Epitaxial aluminum nitride films on sapphire formed by pulsed laser deposition

Highly oriented aluminum nitride thin films were grown on sapphire (0001)-substrate by pulsed laser deposition technique. Characterization was done by X-ray-diffraction, elastic recoil detection analysis and Rutherford backscattering/channeling measurements. The epitaxial properties were studied as function of the substrate temperature and the deposition rate. An epitaxial relation to the sapphire substrate is found to be AlN [0001] || Al₂O₃ [0001] and AlN [11 0] || Al₂O₃ [10 0]. XRD-texture-analysis on films deposited at 850°C shows a full width half maximum Δω of 0.13° (rocking curve) and Δ of 1.1° (in-plane).     

Epitaxially grown model catalyst particles of platinum, rhodium, iridium, palladium and rhenium studied by electron microscopy

In order to obtain oriented thin film model catalysts, small particles of Pt, Rh, Ir, Pd and Re (2–20 nm in size) were grown by high vacuum evaporation on NaCl cleavage faces or on in situ deposited NaCl films at 523–673 K. The particles were covered with a supporting film of Al₂O₃ or carbon and removed from the substrate. High resolution electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction and weak-beam dark-field imaging were applied to determine the particular morphology, microstructure and orientation of the observed particles. Special attention was paid to Rh particles which appear in a variety of shapes. Pt, Ir and Pd model catalysts consist mainly of (001) oriented half octahedra which may exhibit truncations at the corners or on the top. This was also the dominant shape of Rh particles but in addition half tetrahedra in (011) epitaxy and multiply-twinned particles like decahedra in (001), (011) and (111) orientation were evident. These habits provide a definite “initial state” for study of the changes in structure and morphology of the particles during activating heat treatments necessary to induce catalytic activity of the Al₂O₃ supported metal films. Although Re films consisted of irregularly shaped particles, electron diffraction revealed a partial epitaxial alignment of both c.p.h. and f.c.c. Re.     

High-resolution and analytical transmission electron microscopy of epitaxial YBa2Cu3O7−x thin films and YBa2Cu3O7/PrBa2Cu3O7 superlattices

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies of epitaxial YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x thin films and YBa₂Cu₃O₇/PrBa₂Cu₃O₇ superlattices are summarized. High-resolution imaging of cross-sections and plan views and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis and electron energy loss spectroscopy in the transmission electron microscope were the methods applied. In the first section results on YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x thin films With varying oxygen stoichiometry deposited onto SrTiO₃ are discussed. Then, YBa₂Cu₃O₇/PrBa₂Cu₃O₇ superlattices deposited onto SrTiO₃ and MgO are investigated. Finally, an interface analysis of high-quality YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x thin films deposited onto sapphire with yttrium-stabilized zirconia buffer layers is presented.     

Preparation and characteristics of Y2O3-doped CeO2 film by r.f. magnetron sputtering

Properties and applications as a pH sensor of Y₂O₃-doped CeO₂ films prepared by r.f. magnetron sputtering were studied. The CeO₂-Y₂O₃ films exhibited higher electric conductivity than yttria-stabilized zirconia. Films deposited on an MgO single-crystal (100) substrate without substrate heating had a more dense structure. The microstructure of the samples deposited at a substrate temperature of 873 K was shown to be columnar by scanning electron microscope. X-ray diffraction studies showed that a (111) diffraction peak assigned to CeO₂ was much greater and the films exhibited preferential orientation to the (111) plane with increasing r.f. power or substrate temperature. The pH electrode was made by a double layer of Y₂O₃-doped CeO₂ and Cu/Cu₂O redox films deposited onto the MgO substrate. pH response was measured in various pH buffer solutions at room temperature. It showed good agreement with a nernstian response in the pH range 9–13.     

Low-temperature epitaxial growth of conductive LaNiO3 thin films by RF magnetron sputtering

Epitaxial growth of LaNiO₃ (LNO) thin films was successful on CeO₂/YSZ/Si(100), MgO(100) and SrTiO₃ (STO)(100) substrates by RF magnetron sputtering at 300 °C, although pulsed laser deposition requires 600 °C to prepare epitaxial LNO films according to the literature. Epitaxial LNO films deposited on CeO₂/YSZ/Si(100) and STO(100) had single orientation of LNO[100]//CeO₂[110]//YSZ[110]//Si[110]) and LNO[100]//STO[100], respectively. On the other hand, epitaxial LNO films deposited on MgO(100) had mixed orientations of LNO[100]//MgO[100] and LNO[100]//MgO[110]. The lattice parameter, composition and resistivity of the LNO thin films were strongly dependent on the substrate temperature. The minimum resistivity of LNO films was approximately 5×10⁻⁶ Ω m, which value almost agrees with the resistivity in the literature. It was found that the temperature to achieve minimum resistivity was 200 °C, irrespective of the type of substrate. The surface of the LNO films was smooth and flat.     

Twinning of YBa2Cu3O7 thin films on different substrates

The twinning of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ (YBCO) thin films with c-axis orientation on (001) MgO, (001) SrTiO₃, (012) LaAlO₃, (110) NdGaO₃ and (001) NdGaO₃ substrates, prepared by laser ablation, has been examined using a combination of and θ/2θ scans at a four-circle diffractometer. On all substrates, except for (001) NdGaO₃, the tetragonal to orthorhombal phase transition results in four different orientations of YBCO twins relating to the substrate. On (001) NdGaO₃ only two different twin orientations, accompanied by a slight lattice monoclinization, has been observed.     

Adsorption-Controlled Growth of BiFeO3 by MBE and Integration with Wide Band Gap Semiconductors

BiFeO3 thin films have been deposited on (001) SrTiO3, (101) DyScO3, (011) DyScO3, (0001) AlGaN/GaN, and (0001) 6H-SiC single crystal substrates by reactive molecular beam epitaxy in an adsorption-controlled growth regime. This is achieved by supplying a bismuth over-pressure and utilizing the differential vapor pressures between bismuth oxides and BiFeO₃ to control stoichiometry in accordance with thermodynamic calculations. Four-circle x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy reveal phase-pure, epitaxial films with rocking curve full width at half maximum values as narrow as 7.2 arc seconds (0.002°). Epitaxial growth of (0001)-oriented BiFeO3 thin films on (0001) GaN, including AlGaN HEMT structures, and (0001) SiC has been realized using intervening epitaxial (111) SrTiO₃ / (100) TiO₂ buffer layers. The epitaxial BiFeO3 thin films have 2 in-plane orientations: [1120] BiFeO>sub>3 || [1120] GaN (SiC) plus a twin variant related by a 180° in-plane rotation. This epitaxial integration of the ferroelectric with the highest known polarization, BiFeO3, with high bandgap semiconductors is an important step toward novel field-effect devices.     

Growth of SrTiO3 thin epitaxial films by aerosol MOCVD

SrTiO₃ thin films were prepared by aerosol metal-organic chemical vapour deposition on (001) MgO, R-plane Al₂O₃ and (001) Si single-crystal substrates. Strontium tetramethyl heptadionate and titanium n-butoxide dissolved in diethyleneglycol dimethyl ether were used as precursors. The structure of the films was investigated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Epitaxial films with [001] and [111] orientation perpendicular to the substrate surface were obtained on MgO and Al₂O₃, respectively. The epitaxial films on the MgO substrate were found to be in a relaxed state with lattice parameters corresponding to the bulk values. SrTiO₃ films on the Si substrate were grown as highly textured in the [011]direction and randomly oriented in the plane parrallel to the substrate surface.     

Epitaxial and polycrystalline BaFe12O19 thin films grown by chemical vapour deposition

Epitaxial and polycrystalline barium hexaferrite BaFe₁₂O₁₉ thin films were prepared by metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD). Films were grown by a liquid MOCVD technique which aim is to control precisely the precursor vapour pressures. Two kinds of substrates were used: sapphire (001) and silicon thermally oxidized. On Si/SiO₂ films are polycrystalline and the magnetization is isotropic. On Al₂O₃ (001), structural studies reveal the films to be predominantly single phase, well crystallized without annealing procedure and with the c-axis perpendicular to the film plane; epitaxial relationships between the film and the substrate were determined. The magnetic parameters, deduced from vibrating sample magnetometer measurements, show a high dependence of the magnetization with the orientation of the field with respect to the surface of the film.     

Cerium oxide layers on Pt(111): a scanning tunneling microscopy study

Ultrathin epitaxial layers of cerium oxide were prepared by oxidation of layers of an ordered Pt–Ce surface alloy on top of a Pt(111) single crystal. They consist of low-dimensional CeO₂ islands. Atomically resolved scanning tunnel microscopy (STM) images indicate a surface structure of the fluorite-type CeO₂(111) 1×1 phase and the presence of surface defects.     

温度控制织构金属基带上YBCO外延薄膜生长及缺陷研究

采用直流溅射法在Y₂O₃/YSZ/CeO₂(YYC)缓冲层的织构NiW基带上, 通过基片温度调制YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ(YBCO)外延薄膜生长。X射线衍射仪(XRD)表征显示, 基片温度强烈地影响YBCO薄膜的外延生长: 在较低的基片温度下薄膜趋于a轴取向生长, 随基片温度升高薄膜逐渐变为纯c轴取向生长。由于a轴晶粒引起的大角度晶界会阻碍超导电流在a-b面内的传输, 因此YBCO薄膜的微观结构和超导电性能随温度升高而得到改善, 但是随着基片温度继续升高, 基带的氧化程度加剧, YBCO与缓冲层间发生界面反应, 从而导致薄膜质量衰退。本     

Heteroepitaxy of CuInSe2 on {111}-oriented germanium

Thin films of CuInSe₂ were deposited onto {111}-oriented germanium substrates by flash evaporation and were investigated by reflection high energy electron diffraction. Epitaxial growth was found in the substrate temperature range 720–820 K. In all cases the epitaxial layers had the chalcopyrite structure except at growth temperatures higher than 795 K where the layers were cubic. Deposition of CuInSe₂ onto {111}-oriented germanium is characterized by one-dimensional epitaxy, and the epitaxial relationship for the chalcopyrite phase is given by {111}_Ge{112}_CuInSe2     

Scintillating and particle discrimination properties of selected crystals for low-temperature bolometers: from LiF to BGO

Selected crystals have been investigated at 20 mK for their properties of scintillation produced under irradiation. A scintillation signal is found in preliminary studies of YAP:Ce, GSO:Ce, CaF₂:Eu and Al₂O₃:Ti crystals thanks to high sensitivity light detectors. The full mixed “light-and-heat” bolometric technique has been applied to further characterize materials already employed in rare event researches: CaWO₄, BGO, undoped Al₂O₃ (sapphire). All these crystals show powerful discrimination properties for /γ or nuclear recoil/γ detection, with a special mention to undoped Al₂O₃, hitherto untested, which revealed an unexpected strong light emission. A weaker light signal has been found on LiF and TeO₂ bolometers too, sufficient to separate alpha from gamma events in these crystals.     

Growth of Ti:sapphire single crystal thin films by pulsed laser deposition

This paper documents the growth of single crystal Ti:sapphire thin films, typically 10 μm thick, on undoped sapphire substrates using pulsed laser deposition from a Ti:sapphire single crystal target with a doping level of 0.1 wt.% Ti₂O₃. These thin films are shown to have very high crystal quality using ion beam channelling and X-ray diffraction techniques. The degree of titanium incorporation into the films is investigated using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and particle induced X-ray emission. These techniques show that levels of up to 0.08 wt.% Ti₂O₃ are present in the deposited layers.     

Evolution of texture of CeO2 thin film buffer layers prepared by ion-assisted deposition

Evolution of texture in CeO₂ thin films was studied using biased magnetron sputtering and ion beam assisted magnetron sputtering. Films deposited onto polycrystalline Hastelloy metal substrates by biased magnetron sputtering develop preferential (002) growth as the energy of the ions is increased from zero to above 100 eV. For ion beam assisted magnetron sputtering (magnetron IBAD), with the ion beam directed at 55° to the substrate normal, the evolution of biaxial alignment is controlled by the ion beam energy and the ion/atom arrival rate ratio. Ion beam energies >200 eV and ion/atom ratios >0.3 lead to perfect biaxial alignment with one pole aligned along the ion beam direction. Epitaxial growth of CeO₂ films was observed for MgO(001) substrates at 750°C without any ion assistance, and on yttria-stabilised zirconia (001) buffer layers at room temperature and a bias of −80 V.     

Epitaxie dans les couches minces d''alliages cuivre-aluminium obtenues par depot d''evaporation thermique sur une face de clivage (001) de chlorure de sodium

Epitaxial thin films of , β, γ and θ phases and of two new phases γ_c.f.c. and γ_c.s. have been obtained by vacuum deposition of aluminium-copper alloys on a cleaved (001) NaCl substrate. Examination of the different orientations observed leads to the following rule: when epitaxy is observed, it occurs in the film-substrate common plane in such a manner that the highest atomic density directions of the deposit and the substrate are parallel.     

缺陷对β-Ga2O3薄膜的结构和光学特性的影响

采用射频磁控溅射技术和后期退火在蓝宝石衬底上成功制备了β-Ga₂O₃薄膜。借助于X射线衍射(XRD)、拉曼散射光谱(Raman)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、以及二次离子质谱(SIMS)研究了缺陷对β-Ga₂O₃薄膜的结构和光学特性的影响。结果表明,未退火的Ga₂O₃薄膜呈现非晶态,随高温退火时间逐渐增加,非晶Ga₂O₃薄膜逐步转变为沿(-201)方向择优生长的β-Ga₂O₃薄膜。所有Ga₂O₃薄膜在近紫外到可见光区的平均透过率都高达95%,β相Ga₂O₃薄膜的光学带隙比非晶态薄膜增加~0.3 eV,且随退火时间的增加,β-Ga₂O₃薄膜的光学带隙也随之变宽。此外,发现非晶Ga₂O₃薄膜富含氧空位缺陷,高温退火处理后,β-Ga₂O₃薄膜中的氧空位浓度明显降低,但蓝宝石衬底中的Al极易扩散至Ga₂O₃薄膜层,并随退火时间的增加Al浓度明显增加,氧空位的降低和Al杂质的增加是导致β-Ga₂O₃薄膜光学带隙变宽的主要原因。     

Molecular beam epitaxial growth of SmBa2Cu3O7−δ thin films and effect of substrate temperature on the surface roughness

Stoichiometrically optimized, epitaxial SmBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ thin films with high T_{c, R = 0} and high critical current densities j_c have been prepared for the first time in a tightly controlled molecular beam epitaxy process in non-reactive molecular oxygen, followed by an in situ loading process with molecular oxygen. The surface roughness (on a submicrometre scale) of single-crystal films with their c axes perpendicular to the surface depends markedly on the surface temperature of the substrate during the deposition of the epitaxial films, within a range of only a few degrees centigrade. The calibrated optimal temperature for the preparation of epitaxial films 200 nm thick of this single orientation is found to be 680 ± 5 °C. In scanning tunnelling microscopy investigations, they show a surface roughness of less than 6 nm (five SmBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ unit cells) on a 2 μm × 2 μm scale. At deposition temperatures below this optimal deposition temperature, the well-known a-axis growth increases rapidly, whereas higher temperatures give a significantly higher surface roughness, which can be observed by scanning electron microscopy.     

Influence of substrate on the pulsed laser deposition growth and microwave behaviour of KTa0.6Nb0.4O3 potassium tantalate niobate ferroelectric thin films

Thin films of potassium tantalate niobate KTa_0.6Nb_0.4O₃ (KTN) were grown by pulsed laser deposition on five different substrates suitable for microwave devices: (100)MgO, (100)LaAlO₃, (1–102)sapphire (R-plane), (0001)sapphire (C-plane) and alumina. The high volatility of potassium at the film growth temperature required the addition of an excess of potassium to the ablation target. For optimized deposition conditions, Rutherford backscattering showed that the KTN films had a 1: 1 atomic ratio for K:(Nb + Ta). As grown KTN thin films were single-phase, without any particular orientation on sintered alumina, whereas an epitaxial growth with the (100) orientation was achieved on (100)MgO and (100)LaAlO₃ with a mosaicity Δω_(100)KTN close to 0.7°–1.5° and  0.4°–0.9°, respectively, attesting a high crystalline quality. In contrast, growth of KTN on R-plane sapphire results in a texture with the (100) orientation and the presence of the (110) orientation as a secondary one. The room temperature measurements carried out on Au interdigited capacitors patterned on KTN coated (100) LaAlO₃ and sapphire led at 1 GHz to an agility ΔC / C  4.6% and  7.2%, respectively, for a moderate applied field of 15 kV cm^− 1. Stubs patterned on the same systems led to an agility ΔF_r / F_r of  2.2% and 4.2%, respectively, for F_r = 7 GHz and the same applied field.     

Sc2W3O12薄膜制备及其负热膨胀性能

采用脉冲激光沉积法制备了斜方相Sc₂W₃O₁₂薄膜。利用X射线衍射仪(XRD)和场发射扫描电镜(FESEM)对Sc₂W₃O₁₂靶材和Sc₂W₃O₁₂薄膜组分、表面形貌和靶材断面形貌进行表征, 研究衬底温度与氧分压对薄膜制备的影响。采用变温XRD和热机械分析仪(TMA)分析了Sc₂W₃O₁₂陶瓷靶材和薄膜的负热膨胀特性。实验结果表明: 经1000℃烧结6 h得到结构致密的斜方相Sc₂W₃O₁₂陶瓷靶材, 其在室温到600℃的温度范围内平均热膨胀系数为-5.28×10^-6 K^-1。在室温到500℃衬底温度范围内脉冲激光沉积制备的Sc₂W₃O₁₂薄膜均为非晶态, 随着衬底温度的升高, 薄膜表面光滑程度提高; 随着沉积氧压强增大, 表面平整性变差。非晶膜经1000℃退火处理7 min后得到斜方相Sc₂W₃O₁₂多晶薄膜, 在室温到600℃温度区间内, Sc₂W₃O₁₂薄膜的平均热膨胀系数为-7.17×10^-6 K^-1。