DC Magnetron-Sputtered Mo Thin Films with High Adhesion,Conductivity and Reflectance

The main challenge in the deposition of molybdenum thin films for high efficiency in copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) modules lies in gaining an adherent coating without compromising conductivity and reflectance characteristics. In this study, Mo thin films were deposited on soda-lime glass by DC magnetron sputtering at different deposition power (55, 100, 200 and 300 W) and with high working gas pressure (2 and 4 Pa). Analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Hall effect were employed to analyze the structure, morphology and electrical resistivity of the deposited films. Ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectrometry was performed to measure the reflectance and a cross-hatch adhesion tape test was employed to determine the adhesion behavior of deposited films. With higher sputtering power and reduced gas pressure, an increase in the crystallite size of the deposited films was observed. Films deposited at higher gas pressure were found with tensile stresses and higher adhesion with the substrate. The van der Pauw method reveals an increase in conductivity at high power and low gas pressure. Improved reflectance was achieved at moderate sputtering power and low gas pressure.     

Investigations on phosphorus doped amorphous/nanocrystalline silicon films deposited by a filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique in the presence of hydrogen gas

Phosphorus doped amorphous/nanocrystalline silicon (a-Si:H/nc-Si:H) thin films have been deposited by a filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) technique in the presence of hydrogen gas at different substrate temperatures (T_s) ranging from room temperature (RT) to 350 °C. The films have been characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, dark conductivity (σ_D), activation energy (ΔE), optical band gap (E_g) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy. The XRD patterns show that RT grown film is amorphous in nature but high temperature (225 and 350 °C) deposited films exhibit nanocrystalline structure with (111) and (220) crystal orientations. The crystallite size of higher temperature grown silicon film evaluated was between 13 and 25 nm. Raman spectra reveal the amorphous nature of the film deposited at RT, whereas higher temperature deposited films show crystalline nature. The crystalline volume fraction of the silicon film deposited at higher temperatures (225 and 350 °C) was estimated to be 58 and 72%. With the increase of T_s, the bonding configuration changes from mono-hydride to di-hydride as revealed by the FTIR spectra. The values of σ_D, ΔE and E_g of silicon films deposited at different T_s were found to be in the range of 5.37×10⁻⁴–1.04 Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹, 0.05–0.45 eV and 1.42–1.83 eV, respectively. Photoconduction of 3.5% has also been observed in n-type nc-Si:H films with the response and recovery times of 9 and 12 s, respectively. A n-type nc-Si:H/p-type c-Si heterojunction diode was fabricated which showed the diode quality factor between 1.6 and 1.8.     

Structural and Electrical Characterization of ZnO Films Grown by Spray Pyrolysis and Their Application in Thin‐Film Transistors

The role of the substrate temperature on the structural, optical, and electronic properties of ZnO thin films deposited by spray pyrolysis using a zinc acetate precursor solution is reported. Analysis of the precursor compound using thermogravimentry and differential scanning calorimetry indicates complete decomposition of the precursor at around 350 °C. Film characterization using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), and ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) optical transmission spectroscopy suggests the onset of ZnO growth at temperatures as low as 100 °C as well as the transformation to a polycrystalline phase at deposition temperatures >200 °C. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) reveal that as‐deposited films exhibit low surface roughness (rms ≈ 2.9 nm at 500 °C) and a crystal size that is monotonously increasing from 8 to 32 nm for deposition temperatures in the range of 200–500 °C. The latter appears to have a direct impact on the field‐effect electron mobility, which is found to increase with increasing ZnO crystal size. The maximum mobility and current on/off ratio is obtained from thin‐film transistors fabricated using ZnO films deposited at >400 °C yielding values on the order of 25 cm² V^?1s^?1 and 10⁶, respectively.     

Substrate temperature effect on the photophysical and microstructural properties of fluorine-doped tin oxide nanoparticles

Transparent conducting oxide of fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) thin films was deposited from chemical solutions of tin chloride and ammonium fluoride using streaming process for electroless and electrochemical deposition (SPEED) at substrate temperature 450, 500, and 530 ℃ respectively. The effect of substrate temperatures on the microstructural properties such as crystallite size, dislocation density, micro strain, volume of the unit cell, volume of the nanoparticles, number of the unit cell, bond length and the lattice constants were examined using XRD technique. Only reflections from (110) and (200) planes of tetragonal SnO₂ crystal structure were obvious. The peaks are relatively weak indicating that the deposited materials constitute grains in the nano dimension. Hall measurements, which were done using van der Pauw technique, showed that the FTO films are n-type semiconductors. The most favorable electrical values were achieved for the film grown at 530 ℃ with low resistivity of 7.64×10^-4Ω·cm and Hall mobility of -9.92 cm²/(V·s).     

Effects of the ZnO buffer layer and Al proportion on AZO film properties

To evaluate the influence of the ZnO buffer layer and Al proportion on the properties of ZnO: Al (AZO)/ZnO bi-layer films, a series of AZO/ZnO films are deposited on the quartz substrates by electron beam evaporation. The X-ray diffraction measurement shows that the crystal quality of the films is improved with the increase of the film thickness. The electrical properties of the films are investigated. The carrier concentration and Hall mobility both increase with the increase of buffer layer thickness. However, the resistivity reaches the lowest at about 50 nm-thick buffer layer. The lowest resistivity and the maximum Hall mobility are both obtained at 1 wt% Al concentration. But the optical transmittance of all the films is greater than 80% regardless of the buffer layer thickness with Al concentration lower than 5 wt% in the visible region.     

LPCVD-SiGe薄膜的物理及电学特性

采用低压化学气相沉积法(LPCVD),分别在n-Si和SiO2衬底上制备Si1-xGex薄膜。Ge的组分比由俄歇电子谱(AES)测定。对n-Si和SiO2衬底上的Si1-xGex分别进行热扩散和热退火处理,以考察热扩散和退火条件对薄膜物理及电学特性的影响。薄膜的物相由X射线衍射(XRD)确定。其薄层电阻、载流子迁移率及浓度分别由四探针法和霍尔效应法测定。基于XRD图谱,根据Scherer公式,估算出平均晶粒大小。数值拟合得到霍尔迁移率与平均晶粒尺寸为近似的线性关系,从而得出LPCVD-Si1-xGex薄膜的电输运特性基本符合Seto模型的结论。     

Effect of deposition power in fabrication of highly efficient CdS:O/CdTe thin film solar cell by the magnetron sputtering technique

Polycrystalline II–VI semiconductor materials such as oxygenated CdS have a wide and tunable band gap (≥2.5 eV) which plays an important role in increasing the light absorption capacity of CdTe absorber. In this study, the ultra-thin CdS:O and CdTe films were deposited by the sputtering technique and the optimum condition of deposition power is investigated. The prepared ultra-thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–vis spectrometry, Hall Effect and current–voltage measurements techniques. The complete cell was then fabricated by the sputtering technique with a novel configuration of ‘glass/FTO/ZnO:Sn/CdS:O/CdTe/C:Cu/Ag’. To avoid the pin hole effect, the high resistive ZnO:Sn layer was deposited as a buffer layer in between the FTO and CdS:O films. It has been observed that the cell performance parameters are found to be varied with deposition power of CdO:S films and an overall conversion efficiency of 10.27% was achieved.     

Structural,optical and electrical properties of Fe-doped SnO2 fabricated by sol–gel dip coating technique

Nanosized Fe³⁺-doped SnO₂ thin film was prepared by the sol–gel dip coating (SGDC) technique on quartz class substrate and sintered at 800 °C. The microstructures, surface morphology and optical properties of these films were then characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical absorption measurements, respectively. Electrical properties were analyzed, and resistivity, type and number of carrier concentration, Hall mobility measured as a function of Fe³⁺ doping and temperature. The XRD spectrum shows the decrease in peak heights as a result of Fe³⁺-doping while SEM images reveal reduction in crystallite size with increase in Fe³⁺ content. The optical studies showed a direct band gap reducing with increase in Fe³⁺-doping from 3.87 to 3.38 eV. From the electrical measurements, it was found that the resistivity initially increased with Fe³⁺-doping before reducing at higher doping level. Hall mobility measurements showed n-type conductivity at lower Fe³⁺-doping levels and p-type at higher levels. The increase in conductivity with temperature ascertained the semiconducting behavior of these films.     

Properties of antimony doped ZnO thin films deposited by spray pyrolysis technique

Antimony (Sb) doped zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were deposited on the glass substrate at 450°C using spray pyrolysis technique. Effect of Sb doping on surface morphology structural, optical and electrical properties were studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that both the undoped and doped ZnO thin films are polycrystalline in nature with (101) preferred orientation. SEM analysis showed a change in surface morphology of Sb doped ZnO thin films. Doping results in a marked increase in conductivity without affecting the transmittance of the films. ZnO films prepared with 3 at % Sb shows the lowest resistivity of 0.185 Ohm cm with a Hall mobility of 54.05 cm² V^–1 s^–1, and a hole concentration of 6.25 × 10¹⁷ cm^–3.     

Polycrystalline silicon thin film transistors fabricated in various solid phase crystallized films deposited on glass substrates

In this work, we have characterized various types of polysilicon films, crystallized upon thermal annealing from films deposited by low pressure chemical vapor deposition in the amorphous phase and a mixed phase using silane or in the amorphous phase using disilane. Polysilicon thin film transistors (TFTs) were fabricated, at low processing temperatures, in these three types of films on high strain point Corning Code 1734 and 1735 glass substrates. Double layer films, with the bottom layer deposited in a mixed phase and the top in the amorphous phase, allowed TFT fabrication at a drastically reduced thermal budget; optimum values of thicknesses and deposition rates of the layers are reported for reducing the crystallization time and improving film quality. Optimum deposition conditions for TFT fabrication were also obtained for films deposited using disilane. The grain size distribution for all types of films was shown to be wider for a larger grain size. Fabricated TFTs exhibited field effect electron mobility values in the range of 20 to 50 cm²/V·s, subthreshold swings of about 0.5–1.5 V/dec and threshold voltage values of 2–4 V.     

Influence of deposition rate on the structural,optical and electrical properties of electron beam evaporated SnO2 thin films for transparent conducting electrode applications

The role of deposition rate in the structural,optical and electrical properties of SnO2 thin films deposited by electron beam evaporation method is investigated by varying the deposition powers viz.50,75,and 100 W.The structural characterization of the films is done by X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique.The surface morphology of the films is studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).Rutherford back scattering (RBS) measurements revealed the thickness of the films ranging from 200 nm to 400 and also a change in the concentration of oxygen vacancies which is found to be the maximum in the film deposited at the lowest deposition rate.Optical absorption spectrum is recorded using the UV-V is spectroscopy and the films are found to be transparent in nature.A shift in the absorption edge is observed and is attributed to a different level of allowed energy states in conduction band minimum.The Hall effect and electrical measurements show a variation in the carrier concentrations,mobility and resistivity of the films.In order to explore a better compromise in electrical and optical properties for transparent electrode applications,skin depths calculations are also done to find the optimized values of carrier concentration and mobility.     

Influence of working pressure on the structural,optical and electrical properties of sputter deposited AZO thin films

Highly oriented crystalline aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) films were sputter deposited on glass substrates and a systematic investigation on the as deposited and etched films was reported for its further application in silicon thin film solar cell. Influence of the deposition pressure (from 2 to 8 mTorr) and post-annealing temperature (at 400 °C for 5 min) on the structural, optical and electrical properties of the as-deposited and etched samples were analyzed. The optimum condition for its reproducibility and large area deposition is determined and found that the depositions made at 8 mTorr at 200 W having the distance from source to substrate of 9 cm. All the AZO films exhibited a c-axis preferred orientation perpendicular to the substrate and their crystallinity was improved after annealing. From the XRD pattern the grain size, stress and strain of the films were evaluated and there is no drastic variation. Optical transmittance, resistivity, Hall mobility and carrier concentration for the as deposited and etched-annealed films were found to improve from 79 to 82%; 2.97 to 3.14×10⁻⁴ Ω cm; 25 to 38 cm²/V s; 8.39 to 5.96×10²⁰/cm³ respectively. Based on the triangle diagram between figure of merit and Hall mobility, we obtained a balance of point between the electrical and optical properties to select the deposition condition of film for device application.     

Mixed phase silicon thin films grown at high rate using 60 MHz assisted VHF-PECVD technique

Mixed phase amorphous and nanocrystalline silicon (a-Si:H and nc-Si:H) thin films were deposited by VHF-PECVD (60 MHz) using Argon (Ar) as the diluent of silane. These amorphous and crystalline silicon thin films were deposited by varying the argon dilution (f_Ar) from 10–97.5% while keeping other process parameters constant. The effects of argon dilution on deposition rate, structural and optical properties of micro/nanocrystalline silicon thin films are studied. It has been observed that the films deposited from f_Ar 10–70% showed the deposition rate >20 Å/s with the highest deposition rate achieved of ~25 Å/s. Structural characterization has been performed by micro-Raman analysis and Atomic force microscopy. Raman shift towards higher wave number (515 cm⁻¹) with increase of f_Ar indicates variation in crystallinity of silicon films. HRTEM studies revealed the distribution of grain size and the degree of crystallinity. Optical absorption spectroscopy confirmed the increase in band gap of the materials from 1.5 to 2.1 eV.     

Enhancing optical properties of nanocrystalline silicon films with air exposure

We report the effect of air exposure and deposition temperatures, T_d, on the optical property of nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si). The nc-Si thin films were investigated by photoluminescence (PL), optical absorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) absorption and Raman scattering. Experimental results show the structural change from an amorphous to a nanocrystalline phase at T_d=80 °C. In addition, it suggests that T_d low condition leads to the increase in the density of SiH-related bonds and a decrease in the average grain size, δ. The oxygen absorption peak increases with the air-exposure time. The PL exhibited two peaks at around 1.75–1.78 and 2.1–2.3 eV. The PL increases and blue shifts consistently with the decrease of δ and increase of oxygen content. The first peak may be related to nanocrystallites in nc-Si films and the origin of another one may be due to defect-related oxygen. Thus, by the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technique at low T_d, we can produce the nc-Si films with different grain sizes, causing the corresponding luminescent properties. The new method processes advantages of low deposition temperature and effective oxidation of nc-Si on inexpensive substrates, thus making it more suitable for developing low-cost array or flexible nc-Si optoelectronic devices.     

Pulsed laser deposition and processing of wide band gap semiconductors and related materials

The present work describes the novel, relatively simple, and efficient technique of pulsed laser deposition for rapid prototyping of thin films and multi-layer heterostructures of wide band gap semiconductors and related materials. In this method, a KrF pulsed excimer laser is used for ablation of polycrystalline, stoichiometric targets of wide band gap materials. Upon laser absorption by the target surface, a strong plasm a plume is produced which then condenses onto the substrate, kept at a suitable distance from the target surface. We have optimized the processing parameters such as laser fluence, substrate temperature, background gas pressure, target to substrate distance, and pulse repetition rate for the growth of high quality crstalline thin films and heterostructures. The films have been characterized by x-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering and ion channeling spectrometry, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, ultraviolet (UV)-visible spectroscopy, cathodoluminescence, and electrical transport measurements. We show that high quality AlN and GaN thin films can be grown by pulsed laser deposition at relatively lower substrate temperatures (750–800°C) than those employed in metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), (1000–1100°C), an alternative growth method. The pulsed laser deposited GaN films (∼0.5 μm thick), grown on AlN buffered sapphire (0001), shows an x-ray diffraction rocking curve full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 5–7 arc-min. The ion channeling minimum yield in the surface region for AlN and GaN is ∼3%, indicating a high degree of crystallinity. The optical band gap for AlN and GaN is found to be 6.2 and 3.4 eV, respectively. These epitaxial films are shiny, and the surface root mean square roughness is ∼5–15 nm. The electrical resistivity of the GaN films is in the range of 10⁻²–10² Θ-cm with a mobility in excess of 80 cm²V⁻¹s⁻¹ and a carrier concentration of 10¹⁷–10¹⁹ cm⁻³, depending upon the buffer layers and growth conditions. We have also demonstrated the application of the pulsed laser deposition technique for integration of technologically important materials with the III–V nitrides. The examples include pulsed laser deposition of ZnO/GaN heterostructures for UV-blue lasers and epitaxial growth of TiN on GaN and SiC for low resistance ohmic contact metallization. Employing the pulsed laser, we also demonstrate a dry etching process for GaN and AlN films.     

Influence of Dielectric Surface Chemistry on the Microstructure and Carrier Mobility of an n‐Type Organic Semiconductor

This paper examines the microstructure evolution of 3,4,9,10‐perylene‐tetracarboxylic bis‐benzimidazole (PTCBI) thin films resulting from conditions imposed during film deposition. Modification of the silicon dioxide interface with a hydrophobic monolayer (octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS‐18)) alters the PTCBI growth habit by changing the unit cell contact plane. PTCBI films deposited on oxide surface have an orientation of (011), while films atop OTS‐treated oxide surface have a preferred orientation of (001). The quality of the self assembled monolayer does not appear to influence the PTCBI growth preference significantly yet it enhances the carrier mobility, suggesting that charge traps are adequately passivated due to uniform monolayer coverage. High‐quality monolayers result in n‐type carrier mobility values of 0.05 cm²V^–1s^–1 Increasing the substrate temperature during PTCBI film deposition correlates with an increase in mobility that is most significant for films deposited on OTS‐treated surface.     

Effect of thickness on optoelectrical properties of Nb-doped indium tin oxide thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering

Niobium-doped indium tin oxide （ITO:Nb） thin films are prepared on glass substrates with various film thicknesses by radio frequency （RF） magnetron sputtering from one piece of ceramic target material. The effects of thickness （60-360 nm） on the structural, electrical and optical properties of ITO: Nb films are investigated by means of X-ray diffraction （XRD）, ultraviolet （UV）-visible spectroscopy, and electrical measurements. XRD patterns show the highly oriented （400） direction. The lowest resistivity of the films without any heat treatment is 3.1×10^-4 Ω·cm^-1, and the resistivity decreases with the increase of substrate temperature. The highest Hall mobility and carrier concentration are 17.6 N·S and 1.36×10²¹ cm^-3, respectively. Band gap energy of the films depends on substrate temperature, which varies from 3.48 eV to 3.62 eV.     

ZnO films deposited on GaAs substrates with a SiO2 thin buffer layer

Sputter deposition of ZnO films on GaAs substrates has been investigated. ZnO films were radio frequency (rf)-magnetron sputter deposited on GaAs substrates with or without SiO₂ thin buffer layers. Deposition parameters such as rf power, substrate-target distance, and gas composition/pressure were optimized to obtain highly c-axis oriented and highly resistive films. Deposited films were characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), capacitance, and resistivity measurements. Thermal stability of sputter-deposited ZnO films (0.5–2.0 μm thick) was tested with a post-deposition heat treatment at 430°C for 10 min, which is similar to a standard ohmic contact alloying condition for GaAs. The ZnO/SiO₂/GaAs films tolerated the heat treatment well while the ZnO/GaAs films disintegrated. The resistivity (10¹¹ Ω-cm) of the ZnO films on SiO₂-buffered GaAs substrates remained high during the heat treatment. The post-deposition anneal treatment also enhances c-axis orientation of the ZnO films dramatically and relieves intrinsic stress almost completely. These improvements are attributed to a reduction of grain boundaries and voids with the anneal treatment as supported by SEM and x-ray diffraction measurement results.     

利用等离子增强化学汽相沉积生长初期快速结晶的纳米晶硅

成功地利用传统的等离子增强化学汽相沉积技术制备了纳米晶硅。为了提高生长初期的结晶速度,在PECVD设备和干法刻蚀设备中,利用H2/SF6等离子体对Si Nx薄膜表面进行处理。在制备纳米/微米晶粒结晶硅时常用的氢气稀释条件下,沉积得到了纳米晶硅。利用XRD和TEM观察了氢化纳米晶硅(nc-Si∶H)的微结构,发现实验成功得到了小于10 nm的晶体硅。为了检测结构和电学特性,测试了纳米晶硅薄膜的亮态和暗态电导率。室温下,电导率从非晶硅的10-10S/cm增加到10-5S/cm。     

Preparation and characteristics of Nb-doped indium tin oxide thin films by RF magnetron sputtering

Niobium-doped indium tin oxide(ITO:Nb)thin films are fabricated on glass substrates by radio frequency(RF)magnetron sputtering at different temperatures.Structural,electrical and optical properties of the films are investigated using X-ray diffraction(XRD),atomic force microscopy(AFM),ultraviolet-visible(UV-VIS)spectroscopy and electrical measurements.XRD patterns show that the preferential orientation of polycrystalline structure changes from(400)to(222)crystal plane,and the crystallite size increases with the increase of substrate temperature.AFM analyses reveal that the film is very smooth at low temperature.The root mean square(RMS)roughness and the average roughness are 2.16 nm and 1.64 nm,respectively.The obtained lowest resistivity of the films is 1.2×10-4?.cm,and the resistivity decreases with the increase of substrate temperature.The highest Hall mobility and carrier concentration are 16.5 cm2/V.s and 1.88×1021 cm-3,respectively.Band gap energy of the films depends on substrate temperature,which is varied from 3.49 eV to 3.63 eV.