance shifts toward a shorter wavelength along with a decrease in the film＇s refractive index. The plasma wavelength and the refractive index of ITO thin films are relative to the T1. XPS investigation shows that the photoelectrolytic properties can be deteriorated by the sub-oxides. The deterioration can be decreased by increasing the oxygen flow rote （fo2）, and the mole ratio of Sn/In in the samples reduces with an increase info2.     

Surface morphology and photoluminescence properties of ZnO thin films obtained by PLD

ZnO thin films on Si(111) substrate were deposited by laser ablation of Zn target in oxygen reactive atmosphere, Nd-YAG laser with wavelength of 1 064 nm was used as laser source. XRD and FESEM microscopy were applied to characterize the structure and surface morphology of the deposited ZnO films. The optical properties of the ZnO thin films were characterized by photoluminescence. The UV and deep level (yellow-green) light were observed from the films. The UV light is the intrinsic property and deep level light is attributed to the existence of antisite defects (Ozn). The intensity of UV and deep level light depends strongly on the surface morphology and is explained by the surface roughness of ZnO film. A strongly UV emission can be obtained from ZnO film with surface roughness in nanometer range.     

Effect of annealing atmosphere on magnetic properties of pure ZnO and Na: ZnO films

Pure ZnO and Zn0.96Na0.04O films were grown on quartz substrates by sol-gel technology.The XRD analysis revealed that all thin films had hexagonal wurtzite structure and obvious c-axis preferred orientation.Ferromagnetism was precisely measured by an alternating gradient magnetometer (AGM).To explore the nature original ferromagnetism,the effect of annealing atmosphere on magnetic properties of the films was studied.Compared with pure ZnO,magnetic hysteresis loops showed that doping Na atoms enhanced saturation magnetism.The magnetism of the films annealed in the air atmosphere was significantly better than that in the O2 atmosphere.The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum analysis suggested that the ferromagnetism was due to the defects in the films.     

Effect of Substrate Temperature on Electroluminescence of SrS:HoF3 Thin Film

The SrS:HoF3 Electroluminescent (EL) thin films are prepared at the different substrate temperature by electron beam evaporation. The crystallinity and EL characteristics of the samples are analyzed. It is found that the main diffraction peak is (200) at the higher substrate temperature and the main diffraction peak is (111) at the lower substrate temperature. The blue emission intensity and EL brightness of the SrS∶HoF3 thin films increase with the increase of the substrate temperature. Annealing the samples can change the cyrstal phase and strengthen the blue emission of EL thin film.     

Effect of Annealing Temperature on the Morphology and Sensitivity of the Zinc Oxide Nanorods-Based Methane Senor

ZnO nanorods in the form of thin films were synthesized by a facile chemical route and the effect of annealing temperature on the structure and sensitivity of such ZnO-based sensors was studied in detail towards methane sensing.Morphological analyses of such films were carried out by scanning electron microscopy,whereas,the crystalline structure and phase purity of the films were analysed by X-ray diffraction technique.The films were observed to display a gradual change in their morphology from granular to dense nanorods and each of them was used to fabricate methane sensor prototype.They were also tested for temperature-dependent methane-sensing capability with varying methane concentrations.The optimized sensor exhibited highest gas response of *80% at 250 °C with significantly low response and recovery time.