The effect of glow discharge sputtering on the analysis of metal oxide films

The potential of radiofrequency glow discharge optical emission spectrometry (rf-GD-OES) for the quantification and the solid-state speciation of metal oxide films has been investigated in this work. Two types of oxide coatings, an iron oxide film deposited on silicon and a chromate conversion coating (CCC), were studied at 700 Pa of pressure and 30 W of forward power. The metal to oxygen ratios in the quantitative depth profiles (Fe/O and Cr/O, respectively) were used to evaluate the oxidation states of iron and chromium in the oxide films, demonstrating the capability of GD-OES technique for depth-resolved solid-state speciation. Furthermore, the effect of glow discharge sputtering on the samples surface in terms of modifications in the surface morphology and species transformations, were investigated by using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The iron and chromium oxidation states were carefully studied by XPS at the original samples surface and at the bottom of GD craters, and a systematic reduction of metal elements was observed after rf-GD-OES analysis. In the case of thin oxide films, preferential sputtering can be considered as a critical factor since oxygen atoms can be preferentially sputtered, leaving a metal-enriched surface and, therefore, promoting the reduction of metal elements. In the present study preferential sputtering was found to be sample dependent, changing the proportion of the metal reduction in the oxide film with its composition. Additionally, alternative sputter-depth-profiling techniques such as secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), femtosecond laser ablation (fs-LA), and XPS ion gun were used for the analysis of the CCC in order to evaluate the reduction of Cr⁶⁺ to Cr³⁺ depending on the sputtering mechanism.     

X-Ray Analysis of Multi-Films for Electrochromic Device Application

Multilayer films based on tungsten oxide (WO₃), ITO (indium tin oxide) and CdS were deposited mainly by reactive dc magnetron sputtering onto glass substrates for electrochromic application. The thin films were analyzed by means of XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), GIXD (grazing incidence X-ray diffraction) and XRD (X-ray diffraction). XRD and XPS results confirmed that the films were WO₃, CdS and ITO, respectively. The surface and interface of the CdS/ITO bi-layered film was studied by GIXD in different incidence angles. Detailed results about the amorphous characterization of the films during room temperature growth and post annealing are given.     

磁控溅射制备的铜钒氧化物薄膜及其电化学性能

采用射频磁控溅射技术在硅基底上分别制备了无掺杂和掺杂Cu的氧化钒薄膜. X射线衍射(XRD)分析和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)观察表明, 无掺杂的薄膜为多晶V2O5, 掺杂Cu的薄膜为非晶态. X射线光电子能谱(XPS)分析结果表明, 掺杂Cu的薄膜为铜钒氧化物膜, 其中Cu离子表现为+2价, V离子为+4与+5价的混合价态. 随着Cu掺杂量的增大, +4价V的含量增加. 电化学测试结果表明, V2O5薄膜在掺杂Cu以后其放电容量有显著的提高, 其中Cu2.1VO4.4薄膜在100次循环后容量还保持为83.4 μA·h·cm-2·μm-1, 表现出较高的放电容量和较好的循环性能.     

高度有序氧化钨纳米棒的制备和表征

采用直流磁控溅射法结合阳极氧化法在铝基纳米点阵上制备氧化钨(WO3)纳米棒. 运用原子力学显微镜(AFM), 电子扫描显微镜(SEM), X射线衍射仪(XRD), 电化学工作站(EW)和紫外-可见分光光度计(UV)观察表征了WO3纳米棒的表面形貌、结构、光学性能和电致变色性能. 结果表明: 在溅射过程中, 溅射粒子优先沉积于铝基纳米点阵的凸点上, 然后成核并形成棒状; WO3纳米棒的直径约为200 nm, 与铝基纳米点阵的直径一致, 拥有一定的电致变色性能.     

直流反应磁控溅射制备的Mo掺杂TiO2薄膜的光电特性

通过直流反应磁控溅射制备了不同Mo掺杂量的Mo-TiO2薄膜.用原子力显微镜(AFM)、X射线衍射(XRD)仪、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)仪、紫外-可见(UV-Vis)分光光度计详细研究了Mo掺杂量对薄膜表面形貌、晶体结构、元素价态及吸收带边的影响.用瞬态光电流和循环伏安法考察了不同Mo含量ITO/Mo-TiO2电极的光电特性.结果表明:在TiO2薄膜中掺入的Mo以Mo6+和Mo5+两种价态存在;随着Mo掺杂量的增加,Mo-TiO2薄膜的晶粒尺寸逐渐减小,晶格畸变增大,吸收阈值显著红移;薄膜的禁带宽度先减小后增大,在Mo掺杂量为2.7%(n(Mo)/n(Ti))时禁带宽度最小;Mo掺杂量为0.9%的样品在氙灯下的光生电流最大,且随着所加阳极偏压的提高光生电流并未呈现出饱和的趋势.此后随着掺杂量的提高,薄膜的光生电流开始下降,当Mo掺杂量达到3.6%时,薄膜的光电流小于未掺杂的样品;说明适当浓度的Mo掺杂能够提高Mo-TiO2薄膜光电性能,光生电流最大可达未掺杂的2.4倍.     

Influence of Substrate-Target Distance on Structural and Optical Properties of Ga and (Al + Ga)-doped ZnO Thin Films Deposited by Radio Frequency Sputtering

Ga-doped ZnO and (Ga?+?Al) co-doped ZnO thin films were deposited on glass substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering for three distances d between a substrate–target. The influence of the distance between substrate–target upon structure, microstructure, vibrational properties, and optical band gap of the thin films was analyzed by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman spectroscopy, and optical transmission measurements. The diffraction patterns revealed that the ZnO film crystallites are preferentially oriented with the (002) planes parallel to the substrate surface. AFM images show a smooth and uniform surface as well as a high compact structure. The Raman results reveal that the co-doping with Al?+?Ga introduces 2B₁(low) band and leads to the increase of intensity for longitudinal-optic’s band. In the visible region, the average value of the transmittance was above 80%.     

金红石/锐钛矿混晶结构的TiO2薄膜光催化活性

采用磁控溅射法制备出一组金红石/锐钛矿混晶结构的纳米TiO2薄膜催化剂,并通过光催化降解苯酚实验考察该薄膜的催化性能. 光催化实验证明, 随着催化剂中金红石含量减少, 催化剂的光催化活性逐渐提高. X射线衍射(XRD)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、表面光电压谱(SPS)和原子力显微镜(AFM)结果表明, 催化剂为金红石和锐钛矿混晶结构, 并随着金红石含量减少, 催化剂的表面羟基(OH)和桥氧(—O—)的含量逐渐增加, 而且费米能级逐渐提高. 表面羟基和桥氧是有利于光催化的“活性物种”; 费米能级的提高使TiO2/H2O 面处TiO2的表面带弯增大, 导致了价带光生空穴参加光催化反应的几率增大, 有效地促进了光生载流子的分离; 这些因素是催化剂光催化活性逐渐提高的主要原因.     

Effects of bias voltage on structure and properties of TiAl‐doped a‐C:H films prepared by magnetron sputtering

Hydrogenated TiAl‐doped a‐C:H films were deposited on Si substrates by middle frequency magnetron sputtering TiAl target in argon and methane gas mixture atmosphere. Effects of substrate bias voltage on structure and properties of the films, such as the surface morphology, hardness, chemical nature and bond types, were investigated by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM), XPS, Raman spectroscopy and nanoindentation. The friction and wear behaviors of the deposited films were characterized on an UMT‐2MT tribometer. SEM was utilized to analyze the wear scar on steel balls and debris after sliding on the deposited films under dry friction conditions. The results demonstrated that the film deposited at ? 100 V exhibited low friction coefficient which is attributed to the easier formation of graphitized transfer layer. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Surface characterization of CuSn thin films deposited by RF co‐sputtering method

CuSn thin films were deposited by the radio‐frequency (RF) magnetron co‐sputtering method on Si(100) with Cu and Sn metal targets with various RF powers. The thickness of the films was fixed at 200 ± 10 nm. The synthesized CuSn thin films mainly consisted of Cu₂₀Sn₆ and Cu₃₉Sn₁₁ phases, which was revealed by an X‐ray diffraction (XRD) study. The high‐resolution Cu 2p XPS and Cu LMM Auger electron spectra indicate that metallic Cu oxidized to Cu⁺ and Cu²⁺ as the RF power on Cu target increased. The atomic ratios of Sn⁰ and Sn⁴⁺ decreased, while that of Sn²⁺ increased with increasing RF power on the Cu target. The polar surface free energy (SFE) component has a different tendency in comparison with the total SFE and the dispersive SFE component. The dispersive SFE component was the dominating contributing factor to the total SFE compared with the polar SFE. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structure of sputtered Co-Se thin films prepared for an application in catalysis

Co-Se thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering have shown significant activity for the oxygen reduction reaction. One sample, after sectioning by ultramicrotomy, was studied by high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (HRSTEM) and scanning Auger microscopy (SAM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used for characterizing further samples. These thin films were shown to have Co-Se nanocrystals embedded into Se-rich matrices. The TEM and XRD results were consistent with the nanocrystallites being non-stoichiometric with structures related to those of monoclinic Co_1−xSe (x=0.125-0.25).     

Electron microscopic phase analysis of BN-thin films

A series of BN films was deposited by means of r.f. magnetron sputtering of a h-BN target onto Si(1OO) surfaces. Hereby, the substrate bias voltage was varied. Special interest is focussed to the influence of the deposition parameters on the orientation of the growing hexagonal BN film with respect to the substrate. For structural investigation, cross section samples were prepared. In addition to HRTEM and diffraction investigations, especially electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) was applied successfully for phase identification. For negative bias voltages of U _B =–300 V and U _B =–350V, we found a phase system consisting of a first-grown 25 nm thick layer of hexagonal structure with the c axis parallel to the substrate surface followed by the cubic phase.Dedicated to Professor Dr. rer. nat. Dr. h.c. Hubertus Nickel on the occasion of his 65th birthday     

A comparative studyof heat‐treated Ag:SiO2 nanocomposites synthesized by cosputtering and sol‐gel methods

In this work, we compared formation and properties of heat‐treated Ag nanoparticles in silica matrix synthesized by RF‐reactive magnetron cosputtering and sol–gel methods separately. The sol–gel and sputtered films were annealed at different temperatures in air and in a reduced environment, respectively. The optical UV‐visible spectrophotometry have shown that the absorption peak appears at 456 and 400 nm wavelength indicating formation of silver nanoparticles in SiO₂ matrix for both the sol–gel and sputtering methods at 100 and 800 °C, respectively. XPS measurements showed that the metallic Ag⁰ nanoparticles can be obtained from both the techniques at these temperatures. According to XPS and AFM analysis, by increasing annealing temperature, the concentration of the Ag nanoparticles on the surface decreased and the nanoparticles diffused into the substrate for the sol–gel films, while for the films deposited by cosputtering method, the Ag surface concentration increased by increasing the temperature. Based on AFM observations, the size of nanoparticles on the surface were obtained at about 25 and 55 nm for sputtered and sol–gel films, respectively, supporting our optical data analysis. In comparison, the sputtering technique can produce Ag metallic nanoparticles with a narrower particle size distribution relative to the sol–gel method. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Observation of unusual Griffith’s phase behavior in quadruple perovskite oxide CaCu3Mn4O12 (CCMO) synthesized through chemical route

The CaCu₃Mn₄O₁₂ (CCMO) ceramic was successfully synthesized through the chemical route. The phase formation was confirmed by the X-ray diffraction pattern. Thermogravimetric (TGA), FT-IR, SEM, TEM, EDX, and XPS analysis were performed for investigation of the thermal behavior, phase identification, microstructural analysis, elemental analysis and oxidation state of the CCMO ceramic respectively. FT-IR spectra confirmed the existence of MnO₆ octahedral in body-centered cubic (BCC) complex perovskite oxide that resembles the CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ structure. The average particle size was observed by TEM in the range between 100 and 200 nm. AFM shows the average roughness of the surface was found to be in the range of 30 ± 5 nm. XPS and EDX studies confirmed the purity and oxidation state of the CCMO ceramic. The synthesized material shows very interesting unique Griffith’s phase (T_G) results that arise disorder in magnetic susceptibility in which ferromagnetic transition was to be observed in the paramagnetic region.     

Surface structure and photoluminescence properties of AZO thin films on polymer substrates

Al‐doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films were deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering method at room temperature. The effects of film thickness on the surface structure and the photoluminescence properties of the films were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and room temperature photoluminescence (PL). AFM analysis showed that the surface of all films was extremely flat and uniform at nanoscale. Root mean square (RMS) value of the surface roughness which scanned the surface area of 3 µm by 3 µm and grain size increased with increasing the film thickness. Thus, the surface morphology of the films became rough because of the coarse grains. The depth profile of AZO layers was analyzed by SIMS. It was found that the thickness of the AZO layer is almost same with the desired film thickness. The PL intensity of the dominant peak decreased and shifted slightly towards the shorter wavelengths with increasing the film thickness. According to the relationships between luminescence intensity and crystalline characteristics, it was observed that the intensity of the peak decreased by the increased surface area of the grains. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation of different thin film catalysts by direct current magnetron sputtering for hydrogen generation

In this study, thin films of Co, Ni, Pd, and Pt were prepared on Co ₃ O ₄ support material in pellet form using the direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering method for use as catalysts for hydrogen generation from NaBH ₄ .Characterization of the catalysts was carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). According to cross-sectional SEM images, catalyst thicknesses were observed in the range of approximately 115.3–495.8 nm. The particle sizes were approximately 25.0, 21.4, 33.9, and 9.5 nm for Ni-Co ₃ O ₄ , Co-Co ₃ O ₄ , Pd-Co ₃ O ₄ , and Pt-Co ₃ O ₄ catalysts, respectively. The increase in NaOH initial concentration provides an increase in the rate of hydrogen generation for Co, Ni, and Pd catalysts. A maximum hydrogen generation rate of 1653 mL/g _cat .min was obtained for the Pt-Co ₃ O ₄ catalyst.     

Synthesis of novel hybrid films of a layered silicate and alkylammonium cations on rough polymeric surfaces by Langmuir–Blodgett method

Hybrid films of a layered silicate and an amphiphilic alkylammonium (hexadecyltrimethylammonium) cation have been prepared by Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) method and transferred onto a polyamide surface by dip coating. This is the first time that stable LB hybrid monolayer and multilayer films have been formed on rough polymeric surfaces. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and water contact angle measurements. XRD and FTIR showed that the hybrid multilayer was well-organized and the thickness of one layer was calculated to be 1.6 nm. Furthermore, the layered silicate was determined to be on the substrate side and the amphiphilic molecule layer was exposed to the air side. This provides a novel methodology for the surface modification of polymers.     

The effect of thermal annealing on the microstructure and mechanical properties of magnetron sputtered hydrogenated amorphous carbon films

Hydrogenated amorphous carbon films were deposited by magnetron sputtering of a carbon target in a methane/argon atmosphere. A postdeposition annealing at 300 °C was performed and the microstructure, bonding structure and mechanical properties of the as‐deposited and annealed films were analyzed and compared directly by high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy, micro‐Raman spectroscopy, XPS, and nanoindentation. The results showed that the carbon films are quite stable upon annealing, since there are only minor changes in microstructure and chemical bonding in the amorphous matrix. The hardness of the films remained unaffected, but the elastic properties were somewhat deteriorated. In comparison to the outcomes of our previous work on the growth of fullerene‐like hydrogenated carbon films, we can state that the formation of fullerene‐like carbon structures requires different sputtering process conditions, such as a higher ion energy and/or different sputtering target. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of nitrogen composition on the resistivity of reactively sputtered TaN thin films

Nanocrystalline tantalum nitride (TaN) thin films have been deposited by reactive direct current magnetron sputtering technique on Si/SiO₂ (100) substrate with nitrogen flow rate ranging from 0, 3, 5, 7, 9 to 11 standard cubic centimeter per minute (sccm). Structural properties, surface morphology, chemical composition and and resistivity of the TaN films were investigated by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and four‐point probe measurements, respectively. In the XRD spectra, a classical formation sequence of tantalum nitride phases in the order of Ta‐Ta₂N‐TaN‐Ta₄N₅ and decreasing amount of metallic Ta were observed with increasing nitrogen flow. The electrical resistivity of the TaN film was found to increase with increasing N/Ta ratio as a result of the increased electron scattering from interstitial N atoms. In the XPS analysis, two groups of Ta4f doublets relating to different TaN phases were observed in the core level spectra of TaN films. No strong coupling was observed between the Ta4f doublets and the Ta4p and the N1s groups. The appropriate nitrogen flow was believed to be helpful in the bonding and formation of stoichiometric TaN. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structural properties of lithium thio-germanate thin film electrolytes grown by radio frequency sputtering

In this study, lithium thio-germanate thin film electrolytes have been successfully prepared by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering deposition in Ar gas atmospheres. The targets for RF sputtering were prepared by milling and pressing appropriate amounts of the melt-quenched starting materials in the nLi(2)S + GeS(2) (n = 1, 2, and 3) binary system. Approximately 1 μm thin films were grown on Ni coated Si (Ni/Si) substrates and pressed CsI pellets using 50 W power and 25 mtorr (～3.3 Pa) Ar gas pressures to prepare samples for Raman and Infrared (IR) spectroscopy, respectively. To improve the adhesion between the silicon substrate and the thin film electrolyte, a sputtered Ni layer (～120 nm) was used. The surface morphologies and thickness of the thin films were determined by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The structural properties of the starting materials, target materials, and the grown thin films were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, and IR spectroscopy.     

PtRu合金薄膜结构及其催化性能

采用离子束溅射技术(IBS)在碳纤维布基底上制备PtRu/C合金薄膜作为燃料电池电极催化材料. 应用XPS、XRD、GIXD、AFM等分析手段研究了PtRu薄膜表面的成分、化学状态、表面形貌以及PtRu薄膜的表层、次表层和体相的结构. 结果表明, 在双束离子沉积过程中, 由于溅射产生的Pt+和Ru+之间的相互作用, 使薄膜表面的化学状态和薄膜表层(15-40 nm范围内)结构发生了变化, 并影响PtRu薄膜的催化性能. 当xPt/xRu=0.64时, PtRu薄膜出现Ru固溶体在表层富集, 并在表层诱发形成Pt39Ru61非晶相.