Influence of substrate surface roughness on light scattering of TiO2 optical thin films

Optical thin films are used in many optical elements; however, light scattering can be problematic. We investigate the effect of substrate surface roughness on the light scattering of optical thin films. The substrates are classified according to their surface roughness, from fine to very rough, and coated with a single TiO2 layer or a SiO2/TiO2 multilayer. The light scattering intensity increases as the substrate roughness increases. Scanning electron microscopy reveals that the number of nodules formed in the optical thin films increases with the substrate roughness, which affects the light scattering properties.     

Effect of Substrates on CuInSe2 Nanoparticle Thin Films by Radio Frequency Reactive Sputtering

CuInSe2(CIS) nanoparticle thin films have been prepared by radio frequency reactive magnetron sputtering from compound ternary fan-shaped targets on low-temperature substrates with pure argon gas as the atmosphere.The stoichiometry of the ternary compound semiconductor quantum dots can easily be controlled by the ratios of the ternary elements and sputtering parameters.CIS nanoparticle thin films regularly shaped and distributed reasonably uniform in size on substrates of 7059 glass etc can be grown in this way.The average particle diameter can be varied between 40-80 nm by an appropriate choice of the substrate temperature,power density and total CIS coverage.the optical and electrical properties of the CIS films have also been studied.     

Fabrication of YBCO／YSZ and YBCO／MgO thick films using electrophoretic deposition with top-seeded melt growth process

Superconducting thick films were grown on single crystals MgO and YSZ by electrophoretic deposition with Y_2BaCuO_5(Y211) addition. YBCO thick films were then accomplished by sintering the precursor films above the peritectic temperature. Single crystals of MgO (3×3×0.5 mm^3) were used as top-seed to control crystal structure of the thick films. As shown by scanning electron microscopy, the morphologies of YBCO/YSZ and YBCO/MgO thick films are spherulitic texture and platelet type. The critical temperature is ～89 K for the YBCO/YSZ thick film; the onset transition temperature is 86.4 K and the transition width is ～3 K for YBCO/MgO thick film. The critical current densities (as determined by Bean model) are, in A/cm^2, 3870 (77 K) for YBCO/YSZ thick films and 2399 (77 K) for YBCO/MgO thick films, which are comparable to the best J_c reported of the thick films prepared by the same method.     

Deposition and characterization of YBCO/CeO2/YSZ/CeO2 multilayers on biaxially textured Ni substrates

CeO2/YSZ/CeO2 buffer layers were deposited on biaxially textured Ni substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The influence of the processing parameters on the texture development of the seed layer CeO2 was investigated. Epitaxial films of YBCO were then grown in situ on the CeO2/YSZ （yttria-stabilized ZrO2）/CeO2-buffered Ni substrates. The resulting YBCO conductors exhibited self-fleld critical current density Jc of more than 1 MA/cm^2 at 77K and superconducting transition temperature Tc of about 91K.     

Theoretical study of ZnO adsorption and bonding on Al_2O_3(0001) surface

Sapphire (α-Al2O3) and silicon (Si) are widely applied as the substrates of the highquality ZnO thin films prepared by pulse laser deposition (PLD) and molecule beamepitaxy (MBE) technology. The adhesion, diffusivity, and bonding of the particles on thesubstrates play a significant role in the forming and initial growing of nucleation for filmgrowth, and directly influence the quality of the entire thin films[1]. No sufficient studiesand experiments are available on the surface atomic str…     

PREPARATION OF a-AXIS ORIENTED YBa2Cu3Ox THIN FILMS

The a-axis oriented YBa₂Cu₃O_x(YBCO) thin films could be grown on (100) SrTiO₃(STO) substrates with STO buffer layers by dc and rf magnetron sputtering either by low-ering the deposition temperature, or by using a self-template technique. For the latter, the resistivity of the thin film at 290K along the substrate [001] direction is about four times larger than that in the [010] direction. The zero resistance temperatures T_c0 are 89 K in both directions. So high quality a-axis oriented YBCO thin films can be prepared by the self-template technique. Also the T_c0 increase monotonously with the reduction of the thickness of the YBCO seed layer.     

The Influence of Au-Doping on Morphology and Visible-Light Reflectivity of TiN Thin Films Deposited by Direct-Current Reactive Magnetron Sputtering

Ti, TiN and Au-TiN （Au content： from 0.5%to 7.7%） thin films were deposited on stainless steel substrates by dc reactive magnetron sputtering with a metal Ti target. The crystal structure, surface morphology and visiblelight reflectivity of the films for different film compositions are studied in detail. Distinctly different surface morphologies appear for the Ti, TiN and Au-TiN thin films. It can be observed that the surface morphology of the TiN film is affected by the Au-doping, when the Au content increases from 0% to 7.7%, surface roughness enlarges from 62.4 to 82.8 nm. Moreover, visible-light reflectivity varies significantly with increasing A u contents in the TiN films. However, the rettectivity of the TiN thin film at 550-800 nm is higher than that of the Au-TiN thin film. The present work illustrates the dependence of metal elements on the surface morphology and on the reflectivity of Au-TiN thin films. It is speculated that the addition of Au can suppress the formation and growth of TiN grains so that it changes the surface morphology and the Au-TiN thin film has potential applications in spectral selective coating.     

Optimization of large-area YBa2Cu3O7-δ thin films by pulsed laser deposition for planar microwave devices

This paper presents high quality YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ(YBCO) thin films on LaAlO₃ substrate for microwave devices prepared by pulsed laser deposition(PLD). The double-sided YBCO films cover a large area and have been optimized for key parameters relevant to microwave device applications, such as surface morphology and surface resistance(Rs).This was achieved by improving the target quality and increasing the oxygen pressure during deposition, respectively. To ev...     

Characteristics and properties of metal aluminum thin films prepared by electron cyclotron resonance plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition technology

Metal aluminum (Al) thin films are prepared by 2450 MHz electron cyclotron resonance plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition on glass and p-Si substrates using trimethylaluminum as the precursor and hydrogen as the reductive gas. We focus our attention on the plasma source for the thin-film preparation and annealing of the as-deposited films relative to the surface square resistivity. The square resistivity of as-deposited Al films is greatly reduced after annealing and almost reaches the value of bulk metal. Through chemical and structural analysis, we conclude that the square resistivity is determined by neither the contaminant concentration nor the surface morphology, but by both the crystallinity and crystal size in this process.     

Influences of Pressure and Substrate Temperature on Epitaxial Growth of γ-Mg2SiO4 Thin Films on Si Substrates

An epitsucial γ-Mg2SiO4 thin film can be a good buffer between the Si substrate and some oxide thin films. For high temperature superconducting multilayer structures, hopefully it can be taken as an insulating layer to replace the widely used MgO film. To explore such possibilities, we carry out systematic studies on the influences of pressure and substrate temperature on the epitaxy of γ-Mg2SiO4 thin films grown on Si （100） substrates using rf magnetron sputtering with an Mg target of purity of 99.95 percent. With the substrate temperature kept at 500℃ and the pressure changing from lO Pa to 15 Pa, in the XRD spectra the 7-Mg2SiO4 （400） peak grows drastically while the MgO （200） peak is suppressed. Keeping the pressure at 15Pa and increasing the temperature from 500℃ to 570℃ further can improve the film epitaxy, while working at 780℃ and 11Pa seems to give very good results. X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy and φ scan are used to characterize the stoichiometry, crystallinity, and in-plane growth of the samples.     

White Light Emission from ZnS:Mn Thin Films Deposited on GaN Substrates by Pulsed Laser Deposition

ZnS:Mn thin films are grown on GaN substrates by pulsed laser deposition.The structure,morphology and optical properties are investigated by x-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy and photoluminescence(PL).The obtained ZnS:Mn thin films are grown in preferred orientation along β-ZnS(111) direction corresponding to crystalline structure of cubic phase.The deposition temperature has an obvious effect on the structure,surface morphology and optical properties of ZnS:Mn thin films.PL measurements show that there are two emission bands located at 440 nm and 595 nm when the films are deposited at temperatures from 100℃ to 500℃.The relative integrated intensity of the blue emission and orange-red emission is determined by the deposition conditions.At the proper deposition temperature of 300℃,the color coordinate is closest to(0.33,0.33).The ZnS:Mn films on GaN substrates can exhibit white fight emission.     

Laser-induced voltage effects in Ca3Co4O9 thin films on tilted LaAlO3（001） substrates grown by chemical solution deposition

Laser-induced voltage effects in c-axis oriented Ca3Co4O9 thin films have been studied with samples fabricated on 10 tilted LaAlO3(001) substrates by a simple chemical solution deposition method. An open-circuit voltage with a rise time of about 10 ns and full width at half maximum of about 28 ns is detected when the film surface is irradiated by a 308-nm laser pulse with a duration of 25 ns. Besides, open-circuit voltage signals are also observed when the film surface is irradiated separately by the laser pulses of 532 nm and 1064 nm. The results indicate that Ca3Co4O9 thin films have a great potential application in the wide range photodetctor from the ultraviolet to near infrared regions.     

Influences of Y2O3 dopant content on residual stress,structure, and optical properties of ZrO2 thin films

Four kinds of Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2 （YSZ） thin films with different Y2O3 contents （from 0 to 12 mol%） are deposited on BK7 glass substrates by electron-beam evaporation method. The effects of different Y2O3 dopant contents on residual stress, structure, and optical properties of ZrO2 thin films are investigated. The results show that residual stress in YSZ thin films varies from tensile to compressive with the increase of Y2O3 molar content. The addition of Y2O3 is beneficial to the crystallization of YSZ thin film and transformation from amorphous to high temperature phase, and the refractive index decreases with the increase of Y2O3 molar content. Moreover, the variations of residual stress and the shifts of refractive index correspond to the evolution of structures induced by the addition of Y2O3.     

A study on the microwave responses of YBCO and TBCCO thin films by coplanar resonator technique

YBa₂Cu₃O₇(YBCO) thin films have been prepared by thermal coevaporation on LaAlO₃(LAO) substrates, and Tl₂Ba₂CaCu₂O₈(TBCCO) thin films are synthesized by magnetron sputtering method on LAO substrates. The transition temperature T_c is 90\,K for YBCO/LAO and 104\,K for TBCCO/LAO. Microwave responses of the films are studied systematically by coplanar resonator technique. Energy gaps of the films obtained are {\it\Delta}₀=1.04k_BT_c for YBCO films and ${\it\Delta}_0=0.84k_BT_c for TBCCO films by analysing the temperature dependence of resonant frequencies of coplanar resonator. Penetration depth at 0\,K \lambda ₀=198nm for YBCO films and \lambda₀ =200nm for TBCCO films could also be obtained by using the weak coupling theory and two fluid theory. Results of penetration depth and energy gap confirm the weak coupling properties of the films. In addition, microwave surface resistances R_s of YBCO/LAO and TBCCO/LAO are also investigated by analysing the quality factor and insert loss of the coplanar resonator. Surface resistance of TBCCO/LAO is less than that of YBCO/LAO, so that TBCCO/LAO films may have more potential applications.     

Influence of oxygen treatment and temperature on electrical properties of the epitaxial Nb-doped SrTiO3 films on silicon

We have fabricated the epitaxial Nb-doped SrTiO3(NbSTO) thin films on Si substrates using a TiN film as the buffer layer.The oxygen-treatment and temperature dependence of electrical properties has been investigated.Oxygen treatment showed the surface change of NbSTO films has immense influence on the resistance switching.The resistance ratio of two resistance states decreased after oxygen treatment.With tested-temperature rising,the resistance and resistance ratio of two resistance states increased.The resistance switching of Pt/NbSTO junction as a function of oxygen-treatment and temperature can be explained by the charge trapping and detrapping process in the Pt/NbSTO interface,which will help understand the resistance switching mechanism of oxides.     

Growth of Nanocrystalline Silicon Films by Helicon Wave Plasma Chemical Vapour Deposition

Nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) thin films have been prepared by a helicon-wave plasma chemical vapour deposition technique on glass-Si substrates. The structural properties and the surface morphology are characterized by Raman spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. It is proven that the deposited films have the features of high crystalline fraction and large grain size compared with that in the normal plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition regime. The crystalline fraction of the deposited films varying from 0%to 72% can be obtained by adjusting the substrate temperature.     

Roles of Nano-Domain Switching and Non-180° Domains in Enhancing Local Piezoelectric Responses of Highly (100)-Oriented Pb(Zr_(0.60)Ti_(0.40))O_3 Thin Films

Ferroelectric Pb(Zr_(0.60)Ti_(0.40))O_3 thin films deposited on the niobium-doped SrTiO_3 and Pt(111)/Ti/SiO_2/Si substrates are fabricated by a sol-gel method.X-ray diffraction indicates that the films have a 'cube-on-cube'growth with highly(100)preferred orientation and good surface qualities.Using piezoelectric force microscopy,we investigate domain structures and butterfly amplitude loops of ferroelectric thin fims.The results indicate that the film deposited on Nb:SrTiO_3 has both kinds of 180° polarizations perpendicular or parallel to the surface while the film deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO_2/Si has irregular phase differences.Excellent piezoelectric polarization are observed in the films on niobium-doped SrTiO_3 with local d_(33)~* values around 45 pm/V three times more than that of the films around 13 pm/V deposited on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO2/Si. Our findings emphasize that nanodomain switching ability and non-180° domains will contribute significantly to enhance piezoelectric responses of ferroelectric thin films.     

Tunable Anisotropic Absorption of Ag-Embedded SiO2 Thin Films by Oblique Angle Deposition

Ag-embedded SiO2 thin films are prepared by oblique angle deposition. Through field emission scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, an orientated slanted columnar structure is observed. Energy-dispersive x-ray （EDX） analysis shows the Ag concentration is about 3% in the anisotropic SiO2 matrix. Anisotropic surface plasma resonance （SPR） absorption is observed in the Ag-embedded SiO2 thin films, which is dependent on polarization state and incidence angle of two orthogonal polarized lights and the deposition angle. This means that optical properties and anisotropic SPR absorption can be tunable in Ag-embedded SiO2 thin films. Broadband polarization splitting is also observed and the transmission ratio Tp/Ts between p- and s-polarized lights is up to 2.7 for thin films deposited at a = 70°, which means that Ag-embedded SiO2 thin films are a promising candidate for thin film polarizers.     

PINNING EFFECT OF LEAD LANTHANUM TITANATE THIN FILMS DEPOSITED ON DIFFERENT SUBSTRATES

Pinning effect of lead lanthanum titanate (PLT) ferroelectric thin films with excess PbO of 20 mol% has been studied for deposition on diffe rent substrates. Silicon, sapphire and quartz were used as substrates on which P t/Ti or LaNiO₃ thin films were deposited as bottom electrodes. Electron probe analysis results showed that there was still a certain amount of excess Pb in PLT films after annealing at 550 ℃ for 1 h, and the amount of it was dependent on the substrate used. The distribution of excess Pb in the films was investig ated by Auger electron spectroscopy depth profile. It was shown that the substrates and the bottom electrodes had significant effects on the content and distrib ution of excess Pb in PLT films. The excess Pb and its accumulation at the inter face between the film and bottom electrode may act as pinning centers and have a pinning effect on domains, which can be observed by abnormal P-E hysteresis loops and abnormal C-V curves. The excess Pb content in the films and the accumulation of Pb at the interface were high in PLT films deposited on Pt/Ti/S i, and considerable pinning effect was observed. As LaNiO₃ would absorb most part of the excess Pb in PLT films, the content of excess Pb in the films deposited on LaNiO₃/Si was very low and the pinning effect was hardly observed.     

Micro—structural analysis of YBa2Cu3O7—x thin films grown on different substrates by X—ray techniques

YBa2Cu3Ox(YBCO) thin films grown on different substrates with and/or without Eu2CuO4(ECO) buffer layer were investigated by X-ray wide angle diffraction,reflection,diffuse scattering and topography.Theresults show that for the yttria stabilized ZrO2(YSZ) substrate,the presence of an ECO buffer layer improves the crystalline quality of the YBCO film,while a negative effect is observed for the SrTiO3(STO) substrate.The lateral correlation length for a sample grown on a YSZ substrate with ECO buffer Layer is much greater than grown on an STO subetrate.The STO substrate used has mosaic structure.2001 Elsevier Science B.V.All rights reserved.