Theoretical Modeling of Obliquely Crossed Photothermal Deflection for Thermal Conductivity Measurements of Thin Films

A three-dimensional theoretical model has been developed to calculate the normal probe beam deflection of the obliquely crossed photothermal deflection configuration in samples which consist of thin films deposited on substrates. Utilizing the dependence of the normal component of probe beam deflection on the cross-point position of the excitation and probe beams, the thermal conductivity of the thin film can be extracted from the ratio of the two maxima of the normal deflection amplitude, which occurs when the cross-point is located near both surfaces of the sample. The effects of other parameters, including the intersect angle between the excitation and the probe beams in the sample, the modulation frequency of the excitation beam, the optical absorption and thickness of the thin films, and the thermal properties of substrates on the thermal conductivity measurement of the thin film, are discussed. The obliquely crossed photothermal deflection technique seems to be well suited for thermal conductivity measurements of thin films with a high thermal conductivity but a low optical absorption, such as diamond and diamond-like carbon, deposited on substrates with a relatively low thermal conductivity.     

Effect of nanostructures formed by oblique co-deposition on transient catalytic reactions

We investigated the effects of nanostructures of obliquely co-sputter-deposited thin films in terms of catalytic properties using pulses of reactant molecules as probes. Pt-Al₂O₃ thin films were fabricated on a Si substrate by simultaneous oblique deposition. The films had columnar structures that grew perpendicular to the substrate. We observed the behavior of NO reduction by H₂ with a specially designed apparatus employing pulse valves for the injection of reactant molecules onto the thin film surface and a time-of-flight mass spectrometer to measure plural products. The obliquely co-deposited films, consisting of columnar nanostructures, showed higher NO reduction activity over a wide range of temperatures than the normally co-deposited films, consisting of uniform structures. The yield of N₂ exceeded that of NH₃ and N₂O for both structures in the high temperature range, whereas the yield of N₂O was more significant for the structures with columns than those without columns at low temperatures. Subtle change of the nanometer-scale structures with the deposition angle was clearly discriminated from the viewpoint of transient catalytic activity.     

The measurement of thin film stress using phase shifting interferometry

Abstract

A new technique for determining the stress of thin films is described. This technique combines digital phase shifting interferometry with image-processing software. A circular disc polished on one side is used as the coated substrate during film deposition. The average stress in thin films can be derived by comparing the deflection of the substrate before and after film deposition. The deflection of the substrate by the deposited film is obtained by the phase map. Using the Zernike polynomial fitting algorithm, a three-dimensional contour map is generated from the polynomial coefficients to visualize the deformation of the thin film and to examine the tensile or compressive stress after film deposition. Four oxide films prepared by ionbeam sputter deposition are investigated for their film stresses. The experimental results show that the stress values are concordant with measurements using other methods.     

Ultrathin barium titanate films by polyol thermal decomposition process

We have successfully fabricated barium titanate (BaTiO₃) films on Si (100) and Pt(111)/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates using the polyol thermal decomposition (PTD) process by spin-coating technique. In PTD process, we confirmed that the crystalline oxycarbonate Ba₂Ti₂O₅CO₃ films were directly formed as a consequence of evaporation of polyol precursor solution prepared simply by mixing metal chlorides and ethylene glycol, and then converting them into crystalline BaTiO₃ films through thermal decomposition at >500 °C. This feature makes it possible to grow densely packed and crack-free BaTiO₃ films as thin as 70 ? per cycle. Although PTD is described here for a complex metal-oxide film of BaTiO₃, other simple and complex metal-oxide thin films with high-dielectric constant materials are also likely to be suitable for deposition with accurate control of film thickness and composition using the polyol precursor solutions.     

Instability-induced wrinkling in thermoelectric thin film/substrate structures for thermal protection systems in supersonic space shuttle applications

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the behavior of wrinkling instability of a thermoelectric thin film bonded to substrate. The critical temperature differences for wrinkling occurrence and buckling initiation are obtained. Damage growth following wrinkling is also determined. These critical temperatures can provide guidelines for the design of thermoelectric thin film devices. Numerical results show that the stability of thermoelectric thin film is affected by the electric current. The critical temperature differences become smaller when the electric current density in thermoelectric thin film is higher. Effect of the wavelength of wrinkling on the critical temperature differences of wrinkling occurrence is also identified.     

Optical properties of ZnO thin film on γ-LiAlO2 substrate grown by pulsed laser deposition

Optical properties were investigated of ZnO thin films grown on (100) γ-LiAlO₂ (LAO) substrates by pulsed laser deposition method. C-axis oriented ZnO film was grown on (100) LAO substrate at the substrate temperature of 550 °C. The transmittances of the films were over 85%. Peaks attributed to excitons were seen in the absorption spectra, indicating that the thin films have high crystallinity. Photoluminescence spectra were observed at room temperature; the peak at 550 nm is ascribed to oxygen vacancies in the ZnO films caused by the diffusion of Li from the substrate into the film during deposition.     

Study on a terahertz modulator based on metamaterial with photoinduced vanadium dioxide film

Abstract

Applying the photoexcitation characteristics of vanadium dioxide (VO₂), a dynamic resonant terahertz (THz) modulation with the combination of a VO₂ film and a metamaterial was suggested to realize THz wave active manipulation. The designed metamaterial with structured copper rings arrays can realize a passband from 0.776 to 1.045 THz. When insulator–metal phase transition in VO₂ thin film, which is deposited on the other surface of the metamaterial substrate, is induced by optical pumping, the metamaterial/VO₂ film hybrid structure behaves as an absorber with absorption rates of 90% at 0.88 THz and the transmission energy decrease to less than 3%. Therefore, about 78% modulation depth and more than 250 GHz modulation bandwidth have been reached under the photoinducing. The simulation results illustrate the promise of using phase transition materials for efficient broadband fast response modulators for THz waves.     

Optical absorption and structural studies of erbium biphthalocyanine sublimed films

Erbium biphthalocyanine (HErPc₂) thin films are prepared by vacuum deposition at various substrate temperatures. The effects of substrate temperature and film thickness on film morphology, crystalline structure, and optical absorption are studied. The HErPc₂ films exhibit fine-grain morphology and small degree of crystallization at low substrate temperature. The size of the crystallites is enlarged when the film thickness increases. If the substrate temperature is elevated to 100 °C, the HErPc₂ films exhibit a high crystallization, and fibre-like clusters are observed, with orientation mainly parallel to the substrate. The high photoresponse of the HErPc₂ films in the near-infrared (NIR) region presents potential application of rare earth biphthalocyanines as NIR photodetectors.     

Diffraction contrast analysis of 90° and 180° ferroelectric domain structures of PbTiO3 thin films

Abstract

The ferroelectric domain structure of a PbTiO₃ thin film on (100) SrTiO₃ has been investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Two types of a-domain were found: one extended through the film to the surface and another comprised small a-domains confined within the film. Dark-field TEM (DFTEM) observation revealed that 180° domains formed near the substrate and stopped their growth 100 nm away from the substrate. The DFTEM observation also revealed that 90° domain boundaries had head-to-tail structures. To confirm the polarization direction obtained by experiments, diffracted intensities under a two-beam condition were simulated using the extended Darwin–Howie–Whelan equations. On the basis of the obtained results, a ferroelectric domain structure model of PbTiO₃ thin films on SrTiO₃ is proposed.     

Coadsorption of Oxygen and C60 Molecules on (100)Mo Surface

Abstract

Auger-electron spectroscopy was used to study oxygen adsorption on C₆₀ molecules film on (100)Mo. It appeares that one monolayer of C₆₀ molecules does not completely protect metal substrate from oxidation, and one needs thin C₆₀ film with thickness of 2-3 ML for complete reduction of oxygen penetration to the substrate from gas phase.     

Polarization Conversion Using Prism-coupled Surface Plasmon-polaritons

Abstract

Evanescent prism coupling through a thin silver film provides a convenient mechanism for excitation of surface plasmon-polaritons (SPPs). However, the SPP is observed as a dip in p-polarized reflectivity, which may be inconvenient in sensor application. Here we observe the effect of rotation of the plane of incident polarization. This leads to the observation of polarization mixing at SPP excitation, and a peak reflectivity signal is obtained between crossed polarizers. This provides a powerful mechanism for SPP observation as a peak, which may be more easily monitored.     

Effects of temperature on structural and morphological features of CoPc and CoPcF16 thin films

Herein investigation of the effects of substrate temperature on the structural and morphological features of both cobalt(II) phthalocyanine (CoPc) and cobalt(II) hexadecafluorophthalocyanine (CoPcF₁₆) thin films is presented. For these purposes thin films of CoPc and CoPcF₁₆ prepared by organic molecular beam deposition were investigated by means of optical absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Concerning the degree of crystallinity, the morphology, the phase composition and the preferential molecular orientation of both CoPc and CoPcF₁₆ thin films, we found out that the increase of substrate temperature during growth influences these properties of the above-mentioned thin film systems (CoPc vs. CoPcF₁₆) in a different way.     

Effects of elastic anisotropy on the surface stability of thin film/substrate system

The surface stability of thin film/substrate system is an important problem both in the film synthesis and reliability of micro electrical and mechanical system (MEMS). In this work, the elastic anisotropy effect on surface stability of thin film/substrate system was considered. The theoretical analysis indicates that elastic anisotropic influence could play an important role in the surface stability of thin film/substrate system. And the anisotropy effect should be considered both in the thin film synthesis process and its service reliability. In addition, there exists an nondimensional parameter k for cubic crystalline thin film materials in evaluating the anisotropic effect. When k is larger than one unit, the surface stability will be weakened by anisotropic effect; vice versa. The method used in present work could be easy extended to multi-layered thin film/substrate system and help us to consider the elastic anisotropy effect.     

A Photovoltaic C60-Si Heterojunction

Abstract

A heterojunction was prepared by depositing a thin film of C₆₀ on a p-Si substrate. Photovoltaic properties were observed using a UV-filtered solar simulator and natural sun light. Surface Photovoltage Spectroscopy was employed to distinguish between the nature of photoconversion in the C₆₀ and Si layers.     

Infrared transmission properties of germanium carbon thin films deposited by reactive RF magnetron sputtering

Germanium carbon (GeC) thin films were prepared on ZnS substrates by reactive RF magnetron sputtering in Ar and CH₄ mixtures with a Ge disc as the target. H content in the films was studied as a function of the deposition parameters and low H content GeC film was obtained. RF power had a little effect on IR absorptions, hence had a little effect on H content. IR absorption of the GeC film increased a little with the increase in partial pressure of CH₄ as well as total pressure of gas mixture. Increase in substrate temperature decomposed CH₄ and CH_x in the GeC film into C and H and H was desorbed from the film, lowering the IR absorption. However, high substrate temperature prevented CH₄ or CH_x from adsorbing onto the substrate, which decreased C content in the GeC film and increased the film's refractive index. Higher annealing temperature of the GeC film reduced H content, but high annealing temperature (500 °C) caused the graphitization of the GeC film and destroyed its continuity.     

Some studies on successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) grown indium sulphide thin films

Indium sulphide (In₂S₃) thin films were grown on amorphous glass substrate by the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. X-ray diffraction, optical absorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Rutherford back scattering (RBS) were applied to study the structural, optical, surface morphological and compositional properties of the indium sulphide thin films. Utilization of triethanolamine and hydrazine hydrate complexed indium sulphate and sodium sulphide as precursors resulted in nanocrystalline In₂S₃ thin film. The optical band gap was found to be 2.7 eV. The film appeared to be smooth and homogeneous from SEM study.     

Influence of substrate absorption on accuracy of determination of refractive index and thickness of uniform thin chalcogenide Cu1[As2(S0.5Se0.5)3]99 film

The envelope method is a commonly used method for determination of some important optical constants, by using the envelopes of the transmittance T(λ) and/or reflectance R(λ) spectrum of the thin film deposited on transparent substrate. Two envelope methods were carried out in this paper: standard—method which assumes that substrate is absolutely transparent and modified—method which takes substrate absorption into account.The investigated sample is a uniform thin chalcogenide Cu₁[As₂(S_0.5Se_0.5)₃]₉₉ film, deposited onto two kinds of a weakly absorbing substrates that differ in thickness.It was shown that the degree of accuracy in determination of chosen optical parameters for both investigated samples is notably improved when the absorbance of the bare substrates is considered in the expressions for the envelopes.     

Chemical bath deposition and characterization of CdSe thin films for optoelectronic applications

Cadmium selenide (CdSe) thin films of high crystalline quality on glass substrate have been prepared by chemical bath deposition technique from an aqueous bath containing tetramine cadmium and sodium selenosulphate. Structural analysis using XRD shows that the film is single phase, crystallized in hexagonal structure with preferred growth in (111) direction. The energy band gap calculated from the absorption spectra of unannealed CdSe thin films shows an optical band gap of 1.8 eV and absorption coefficient near band edge (α)—0.58 × 10⁵ cm⁻¹. The conductivity of CdSe thin films is n-type.     

Preparation and characterization of tin diselenide thin film by spray pyrolysis technique

Tin diselenide (SnSe₂) thin film is deposited on to non-conducting glass substrate by spray pyrolysis technique at an optimized substrate temperature of 523 K. Hot probe method is used to identify the type of conductivity of the film to be an n-type semiconductor. X-ray diffraction study reveals the polycrystalline nature of the film with a preferential orientation growth. Spherical shaped grains with an average diameter of 233 nm are observed from the SEM photograph. The elemental composition on the surface of the film is analyzed with EDAX spectrum and formed almost in stoichiometric in composition. Room temperature resistivity of 1.27 × 10⁴ Ω cm is determined using the linear four-probe method. Activation energy of 0.058 eV is determined by studying the variation of resistivity of the film with temperature. Optical absorption spectrum of this sprayed SnSe₂ thin film is analyzed and found to have a direct allowed transition with a band gap of 1.48 eV.     

Hot wire CVD deposition of nanocrystalline silicon solar cells on rough substrates

In silicon thin film solar cell technology, frequently rough or textured substrates are used to scatter the light and enhance its absorption. The important issue of the influence of substrate roughness on silicon nanocrystal growth has been investigated through a series of nc-Si:H single junction p-i-n solar cells containing i-layers deposited with Hot-wire CVD. It is shown that silicon grown on the surface of an unoptimized rough substrate contains structural defects, which deteriorate solar cell performance. By introducing parameter v, voids/substrate area ratio, we could define a criterion for the morphology of light trapping substrates for thin film silicon solar cells: a preferred substrate should have a v value of less than around 1 × 10^- 6, correlated to a substrate surface rms value of lower than around 50 nm. Our Ag/ZnO substrates with rms roughness less than this value typically do not contain microvalleys with opening angles smaller than ~ 110°, resulting in solar cells with improved output performance. We suggest a void-formation model based on selective etching of strained Si-Si atoms due to the collision of growing silicon film surface near the valleys of the substrate.