Optical characterization of hydrogen-free CeO2 doped DLC films deposited by unbalanced magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Zhenyu; Zhou Hongxiu; Guo Dongming; Gao Hang; Kang Renke

2008-01-01

A novel kind of hydrogen-free CeO 2 doped diamond-like carbon (DLC) films with thickness of 180-200 nm were deposited on silicon by unbalanced magnetron sputtering. Reduced reflectance and increased lifetime are expected with respect to pure DLC films, making these coatings good candidates as optical protective coatings for IR windows and solar cells. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms that CeO 2 is formed within the DLC films. Auger electron spectroscopy exhibits that the C, O, and Ce elements distribute uniformly across the film thickness, and C element diffuses into the Si substrate at the interface between the substrate and film. AFM shows that nanoparticles with diameter of around 50 nm are formed on the surface of deposited films, whose surface roughness is in the range of 1.3-2.3 nm. Raman spectra show the CeO 2 doped DLC films are amorphous DLC films, and both the G frequency and relative intensity ratio I D /I G are higher than those of pure DLC films. The photoluminescence of CeO 2 doped DLC films is obviously more intense than that of a pure DLC film, which indicates a promising potential as optical protective films for solar cells and IR window

Reactive magnetron sputtering of N-doped carbon thin films on quartz glass for transmission photocathode applications

Science.gov (United States)

Balalykin, N. I.; Huran, J.; Nozdrin, M. A.; Feshchenko, A. A.; Kobzev, A. P.; Sasinková, V.; Boháček, P.; Arbet, J.

2018-03-01

N-doped carbon thin films were deposited on a silicon substrate and quartz glass by RF reactive magnetron sputtering using a carbon target and an Ar+N2 gas mixture. During the magnetron sputtering, the substrate holder temperatures was kept at 800 °C. The carbon film thickness on the silicon substrate was about 70 nm, while on the quartz glass it was in the range 15 nm – 60 nm. The elemental concentration in the films was determined by RBS and ERD. Raman spectroscopy was used to evaluate the intensity ratios I D/I G of the D and G peaks of the carbon films. The transmission photocathodes prepared were placed in the hollow-cathode assembly of a Pierce-structure DC gun to produce photoelectrons. The quantum efficiency (QE) was calculated from the laser energy and cathode charge measured. The properties of the transmission photocathodes based on semitransparent N-doped carbon thin films on quartz glass and their potential for application in DC gun technology are discussed.

Influence of the microstructure on the corrosion behavior of magnetron sputter-quenched amorphous metallic alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Thakoor, A. P.; Khanna, S. K.; Williams, R. M.; Landel, R. F.

1983-01-01

The microstructure and corrosion behavior of magnetron sputter deposited amorphous metallic films of (Mo6ORu40)82B18 under varying sputtering atmospheres have been investigated. The microstructural details and topology of the films have been studied by scanning electron microscopy and correlated with the deposition conditions. By reducing the pressure of pure argon gas, the characteristic features of rough surface and columnar growth full of vertical voids can be converted into a mirror-smooth finish with very dense deposits. Films deposited in the presence of O2 or N2 exhibit columnar structure with vertical voids. Film deposited in pure argon at low pressure show remarkably high corrosion resistance due to the formation of a uniform passive surface layer. The influence of the microstructure and surface texture on the corrosion behavior is discussed.

Influence of plasma-generated negative oxygen ion impingement on magnetron sputtered amorphous SiO2 thin films during growth at low temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Macias-Montero, M.; Garcia-Garcia, F. J.; Alvarez, R.; Gil-Rostra, J.; Gonzalez, J. C.; Gonzalez-Elipe, A. R.; Palmero, A.; Cotrino, J.

2012-01-01

Growth of amorphous SiO 2 thin films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering at low temperatures has been studied under different oxygen partial pressure conditions. Film microstructures varied from coalescent vertical column-like to homogeneous compact microstructures, possessing all similar refractive indexes. A discussion on the process responsible for the different microstructures is carried out focusing on the influence of (i) the surface shadowing mechanism, (ii) the positive ion impingement on the film, and (iii) the negative ion impingement. We conclude that only the trend followed by the latter and, in particular, the impingement of O - ions with kinetic energies between 20 and 200 eV, agrees with the resulting microstructural changes. Overall, it is also demonstrated that there are two main microstructuring regimes in the growth of amorphous SiO 2 thin films by magnetron sputtering at low temperatures, controlled by the amount of O 2 in the deposition reactor, which stem from the competition between surface shadowing and ion-induced adatom surface mobility.

Electrical and optical properties of reactive dc magnetron sputtered silver-doped indium oxide thin films: role of oxygen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subrahmanyam, A.; Barik, U.K.

2006-01-01

Silver-doped indium oxide thin films have been prepared on glass and quartz substrates at room temperature (300 K) by a reactive dc magnetron sputtering technique using an alloy target of pure indium and silver (80:20 at. %). During sputtering, the oxygen flow rates are varied in the range 0.00-2.86 sccm keeping the magnetron power constant at 40 W. The resistivity of these films is in the range 10 0 -10 -3 Ωcm and they show a negative temperature coefficient of resistivity. The films exhibit p-type conductivity at an oxygen flow rate of 1.71 sccm. The work function of these silver-indium oxide films has been measured by a Kelvin probe technique. The refractive index of the films (at 632.8 nm) varies in the range 1.13-1.20. Silver doping in indium oxide narrows the band gap of indium oxide (3.75 eV). (orig.)

Electrical and optical properties of reactive dc magnetron sputtered silver-doped indium oxide thin films: role of oxygen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Subrahmanyam, A; Barik, U K [Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Semiconductor Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Chennai (India)

2006-07-15

Silver-doped indium oxide thin films have been prepared on glass and quartz substrates at room temperature (300 K) by a reactive dc magnetron sputtering technique using an alloy target of pure indium and silver (80:20 at. %). During sputtering, the oxygen flow rates are varied in the range 0.00-2.86 sccm keeping the magnetron power constant at 40 W. The resistivity of these films is in the range 10{sup 0}-10{sup -3} {omega}cm and they show a negative temperature coefficient of resistivity. The films exhibit p-type conductivity at an oxygen flow rate of 1.71 sccm. The work function of these silver-indium oxide films has been measured by a Kelvin probe technique. The refractive index of the films (at 632.8 nm) varies in the range 1.13-1.20. Silver doping in indium oxide narrows the band gap of indium oxide (3.75 eV). (orig.)

Comparative study of zinc oxide and aluminum doped zinc oxide transparent thin films grown by direct current magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suchea, M.; Christoulakis, S.; Katsarakis, N.; Kitsopoulos, T.; Kiriakidis, G.

2007-01-01

Pure and aluminum (Al) doped zinc oxide (ZnO and ZAO) thin films have been grown using direct current (dc) magnetron sputtering from pure metallic Zn and ceramic ZnO targets, as well as from Al-doped metallic ZnAl2at.% and ceramic ZnAl2at.%O targets at room temperature (RT). The effects of target composition on the film's surface topology, crystallinity, and optical transmission have been investigated for various oxygen partial pressures in the sputtering atmosphere. It has been shown that Al-doped ZnO films sputtered from either metallic or ceramic targets exhibit different surface morphology than the undoped ZnO films, while their preferential crystalline growth orientation revealed by X-ray diffraction remains always the (002). More significantly, Al-doping leads to a larger increase of the optical transmission and energy gap (E g ) of the metallic than of the ceramic target prepared films

Characteristics of W Doped Nanocrystalline Carbon Films Prepared by Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Yong Seob; Park, Chul Min; Kim, Nam-Hoon; Kim, Jae-Moon

2016-05-01

Nanocrystalline tungsten doped carbon (WC) films were prepared by unbalanced magnetron sputtering. Tungsten was used as the doping material in carbon thin films with the aim of application as a contact strip in an electric railway. The structural, physical, and electrical properties of the fabricated WC films with various DC bias voltages were investigated. The films had a uniform and smooth surface. Hardness and frication characteristics of the films were improved, and the resistivity and sheet resistance decreased with increasing negative DC bias voltage. These results are associated with the nanocrystalline WC phase and sp(2) clusters in carbon networks increased by ion bombardment enhanced with increasing DC bias voltage. Consequently, the increase of sp(2) clusters containing WC nanocrystalline in the carbon films is attributed to the improvement in the physical and electrical properties.

Single-crystal-like GdNdOx thin films on silicon substrates by magnetron sputtering and high-temperature annealing for crystal seed layer application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ziwei Wang

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Single-crystal-like rare earth oxide thin films on silicon (Si substrates were fabricated by magnetron sputtering and high-temperature annealing processes. A 30-nm-thick high-quality GdNdOx (GNO film was deposited using a high-temperature sputtering process at 500°C. A Gd2O3 and Nd2O3 mixture was used as the sputtering target, in which the proportions of Gd2O3 and Nd2O3 were controlled to make the GNO’s lattice parameter match that of the Si substrate. To further improve the quality of the GNO film, a post-deposition annealing process was performed at a temperature of 1000°C. The GNO films exhibited a strong preferred orientation on the Si substrate. In addition, an Al/GNO/Si capacitor was fabricated to evaluate the dielectric constant and leakage current of the GNO films. It was determined that the single-crystal-like GNO films on the Si substrates have potential for use as an insulator layer for semiconductor-on-insulator and semiconductor/insulator multilayer applications.

Combined effect of oxygen deficient point defects and Ni doping in radio frequency magnetron sputtering deposited ZnO thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saha, B., E-mail: biswajit.physics@gmail.com [Thin Film and Nano Science Laboratory, Department of Physics, Jadavpur University, 700 032 Kolkata (India); Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology Agartala, Jirania 799046, Tripura (India); Das, N.S.; Chattopadhyay, K.K. [Thin Film and Nano Science Laboratory, Department of Physics, Jadavpur University, 700 032 Kolkata (India)

2014-07-01

Ni doped ZnO thin films with oxygen deficiency have been synthesized on glass substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique using argon plasma. The combined effect of point defects generated due to oxygen vacancies and Ni doping on the optical and electrical properties of ZnO thin films has been studied in this work. Ni doping concentrations were varied and the structural, optical and electrical properties of the films were studied as a function of doping concentrations. The films were characterized with X-ray diffractometer, UV–Vis–NIR spectrophotometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and electrical conductivity measurements. Oxygen deficient point defects (Schottky defects) made the ZnO thin film highly conducting while incorporation of Ni dopant made it more functional regarding their electrical and optical properties. The films were found to have tunable electrical conductivity with Ni doping concentrations. - Highlights: • ZnO thin films prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique • Synthesis process was stimulated to introduce Schottky-type point defects. • Point defects and external doping of Ni made ZnO thin films more functional. • Point defect induced high electrical conductivity in ZnO thin film. • Significant shift in optical bandgap observed in ZnO with Ni doping concentrations.

Transparent conducting Al-doped ZnO thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering with dc and rf powers applied in combination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minami, Tadatsugu; Ohtani, Yuusuke; Miyata, Toshihiro; Kuboi, Takeshi

2007-01-01

A newly developed Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin-film magnetron-sputtering deposition technique that decreases resistivity, improves resistivity distribution, and produces high-rate depositions has been demonstrated by dc magnetron-sputtering depositions that incorporate rf power (dc+rf-MS), either with or without the introduction of H 2 gas into the deposition chamber. The dc+rf-MS preparations were carried out in a pure Ar or an Ar+H 2 (0%-2%) gas atmosphere at a pressure of 0.4 Pa by adding a rf component (13.56 MHz) to a constant dc power of 80 W. The deposition rate in a dc+rf-MS deposition incorporating a rf power of 150 W was approximately 62 nm/min, an increase from the approximately 35 nm/min observed in dc magnetron sputtering with a dc power of 80 W. A resistivity as low as 3x10 -4 Ω cm and an improved resistivity distribution could be obtained in AZO thin films deposited on substrates at a low temperature of 150 deg. C by dc+rf-MS with the introduction of hydrogen gas with a content of 1.5%. This article describes the effects of adding a rf power component (i.e., dc+rf-MS deposition) as well as introducing H 2 gas into dc magnetron-sputtering preparations of transparent conducting AZO thin films

Low resistivity of Ni–Al co-doped ZnO thin films deposited by DC magnetron sputtering at low sputtering power

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, JongWoo [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, San 30 Jangjeon-dong, Geumjeong-gu, Busan 609-735 (Korea, Republic of); Hui, K.N. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hanyang University, 17 Haengdang-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 133-791 (Korea, Republic of); Hui, K.S., E-mail: kshui@hanyang.ac.kr [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hanyang University, 17 Haengdang-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 133-791 (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Y.R., E-mail: yescho@pusan.ac.kr [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, San 30 Jangjeon-dong, Geumjeong-gu, Busan 609-735 (Korea, Republic of); Chun, Ho-Hwan [Global Core Research Center for Ships and Offshore Plants (GCRC-SOP), Pusan National University, San 30 Jangjeon-dong, Geumjeong-gu, Busan 609-735 (Korea, Republic of)

2014-02-28

Ni–Al co-doped ZnO (NiAl:ZnO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by DC magnetron sputtering in Ar using a single ceramic, spark-plasma-sintered target with 2 wt% Al and 5 wt% Ni. The effects of the sputtering power and gas pressure on the NiAl:ZnO films were studied. The structural, electrical, and optical properties of the films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Hall effect measurements and UV–vis transmission spectroscopy. As the sputtering power and gas pressure increased, the crystallinity, electrical properties and optical band gap of the films were improved. The NiAl:ZnO film deposited at 40 W at 6.0 mTorr had the strongest (0 0 2) XRD peak and the lowest resistivity of approximately 2.19 × 10{sup −3} Ω cm with an optical transmittance of 90%.

Controlled formation of anatase and rutile TiO2 thin films by reactive magnetron sputtering

OpenAIRE

Rafieian Boroujeni, Damon; Ogieglo, Wojciech; Savenije, Tom; Lammertink, Rob G.H.

2015-01-01

We discuss the formation of TiO2 thin films via DC reactive magnetron sputtering. The oxygen concentration during sputtering proved to be a crucial parameter with respect to the final film structure and properties. The initial deposition provided amorphous films that crystallise upon annealing to anatase or rutile, depending on the initial sputtering conditions. Substoichiometric films (TiOx

Controlled formation of anatase and rutile TiO2 thin films by reactive magnetron sputtering

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rafieian Boroujeni, Damon; Ogieglo, Wojciech; Savenije, Tom; Lammertink, Rob G.H.

2015-01-01

We discuss the formation of TiO2 thin films via DC reactive magnetron sputtering. The oxygen concentration during sputtering proved to be a crucial parameter with respect to the final film structure and properties. The initial deposition provided amorphous films that crystallise upon annealing to

Single-crystal-like GdNdO{sub x} thin films on silicon substrates by magnetron sputtering and high-temperature annealing for crystal seed layer application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Ziwei; Xiao, Lei; Liang, Renrong, E-mail: wang-j@tsinghua.edu.cn, E-mail: liangrr@tsinghua.edu.cn; Shen, Shanshan; Xu, Jun; Wang, Jing, E-mail: wang-j@tsinghua.edu.cn, E-mail: liangrr@tsinghua.edu.cn [Tsinghua National Laboratory for Information Science and Technology, Institute of Microelectronics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

2016-06-15

Single-crystal-like rare earth oxide thin films on silicon (Si) substrates were fabricated by magnetron sputtering and high-temperature annealing processes. A 30-nm-thick high-quality GdNdO{sub x} (GNO) film was deposited using a high-temperature sputtering process at 500°C. A Gd{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Nd{sub 2}O{sub 3} mixture was used as the sputtering target, in which the proportions of Gd{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Nd{sub 2}O{sub 3} were controlled to make the GNO’s lattice parameter match that of the Si substrate. To further improve the quality of the GNO film, a post-deposition annealing process was performed at a temperature of 1000°C. The GNO films exhibited a strong preferred orientation on the Si substrate. In addition, an Al/GNO/Si capacitor was fabricated to evaluate the dielectric constant and leakage current of the GNO films. It was determined that the single-crystal-like GNO films on the Si substrates have potential for use as an insulator layer for semiconductor-on-insulator and semiconductor/insulator multilayer applications.

Magnetron co-sputtering system for coating ICF targets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsieh, E.J.; Meyer, S.F.; Halsey, W.G.; Jameson, G.T.; Wittmayer, F.J.

1981-01-01

Fabrication of Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) targets requires deposition of various types of coatings on microspheres. The mechanical strength, and surface finish of the coatings are of concern in ICF experiments. The tensile strength of coatings can be controlled through grain refinement, selective doping and alloy formation. We have constructed a magnetron co-sputtering system to produce variable density profile coatings with high tensile strength on microspheres

Setup for in situ X-ray diffraction studies of thin film growth by magnetron sputtering

CERN Document Server

Ellmer, K; Weiss, V; Rossner, H

2001-01-01

A novel method is described for the in situ-investigation of nucleation and growth of thin films during magnetron sputtering. Energy dispersive X-ray diffraction with synchrotron light is used for the structural analysis during film growth. An in situ-magnetron sputtering chamber was constructed and installed at a synchrotron radiation beam line with a bending magnet. The white synchrotron light (1-70 keV) passes the sputtering chamber through Kapton windows and hits one of the substrates on a four-fold sample holder. The diffracted beam, observed under a fixed diffraction angle between 3 deg. and 10 deg., is energy analyzed by a high purity Ge-detector. The in situ-EDXRD setup is demonstrated for the growth of tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) films prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering from a metallic target.

Synthesis of Antimony Doped Amorphous Carbon Films

Science.gov (United States)

Okuyama, H.; Takashima, M.; Akasaka, H.; Ohtake, N.

2013-06-01

We report the effects of antimony (Sb) doping on the electrical and optical properties of amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films grown on silicon and copper substrates by magnetron sputtering deposition. For film deposition, the mixture targets fabricated from carbon and antimony powders was used. The atomic concentration of carbon, hydrogen, and antimony, in the film deposited from the 1.0 mol% Sb containing target were 81, 17, 2 at.%, respectively. These elements were homogeneously distributed in the film. On the structural effect, the average continuous sp2 carbon bonding networks decreased with Sb concentration increasing, and defects in the films were increased with the Sb incorporation because atomic radius of Sb atoms is twice larger size than that of carbon. The optical gap and the electrical resistivity were carried out before and after the Sb doping. The results show that optical gap dropped from 3.15 to 3.04 eV corresponding to non-doping to Sb-doping conditions, respectively. The electrical resistivity reduced from 10.5 to 1.0 MΩm by the Sb doping. These results suggest the doping level was newly formed in the forbidden band.

Synthesis of Antimony Doped Amorphous Carbon Films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okuyama, H; Takashima, M; Akasaka, H; Ohtake, N

2013-01-01

We report the effects of antimony (Sb) doping on the electrical and optical properties of amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films grown on silicon and copper substrates by magnetron sputtering deposition. For film deposition, the mixture targets fabricated from carbon and antimony powders was used. The atomic concentration of carbon, hydrogen, and antimony, in the film deposited from the 1.0 mol% Sb containing target were 81, 17, 2 at.%, respectively. These elements were homogeneously distributed in the film. On the structural effect, the average continuous sp 2 carbon bonding networks decreased with Sb concentration increasing, and defects in the films were increased with the Sb incorporation because atomic radius of Sb atoms is twice larger size than that of carbon. The optical gap and the electrical resistivity were carried out before and after the Sb doping. The results show that optical gap dropped from 3.15 to 3.04 eV corresponding to non-doping to Sb-doping conditions, respectively. The electrical resistivity reduced from 10.5 to 1.0 MΩm by the Sb doping. These results suggest the doping level was newly formed in the forbidden band.

Pulsed dc self-sustained magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiatrowski, A.; Posadowski, W. M.; Radzimski, Z. J.

2008-01-01

The magnetron sputtering has become one of the commonly used techniques for industrial deposition of thin films and coatings due to its simplicity and reliability. At standard magnetron sputtering conditions (argon pressure of ∼0.5 Pa) inert gas particles (necessary to sustain discharge) are often entrapped in the deposited films. Inert gas contamination can be eliminated during the self-sustained magnetron sputtering (SSS) process, where the presence of the inert gas is not a necessary requirement. Moreover the SSS process that is possible due to the high degree of ionization of the sputtered material also gives a unique condition during the transport of sputtered particles to the substrate. So far it has been shown that the self-sustained mode of magnetron operation can be obtained using dc powering (dc-SSS) only. The main disadvantage of the dc-SSS process is its instability related to random arc formation. In such case the discharge has to be temporarily extinguished to prevent damaging both the magnetron source and power supply. The authors postulate that pulsed powering could protect the SSS process against arcs, similarly to reactive pulsed magnetron deposition processes of insulating thin films. To put this concept into practice, (i) the high enough plasma density has to be achieved and (ii) the type of pulsed powering has to be chosen taking plasma dynamics into account. In this article results of pulsed dc self-sustained magnetron sputtering (pulsed dc-SSS) are presented. The planar magnetron equipped with a 50 mm diameter and 6 mm thick copper target was used during the experiments. The maximum target power was about 11 kW, which corresponded to the target power density of ∼560 W/cm 2 . The magnetron operation was investigated as a function of pulse frequency (20-100 kHz) and pulse duty factor (50%-90%). The discharge (argon) extinction pressure level was determined for these conditions. The plasma emission spectra (400-410 nm range) and deposition

Growth and characterization of a-axis oriented Cr-doped AlN films by DC magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Panda, Padmalochan; Ramaseshan, R., E-mail: seshan@igcar.gov.in; Dash, S. [Materials Science Group, IGCAR, Kalpakkam, 603102 (India); Krishna, Nanda Gopala [Corrosion Science and Technology Group, IGCAR, Kalpakkam, 603102 (India)

2016-05-23

Wurtzite type Cr-doped AlN thin films were grown on Si (100) substrates using DC reactive magnetron sputtering with a function of N{sub 2} concentration (15 to 25%). Evolution of crystal structure of these films was studied by GIXRD where a-axis preferred orientation was observed. The electronic binding energy and concentration of Cr in these films were estimated by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). We have observed indentation hardness (H{sub IT}) of around 28.2 GPa for a nitrogen concentration of 25%.

Advanced TiC/a-C : H nanocomposite coatings deposited by magnetron sputtering

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pei, Y.T.; Galvan, D.; Hosson, J.Th.M. De; Strondl, C.

2006-01-01

TiC/a-C:H nanocomposite coatings have been deposited by magnetron Sputtering. They consist of 2-5 nm TiC nanocrystallites embedded in the amorphous hydrocarbon (a-C:H) matrix. A transition from a Columnar to a glassy microstructure has been observed in the nanocomposite coatings with increasing

RF power dependent formation of amorphous MoO3-x nanorods by RF magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Navas, I.; Vinodkumar, R.; Detty, A.P.; Mahadevan Pillai, V.P.

2009-01-01

Full text: The fabrication of nanorods has received increasing attention for their unique physical and chemical properties and a wide range of potential applications such as photonics and nanoelectronics Molybdenum oxide nanorods with high activity can be used in a wide variety of applications such as cathodes in rechargeable batteries, field emission devices, solid lubricants, superconductors thermoelectric materials, and electrochromic devices. In this paper, amorphous MoO 3-x nanorods can find excellent applications in electrochromic and gas sensing have been successfully prepared by varying the R F power in R F Magnetron Sputtering system without heating the substrate; other parameters which are optimised in our earlier studies. We have found that the optimum RF power for nanorod formation is 200W. At a moderate RF power (200W), sputtering redeposition takes places constructively which leads to formation of fine nanorods. Large RF power creates high energetic ion bombardment on the grains surfaces which can lead to re-nucleation, so the grains become smaller and columnar growth is interrupted. Beyond the RF power 200W, the etching effect of the plasma became more severe and damaged the surface of the nanorods. All the molybdenum oxide films prepared are amorphous; the XRD patterns exhibit no characteristic peak corresponds to MoO 3 . The amorphous nature is preferred for good electrochromic colouration The spectroscopic properties of the nanorods have been investigated systematically using atomic force microscopy, x-ray diffraction, micro-Raman, UV-visible and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The films exhibit two emission bands; a near band edge UV emission and a defect related deep level visible emission

Electrical and Optical Properties of Fluorine Doped Tin Oxide Thin Films Prepared by Magnetron Sputtering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ziad Y. Banyamin

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO coatings have been prepared using the mid-frequency pulsed DC closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering technique in an Ar/O2 atmosphere using blends of tin oxide and tin fluoride powder formed into targets. FTO coatings were deposited with a thickness of 400 nm on glass substrates. No post-deposition annealing treatments were carried out. The effects of the chemical composition on the structural (phase, grain size, optical (transmission, optical band-gap and electrical (resistivity, charge carrier, mobility properties of the thin films were investigated. Depositing FTO by magnetron sputtering is an environmentally friendly technique and the use of loosely packed blended powder targets gives an efficient means of screening candidate compositions, which also provides a low cost operation. The best film characteristics were achieved using a mass ratio of 12% SnF2 to 88% SnO2 in the target. The thin film produced was polycrystalline with a tetragonal crystal structure. The optimized conditions resulted in a thin film with average visible transmittance of 83% and optical band-gap of 3.80 eV, resistivity of 6.71 × 10−3 Ω·cm, a carrier concentration (Nd of 1.46 × 1020 cm−3 and a mobility of 15 cm2/Vs.

Changes in the structural and electrical properties of vacuum post-annealed tungsten- and titanium-doped indium oxide films deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yan, L.T.; Schropp, R.E.I.

2011-01-01

Tungsten- and titanium-doped indium oxide (IWO and ITiO) filmswere deposited at room temperature by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering, and vacuum post-annealing was used to improve the electron mobility. With increasing deposition power, the as deposited films showed an increasingly

Thermal conductivity of sputtered amorphous Ge films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhan, Tianzhuo; Xu, Yibin; Goto, Masahiro; Tanaka, Yoshihisa; Kato, Ryozo; Sasaki, Michiko; Kagawa, Yutaka

2014-01-01

We measured the thermal conductivity of amorphous Ge films prepared by magnetron sputtering. The thermal conductivity was significantly higher than the value predicted by the minimum thermal conductivity model and increased with deposition temperature. We found that variations in sound velocity and Ge film density were not the main factors in the high thermal conductivity. Fast Fourier transform patterns of transmission electron micrographs revealed that short-range order in the Ge films was responsible for their high thermal conductivity. The results provide experimental evidences to understand the underlying nature of the variation of phonon mean free path in amorphous solids

Silicon and aluminum doping effects on the microstructure and properties of polymeric amorphous carbon films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Xiaoqiang, E-mail: lxq_suse@sina.com [Material Corrosion and Protection Key Laboratory of Sichuan province, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong 643000 (China); Hao, Junying, E-mail: jyhao@licp.cas.cn [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Xie, Yuntao [Material Corrosion and Protection Key Laboratory of Sichuan province, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong 643000 (China)

2016-08-30

Highlights: • Evolution of nanostructure and properties of the polymeric amorphous carbon films were firstly studied. • Si doping enhanced polymerization of the hydrocarbon chains and Al doping resulted in increase in the ordered carbon clusters of polymeric amorphous carbon films. • Soft polymeric amorphous carbon films exhibited an unconventional frictional behaviors with a superior wear resistance. • The mechanical and vacuum tribological properties of the polymeric amorphous carbon films were significantly improved by Si and Al co-doping. - Abstract: Polymeric amorphous carbon films were prepared by radio frequency (R.F. 13.56 MHz) magnetron sputtering deposition. The microstructure evolution of the deposited polymeric films induced by silicon (Si) and aluminum(Al) doping were scrutinized through infrared spectroscopy, multi-wavelength Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The comparative results show that Si doping can enhance polymerization and Al doping results in an increase in the ordered carbon clusters. Si and Al co-doping into polymeric films leads to the formation of an unusual dual nanostructure consisting of cross-linked polymer-like hydrocarbon chains and fullerene-like carbon clusters. The super-high elasticity and super-low friction coefficients (<0.002) under a high vacuum were obtained through Si and Al co-doping into the films. Unconventionally, the co-doped polymeric films exhibited a superior wear resistance even though they were very soft. The relationship between the microstructure and properties of the polymeric amorphous carbon films with different elements doping are also discussed in detail.

Reactive dual magnetron sputtering for large area application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Struempfel, J.

2002-01-01

Production lines for large area coating demand high productivity of reactive magnetron sputtering processes. Increased dynamic deposition rates for oxides and nitrides were already obtained by using of highly powered magnetrons in combination with advanced sputter techniques. However, besides high deposition rates the uniformity of such coatings has to be carefully considered. First the basics of reactive sputtering processes and dual magnetron sputtering are summarized. Different methods for process stabilization and control are commonly used for reactive sputtering. The Plasma Emission Monitor (PE M) offers the prerequisite for fast acting process control derived from the in-situ intensity measurements of a spectral line of the sputtered target material. Combined by multiple Plasma Emission Monitor control loops segmented gas manifolds are able to provide excellent thin film uniformity at high deposition rates. The Dual Magnetron allows a broad range of processing by different power supply modes. Medium frequency, DC and pulsed DC power supplies can be used for high quality layers. Whereas the large area coating of highly isolating layers like TiO 2 or SiO 2 is dominated by MF sputtering best results for coating with transparent conductive oxides are obtained by dual DC powering of the dual magnetron arrangement. (Author)

Controlled formation of anatase and rutile TiO₂ thin films by reactive magnetron sputtering

OpenAIRE

Rafieian, Damon; Ogieglo, Wojciech; Savenije, T.J.; Lammertink, Rob G H

2015-01-01

We discuss the formation of TiO2 thin films via DC reactive magnetron sputtering. The oxygen concentration during sputtering proved to be a crucial parameter with respect to the final film structure and properties. The initial deposition provided amorphous films that crystallise upon annealing to anatase or rutile, depending on the initial sputtering conditions. Substoichiometric films (TiOx), obtained by sputtering at relatively low oxygen concentration, formed rutile upon annealing in air, ...

Arsenic doped p-type zinc oxide films grown by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan, J. C.; Zhu, C. Y.; Fung, S.; To, C. K.; Yang, B.; Beling, C. D.; Ling, C. C.; Zhong, Y. C.; Wong, K. S.; Xie, Z.; Brauer, G.; Skorupa, W.; Anwand, W.

2009-01-01

As-doped ZnO films were grown by the radio frequency magnetron sputtering method. As the substrate temperature during growth was raised above ∼400 deg. C, the films changed from n type to p type. Hole concentration and mobility of ∼6x10 17 cm -3 and ∼6 cm 2 V -1 s -1 were achieved. The ZnO films were studied by secondary ion mass spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), low temperature photoluminescence (PL), and positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS). The results were consistent with the As Zn -2V Zn shallow acceptor model proposed by Limpijumnong et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 155504 (2004)]. The results of the XPS, PL, PAS, and thermal studies lead us to suggest a comprehensive picture of the As-related shallow acceptor formation.

Arsenic doped p-type zinc oxide films grown by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, J. C.; Zhu, C. Y.; Fung, S.; Zhong, Y. C.; Wong, K. S.; Xie, Z.; Brauer, G.; Anwand, W.; Skorupa, W.; To, C. K.; Yang, B.; Beling, C. D.; Ling, C. C.

2009-10-01

As-doped ZnO films were grown by the radio frequency magnetron sputtering method. As the substrate temperature during growth was raised above ˜400 °C, the films changed from n type to p type. Hole concentration and mobility of ˜6×1017 cm-3 and ˜6 cm2 V-1 s-1 were achieved. The ZnO films were studied by secondary ion mass spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), low temperature photoluminescence (PL), and positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS). The results were consistent with the AsZn-2VZn shallow acceptor model proposed by Limpijumnong et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 155504 (2004)]. The results of the XPS, PL, PAS, and thermal studies lead us to suggest a comprehensive picture of the As-related shallow acceptor formation.

Influence of post-hydrogenation upon electrical, optical and structural properties of hydrogen-less sputter-deposited amorphous silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gerke, S., E-mail: sebastian.gerke@uni-konstanz.de [Department of Physics, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, 78457 (Germany); Becker, H.-W.; Rogalla, D. [RUBION — Central Unit for Ion Beams and Radioisotopes, University of Bochum, Bochum, 44780 (Germany); Singer, F.; Brinkmann, N.; Fritz, S.; Hammud, A.; Keller, P.; Skorka, D.; Sommer, D. [Department of Physics, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, 78457 (Germany); Weiß, C. [Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, Heidenhofstraße 2, 79110 Freiburg (Germany); Flege, S. [Department of Materials Science, TU Darmstadt, Darmstadt 64287 (Germany); Hahn, G. [Department of Physics, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, 78457 (Germany); Job, R. [Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Münster University of Applied Sciences, Steinfurt 48565 (Germany); Terheiden, B. [Department of Physics, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, 78457 (Germany)

2016-01-01

Amorphous silicon (a-Si) is common in the production of technical devices and can be deposited by several techniques. In this study intrinsic and doped, hydrogen-less amorphous silicon films are RF magnetron sputter deposited and post-hydrogenated in a remote hydrogen plasma reactor at a temperature of 370 °C. Secondary ion mass spectrometry of a boron doped (p) a-Si layer shows that the concentration of dopants in the sputtered layer becomes the same as present in the sputter-target. Improved surface passivation of phosphorous doped 5 Ω cm, FZ, (n) c-Si can be achieved by post-hydrogenation yielding a minority carrier lifetime of ~ 360 μs finding an optimum for ~ 40 nm thin films, deposited at 325 °C. This relatively low minority carrier lifetime indicates high disorder of the hydrogen-less sputter deposited amorphous network. Post-hydrogenation leads to a decrease of the number of localized states within the band gap. Optical band gaps (Taucs gab as well as E{sub 04}) can be determined to ~ 1.88 eV after post-hydrogenation. High resolution transmission electron microscopy and optical Raman investigations show that the sputtered layers are amorphous and stay like this during post-hydrogenation. As a consequence of the missing hydrogen during deposition, sputtered a-Si forms a rough surface compared to CVD a-Si. Atomic force microscopy points out that the roughness decreases by up to 25% during post-hydrogenation. Nuclear resonant reaction analysis permits the investigation of hydrogen depth profiles and allows determining the diffusion coefficients of several post-hydrogenated samples from of a model developed within this work. A dependency of diffusion coefficients on the duration of post-hydrogenation indicates trapping diffusion as the main diffusion mechanism. Additional Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements show that hardly any interstitial hydrogen exists in the post-hydrogenated a-Si layers. The results of this study open the way for

Arc-discharge and magnetron sputtering combined equipment for nanocomposite coating deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koval, N.N.; Borisov, D.P.; Savostikov, V.M.

2005-01-01

its initiation and discharge current) or chemical phase composition and properties of coatings. By now, on the basis of arc discharge plasma assistance, nanocomposite coatings of doped titanium nitride with microhardness of 50 GPa (0.2 N load at 1 mm coating thickness). It has been also established that further application of arc gas discharge plasma at magnetron sputtering provides: - Actual control on operating pressure parameters and magnetron discharge current value, i.e. sputtering rate of coating material; - Cleaning and surface activation of a material prior to coating deposition, providing its good adhesion even at low temperature values (∼ 200 o C); - Control on chemical phase composition of deposited coatings and, correspondingly, their physical properties, in particular, increasing microhardness of coatings over 10 GPa. (author)

Development of natively textured surface hydrogenated Ga-doped ZnO-TCO thin films for solar cells via magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Fei; Chen, Xin-liang; Geng, Xin-hua; Zhang, De-kun; Wei, Chang-chun; Huang, Qian; Zhang, Xiao-dan; Zhao, Ying

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Natively textured surface hydrogenated gallium-doped zinc oxide (HGZO) thin films have been deposited via magnetron sputtering on glass substrates. ► The directly deposited HGZO thin films present rough crater-type surface morphology. ► Typical HGZO thin film exhibits a high electron mobility of 41.3 cm 2 /V s and a relative low sheet resistance of ∼7.0 Ω. ► These HGZO thin films have high optical transmittances in the visible and near infrared region (∼380–1100 nm). ► A gradient H 2 growth method for fabricating HGZO thin films has been proposed in magnetron sputtering process. - Abstract: The main purposes are to obtain high quality transparent conductive oxide (TCO) based on zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films with high optical transparency in the visible and near infrared spectral range, high electrical conductivity and good light-scattering capability to enhance the path of the light inside the Si-based thin film solar cells. Natively textured surface hydrogenated gallium-doped ZnO (HGZO) thin films have been deposited via pulsed direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering on glass substrates at a substrate temperature of 553 K. These natively textured HGZO thin films exhibit high optical transmittance (over 80%) in the visible and near infrared region (λ = 380–1100 nm) and excellent electrical properties. The optimized HGZO thin film with crater-type textured surface obtained at the hydrogen flow rate of ∼2.0 sccm exhibits a high electron mobility of 41.3 cm 2 /V s and a relatively low sheet resistance of ∼7.0 Ω. The influences of hydrogen flow rates on the surface morphology, electrical and optical properties of HGZO thin films were investigated in detail. In addition, we put forward a method of gradient H 2 growth technique for fabricating HGZO thin films so as to obtain rough surface structure with good light-scattering capability and high electrical conductivity. “Crater-like” surface feature size and optical transmittance

Ultraviolet emitting (Y1-xGd x)2O3-δ thin films deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering; structure-property-thin film processing relationships

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fowlkes, J.D.; Fitz-Gerald, J.M.; Rack, P.D.

2007-01-01

The effects that the oxygen partial pressure, substrate temperature and annealing temperature have on the cathodoluminescence (CL) efficiency of radio frequency magnetron sputter deposited Gd-doped Y 2 O 3 thin films is investigated. Furthermore these sputtering parameters are correlated to the degree of crystallinity, the phases present (cubic (α) versus monoclinic (β) Y 2 O 3 ), and the stoichiometry of the thin films. Films deposited at room temperature (RT) did not CL, however, the films were activated by a post-deposition anneal at 1273 K for 6 h. Films deposited at 873 K had a very low CL efficiency which was significantly enhanced by a post-deposition anneal. For RT deposited films the external CL efficiency increased with increasing oxygen partial pressure for the range studied, however the opposite trend was observed for the 873 K deposited films. Examination of the morphology and grain size of the high temperature deposited films revealed that the average grain size increased with decreasing partial pressure and the observed increase in the external CL efficiency was attributed to enhanced anomalous diffraction. An intrinsic CL efficiency term was determined to circumvent the effects of the enhanced anomalous diffraction, and the CL efficiency was correlated to the integrated intensity of the (222) of the cubic α-Y 2 O 3 phase

RF Magnetron Sputtering Coating Of Hydroxyapatite On Alkali Solution Treated Titanate Nanorods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee K.

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Hydroxyapatite (HA is a material with outstanding biocompatibility. It is chemically similar to natural bone tissue, and has therefore been favored for use as a coating material for dental and orthopedic implants. In this study, RF magnetron sputtering was applied for HA coating. And Alkali treatment was performed in a 5 M NaOH solution at 60°C. The coated HA thin film was heat-treated at a range of temperatures from 300 to 600°C. The morphological characterization and crystal structures of the coated specimens were then obtained via FE-SEM, XRD, and FT-IR. The amorphous thin film obtained on hydrothermally treated nanorods transformed into a crystalline thin film after the heat treatment. The change in the phase transformation, with an enhanced crystallinity, showed a reduced wettability. The hydrothermally treated nanorods with an amorphous thin film, on the other hand, showed an outstanding wettability. The HA thin film perpendicularly coated the nanorods in the upper and inner parts via RF magnetron sputtering, and the FT-IR results confirmed that the molecular bonding of the coated film had an HA structure.

Properties of Erbium Doped Hydrogenated Amorphous Carbon Layers Fabricated by Sputtering and Plasma Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Prajzler

2008-01-01

Full Text Available We report about properties of carbon layers doped with Er3+ ions fabricated by Plasma Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition (PACVD and by sputtering on silicon or glass substrates. The structure of the samples was characterized by X-ray diffraction and their composition was determined by Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy and Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis. The Absorbance spectrum was taken in the spectral range from 400 nm to 600 nm. Photoluminescence spectra were obtained using two types of Ar laser (λex=514.5 nm, lex=488 nm and also using a semiconductor laser (λex=980 nm. Samples fabricated by magnetron sputtering exhibited typical emission at 1530 nm when pumped at 514.5 nm. 

Indium zinc oxide films deposited on PET by LF magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Eun Lyoung; Jung, Sang Kooun; Sohn, Sang Ho; Park, Duck Kyu

2007-01-01

Indium zinc oxide (IZO) has attracted much attention recently for use in transparent oxide films compared with the ITO film. We carried out the deposition of IZO on a polyethylene terapthalate (PET) substrate at room temperature by a low-frequency (LF) magnetron sputtering system. These films have amorphous structures with excellent electrical stability, surface uniformity and high optical transmittance. The effects of LF applied voltage and O 2 flow rate were investigated. The electrical and optical properties were studied. At optimal deposition conditions, thin films of IZO with a sheet resistance of 32 Ω/sq and an optical transmittance of over 80% in the visible spectrum range were achieved. The IZO thin films fabricated by this method do not require substrate heating during the film preparation of any additional post-deposition annealing treatment. The experimental results show that films with good qualities of surface morphology, transmittance and electrical conduction can be grown by the LF magnetron sputtering method on PET which is recommendable

Studies on the electrical properties of reactive DC magnetron-sputtered indium-doped silver oxide thin films: The role of oxygen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Subrahmanyam, A [Semiconductor Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036 (India); Barik, Ullash Kumar [Semiconductor Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036 (India)

2007-03-15

Indium ({approx}10 at.%)-doped silver oxide (AIO) thin films have been prepared on glass substrates at room temperature (300 K) by reactive DC magnetron sputtering technique using an alloy target made of pure (99.99%) silver and indium (90:10 at.%) metals. The oxygen flow rates have been varied in the range 0.00-3.44 sccm during sputtering. The X-ray diffraction data on these indium-doped silver oxide films show polycrystalline nature. With increasing oxygen flow rate, the carrier concentration, the Hall mobility and the electron mean free path decrease. These films show a very low positive temperature coefficient of resistivity {approx}3.40x10{sup -8} ohm-cm/K. The work function values for these films (measured by Kelvin probe technique) are in the range 4.81-5.07 eV. The high electrical resistivity indicate that the films are in the island state (size effects). Calculations of the partial ionic charge (by Sanderson's theory) show that indium doping in silver oxide thin films enhance the ionicity.

Studies on the electrical properties of reactive DC magnetron-sputtered indium-doped silver oxide thin films: The role of oxygen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subrahmanyam, A.; Barik, Ullash Kumar

2007-01-01

Indium (∼10 at.%)-doped silver oxide (AIO) thin films have been prepared on glass substrates at room temperature (300 K) by reactive DC magnetron sputtering technique using an alloy target made of pure (99.99%) silver and indium (90:10 at.%) metals. The oxygen flow rates have been varied in the range 0.00-3.44 sccm during sputtering. The X-ray diffraction data on these indium-doped silver oxide films show polycrystalline nature. With increasing oxygen flow rate, the carrier concentration, the Hall mobility and the electron mean free path decrease. These films show a very low positive temperature coefficient of resistivity ∼3.40x10 -8 ohm-cm/K. The work function values for these films (measured by Kelvin probe technique) are in the range 4.81-5.07 eV. The high electrical resistivity indicate that the films are in the island state (size effects). Calculations of the partial ionic charge (by Sanderson's theory) show that indium doping in silver oxide thin films enhance the ionicity

Characterization of Al-Doped ZnO Transparent Conducting Thin Film Prepared by Off-Axis Magnetron Sputtering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sin-Liang Ou

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The off-axis sputtering technique was used to deposit Al-doped ZnO (AZO films on glass substrates at room temperature. For the illustration of the sample position in the sputtering chamber, the value of R/r is introduced. Here, r is the radius of AZO target and R is the distance between the sample and the center of substrate holder. A systematic study for the effect of deposition parameters on structural, optical, and electrical properties of AZO films has been investigated in detail. As the sample position of R/r is fixed at 1.8, it is found that the as-deposited AZO film has relatively low resistivity of 2.67 × 10−3 Ω-cm and high transmittance above 80% in the visible region. Additionally, after rapid thermal annealing (RTA at 600°C with N2 atmosphere, the resistivity of this AZO film can be further reduced to 1.19 × 10−3 Ω-cm. This indicates the AZO films prepared by off-axis magnetron sputtering and treated via the appropriate RTA process have great potential in optoelectronic applications.

Effect of Si/Fe ratio on the boron and phosphorus doping efficiency of β-FeSi2 by magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Jiaxiong; Yao Ruohe

2011-01-01

Boron-doped or phosphorus-doped β-FeSi 2 thin films have been prepared on silicon substrate by magnetron sputtering. Effects of Si/Fe ratio on the boron and phosphorus doping efficiencies have been studied from the resistivities of doped β-FeSi 2 thin films and current-voltage characteristics of doped β-FeSi 2 /Si heterojunctions. The experimental results reveal that the carrier concentration and doping efficiency of boron or phosphorus dopants at the Fe-rich side are higher than that at the Si-rich side. The effect of Si/Fe ratio can be deduced from the comparison of the formation energies under two extreme conditions. At the Fe-rich limit condition, the formation energy of boron or phosphorous doping is lower than that at the Si-rich condition. Therefore, the activation of impurities is more effective at the Fe-rich side. These results demonstrate that the boron-doped and phosphorous-doped β-FeSi 2 thin films should be kept at the Fe-rich side to avoid the unexpected doping sites and low doping efficiency.

Dielectric properties of DC reactive magnetron sputtered Al2O3 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prasanna, S.; Mohan Rao, G.; Jayakumar, S.; Kannan, M.D.; Ganesan, V.

2012-01-01

Alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) thin films were sputter deposited over well-cleaned glass and Si substrates by DC reactive magnetron sputtering under various oxygen gas pressures and sputtering powers. The composition of the films was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and an optimal O/Al atomic ratio of 1.59 was obtained at a reactive gas pressure of 0.03 Pa and sputtering power of 70 W. X-ray diffraction results revealed that the films were amorphous until 550 °C. The surface morphology of the films was studied using scanning electron microscopy and the as-deposited films were found to be smooth. The topography of the as-deposited and annealed films was analyzed by atomic force microscopy and a progressive increase in the rms roughness of the films from 3.2 nm to 4.53 nm was also observed with increase in the annealing temperature. Al-Al 2 O 3 -Al thin film capacitors were then fabricated on glass substrates to study the effect of temperature and frequency on the dielectric property of the films. Temperature coefficient of capacitance, AC conductivity and activation energy were determined and the results are discussed. - Highlights: ► Al 2 O 3 thin films were deposited by DC reactive magnetron sputtering. ► The films were found to be amorphous up to annealing temperature of 550 C. ► An increase in rms roughness of the films was observed with annealing. ► Al-Al 2 O 3 -Al thin film capacitors were fabricated and dielectric constant was 7.5. ► The activation energy decreased with increase in frequency.

Study of sterilization-treatment in pure and N- doped carbon thin films synthesized by inductively coupled plasma assisted pulsed-DC magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Javid, Amjed [Center for Advanced Plasma Surface Technology (CAPST), NU-SKKU Joint Institute for Plasma Nano-Materials (IPNM), Advanced Materials Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Textile Processing, National Textile University, Faisalabad 37610 (Pakistan); Kumar, Manish, E-mail: manishk@skku.edu [Center for Advanced Plasma Surface Technology (CAPST), NU-SKKU Joint Institute for Plasma Nano-Materials (IPNM), Advanced Materials Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Han, Jeon Geon, E-mail: hanjg@skku.edu [Center for Advanced Plasma Surface Technology (CAPST), NU-SKKU Joint Institute for Plasma Nano-Materials (IPNM), Advanced Materials Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of)

2017-01-15

Highlights: • Pure and N-doped nanocrystallie carbon films are synthesized by ICP assisted pulsed DC plasma process. • ICP power induces the increase in average graphitic crystallite size from 4.86 nm to 6.42 nm. • Beneficial role of ICP source assistance to achieve high sputtering throughput (deposition rate ∼55 nm/min). • Post-sterilization electron-transport study shows N-doped carbon films having promising stability. - Abstract: Electrically-conductive nanocrystalline carbon films, having non-toxic and non-immunogenic characteristics, are promising candidates for reusable medical devices. Here, the pure and N- doped nanocrystalline carbon films are deposited by the assistance of inductively coupled plasma (ICP) in an unbalanced facing target pulsed-DC magnetron sputtering process. Through the optical emission spectroscopy study, the role of ICP assistance and N-doping on the reactive components/radicals during the synthesis is presented. The N-doping enhances the three fold bonding configurations by increasing the ionization and energies of the plasma species. Whereas, the ICP addition increases the plasma density to control the deposition rate and film structure. As a result, sputtering-throughput (deposition rate: 31–55 nm/min), electrical resistivity (4–72 Ωcm) and water contact angle (45.12°–54°) are significantly tailored. Electric transport study across the surface microchannel confirms the superiority of N-doped carbon films for sterilization stability over the undoped carbon films.

Structural investigation of ZnO:Al films deposited on the Si substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Y.Y.; Yang, J.R.; Cheng, S.L.; Shiojiri, M.

2013-01-01

ZnO:Al films 400 nm thick were prepared on (100) Si substrates by magnetron sputtering. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that in the initial stage of the deposition, an amorphous silicon oxide layer about 4 nm thick formed from damage to the Si substrate due to sputtered particle bombardment and the incorporation of Si atoms with oxygen. Subsequently, a crystalline Si (Zn) layer about 30 nm thick grew on the silicon oxide layer by co-deposition of Si atoms sputtered away from the substrate with Zn atoms from the target. Finally, a ZnO:Al film with columnar grains was deposited on the Si (Zn) layer. The sputtered particle bombardment greatly influenced the structure of the object films. The (0001) lattice fringes of the ZnO:Al film were observed in high-resolution TEM images, and the forbidden 0001 reflection spots in electron diffraction patterns were attributed to double diffraction. Therefore, the appearance of the forbidden reflection did not imply any ordering of Al atoms and/or O vacancies in the ZnO:Al film. - Highlights: • ZnO:Al films were deposited on (100) Si substrate using magnetron sputtering. • An amorphous silicon oxide layer with a thickness of 4 nm was formed on Si substrate. • Crystalline Si (Zn) layer about 30 nm thick grew on amorphous silicon oxide layer. • ZnO:Al film comprising columnar grains was deposited on the Si(Zn) layer. • Lattice image of the ZnO:Al film has been interpreted

Structural and electrical properties of sputtering power and gas pressure on Ti-dope In2O3 transparent conductive films by RF magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Chaoumead, Accarat; Joo, Bong-Hyun; Kwak, Dong-Joo; Sung, Youl-Moon

2013-06-01

Transparent conductive titanium-doped indium oxide (ITiO) films were deposited on Corning glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering method. The effects of RF sputtering power and Ar gas pressure on the structural and electrical properties of the films were investigated experimentally, using a 2.5 wt% TiO2-doped In2O3 target. The deposition rate was in the range of around 20-60 nm/min under the experimental conditions of 5-20 mTorr of gas pressure and 220-350 W of RF power. The lowest resistivity of 1.2 × 10-4 Ω cm, the average optical transmittance of 75%, the high hall mobility of 47.03 cm2/V s and the relatively low carrier concentration of 1.15E+21 cm-3 were obtained for the ITiO film, prepared at RF power of 300 W and Ar gas pressure of 15 mTorr. This resistivity of 1.2 × 10-4 Ω cm is low enough as a transparent conducting layer in various electro-optical devices and it is comparable with that of ITO or ZnO:Al conducting layer.

Effect of working pressure on corrosion behavior of nitrogen doped diamond-like carbon thin films deposited by DC magnetron sputtering.

Science.gov (United States)

Khun, N W; Liu, E

2011-06-01

Nitrogen doped diamond-like carbon thin films were deposited on highly conductive p-silicon(100) substrates using a DC magnetron sputtering deposition system by varying working pressure in the deposition chamber. The bonding structure, adhesion strength, surface roughness and corrosion behavior of the films were investigated by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, micro-scratch test, atomic force microscopy and potentiodynamic polarization test. A 0.6 M NaCl electrolytic solution was used for the corrosion tests. The optimum corrosion resistance of the films was found at a working pressure of 7 mTorr at which a good balance between the kinetics of the sputtered ions and the surface mobility of the adatoms promoted a microstructure of the films with fewer porosities.

Compositionally modulated multilayer diamond-like carbon coatings with AlTiSi multi-doping by reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Wei; Gao, Xiang; Liu, Jingmao; Kwon, Se-Hun; Wang, Qimin

2017-12-01

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings with AlTiSi multi-doping were prepared by a reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering with using a gas mixture of Ar and C2H2 as precursor. The composition, microstructure, compressive stress, and mechanical property of the as-deposited DLC coatings were studied systemically by using SEM, XPS, TEM, Raman spectrum, stress-tester, and nanoindentation as a function of the Ar fraction. The results show that the doping concentrations of the Al, Ti and Si atoms increased as the Ar fraction increased. The doped Ti and Si preferred to bond with C while the doped Al mainly existed in oxidation state without bonding with C. As the doping concentrations increased, TiC carbide nanocrystals were formed in the DLC matrix. The microstructure of coatings changed from an amorphous feature dominant AlTiSi-DLC to a carbide nanocomposite AlTiSi-DLC with TiC nanoparticles embedding. In addition, the coatings exhibited the compositionally modulated multilayer consisting of alternate Al-rich layer and Al-poor layer due to the rotation of the substrate holder and the diffusion behavior of the doped Al which tended to separate from C and diffuse towards the DLC matrix surface owing to its weak interactions with C. The periodic Al-rich layer can effectively release the compressive stress of the coatings. On the other hand, the hard TiC nanoparticles were conducive to the hardness of the coatings. Consequently, the DLC coatings with relatively low residual stress and high hardness could be acquired successfully through AlTiSi multi-doping. It is believed that the AlCrSi multi-doping may be a good way for improving the comprehensive properties of the DLC coatings. In addition, we believe that the DLC coatings with Al-rich multilayered structure have a high oxidation resistance, which allows the DLC coatings application in high temperature environment.

Thin Film growth and characterization of Ti doped ZnO by RF/DC magnetron sputtering

KAUST Repository

Baseer Haider, M.

2015-01-01

Thin film Ti doped ZnO (Ti-ZnO) film were grown on sapphire (0001) substrate by RF and DC magnetron sputtering. Films were grown at a substrate temperature of 250 °C with different Ti/Zn concentration. Surface chemical study of the samples was performed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to determine the stoichiometry and Ti/Zn ratio for all samples. Surface morphology of the samples were studied by atomic force microscopy. X-ray diffraction was carried out to determine the crystallinity of the film. No secondary phases of TixOy was observed. We observed a slight increase in the lattice constant with the increase in Ti concentration in ZnO. No ferromagnetic signal was observed for any of the samples. However, some samples showed super-paramagnetic phase. © 2015 Materials Research Society.

Magnetron sputtered transparent conductive zinc-oxide stabilized amorphous indium oxide thin films on polyethylene terephthalate substrates at ambient temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, Y.; Zhang, X.-F.; Ding, Y.-T.

2013-01-01

Amorphous transparent conducting zinc-oxide stabilized indium oxide thin films, named amorphous indium zinc oxide (a-IZO), were deposited by direct current magnetron sputtering at ambient temperature on flexible polyethylene terephthalate substrates. It has been demonstrated that the electrical resistivity could attain as low as ∼ 5 × 10 −4 Ω cm, which was noticeably lower than amorphous indium tin oxide films prepared at the same condition, while the visible transmittance exceeded 84% with the refractive index of 1.85–2.00. In our experiments, introduction of oxygen gas appeared to be beneficial to the improvement of the transparency and electrical conductivity. Both free carrier absorption and indirect transition were observed and Burstein–Moss effect proved a-IZO to be a degenerated amorphous semiconductor. However, the linear relation between the optical band gap and the band tail width which usually observed in covalent amorphous semiconductor such as a-Si:H was not conserved. Besides, porosity could greatly determine the resistivity and optical constants for the thickness variation at this deposition condition. Furthermore, a broad photoluminescence peak around 510 nm was identified when more than 1.5 sccm oxygen was introduced. - Highlights: ► Highly conducting amorphous zinc-oxide stabilized indium oxide thin films were prepared. ► The films were fabricated on polyethylene terephthalate at ambient temperature. ► Introduction of oxygen can improve the transparency and electrical conductivity. ► The linear relation between optical band gap and band tail width was not conserved

Fabrication and characterization of He-charged ODS-FeCrNi films deposited by a radio-frequency plasma magnetron sputtering technique

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Liang; Wang, Xianping; Wang, Le; Zhang, Ying; Liu, Wang; Jiang, Weibing; Zhang, Tao; Fang, Qianfeng; Liu, Changsong

2017-04-01

He-charged oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) FeCrNi films were prepared by a radio-frequency (RF) plasma magnetron sputtering method in a He and Ar mixed atmosphere at 150 °C. As a comparison, He-charged FeCrNi films were also fabricated at the same conditions through direct current (DC) plasma magnetron sputtering. The doping of He atoms and Y2O3 in the FeCrNi films was realized by the high backscattered rate of He ions and Y2O3/FeCrNi composite target sputtering method, respectively. Inductive coupled plasma (ICP) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed the existence of Y2O3 in FeCrNi films, and Y2O3 content hardly changed with sputtering He/Ar ratio. Cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows that the FeCrNi films were composed of dense columnar nanocrystallines and the thickness of the films was obviously dependent on He/Ar ratio. Nanoindentation measurements revealed that the FeCrNi films fabricated through DC/RF plasma magnetron sputtering methods exhibited similar hardness values at each He/Ar ratio, while the dispersion of Y2O3 apparently increased the hardness of the films. Elastic recoil detection (ERD) showed that DC/RF magnetron sputtered FeCrNi films contained similar He amounts (˜17 at.%). Compared with the minimal change of He level with depth in DC-sputtered films, the He amount decreases gradually in depth in the RF-sputtered films. The Y2O3-doped FeCrNi films were shown to exhibit much smaller amounts of He owing to the lower backscattering possibility of Y2O3 and the inhibition effect of nano-sized Y2O3 particles on the He element.

Advanced TiC/a-C: H nanocomposite coatings deposited by magnetron sputtering

OpenAIRE

Pei, Y.T.; Galvan, D.; Hosson, J.Th.M. De; Strondl, C.

2006-01-01

TiC/a-C:H nanocomposite coatings have been deposited by magnetron Sputtering. They consist of 2-5 nm TiC nanocrystallites embedded in the amorphous hydrocarbon (a-C:H) matrix. A transition from a Columnar to a glassy microstructure has been observed in the nanocomposite coatings with increasing substrate bias or carbon content. Micro-cracks induced by nanoindentation or wear tests readily propagate through the column boundaries whereas the coatings without a columnar inicrostructure exhibit s...

Unlocking the Electrocatalytic Activity of Chemically Inert Amorphous Carbon-Nitrogen for Oxygen Reduction: Discerning and Refactoring Chaotic Bonds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Caihong; Zhang, Wei; Wang, Dong

2017-01-01

Mild annealing enables inactive nitrogen (N)-doped amorphous carbon (a-C) films abundant with chaotic bonds prepared by magnetron sputtering to become effective for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) by virtue of generating pyridinic N. The rhythmic variation of ORR activity elaborates well...... on the subtle evolution of the amorphous C−N bonds conferred by spectroscopic analysis....

Comparative analysis of electrophysical properties of ceramic tantalum pentoxide coatings, deposited by electron beam evaporation and magnetron sputtering methods

Science.gov (United States)

Donkov, N.; Mateev, E.; Safonov, V.; Zykova, A.; Yakovin, S.; Kolesnikov, D.; Sudzhanskaya, I.; Goncharov, I.; Georgieva, V.

2014-12-01

Ta2O5 ceramic coatings have been deposited on glass substrates by e-beam evaporation and magnetron sputtering methods. For the magnetron sputtering process Ta target was used. X-ray diffraction measurements show that these coatings are amorphous. XPS survey spectra of the ceramic Ta2O5 coatings were obtained. All spectra consist of well-defined XPS lines of Ta 4f, 4d, 4p and 4s; O 1s; C 1s. Ta 4f doublets are typical for Ta2O5 coatings with two main peaks. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy images of the e-beam evaporated and magnetron sputtered Ta2O5 ceramic coatings have revealed a relatively flat surface with no cracks. The dielectric properties of the tantalum pentoxide coatings have been investigated in the frequency range of 100 Hz to 1 MHz. The electrical behaviour of e-beam evaporated and magnetron sputtered Ta2O5 ceramic coatings have also been compared. The deposition process conditions principally effect the structure parameters and electrical properties of Ta2O5 ceramic coatings. The coatings deposited by different methods demonstrate the range of dielectric parameters due to the structural and stoichiometric composition changes

Physical and chemical characterization of Ag-doped Ti coatings produced by magnetron sputtering of modular targets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmitz, Tobias; Warmuth, Franziska; Werner, Ewald; Hertl, Cornelia; Groll, Jürgen; Gbureck, Uwe; Moseke, Claus

2014-01-01

Silver-doped Ti films were produced using a single magnetron sputtering source equipped with a titanium target containing implemented silver modules under variation of bias voltage and substrate temperature. The Ti(Ag) films were characterized regarding their morphology, contact angle, phase composition, silver content and distribution as well as the elution of Ag + ions into cell media. SEM and AFM pictures showed that substrate heating during film deposition supported the formation of even and dense surface layers with small roughness values, an effect that could even be enforced, when a substrate bias voltage was applied instead. The deposition of both Ti and Ag was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. ICP-MS and EDX showed a clear correlation between the applied sputtering parameters and the silver content of the coatings. Surface-sensitive XPS measurements revealed that higher substrate temperatures led to an accumulation of Ag in the near-surface region, while the application of a bias voltage had the opposite effect. Additional elution measurements using ICP-MS showed that the release kinetics depended on the amount of silver located at the film surface and hence could be tailored by variation of the sputter parameters. - Highlights: • Modular targets were used to deposit Ti(Ag) films. • Ag-content is adjustable by bias voltage, sputtering power and substrate temperature. • Coating parameters significantly change film morphology and roughness. • A critical parameter for Ag release is the fraction of silver on the film surface

Recent progress in thin film processing by magnetron sputtering with plasma diagnostics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Jeon G

2009-01-01

The precise control of the structure and related properties becomes crucial for sophisticated applications of thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering in emerging industries including the flat panel display, digital electronics and nano- and bio-industries. The film structure is closely related to the total energy delivered to the substrate surface for nucleation and growth during all kinds of thin film processes, including magnetron sputtering. Therefore, the energy delivered to the surface for nucleation and growth during magnetron sputtering should be measured and analysed by integrated diagnostics of the plasma parameters which are closely associated with the process parameters and other external process conditions. This paper reviews the background of thin film nucleation and growth, the status of magnetron sputtering technology and the progress of plasma diagnostics for plasma processing. The evolution of the microstructure during magnetron sputtering is then discussed with respect to the change in the process variables in terms of the plasma parameters along with empirical data of the integrated plasma diagnostics for various magnetron sputtering conditions with conventional dc, pulsed dc and high power pulsed dc sputtering modes. Among the major energy terms to be discussed are the temperature change in the top surface region and the energies of ions and neutral species. (topical review)

Computer simulation of sputtering of graphite target in magnetron sputtering device with two zones of erosion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bogdanov R.V.

2015-03-01

Full Text Available A computer simulation program for discharge in a magnetron sputtering device with two erosion zones was developed. Basic laws of the graphite target sputtering process and transport of sputtered material to the substrate were taken into account in the Monte Carlo code. The results of computer simulation for radial distributions of density and energy flux of carbon atoms on the substrate (at different values of discharge current and pressure of the working gas confirmed the possibility of obtaining qualitative homogeneous films using this magnetron sputtering device. Also the discharge modes were determined for this magnetron sputtering device, in which it was possible to obtain such energy and density of carbon atoms fluxes, which were suitable for deposition of carbon films containing carbon nanotubes and other nanoparticles.

High power pulsed magnetron sputtering of transparent conducting oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sittinger, V.; Ruske, F.; Werner, W.; Jacobs, C.; Szyszka, B.; Christie, D.J.

2008-01-01

High power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HPPMS) has been used in order to study the deposition of transparent conducting oxides. We summarize the studies carried out on different materials (indium tin oxide-ITO and aluminium-doped zinc oxide-AZO) using rather different technological approaches, namely sputtering of ceramic targets and reactive sputtering. For the deposition of AZO reactive HPPMS for metallic targets has been used. A feedback control loop has been implemented in order to stabilize the discharge at any given setpoint on the hysteresis curve. The hysteresis was also found to have a rather untypical form. Reactive HPPMS was found to be a promising tool for obtaining high quality films of low total thickness. In the case of ITO deposition a ceramic target has been used. The process has been characterized in terms of its plasma emission and increasing indium ionization was found for higher peak power densities. The properties of the deposited films were compared to DC sputtered films. While for DC sputtering the choice of oxygen addition and shieldings is crucial for determining surface morphology and resistivity, in HPPMS sputtering peak power density has been found to be a good parameter for influencing the crystal structure. The morphologies obtained differ strongly from those seen in DC sputtering. At high power densities films with low surface roughness and excellent resistivity could be deposited without the use of shieldings

Deposition of amorphous carbon films using Ar and/or N{sub 2} magnetron sputter with ring permanent magnet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kinoshita, Haruhisa, E-mail: rdhkino@ipc.shizuoka.ac.jp; Kubota, Masaya; Ohno, Genji

2012-11-15

Magnetron sputter with a rotating ring permanent magnet using Ar and/or N{sub 2} gases were first used to form amorphous carbon (a-C and a-CN{sub x}) films on p-Si wafers set on a grounded lower electrode. The a-C film was hard while the a-CN{sub x} films were soft. These films include a little O and H atoms unintentionally. Optical band gap, refractive index, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy absorption spectra, hardness and field emission threshold electric field were significantly different between a-C and a-CN{sub x} films. The optical band gap of the a-C film was 0.7 eV while those of a-CN{sub x} films were almost constant at about 1.25 eV. The low field emission threshold electric field of 13 V/{mu}m was obtained in hard a-C film.

Nanoporous zinc oxide films prepared by magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghimpu, L.; Lupan, O.; Popescu, L.; Tiginyanu, I.M.

2011-01-01

In this paper we demonstrate an inexpensive approach for the fabrication of nanoporous zinc oxide films by using magnetron sputtering. Study of the structural properties proves the crystallographic perfection of porous nanostructures and the possibility of its controlling by adjusting the technological parameters in the growth process. The XRD pattern of nanoporous ZnO films exhibits high intensity of the peaks relative to the background signal which is indicative of the ZnO hexagonal phase and a good crystallinity of the samples grown by magnetron sputtering.

Sputter deposited gallium doped ZnO for TCO applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dietrich, Marc; Kronenberger, Achim; Polity, Angelika; Meyer, Bruno [I. Physikalisches Institut, Justus Liebig Universitaet Giessen (Germany); Blaesing, Juergen; Krost, Alois [FNW/IEP/AHE, Otto-von-Guericke Universitaet Magdeburg (Germany)

2010-07-01

Transparent conducting oxides to be used for flat panel or display applications should exhibit low electrical resistivity in line with a high optical transmission in the visible spectral range. Today indium-tin-oxide is the material which meets these requirements best. However, the limited availability of indium makes it useful to search for alternatives and ZnO doped with group III elements are promising candidates. While the Al doping in high concentrations causes problems due to the formation of insulating Al-oxides, Gallium related oxides are typically n-type conducting wide band gap semiconductors. Therefore we deposited Gallium doped ZnO thin films on quartz and sapphire substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering with a ZnO/Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3}(3at%) composite target. The substrate temperature and the oxygen flow during the sputtering process were varied to optimise the layer properties. Introducing oxygen to the sputtering gas allowed to vary the resistivity of the films by three orders of magnitude from about 1 {omega}cm down to less than 1 m{omega}cm.

Low-temperature growth of low friction wear-resistant amorphous carbon nitride thin films by mid-frequency, high power impulse, and direct current magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bakoglidis, Konstantinos D.; Schmidt, Susann; Garbrecht, Magnus; Ivanov, Ivan G.; Jensen, Jens; Greczynski, Grzegorz; Hultman, Lars

2015-01-01

The potential of different magnetron sputtering techniques for the synthesis of low friction and wear resistant amorphous carbon nitride (a-CN x ) thin films onto temperature-sensitive AISI52100 bearing steel, but also Si(001) substrates was studied. Hence, a substrate temperature of 150 °C was chosen for the film synthesis. The a-CN x films were deposited using mid-frequency magnetron sputtering (MFMS) with an MF bias voltage, high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) with a synchronized HiPIMS bias voltage, and direct current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) with a DC bias voltage. The films were deposited using a N 2 /Ar flow ratio of 0.16 at the total pressure of 400 mPa. The negative bias voltage, V s , was varied from 20 to 120 V in each of the three deposition modes. The microstructure of the films was characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction, while the film morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. All films possessed an amorphous microstructure, while the film morphology changed with the bias voltage. Layers grown applying the lowest substrate bias of 20 V exhibited pronounced intercolumnar porosity, independent of the sputter technique. Voids closed and dense films are formed at V s  ≥ 60 V, V s  ≥ 100 V, and V s  = 120 V for MFMS, DCMS, and HiPIMS, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the nitrogen-to-carbon ratio, N/C, of the films ranged between 0.2 and 0.24. Elastic recoil detection analysis showed that Ar content varied between 0 and 0.8 at. % and increased as a function of V s for all deposition techniques. All films exhibited compressive residual stress, σ, which depends on the growth method; HiPIMS produces the least stressed films with values ranging between −0.4 and −1.2 GPa for all V s , while CN x films deposited by MFMS showed residual stresses up to −4.2 GPa. Nanoindentation showed a significant

Influence of deposition temperature and amorphous carbon on microstructure and oxidation resistance of magnetron sputtered nanocomposite Crsbnd C films

Science.gov (United States)

Nygren, Kristian; Andersson, Matilda; Högström, Jonas; Fredriksson, Wendy; Edström, Kristina; Nyholm, Leif; Jansson, Ulf

2014-06-01

It is known that mechanical and tribological properties of transition metal carbide films can be tailored by adding an amorphous carbon (a-C) phase, thus making them nanocomposites. This paper addresses deposition, microstructure, and for the first time oxidation resistance of magnetron sputtered nanocomposite Crsbnd C/a-C films with emphasis on studies of both phases. By varying the deposition temperature between 20 and 700 °C and alternating the film composition, it was possible to deposit amorphous, nanocomposite, and crystalline Crsbnd C films containing about 70% C and 30% Cr, or 40% C and 60% Cr. The films deposited at temperatures below 300 °C were X-ray amorphous and 500 °C was required to grow crystalline phases. Chronoamperometric polarization at +0.6 V vs. Ag/AgCl (sat. KCl) in hot 1 mM H2SO4 resulted in oxidation of Crsbnd C, yielding Cr2O3 and C, as well as oxidation of C. The oxidation resistance is shown to depend on the deposition temperature and the presence of the a-C phase. Physical characterization of film surfaces show that very thin C/Cr2O3/Crsbnd C layers develop on the present material, which can be used to improve the oxidation resistance of, e.g. stainless steel electrodes.

Dielectric properties of DC reactive magnetron sputtered Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prasanna, S. [Thin Film Center, Department of Physics, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, 641 004 (India); Mohan Rao, G. [Department of Instrumentation, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, 560 012 (India); Jayakumar, S., E-mail: s_jayakumar_99@yahoo.com [Thin Film Center, Department of Physics, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, 641 004 (India); Kannan, M.D. [Thin Film Center, Department of Physics, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, 641 004 (India); Ganesan, V. [Low Temperature Lab, UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research (CSR), Indore, 452 017 (India)

2012-01-31

Alumina (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) thin films were sputter deposited over well-cleaned glass and Si < 100 > substrates by DC reactive magnetron sputtering under various oxygen gas pressures and sputtering powers. The composition of the films was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and an optimal O/Al atomic ratio of 1.59 was obtained at a reactive gas pressure of 0.03 Pa and sputtering power of 70 W. X-ray diffraction results revealed that the films were amorphous until 550 Degree-Sign C. The surface morphology of the films was studied using scanning electron microscopy and the as-deposited films were found to be smooth. The topography of the as-deposited and annealed films was analyzed by atomic force microscopy and a progressive increase in the rms roughness of the films from 3.2 nm to 4.53 nm was also observed with increase in the annealing temperature. Al-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Al thin film capacitors were then fabricated on glass substrates to study the effect of temperature and frequency on the dielectric property of the films. Temperature coefficient of capacitance, AC conductivity and activation energy were determined and the results are discussed. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films were deposited by DC reactive magnetron sputtering. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The films were found to be amorphous up to annealing temperature of 550 C. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer An increase in rms roughness of the films was observed with annealing. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Al-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Al thin film capacitors were fabricated and dielectric constant was 7.5. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The activation energy decreased with increase in frequency.

Recent advances in Pt coating of microspheres by a batch magnetron sputtering process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsieh, E.J.; Meyer, S.F.

1980-01-01

Some proposed inertial confinement fusion targets require high-Z, high density metal coatings on glass microspheres. Platinum, which satisfies the high-Z and density requirements, can be coated onto microspheres with a batch magnetron sputtering process incorporating oxygen as a dopant gas to prevent the microspheres from sticking. This paper outlines recent progress in three areas: First, the coating process has been improved; second, the oxygen content and resistivity of the oxygen doped platinum films are analyzed; and third, the roles oxygen may play in reducing microsphere sticking during sputtering are discussed in regard to cold welding, Van der Waals bonding, electrostatic sticking, and sintering

Characterization of Ta–Si–N coatings prepared using direct current magnetron co-sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Yung-I, E-mail: yichen@mail.ntou.edu.tw; Lin, Kun-Yi; Wang, Hsiu-Hui; Cheng, Yu-Ru

2014-06-01

Ta–Si–N coatings were prepared using reactive direct current magnetron co-sputtering on silicon substrates. When the sputtering powers and N{sub 2} flow ratio were varied, Ta–Si–N coatings exhibited various chemical compositions and crystalline characteristics. The high-Si-content Ta–Si–N coatings exhibited an amorphous phase in the as-deposited states, whereas the low-Si-content coatings exhibited a face-centered cubic phase or an amorphous phase depending on the N content. This study evaluated the application of amorphous Ta–Si–N coatings, such as the protective coatings on glass molding dies, in high-temperature and oxygen-containing atmospheres for longed operation durations. To explore the oxidation resistance and mechanical properties of the Ta–Si–N coatings, annealing treatments were conducted in a 1%O{sub 2}–99%Ar atmosphere at 600 °C for 4–100 h. The material characteristics and oxidation behavior of the annealed Ta–Si–N coatings were examined using atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and a nanoindentation tester. The Si oxidized preferentially in the Ta–Si–N coatings. The in-diffusion of oxygen during 600 °C annealing was restricted by the formation of an amorphous oxide scale consisting of Si and O.

High-rate deposition of Ta-doped SnO2 films by reactive magnetron sputtering using a Sn–Ta metal-sintered target

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muto, Y.; Nakatomi, S.; Oka, N.; Iwabuchi, Y.; Kotsubo, H.; Shigesato, Y.

2012-01-01

Ta-doped SnO 2 films were deposited on glass substrate (either unheated or heated at 200 °C) by reactive magnetron sputtering with a Sn–Ta metal-sintered target using a plasma control unit (PCU) and mid-frequency (mf, 50 kHz) unipolar pulsing. The PCU feedback system precisely controlled the flow of the reactive and sputtering gases (O 2 and Ar, respectively) by monitoring either discharge impedance or the plasma emission of the atomic O* line at 777 nm. The planar target was connected to the switching unit, which was operated in unipolar pulse mode. Power density on the target was maintained at 4.4 W cm −2 during deposition. The lowest obtained resistivity for the films deposited on heated substrate was 6.4 × 10 −3 Ωcm, where the deposition rate was 250 nm min −1 .

Preparation of Ga-doped ZnO films by pulsed dc magnetron sputtering with cylindrical rotating target for thin film solar cell applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Beom-Ki; Lee, Tae-Il; Park, Ji-Hyeon; Park, Kang-Il; Ahn, Kyung-Jun; Park, Sung-Kee; Lee, Woong; Myoung, Jae-Min

2011-01-01

Applicability of Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) films for thin film solar cells (TFSCs) was investigated by preparing GZO films via pulsed dc magnetron sputtering (PDMS) with rotating target. The GZO films showed improved crystallinity and increasing degree of Ga doping with increasing thickness to a limit of 1000 nm. The films also fulfilled requirements for the transparent electrodes of TFSCs in terms of electrical and optical properties. Moreover, the films exhibited good texturing potential based on etching studies with diluted HCl, which yielded an improved light trapping capability without significant degradation in electrical propreties. It is therefore suggested that the surface-textured GZO films prepared via PDMS and etching are promising candidates for indium-free transparent electrodes for TFSCs.

Preparation of Ga-doped ZnO films by pulsed dc magnetron sputtering with cylindrical rotating target for thin film solar cell applications

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Beom-Ki; Lee, Tae-Il; Park, Ji-Hyeon; Park, Kang-Il; Ahn, Kyung-Jun; Park, Sung-Kee; Lee, Woong; Myoung, Jae-Min

2011-11-01

Applicability of Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) films for thin film solar cells (TFSCs) was investigated by preparing GZO films via pulsed dc magnetron sputtering (PDMS) with rotating target. The GZO films showed improved crystallinity and increasing degree of Ga doping with increasing thickness to a limit of 1000 nm. The films also fulfilled requirements for the transparent electrodes of TFSCs in terms of electrical and optical properties. Moreover, the films exhibited good texturing potential based on etching studies with diluted HCl, which yielded an improved light trapping capability without significant degradation in electrical propreties. It is therefore suggested that the surface-textured GZO films prepared via PDMS and etching are promising candidates for indium-free transparent electrodes for TFSCs.

Epitaxial growth of Sb-doped nonpolar a-plane ZnO thin films on r-plane sapphire substrates by RF magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Hou-Guang, E-mail: houguang@isu.edu.tw [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 840, Taiwan (China); Hung, Sung-Po [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 840, Taiwan (China)

2014-02-15

Highlights: ► Sb-doped nonpolar a-plane ZnO layers were epitaxially grown on sapphire substrates. ► Crystallinity and electrical properties were studied upon growth condition and doping concentration. ► The out-of-plane lattice spacing of ZnO films reduces monotonically with increasing Sb doping level. ► The p-type conductivity of ZnO:Sb film is closely correlated with annealing condition and Sb doping level. -- Abstract: In this study, the epitaxial growth of Sb-doped nonpolar a-plane (112{sup ¯}0) ZnO thin films on r-plane (11{sup ¯}02) sapphire substrates was performed by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. The influence of the sputter deposition conditions and Sb doping concentration on the microstructural and electrical properties of Sb-doped ZnO epitaxial films was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the Hall-effect measurement. The measurement of the XRD phi-scan indicated that the epitaxial relationship between the ZnO:Sb layer and sapphire substrate was (112{sup ¯}0){sub ZnO}//(11{sup ¯}02){sub Al{sub 2O{sub 3}}} and [11{sup ¯}00]{sub ZnO}//[112{sup ¯}0]{sub Al{sub 2O{sub 3}}}. The out-of-plane a-axis lattice parameter of ZnO films was reduced monotonically with the increasing Sb doping level. The cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) observation confirmed the absence of any significant antimony oxide phase segregation across the thickness of the Sb-doped ZnO epitaxial film. However, the epitaxial quality of the films deteriorated as the level of Sb dopant increased. The electrical properties of ZnO:Sb film are closely correlated with post-annealing conditions and Sb doping concentrations.

Reactive magnetron sputtering model at making Ti-TiOx coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luchkin, A G; Kashapov, N F

2014-01-01

Mathematical model of reactive magnetron sputtering for plant VU 700-D is described. Approximating curves for experimental current-voltage characteristic for two gas input schemas are shown. Choice of gas input schema influences on model parameters (mainly on pumping speed). Reactive magnetron sputtering model allows develop technology of Ti - TiO x coatings deposition without changing atmosphere and pressure in vacuum chamber

Amorphous indium-tin-zinc oxide films deposited by magnetron sputtering with various reactive gases: Spatial distribution of thin film transistor performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jia, Junjun; Torigoshi, Yoshifumi; Shigesato, Yuzo; Kawashima, Emi; Utsuno, Futoshi; Yano, Koki

2015-01-01

This work presents the spatial distribution of electrical characteristics of amorphous indium-tin-zinc oxide film (a-ITZO), and how they depend on the magnetron sputtering conditions using O 2 , H 2 O, and N 2 O as the reactive gases. Experimental results show that the electrical properties of the N 2 O incorporated a-ITZO film has a weak dependence on the deposition location, which cannot be explained by the bombardment effect of high energy particles, and may be attributed to the difference in the spatial distribution of both the amount and the activity of the reactive gas reaching the substrate surface. The measurement for the performance of a-ITZO thin film transistor (TFT) also suggests that the electrical performance and device uniformity of a-ITZO TFTs can be improved significantly by the N 2 O introduction into the deposition process, where the field mobility reach to 30.8 cm 2 V –1 s –1 , which is approximately two times higher than that of the amorphous indium-gallium-zinc oxide TFT

Role of copper/vanadium on the optoelectronic properties of reactive RF magnetron sputtered NiO thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Panneerselvam, Vengatesh; Chinnakutti, Karthik Kumar; Thankaraj Salammal, Shyju; Soman, Ajith Kumar; Parasuraman, Kuppusami; Vishwakarma, Vinita; Kanagasabai, Viswanathan

2018-04-01

In this study, pristine nickel oxide (NiO), copper-doped NiO (Cu-NiO) and vanadium-doped NiO (V-NiO) thin films were deposited using reactive RF magnetron co-sputtering as a function of dopant sputtering power. Cu (0-8 at%) and V (0-1 at%) were doped into the NiO lattice by varying the sputtering power of Cu and V in the range of 5-15 W. The effect of dopant concentration on optoelectronic behavior is investigated by UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer and Hall measurements. XRD analysis showed that the preferred orientation of the cubic phase for undoped NiO changes from (200) to (111) plane when the sputtering parameters are varied. The observed changes in the lattice parameters and bonding states of the doped NiO indicate the substitution of Ni ions by monovalent Cu and trivalent V ions. The optical bandgap of pristine NiO, Cu-NiO, and V-NiO was found to be 3.6, 3.45, and 3.05 eV, respectively, with decreased transmittance and resistivity. Further analysis using SEM and AFM described the morphological behavior of doped NiO thin films and Raman spectroscopy indicated the structural changes on doping. These findings would be helpful in fabricating solid-state solar cells using doped NiO as efficient hole transporting material.

Determination of the sputter rate variation pattern of a silicon carbide target for radio frequency magnetron sputtering using optical transmission measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galvez de la Puente, G.; Guerra Torres, J.A.; Erlenbach, O.; Steidl, M.; Weingaertner, R.; De Zela, F.; Winnacker, A.

2010-01-01

We produce amorphous silicon carbide thin films (a-SiC) by radio frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering from SiC bulk target. We present the emission pattern of the rf magnetron with SiC target as a function of process parameters, like target sample distance, rf power, sputtering rate and process gas pressure. The emission pattern is determined by means of thickness distribution of the deposited a-SiC films obtained from optical transmission measurements using a slightly improved method of Swanepoel concerning the determination of construction of the envelopes in the interference pattern of the transmission spectra. A calibration curve is presented which allows the conversion of integrated transmission to film thickness. Holding constant a set of process parameters and only varying the target sample distance the emission pattern of the rf magnetron with SiC target was determined, which allowed us to predict the deposition rate distribution for a wide range of process parameters and target geometry. In addition, we have found that the transmission spectra of the a-SiC films change with time and saturate after approximately 10 days. Within this process no change in thickness is involved, so that the determination of thickness using transmission data is justified.

The properties of transparent conducting molybdenum-doped ZnO films grown by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiu Xian-Wu; Zhao Wen-Jing

2012-01-01

Transparent conducting molybdenum-doped zinc oxide films are prepared by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering at ambient temperature. The MoO 3 content in the target varies from 0 to 5 wt%, and each film is polycrystalline with a hexagonal structure and a preferred orientation along the c axis. The resistivity first decreases and then increases with the increase in MoO 3 content. The lowest resistivity achieved is 9.2×10 −4 Ω·cm, with a high Hall mobility of 30 cm 2 ·V −1 ·s 1 and a carrier concentration of 2.3×10 20 cm −3 at an MoO 3 content of 2 wt%. The average transmittance in the visible range is reduced from 91% to 80% with the increase in the MoO 3 content in the target. (condensed matter: structural, mechanical, and thermal properties)

Visible and infrared photoluminescence from erbium-doped silicon nanocrystals produced by rf sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cerqueira, M.F.; Alpuim, P. [Departamento de Fisica, Universidade do Minho, Braga (Portugal); Losurdo, M. [Plasma Chemistry Research Center, CNR, Bari (Italy); Monteiro, T.; Soares, M.J.; Peres, M. [Departamento de Fisica, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro (Portugal); Stepikova, M. [Institute for Physics of Microstructures RAS, 603600 Nizhnij Novgorod GSP-105 (Russian Federation)

2007-06-15

Erbium-doped low-dimensional Si films with different microstructures were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering on glass substrates by varying the hydrogen flow rate during deposition. Amorphous, micro- and nanocrystalline samples, consisting of Si nanocrystalls embedded in silicon-based matrices with different structures, were achieved with optical properties in the visible and IR depending on nanocrystalline fraction and matrix structure and chemical composition. Structural characterization was performed by X-ray diffraction in the grazing incidence geometry and Raman spectroscopy. The chemical composition was studied using RBS/ERD techniques. Spectroscopic ellipsometry was combined with the previous techniques to further resolve the film microstructure and composition. In particular, the distribution along the film thickness of the volume fractions of nanocrystalline/amorphous silicon and SiO{sub x} phases has been obtained. In this contribution we discuss visible and infrared photoluminescence as a function of sample microstructure and of the oxygen/hydrogen concentration ratio present in the matrix. (copyright 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Low-temperature growth of low friction wear-resistant amorphous carbon nitride thin films by mid-frequency, high power impulse, and direct current magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bakoglidis, Konstantinos D., E-mail: konba@ifm.liu.se; Schmidt, Susann; Garbrecht, Magnus; Ivanov, Ivan G.; Jensen, Jens; Greczynski, Grzegorz; Hultman, Lars [Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping (Sweden)

2015-09-15

The potential of different magnetron sputtering techniques for the synthesis of low friction and wear resistant amorphous carbon nitride (a-CN{sub x}) thin films onto temperature-sensitive AISI52100 bearing steel, but also Si(001) substrates was studied. Hence, a substrate temperature of 150 °C was chosen for the film synthesis. The a-CN{sub x} films were deposited using mid-frequency magnetron sputtering (MFMS) with an MF bias voltage, high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) with a synchronized HiPIMS bias voltage, and direct current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) with a DC bias voltage. The films were deposited using a N{sub 2}/Ar flow ratio of 0.16 at the total pressure of 400 mPa. The negative bias voltage, V{sub s}, was varied from 20 to 120 V in each of the three deposition modes. The microstructure of the films was characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction, while the film morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. All films possessed an amorphous microstructure, while the film morphology changed with the bias voltage. Layers grown applying the lowest substrate bias of 20 V exhibited pronounced intercolumnar porosity, independent of the sputter technique. Voids closed and dense films are formed at V{sub s} ≥ 60 V, V{sub s} ≥ 100 V, and V{sub s} = 120 V for MFMS, DCMS, and HiPIMS, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the nitrogen-to-carbon ratio, N/C, of the films ranged between 0.2 and 0.24. Elastic recoil detection analysis showed that Ar content varied between 0 and 0.8 at. % and increased as a function of V{sub s} for all deposition techniques. All films exhibited compressive residual stress, σ, which depends on the growth method; HiPIMS produces the least stressed films with values ranging between −0.4 and −1.2 GPa for all V{sub s}, while CN{sub x} films deposited by MFMS showed residual stresses up to −4.2�

The structural properties of CdS deposited by chemical bath deposition and pulsed direct current magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lisco, F., E-mail: F.Lisco@lboro.ac.uk [Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology (CREST), School of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU (United Kingdom); Kaminski, P.M.; Abbas, A.; Bass, K.; Bowers, J.W.; Claudio, G. [Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology (CREST), School of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU (United Kingdom); Losurdo, M. [Institute of Inorganic Methodologies and of Plasmas, IMIP-CNR, via Orabona 4, 70126 Bari (Italy); Walls, J.M. [Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology (CREST), School of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU (United Kingdom)

2015-05-01

Cadmium sulphide (CdS) thin films were deposited by two different processes, chemical bath deposition (CBD), and pulsed DC magnetron sputtering (PDCMS) on fluorine doped-tin oxide coated glass to assess the potential advantages of the pulsed DC magnetron sputtering process. The structural, optical and morphological properties of films obtained by CBD and PDCMS were investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The as-grown films were studied and comparisons were drawn between their morphology, uniformity, crystallinity, and the deposition rate of the process. The highest crystallinity is observed for sputtered CdS thin films. The absorption in the visible wavelength increased for PDCMS CdS thin films, due to the higher density of the films. The band gap measured for the as-grown CBD-CdS is 2.38 eV compared to 2.34 eV for PDCMS-CdS, confirming the higher density of the sputtered thin film. The higher deposition rate for PDCMS is a significant advantage of this technique which has potential use for high rate and low cost manufacturing. - Highlights: • Pulsed DC magnetron sputtering (PDCMS) of CdS films • Chemical bath deposition of CdS films • Comparison between CdS thin films deposited by chemical bath and PDCMS techniques • High deposition rate deposition for PDCMS deposition • Uniform, pinhole free CdS thin films.

The structural properties of CdS deposited by chemical bath deposition and pulsed direct current magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lisco, F.; Kaminski, P.M.; Abbas, A.; Bass, K.; Bowers, J.W.; Claudio, G.; Losurdo, M.; Walls, J.M.

2015-01-01

Cadmium sulphide (CdS) thin films were deposited by two different processes, chemical bath deposition (CBD), and pulsed DC magnetron sputtering (PDCMS) on fluorine doped-tin oxide coated glass to assess the potential advantages of the pulsed DC magnetron sputtering process. The structural, optical and morphological properties of films obtained by CBD and PDCMS were investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The as-grown films were studied and comparisons were drawn between their morphology, uniformity, crystallinity, and the deposition rate of the process. The highest crystallinity is observed for sputtered CdS thin films. The absorption in the visible wavelength increased for PDCMS CdS thin films, due to the higher density of the films. The band gap measured for the as-grown CBD-CdS is 2.38 eV compared to 2.34 eV for PDCMS-CdS, confirming the higher density of the sputtered thin film. The higher deposition rate for PDCMS is a significant advantage of this technique which has potential use for high rate and low cost manufacturing. - Highlights: • Pulsed DC magnetron sputtering (PDCMS) of CdS films • Chemical bath deposition of CdS films • Comparison between CdS thin films deposited by chemical bath and PDCMS techniques • High deposition rate deposition for PDCMS deposition • Uniform, pinhole free CdS thin films

Electrochromic properties of bipolar pulsed magnetron sputter deposited tungsten–molybdenum oxide films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lin, Tai-Nan [Chemical Engineering Division, Institute of Nuclear Energy Research, Taoyuan 325, Taiwan, ROC (China); Lin, Yi Han; Lee, Chin Tan [Department of Electronic Engineering, National Quemoy University, Kinmen 892, Taiwan, ROC (China); Han, Sheng [Center of General Education, National Taichung Institute of Technology, Taichung 404, Taiwan, ROC (China); Weng, Ko-Wei, E-mail: kowei@nqu.edu.tw [Department of Electronic Engineering, National Quemoy University, Kinmen 892, Taiwan, ROC (China)

2015-06-01

There are great interests in electrochromic technology for smart windows and displays over past decades. In this study, the WMoO{sub x} thin films were deposited onto indium tin oxide glass and silicon substrates by pulsed magnetron sputter system with W and Mo targets. The films were deposited with fixed W target power while the variant parameter of Mo target power in the range 50, 100, 150 and 200 W was investigated. The working pressure was fixed at 1.33 Pa with a gas mixture of Ar (30 sccm) and O{sub 2} (15 sccm). The film thickness increased with the Mo target power. Higher plasma power resulted in a crystalline structure which would reduce the electrochromic property of the film. The influence of plasma powers applied to Mo target on the structural, optical and electrochromic properties of the WMoO{sub x} thin films has been investigated. WMoO{sub x} films grown at Mo target powers less than 100 W were found to be amorphous. The films deposited at 150 W, which is the optimal fabrication condition, exhibit better electrochromic properties with high optical modulation, high coloration efficiency and less color memory effect at wavelength 400, 550 and 800 nm. The improvement resulted from the effect of doping Mo has been tested. The maximum ΔT (%) values are 36.6% at 400 nm, 65.6% at 550 nm, and 66.6% at 800 nm for pure WO{sub 3} film. The addition of Mo content in the WMoO{sub x} films provides better resistance to the short wavelength light source and can be used in the concerned application. - Highlights: • WMoO{sub x} films are deposited by pulsed magnetron sputter with pure W and Mo targets. • Mo addition in WMoO{sub x} provides better resistance to short wavelength light source. • WMoO{sub x} films exhibit electrochemical stability in the cycling test.

Low-cost ZnO:Al transparent contact by reactive rotatable magnetron sputtering for Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar modules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Menner, R.; Hariskos, D.; Linss, V.; Powalla, M.

2011-01-01

Sputtering ZnO as transparent front contact (TCO) is standard in today's industrial scale Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 (CIGS) module manufacturing. Although innovative concepts like rotatable magnetron sputtering from ceramic targets have been realised, costs are still high due to expensive ceramic targets. Significant cost reductions are expected by using reactive sputtering of metallic targets. Therefore, ZSW and industrial partners investigated the reactive sputtering of Al-doped zinc oxide (ZAO) as TCO on CIGS absorbers of high quality and industrial relevance. The reactive DC sputtering from rotatable magnetron targets is controlled in the transition mode by adjusting oxygen flow and discharge voltage. Optimisation leads to ZAO films with a TCO quality nearly comparable to standard films deposited by DC ceramic sputtering. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Hall analyses of the ZAO films are performed. Medium-size CIGS modules are coated with reactively sputtered ZAO, resulting in 12.8% module efficiency and surpassing the efficiency of the ceramic witness device. Cd-free buffered devices are also successfully coated with reactive TCO. Damp heat stability according to IEC61646 is met by all reactively sputtered devices.

Structure of AlN films deposited by magnetron sputtering method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nowakowska-Langier K.

2015-09-01

Full Text Available AlN films on a Si substrate were synthesized by magnetron sputtering method. A dual magnetron system operating in AC mode was used in the experiment. Processes of synthesis were carried out in the atmosphere of a mixture of Ar/N2. Morphology and phase structure of the AlN films were investigated at different pressures. Structural characterizations were performed by means of SEM and X-ray diffraction methods. Our results show that the use of magnetron sputtering method in a dual magnetron sputtering system is an effective way to produce AlN layers which are characterized by a good adhesion to the silicon substrate. The morphology of the films is strongly dependent on the Ar/N2 gas mixture pressure. An increase of the mixture pressure is accompanied by a columnar growth of the layers. The films obtained at the pressure below 1 Pa are characterized by finer and compacter structure. The AlN films are characterized by a polycrystalline hexagonal (wurtzite structure in which the crystallographic orientation depends on the gas mixture pressure.

Very low pressure high power impulse triggered magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Anders, Andre; Andersson, Joakim

2013-10-29

A method and apparatus are described for very low pressure high powered magnetron sputtering of a coating onto a substrate. By the method of this invention, both substrate and coating target material are placed into an evacuable chamber, and the chamber pumped to vacuum. Thereafter a series of high impulse voltage pulses are applied to the target. Nearly simultaneously with each pulse, in one embodiment, a small cathodic arc source of the same material as the target is pulsed, triggering a plasma plume proximate to the surface of the target to thereby initiate the magnetron sputtering process. In another embodiment the plasma plume is generated using a pulsed laser aimed to strike an ablation target material positioned near the magnetron target surface.

Tunable dielectric properties of Barium Magnesium Niobate (BMN) doped Barium Strontium Titanate (BST) thin films by magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Alema, Fikadu; Reinholz, Aaron; Pokhodnya, Konstantin

2013-03-01

We report on the tunable dielectric properties of Mg and Nb co-doped Ba0.45Sr0.55TiO3 (BST) thin film prepared by the magnetron sputtering using BST target (pure and doped with BaMg0.33Nb0.67O3 (BMN)) on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Al2O3 4'' wafers at 700 °C under oxygen atmosphere. The electrical measurements are conducted on 2432 metal-ferroelectric-metal capacitors using Pt as the top and bottom electrode. The crystalline structure, microstructure, and surface morphology of the films are analyzed and correlated to the films dielectric properties. The BMN doped and undoped BST films have shown tunabilities of 48% and 52%; and leakage current densities of 2.2x10-6 A/cm2 and 3.7x10-5 A/cm2, respectively at 0.5 MV/cm bias field. The results indicate that the BMN doped film exhibits a lower leakage current with no significant decrease in tunability. Due to similar electronegativity and ionic radii, it was suggested that both Mg2+ (accepter-type) and Nb5+ (donor-type) dopants substitutTi4+ ion in BST. The improvement in the film dielectric losses and leakage current with insignificant loss of tunability is attributed to the adversary effects of Mg2+ and Nb5+ in BST.

Helium-Charged La-Ni-Al Thin Films Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Liqun; Chen Deming; Xu Shilin; Liu Chaozhu; Hao Wanli; Zhou Zhuyin

2005-01-01

An advanced implantation of low energy helium-4 atoms during the La-Ni-Al film growth by adopting magnetron sputtering with Ar/He mixture gases is discussed. Both proton backscattering spectroscopy (PBS) and elastic recoil detection (ERD) analyses were adopted to measure helium concentration of the films and distribution in the near-surface region. Helium atoms with a high concentration incorporate evenly in deposited film. The introduction of the helium with no extra irradiation damage is expected by choosing suitable deposition conditions. It was found that amorphous and crystalline LaNi 5 -type structures can be achieved when sputtered with pure Ar and Ar/He mixture gases at room temperature, respectively. Thermal desorption experiments proposes that a part of hydrogen atoms are bound to trapped helium at crystal and releases together with helium. Only a small fraction of helium is released from the helium-vacancy clusters in lower temperature range and most of helium is released from small size helium bubbles in the high temperature range

Effect of substrate temperature on corrosion performance of nitrogen doped amorphous carbon thin films in NaCl solution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khun, N.W. [School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798 (Singapore); Liu, E., E-mail: MEJLiu@ntu.edu.s [School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798 (Singapore)

2009-07-01

Nitrogen doped amorphous carbon (a-C:N) thin films were deposited on p-Si substrates by DC magnetron sputtering at varying substrate temperature from room temperature (RT) to 300 {sup o}C. The bonding structure, surface morphology and adhesion strength of the a-C:N films were investigated by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), micro-Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and micro-scratch testing. The corrosion behavior of the a-C:N films was evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization test in a 0.6 M NaCl solution. The results indicated that the corrosion resistance of the films depended on the sp{sup 3}-bonded cross-link structure that was significantly affected by the substrate temperature.

Effect of substrate temperature on corrosion performance of nitrogen doped amorphous carbon thin films in NaCl solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khun, N.W.; Liu, E.

2009-01-01

Nitrogen doped amorphous carbon (a-C:N) thin films were deposited on p-Si substrates by DC magnetron sputtering at varying substrate temperature from room temperature (RT) to 300 o C. The bonding structure, surface morphology and adhesion strength of the a-C:N films were investigated by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), micro-Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and micro-scratch testing. The corrosion behavior of the a-C:N films was evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization test in a 0.6 M NaCl solution. The results indicated that the corrosion resistance of the films depended on the sp 3 -bonded cross-link structure that was significantly affected by the substrate temperature.

Initial growth and texture formation during reactive magnetron sputtering of TiN on Si(111)

CERN Document Server

Li, T Q; Tsuji, Y; Ohsawa, T; Komiyama, H

2002-01-01

The initial growth and texture formation mechanism of titanium nitride (TiN) films were investigated by depositing TiN films on (111) silicon substrates by using reactive magnetron sputtering of a Ti metallic target under a N sub 2 /Ar atmosphere, and then analyzing the films in detail by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). Two power sources for the sputtering, dc and rf, were compared. At the initial growth stage, a continuous amorphous film containing randomly oriented nuclei was observed when the film thickness was about 3 nm. The nuclei grew and formed a polycrystalline layer when the film thickness was about 6 nm. As the film grew further, its orientation changed depending on the deposition conditions. For dc sputtering, the appearance of (111) or (200)-preferred orientations depended on the N sub 2 partial pressure, and the intensity of the preferred orientation increased with increasing film thickness. For rf sputtering, however, when the film thickness was small (...

Controlled formation of anatase and rutile TiO2 thin films by reactive magnetron sputtering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Damon Rafieian

2015-09-01

Full Text Available We discuss the formation of TiO2 thin films via DC reactive magnetron sputtering. The oxygen concentration during sputtering proved to be a crucial parameter with respect to the final film structure and properties. The initial deposition provided amorphous films that crystallise upon annealing to anatase or rutile, depending on the initial sputtering conditions. Substoichiometric films (TiOx<2, obtained by sputtering at relatively low oxygen concentration, formed rutile upon annealing in air, whereas stoichiometric films formed anatase. This route therefore presents a formation route for rutile films via lower (<500 °C temperature pathways. The dynamics of the annealing process were followed by in situ ellipsometry, showing the optical properties transformation. The final crystal structures were identified by XRD. The anatase film obtained by this deposition method displayed high carriers mobility as measured by time-resolved microwave conductance. This also confirms the high photocatalytic activity of the anatase films.

Comprehensive study of the p-type conductivity formation in radio frequency magnetron sputtered arsenic-doped ZnO film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan, J. C.; Zhu, C. Y.; Yang, B.; Fung, S.; Beling, C. D.; Brauer, G.; Anwand, W.; Grambole, D.; Skorupa, W.; Wong, K. S.; Zhong, Y. C.; Xie, Z.; Ling, C. C.

2011-01-01

Arsenic doped ZnO and ZnMgO films were deposited on SiO 2 using radio frequency magnetron sputtering and ZnO-Zn 3 As 2 and ZnO-Zn 3 As 2 -MgO targets, respectively. It was found that thermal activation is required to activate the formation of p-type conductivity. Hall measurements showed that p-type films with a hole concentration of ∼10 17 cm -3 and mobility of ∼8 cm 2 V -1 s -1 were obtained at substrate temperatures of 400-500 deg. C The shallow acceptor formation mechanism was investigated using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, positron annihilation, low temperature photoluminescence, and nuclear reaction analysis. The authors suggest that the thermal annealing activates the formation of the As Zn -2V Zn shallow acceptor complex and removes the compensating hydrogen center.

Decorative black TiCxOy film fabricated by DC magnetron sputtering without importing oxygen reactive gas

Science.gov (United States)

Ono, Katsushi; Wakabayashi, Masao; Tsukakoshi, Yukio; Abe, Yoshiyuki

2016-02-01

Decorative black TiCxOy films were fabricated by dc (direct current) magnetron sputtering without importing the oxygen reactive gas into the sputtering chamber. Using a ceramic target of titanium oxycarbide (TiC1.59O0.31), the oxygen content in the films could be easily controlled by adjustment of total sputtering gas pressure without remarkable change of the carbon content. The films deposited at 2.0 and 4.0 Pa, those are higher pressure when compared with that in conventional magnetron sputtering, showed an attractive black color. In particular, the film at 4.0 Pa had the composition of TiC1.03O1.10, exhibited the L* of 41.5, a* of 0.2 and b* of 0.6 in CIELAB color space. These values were smaller than those in the TiC0.29O1.38 films (L* of 45.8, a* of 1.2 and b* of 1.2) fabricated by conventional reactive sputtering method from the same target under the conditions of gas pressure of 0.3 Pa and optimized oxygen reactive gas concentration of 2.5 vol.% in sputtering gas. Analysis of XRD and XPS revealed that the black film deposited at 4.0 Pa was the amorphous film composed of TiC, TiO and C. The adhesion property and the heat resisting property were enough for decorative uses. This sputtering process has an industrial advantage that the decorative black coating with color uniformity in large area can be easily obtained by plain operation because of unnecessary of the oxygen reactive gas importing which is difficult to be controlled uniformly in the sputtering chamber.

Polyester fabric coated with Ag/ZnO composite film by magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yuan, Xiaohong, E-mail: yxhong1981_2004@126.com [Key Laboratory of Eco-Textiles, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu (China); Faculty of Clothing and Design, Minjiang University, Fuzhou 350121, Fujian (China); Xu, Wenzheng, E-mail: xwz8199@126.com [Key Laboratory of Eco-Textiles, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu (China); Huang, Fenglin, E-mail: windhuang325@163.com [Key Laboratory of Eco-Textiles, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu (China); Chen, Dongsheng, E-mail: mjuchen@126.com [Faculty of Clothing and Design, Minjiang University, Fuzhou 350121, Fujian (China); Wei, Qufu, E-mail: qfwei@jiangnan.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Eco-Textiles, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu (China)

2016-12-30

Highlights: • Ag/ZnO composite film was successfully deposited on polyester fabric by magnetron sputtering technique. • Ag film was easily oxidized into Ag{sub 2}O film in high vacuum oxygen environment. • The zinc film coated on the surface of Ag film before RF reactive sputtering could protect the silver film from oxidation. • Polyester fabric coated with Ag/ZnO composite film can obtained structural color. • The anti-ultraviolet and antistatic properties of polyester fabric coated with Ag/ZnO composite film all were good. - Abstract: Ag/ZnO composite film was successfully deposited on polyester fabric by using direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering and radio frequency (RF) magnetron reaction sputtering techniques with pure silver (Ag) and zinc (Zn) targets. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to examine the deposited film on the fabric. It was found that the zinc film coated on Ag film before RF reactive sputtering could protect the silver film from oxidation. Anti-ultraviolet property and antistatic property of the coated samples using different magnetron sputtering methods were also investigated. The experimental results showed that Ag film was oxidized into in Ag{sub 2}O film in high vacuum oxygen environment. The deposition of Zn film on the surface of the fabric coated with Ag film before RF reactive sputtering, could successfully obtained Ag/ZnO composite film, and also generated structural color on the polyester fabric.

The comparison of the optical spectra of carbon coatings prepared by magnetron sputtering and microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition measured by the photothermal deflection spectroscopy

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Remeš, Zdeněk; Pham, T.T.; Varga, Marián; Kromka, Alexander; Mao, H.B.

2015-01-01

Roč. 7, č. 4 (2015), s. 321-324 ISSN 2164-6627 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LH12186 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : nanocrystalline diamond * amorphous carbon * magnetron sputtering * CVD * optical spectroscopy Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism

Effect of doping (C or N) and co-doping (C+N) on the photoactive properties of magnetron sputtered titania coatings for the application of solar water-splitting.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, M; Dang, B H Q; McDonnell, K; MacElroy, J M D; Dowling, D P

2012-06-01

The photocatalytic splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen using a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell containing titanium dioxide (TiO2) photoanode is a potentially renewable source of chemical fuels. However, the size of the band gap (-3.2 eV) of the TiO2 photocatalyst leads to its relatively low photoactivity toward visible light in a PEC cell. The development of materials with smaller band gaps of approximately 2.4 eV is therefore necessary to operate PEC cells efficiently. This study investigates the effect of dopant (C or N) and co-dopant (C+N) on the physical, structural and photoactivity of TiO2 nano thick coating. TiO2 nano-thick coatings were deposited using a closed field DC reactive magnetron sputtering technique, from titanium target in argon plasma with trace addition of oxygen. In order to study the influence of doping such as C, N and C+N inclusions in the TiO2 coatings, trace levels of CO2 or N2 or CO2+N2 gas were introduced into the deposition chamber respectively. The properties of the deposited nano-coatings were determined using Spectroscopic Ellipsometry, SEM, AFM, Optical profilometry, XPS, Raman, X-ray diffraction UV-Vis spectroscopy and tri-electrode potentiostat measurements. Coating growth rate, structure, surface morphology and roughness were found to be significantly influenced by the types and amount of doping. Substitutional type of doping in all doped sample were confirmed by XPS. UV-vis measurement confirmed that doping (especially for C doped sample) facilitate photoactivity of sputtered deposited titania coating toward visible light by reducing bandgap. The photocurrent density (indirect indication of water splitting performance) of the C-doped photoanode was approximately 26% higher in comparison with un-doped photoanode. However, coating doped with nitrogen (N or N+C) does not exhibit good performance in the photoelectrochemical cell due to their higher charge recombination properties.

Bonding structure and morphology of chromium oxide films grown by pulsed-DC reactive magnetron sputter deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gago, R., E-mail: rgago@icmm.csic.es [Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, E-28049 Madrid (Spain); Vinnichenko, M. [Fraunhofer-Institut für Keramische Technologien und Systeme IKTS, D-01277 Dresden (Germany); Hübner, R. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden – Rossendorf, Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328 Dresden (Germany); Redondo-Cubero, A. [Departamento de Física Aplicada and Centro de Microanálisis de Materiales, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049 Madrid (Spain)

2016-07-05

Chromium oxide (CrO{sub x}) thin films were grown by pulsed-DC reactive magnetron sputter deposition in an Ar/O{sub 2} discharge as a function of the O{sub 2} fraction in the gas mixture (ƒ) and for substrate temperatures, T{sub s}, up to 450 °C. The samples were analysed by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES). On unheated substrates, by increasing ƒ the growth rate is higher and the O/Cr ratio (x) rises from ∼2 up to ∼2.5. Inversely, by increasing T{sub s} the atomic incorporation rate drops and x falls to ∼1.8. XRD shows that samples grown on unheated substrates are amorphous and that nanocrystalline Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} (x = 1.5) is formed by increasing T{sub s}. In amorphous CrO{sub x}, XANES reveals the presence of multiple Cr environments that indicate the growth of mixed-valence oxides, with progressive promotion of hexavalent states with ƒ. XANES data also confirms the formation of single-phase nanocrystalline Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} at elevated T{sub s}. These structural changes also reflect on the optical and morphological properties of the films. - Highlights: • XANES of CrO{sub x} thin films grown by pulsed-DC reactive magnetron sputtering. • Identification of mixed-valence amorphous CrO{sub x} oxides on unheated substrates. • Promotion of amorphous chromic acid (Cr{sup VI}) by increasing O{sub 2} partial pressure. • Production of single-phase Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} films by increasing substrate temperature. • Correlation of bonding structure with morphological and optical properties.

Temperature-dependent interface characteristic of silicon wafer bonding based on an amorphous germanium layer deposited by DC-magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Ke, Shaoying; Lin, Shaoming; Ye, Yujie; Mao, Danfeng; Huang, Wei; Xu, Jianfang; Li, Cheng; Chen, Songyan

2018-03-01

We report a near-bubble-free low-temperature silicon (Si) wafer bonding with a thin amorphous Ge (a-Ge) intermediate layer. The DC-magnetron-sputtered a-Ge film on Si is demonstrated to be extremely flat (RMS = 0.28 nm) and hydrophilic (contact angle = 3°). The effect of the post-annealing temperature on the surface morphology and crystallinity of a-Ge film at the bonded interface is systematically identified. The relationship among the bubble density, annealing temperature, and crystallinity of a-Ge film is also clearly clarified. The crystallization of a-Ge film firstly appears at the bubble region. More interesting feature is that the crystallization starts from the center of the bubbles and sprawls to the bubble edge gradually. The H2 by-product is finally absorbed by intermediate Ge layer with crystalline phase after post annealing. Moreover, the whole a-Ge film out of the bubble totally crystallizes when the annealing time increases. This Ge integration at the bubble region leads to the decrease of the bubble density, which in turn increases the bonding strength.

Tribological properties of nc-TiC/a-C:H coatings prepared by magnetron sputtering at low and high ion bombardment of the growing film

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Souček, P.; Schmidtová, T.; Bursíková, V.; Vašina, P.; Pei, Y.; De Hos, J. Th. M.; Caha, O.; Peřina, Vratislav; Mikšová, Romana; Malinský, Petr

2014-01-01

Roč. 241, FEB (2014), s. 64-73 ISSN 0257-8972 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(XE) LM2011019; GA ČR(CZ) GD104/09/H080 Institutional support: RVO:61389005 Keywords : nanocomposites * magnetron sputtering * Titanium carbide * ion flux * friction * wear Subject RIV: BG - Nuclear, Atomic and Molecular Physics, Colliders Impact factor: 1.998, year: 2014

Comprehensive study of the p-type conductivity formation in radio frequency magnetron sputtered arsenic-doped ZnO film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fan, J. C.; Zhu, C. Y.; Yang, B.; Fung, S.; Beling, C. D.; Brauer, G.; Anwand, W.; Grambole, D.; Skorupa, W.; Wong, K. S.; Zhong, Y. C.; Xie, Z.; Ling, C. C. [Department of Physics, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam (Hong Kong); Institut fuer Ionenstrahlphysik und Materialforschung, Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 510119, D-01314, Dresden (Germany); Institut fuer Strahlenphysik, Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 510119, D-01314, Dresden (Germany); Institut fuer Ionenstrahlphysik und Materialforschung, Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 510119, D-01314, Dresden (Germany); Department of Physics, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong); College of Physics and Microelectronic Science, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); Department of Physics, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam (Hong Kong)

2011-05-15

Arsenic doped ZnO and ZnMgO films were deposited on SiO{sub 2} using radio frequency magnetron sputtering and ZnO-Zn{sub 3}As{sub 2} and ZnO-Zn{sub 3}As{sub 2}-MgO targets, respectively. It was found that thermal activation is required to activate the formation of p-type conductivity. Hall measurements showed that p-type films with a hole concentration of {approx}10{sup 17} cm{sup -3} and mobility of {approx}8 cm{sup 2} V{sup -1} s{sup -1} were obtained at substrate temperatures of 400-500 deg. C The shallow acceptor formation mechanism was investigated using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, positron annihilation, low temperature photoluminescence, and nuclear reaction analysis. The authors suggest that the thermal annealing activates the formation of the As{sub Zn}-2V{sub Zn} shallow acceptor complex and removes the compensating hydrogen center.

Damp heat stability and annealing behavior of aluminum doped zinc oxide films prepared by magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tohsophon, T.; Huepkes, J.; Calnan, S.; Reetz, W.; Rech, B.; Beyer, W.; Sirikulrat, N.

2006-01-01

The damp heat stability and subsequent vacuum annealing behavior of aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) films was investigated using Hall effect measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and optical spectrometry techniques. The AZO films were deposited on glass or silicon wafers using reactive and non-reactive magnetron sputtering from metallic and ceramic targets, respectively. Additionally, we characterized surface textured AZO films, which are used as light scattering transparent conductive oxide (TCO) in silicon thin film solar cells. For all films a degradation of the electrical film properties was found after the damp heat treatment. For thick compact films, with large grain size, only a small increase in the electrical resistivity was observed, whereas less compact films prepared at high deposition pressures or very thin films (< 300 nm) showed an increase in resistivity by up to a factor of three already after 300 h. The conductivity degradation during damp heat treatment could be largely reversed by annealing in vacuum. However, annealing temperatures of at least 150 deg. C were required. Possible mechanisms explaining the experimental results are discussed

Structure, optical properties and thermal stability of HfErO films deposited by simultaneous RF and VHF magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, H.Y.; He, H.J.; Zhang, Z.; Jin, C.G.; Yang, Y.; Wang, Y.Y.; Ye, C.; Zhuge, L.J.; Wu, X.M.

2015-01-01

HfErO films are deposited on Si substrates by simultaneous radio frequency (RF) and very high frequency (VHF) magnetron sputtering technique. The content of the doped ingredient of Er and the body composition of HfO x are, respectively, controlled through the VHF and RF powers. Low content of Er doping in the HfErO films can be achieved, because the VHF source of 27.12 MHz has higher ion energy and lower ion flux than the RF source resulting in low sputtering rate in the magnetron sputtering system. The structure, optical properties and thermal stability of the HfErO films are investigated in this work. Results show that the doped content of Er is independently controlled by the VHF power. The oxygen vacancies are created by the Er incorporation. The hafnium in the HfErO films forms mixed valence of Hf 2+ and Hf 4+ . The HfErO films are composed with the structures of HfO 2 , HfO and ErO x , which can be optimized through the VHF power. At high VHF power, the Hf-Er-O bonds are formed, which demonstrates that the Er atoms are doped into the lattice of HfO 2 in the HfErO films. The HfErO films have bad thermal stability as the crystallization temperature decreases from 900 to 800 C. After thermal annealing, cubic phase of HfO 2 are stabilized, which is ascribed to the oxygen vacancies creation by the Er incorporation. The optical properties such as the refractive index and the optical band gap of the HfErO films are optimized by the VHF power. (orig.)

Structural, Mechanical and Tribological Properties of NbCN-Ag Nanocomposite Films Deposited by Reactive Magnetron Sputtering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fanjing Wu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, reactive magnetron sputtering was applied for preparing NbCN-Ag films with different Ag additions. Ag contents in the as-deposited NbCN-Ag films were achieved by adjusting Ag target power. The composition, microstructure, mechanical properties, and tribological properties were characterized using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS, X-ray diffraction (XRD, field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM, Raman spectrometry, nano-indentation, and high-temperature sliding wear tests. Results indicated that face-centered cubic (fcc NbN, hexagonal close-packed (hcp NbN and fcc Ag, amorphous C and amorphous CNx phase co-existed in the as-deposited NbCN-Ag films. After doping with 2.0 at.% Ag, the hardness and elastic modulus reached a maximum value of 33 GPa and 340 GPa, respectively. Tribological properties were enhanced by adding Ag in NbCN-Ag films at room temperature. When the test temperature rose from 300 to 500 °C, the addition of Ag was found beneficial for the friction properties, showing a lowest friction coefficient of ~0.35 for NbCN-12.9 at.% Ag films at 500 °C. This was mainly attributed to the existence of AgOx, NbOx, and AgNbOx lubrication phases that acted as solid lubricants to modify the wear mechanism.

Study on helium-charged titanium films deposited by DC-magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Liqun; Jin Qinhua; Liu Chaozhuo; Xu Shilin; Zhou Zhuying

2005-01-01

Helium trapping in the Ti films deposited by DC magnetron sputtering with a He/Ar mixture was studied. He atoms with a surprisingly high concentration (He/Ti atomic ratio is as high as 56%) incorporate evenly in deposited film. The trapped amount of He can be controlled by the helium partial amount. The introduction of the helium with no extra damage (or very low damage) can be realized by choosing suitable deposition conditions. It was also found that because of the formation of nanophase Ti film a relative high He flux for bubble formation is needed and the amount of the retaining He in sputtering Ti films is much higher than that in the coarse-grain Ti films. The nanophase Ti film can accommodate larger concentration of trapped sites to He, which results in a high density and small size of the He bubbles. With increasing He irradiation flux, the grain size of Ti film decreases and the lattice spacing and width of the X-ray diffraction peak increase due to the He introduction, and the film tends to amorphous phase. (authors)

High temperature superconducting films by rf magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kadin, A.M.; Ballentine, P.H.

1989-01-01

The authors have produced sputtered films of Y-Ba-Cu-O and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O by rf magnetron sputtering from an oxide target consisting of loose reacted powder. The use of a large 8-inch stoichiometric target in the magnetron mode permits films located above the central region to be free of negative-ion resputtering effects, and hence yields reproducible, uniform stoichiometric compositions for a wide range of substrate temperatures. Superconducting YBCO films have been obtained either by sputtering at low temperatures followed by an 850 0 C oxygen anneal, or alternatively by depositing onto substrates heated to ∼600 - 650 0 C and cooling in oxygen. Films prepared by the former method on cubic zirconia substrate consist of randomly oriented crystallites with zero resistance above 83 K. Those deposited on zirconia at medium temperatures without the high-temperature anneal contain smooth partially oriented crystallites, with a slightly depressed T/sub c/ ∼75K. Finally, superconducting films have been deposited on MgO using a BiSrCaCu/sub 2/O/sub x/ powder target

Effect of nitrogen doping on the structural, optical and electrical properties of indium tin oxide films prepared by magnetron sputtering for gallium nitride light emitting diodes

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Lifei; Cheng, Guoan; Wang, Hougong; Wu, Yulong; Zheng, Ruiting; Ding, Peijun

2017-01-01

The indium tin oxide (ITO) films are prepared by the direct current magnetron sputtering technology with an ITO target in a mixture of argon and nitrogen gas at room temperature. The blue transmittance at 455 nm rises from 63% to 83% after nitrogen doping. The resistivity of the ITO film reduces from 4.6 × 10-3 (undoped film) to 5.7 × 10-4 Ω cm (N-doped film). The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data imply that the binding energy of the In3d5/2 peak is declined 0.05 eV after nitrogen doping. The high resolution transmission electron microscope images show that the nitrogen loss density of the GaN/ITO interface with N-doped ITO film is smaller than that of the GaN/ITO interface with undoped ITO film. The forward turn-on voltage of gallium nitride light emitting diode reduces by 0.5 V after nitrogen doping. The fabrication of the N-doped ITO film is conducive to modify the N component of the interface between GaN and ITO layer.

Specific features of fullerene-bearing thin film growth using ion beam vacuum sputtering of fullerene mixtures with B, Fe, Se, Gd and Na

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Semenov, A.P.; Semenova, I.A.; Bulina, N.V.; Lopatin, V.A.; Karmanov, N.S.; Churilov, G.N.

2005-01-01

A new approach to the growth of films containing fullerenes and doping elements is described. It is suggested that a cluster mechanism of the target sputtering by accelerated ions makes possible the deposition of fullerenes on a substrate with a certain probability for dopant atoms being introduced into the cavities of fullerene molecules and a higher probability of the doping element introduction between fullerene molecules. The proposed method has been experimentally implemented by using an Ar ion beam to sputter C 60 /C 70 fullerene mixtures, synthesized in a plasmachemical reactor at a pressure of 10 5 Pa and containing a doping element, i.e. Fe, Na, B, Gd or Se. Micron-thick films containing C 60 and C 70 fullerenes and the corresponding dopant element, i.e. Fe, Na, B, Gd or Se, were grown from dopant-containing fullerene mixtures by ion beam sputtering in a vacuum of ∼10 -2 Pa [ru

Transmission photocathodes based on stainless steel mesh and quartz glass coated with N-doped DLC thin films prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Balalykin, N. I.; Huran, J.; Nozdrin, M. A.; Feshchenko, A. A.; Kobzev, A. P.; Arbet, J.

2016-03-01

The influence was investigated of N-doped diamond-like carbon (DLC) films properties on the quantum efficiency of a prepared transmission photocathode. N-doped DLC thin films were deposited on a silicon substrate, a stainless steel mesh and quartz glass (coated with 5 nm thick Cr adhesion film) by reactive magnetron sputtering using a carbon target and gas mixture Ar, 90%N2+10%H2. The elements' concentration in the films was determined by RBS and ERD. The quantum efficiency was calculated from the measured laser energy and the measured cathode charge. For the study of the vectorial photoelectric effect, the quartz type photocathode was irradiated by intensive laser pulses to form pin-holes in the DLC film. The quantum efficiency (QE), calculated at a laser energy of 0.4 mJ, rose as the nitrogen concentration in the DLC films was increased and rose dramatically after the micron-size perforation in the quartz type photocathodes.

Silicon oxynitride films deposited by reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering using nitrous oxide as a single-source precursor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hänninen, Tuomas, E-mail: tuoha@ifm.liu.se; Schmidt, Susann; Jensen, Jens; Hultman, Lars; Högberg, Hans [Thin Film Physics Division, Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, Linköping SE-581 83 (Sweden)

2015-09-15

Silicon oxynitride thin films were synthesized by reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering of silicon in argon/nitrous oxide plasmas. Nitrous oxide was employed as a single-source precursor supplying oxygen and nitrogen for the film growth. The films were characterized by elastic recoil detection analysis, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, x-ray reflectivity, scanning electron microscopy, and spectroscopic ellipsometry. Results show that the films are silicon rich, amorphous, and exhibit a random chemical bonding structure. The optical properties with the refractive index and the extinction coefficient correlate with the film elemental composition, showing decreasing values with increasing film oxygen and nitrogen content. The total percentage of oxygen and nitrogen in the films is controlled by adjusting the gas flow ratio in the deposition processes. Furthermore, it is shown that the film oxygen-to-nitrogen ratio can be tailored by the high power impulse magnetron sputtering-specific parameters pulse frequency and energy per pulse.

Fuzzy tungsten in a magnetron sputtering device

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petty, T.J., E-mail: tjpetty@liv.ac.uk [Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Hill, Liverpool, L69 3GJ (United Kingdom); Khan, A. [Pariser Building-G11, School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Heil, T. [NiCaL, Block C Waterhouse Building, 1-3 Brownlow Street, Liverpool, L69 3GL (United Kingdom); Bradley, J.W., E-mail: j.w.bradley@liverpool.ac.uk [Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Hill, Liverpool, L69 3GJ (United Kingdom)

2016-11-15

Helium ion induced tungsten nanostructure (tungsten fuzz) has been studied in a magnetron sputtering device. Three parameters were varied, the fluence from 3.4 × 10{sup 23}–3.0 × 10{sup 24} m{sup −2}, the He ion energy from 25 to 70 eV, and the surface temperature from 900 to 1200 K. For each sample, SEM images were captured, and measurements of the fuzz layer thickness, surface roughness, reflectivity, and average structure widths are provided. A cross-over point from pre-fuzz to fully formed fuzz is found at 2.4 ± 0.4 × 10{sup 24} m{sup −2}, and a temperature of 1080 ± 60 K. No significant change was observed in the energy sweep. The fuzz is compared to low fluence fuzz created in the PISCES-A linear plasma device. Magnetron fuzz is less uniform than fuzz created by PISCES-A and with generally larger structure widths. The thicknesses of the magnetron samples follow the original Φ{sup 1/2} relation as opposed to the incubation fluence fit. - Highlights: • Fuzz has been created in a magnetron sputtering device. • Three parameters for fuzz formation have been swept. • A cross-over from pre-fuzz to fully formed fuzz is seen. • Evidence for annealing out at lower temperatures than has been seen before. • Evidence to suggest that fuzz grown in discrete exposures is not consistent with fuzz grown in one long exposure.

Fuzzy tungsten in a magnetron sputtering device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petty, T.J.; Khan, A.; Heil, T.; Bradley, J.W.

2016-01-01

Helium ion induced tungsten nanostructure (tungsten fuzz) has been studied in a magnetron sputtering device. Three parameters were varied, the fluence from 3.4 × 10 23 –3.0 × 10 24  m −2 , the He ion energy from 25 to 70 eV, and the surface temperature from 900 to 1200 K. For each sample, SEM images were captured, and measurements of the fuzz layer thickness, surface roughness, reflectivity, and average structure widths are provided. A cross-over point from pre-fuzz to fully formed fuzz is found at 2.4 ± 0.4 × 10 24  m −2 , and a temperature of 1080 ± 60 K. No significant change was observed in the energy sweep. The fuzz is compared to low fluence fuzz created in the PISCES-A linear plasma device. Magnetron fuzz is less uniform than fuzz created by PISCES-A and with generally larger structure widths. The thicknesses of the magnetron samples follow the original Φ 1/2 relation as opposed to the incubation fluence fit. - Highlights: • Fuzz has been created in a magnetron sputtering device. • Three parameters for fuzz formation have been swept. • A cross-over from pre-fuzz to fully formed fuzz is seen. • Evidence for annealing out at lower temperatures than has been seen before. • Evidence to suggest that fuzz grown in discrete exposures is not consistent with fuzz grown in one long exposure.

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

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Shi-na; Ma, Rui-xin; Ma, Chun-hong; Li, Dong-ran; Xiao, Yu-qin; He, Liang-wei; Zhu, Hong-min

2013-05-01

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 3.1×10-4Ω·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.

The n-type conduction of indium-doped Cu{sub 2}O thin films fabricated by direct current magnetron co-sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cai, Xing-Min; Su, Xiao-Qiang; Ye, Fan, E-mail: yefan@szu.edu.cn; Wang, Huan; Tian, Xiao-Qing; Zhang, Dong-Ping; Fan, Ping; Luo, Jing-Ting; Zheng, Zhuang-Hao; Liang, Guang-Xing [Institute of Thin Film Physics and Applications, School of Physical Science and Technology and Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Sensor Technology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060 (China); Roy, V. A. L. [Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films (COSDAF) and Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong (China)

2015-08-24

Indium-doped Cu{sub 2}O thin films were fabricated on K9 glass substrates by direct current magnetron co-sputtering in an atmosphere of Ar and O{sub 2}. Metallic copper and indium disks were used as the targets. X-ray diffraction showed that the diffraction peaks could only be indexed to simple cubic Cu{sub 2}O, with no other phases detected. Indium atoms exist as In{sup 3+} in Cu{sub 2}O. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy showed that the transmittance of the samples was relatively high and that indium doping increased the optical band gaps. The Hall effect measurement showed that the samples were n-type semiconductors at room temperature. The Seebeck effect test showed that the films were n-type semiconductors near or over room temperature (<400 K), changing to p-type at relatively high temperatures. The conduction by the samples in the temperature range of the n-type was due to thermal band conduction and the donor energy level was estimated to be 620.2–713.8 meV below the conduction band. The theoretical calculation showed that indium doping can raise the Fermi energy level of Cu{sub 2}O and, therefore, lead to n-type conduction.

Nb and Ta Co-Doped TiO2 Transparent Conductive Thin Films by Magnetron Sputtering: Fabrication, Structure, and Characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yang; Peng, Qian; Qiao, Yadong; Yang, Guang

2018-06-01

Nb and Ta co-doped anatase titanium dioxide (NTTO) nanocrystalline thin films were deposited on quartz and Si (100) substrates by RF magnetron sputtering. The influence of RF power on the growth, structure, morphology, and properties of the samples are discussed in detail. X-ray diffraction measurements show that the films are polycrystalline with anatase tetragonal structure, which is further confirmed by Raman spectroscopy analysis. Meanwhile, Raman spectroscopy results indicate that the peak width of E g(1) mode, which is directly correlated to the carrier density, changes obviously with RF power. It is found that the substitution of Nb5+ and Ta5+ at Ti site is significantly improved with the increase of RF power from 150 W to 210 W. For the sample deposited at 210 W, the optical transmittance is above 82% in the visible range and the electrical resistivity is as low as 1.3 × 10-3 Ω cm with carrier density of 1.1 × 1021 cm-3 and Hall mobility of 4.5 cm2 V-1 s-1. The optical and electrical properties of NTTO thin films can be compared to those of Nb or Ta doped anatase TiO2. However, co-doping with Nb and Ta gives a possible platform to complement the limitations of each individual dopant.

Structure, optical properties and thermal stability of HfErO films deposited by simultaneous RF and VHF magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, H.Y. [Soochow University, College of Physics, Optoelectronics and Energy and Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Suzhou (China); Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, School of Tongda, Nanjing (China); Soochow University, Key Lab of Advanced Optical Manufacturing Technologies of Jiangsu Province and Key Lab of Modern Optical Technologies of Education Ministry of China, Suzhou (China); He, H.J.; Zhang, Z.; Jin, C.G.; Yang, Y.; Wang, Y.Y.; Ye, C. [Soochow University, College of Physics, Optoelectronics and Energy and Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Suzhou (China); Soochow University, Key Lab of Advanced Optical Manufacturing Technologies of Jiangsu Province and Key Lab of Modern Optical Technologies of Education Ministry of China, Suzhou (China); Zhuge, L.J. [Soochow University, Key Lab of Advanced Optical Manufacturing Technologies of Jiangsu Province and Key Lab of Modern Optical Technologies of Education Ministry of China, Suzhou (China); Soochow University, Analysis and Testing Center, Suzhou (China); Wu, X.M. [Soochow University, College of Physics, Optoelectronics and Energy and Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Suzhou (China); Soochow University, Key Lab of Advanced Optical Manufacturing Technologies of Jiangsu Province and Key Lab of Modern Optical Technologies of Education Ministry of China, Suzhou (China); Chinese Academy of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Shanghai (China)

2015-01-23

HfErO films are deposited on Si substrates by simultaneous radio frequency (RF) and very high frequency (VHF) magnetron sputtering technique. The content of the doped ingredient of Er and the body composition of HfO{sub x} are, respectively, controlled through the VHF and RF powers. Low content of Er doping in the HfErO films can be achieved, because the VHF source of 27.12 MHz has higher ion energy and lower ion flux than the RF source resulting in low sputtering rate in the magnetron sputtering system. The structure, optical properties and thermal stability of the HfErO films are investigated in this work. Results show that the doped content of Er is independently controlled by the VHF power. The oxygen vacancies are created by the Er incorporation. The hafnium in the HfErO films forms mixed valence of Hf{sup 2+} and Hf{sup 4+}. The HfErO films are composed with the structures of HfO{sub 2}, HfO and ErO{sub x}, which can be optimized through the VHF power. At high VHF power, the Hf-Er-O bonds are formed, which demonstrates that the Er atoms are doped into the lattice of HfO{sub 2} in the HfErO films. The HfErO films have bad thermal stability as the crystallization temperature decreases from 900 to 800 C. After thermal annealing, cubic phase of HfO{sub 2} are stabilized, which is ascribed to the oxygen vacancies creation by the Er incorporation. The optical properties such as the refractive index and the optical band gap of the HfErO films are optimized by the VHF power. (orig.)

Overcoming challenges to the formation of high-quality polycrystalline TiO{sub 2}:Ta transparent conducting films by magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neubert, M.; Cornelius, S.; Fiedler, J. [Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, P.O. Box 510119, 01314 Dresden (Germany); Gebel, T.; Liepack, H. [DTF Technology GmbH, 01108 Dresden (Germany); Kolitsch, A. [Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, P.O. Box 510119, 01314 Dresden (Germany); HZDR Innovation GmbH, 01328 Dresden (Germany); Vinnichenko, M. [Fraunhofer-Institut für Keramische Technologien und Systeme, 01277 Dresden (Germany)

2013-08-28

The work is focused on understanding the physical processes responsible for the modification of the structure, electrical and optical properties of polycrystalline TiO{sub 2}:Ta films formed by annealing of initially amorphous films grown by direct current magnetron sputtering of electrically conductive ceramic targets. It is shown that fine tuning of the oxygen content during deposition of amorphous TiO{sub 2}:Ta films is critical to achieving low resistivity and high optical transmittance after annealing. Increasing the total pressure during magnetron sputter deposition is shown to decrease the sensitivity of the annealed films to the oxygen flow variation during deposition of the initially amorphous layers. Polycrystalline anatase TiO{sub 2}:Ta films of low electrical resistivity (ρ{sub H} = 1.5 × 10{sup −3}Ω cm), high free electron mobility (μ{sub H} = 8 cm{sup 2}/Vs), and low extinction (k{sub 550nm} = 0.006) are obtained in this way at a total pressure of 2 Pa. The dependence of the polycrystalline film electrical properties on the oxygen content is discussed in terms of Ta dopant electrical activation/deactivation taking into account the formation of compensating defects at different oxygen pressures. The temperature-dependent transport of the polycrystalline anatase TiO{sub 2}:Ta films is investigated showing the dominant role of the optical phonon scattering in the case of films with an optimum Ti/O ratio.

Preparation of high magneto-optical performance and crystalline quality Ce{sub 1}Gd{sub 2}Fe{sub 5−x}Ga{sub x}O{sub 12} films on CLNGG substrate crystal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fu, Qiu-ping; Zheng, Ze-yuan; Lin, Nan-xi; Liu, Xiao-feng; Hong, Can-huang; Hu, Xiao-lin, E-mail: linamethyst@fzu.edu.cn; Zhuang, Nai-feng; Chen, Jian-zhong, E-mail: j.z.chen@fzu.edu.cn

2016-11-01

Thin films of Ce{sub 1}Gd{sub 2}Fe{sub 5−x}Ga{sub x}O{sub 12} (Ce,Ga:GIG) were prepared on Gd{sub 3}Ga{sub 5}O{sub 12} (GGG) and Ca{sub 2.90}Li{sub 0.30}Nb{sub 1.93}Ga{sub 2.76}O{sub 12} (CLNGG) substrates by using radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique. The phase, grain orientation, surface morphology, transmittance, magnetism and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) properties of films were analyzed. And the effects of lattice mismatch and non-magnetic Ga{sup 3+}-doping were discussed. The results show that the films with higher crystallized quality and lower stress can be obtained by growing on CLNGG than on GGG. Moreover, the coercive force, magnetization, magneto-optical effect intensity and orientation of film can be effectively regulated by adjusting Ga{sup 3+}-doped concentration. - Highlights: • With excellent magneto-optical performance, Ce,Ga:GIG film has a good application prospect. • Ce,Ga:GIG film with high quality were prepared on CLNGG by RF magnetron sputtering. • Crystalline quality and morphology of films are intently related to the substrate. • Ga{sup 3+} doping obviously affect on magnetism and magneto-optical property of Ce:GIG film.

Deposition Rates of High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering: Physics and Economics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anders, Andre

2009-11-22

Deposition by high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) is considered by some as the new paradigm of advanced sputtering technology, yet this is met with skepticism by others for the reported lower deposition rates, if compared to rates of more conventional sputtering of equal average power. In this contribution, the underlying physical reasons for the rate changes are discussed, including (i) ion return to the target and self-sputtering, (ii) the less-than-linear increase of the sputtering yield with increasing ion energy, (iii) yield changes due to the shift of species responsible for sputtering, (iv) changes to due to greater film density, limited sticking, and self-sputtering on the substrate, (v) noticeable power losses in the switch module, (vi) changes of the magnetic balance and particle confinement of the magnetron due to self-fields at high current, and (vii) superposition of sputtering and sublimation/evaporation for selected materials. The situation is even more complicated for reactive systems where the target surface chemistry is a function of the reactive gas partial pressure and discharge conditions. While most of these factors imply a reduction of the normalized deposition rate, increased rates have been reported for certain conditions using hot targets and less poisoned targets. Finally, some points of economics and HIPIMS benefits considered.

Deposition rates of high power impulse magnetron sputtering: Physics and economics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anders, Andre

2010-01-01

Deposition by high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) is considered by some as the new paradigm of advanced sputtering technology, yet this is met with skepticism by others for the reported lower deposition rates, if compared to rates of more conventional sputtering of equal average power. In this contribution, the underlying physical reasons for the rate changes are discussed, including (i) ion return to the target and self-sputtering, (ii) the less-than-linear increase in the sputtering yield with increasing ion energy, (iii) yield changes due to the shift of species responsible for sputtering, (iv) changes due to greater film density, limited sticking, and self-sputtering on the substrate, (v) noticeable power losses in the switch module, (vi) changes in the magnetic balance and particle confinement of the magnetron due to self-fields at high current, and (vii) superposition of sputtering and sublimation/evaporation for selected materials. The situation is even more complicated for reactive systems where the target surface chemistry is a function of the reactive gas partial pressure and discharge conditions. While most of these factors imply a reduction in the normalized deposition rate, increased rates have been reported for certain conditions using hot targets and less poisoned targets. Finally, some points of economics and HIPIMS benefits are considered.

Properties of reactively radio frequency-magnetron sputtered (Zr,Sn)TiO4 dielectric films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, C.-L.; Hsu, C.-H.

2004-01-01

Zirconium tin titanium oxide doped 1 wt % ZnO thin films on n-type Si substrate were deposited by rf magnetron sputtering at a fixed rf power of 350 W with various argon-oxygen (Ar/O 2 ) mixture and different substrate temperatures. Electrical properties and microstructures of ZnO-doped (Zr 0.8 Sn 0.2 )TiO 4 thin films prepared by rf magnetron sputtering on n-type Si(100) substrates at different Ar/O 2 ratios and substrate temperatures have been investigated. The surface structural and morphological characteristics analyzed by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscope were sensitive to the deposition conditions, such as Ar/O 2 ratio (100/0-80/20) and substrate temperature (350 deg. C-450 deg. C). The selected-area diffraction pattern showed that the deposited films exhibited a polycrystalline microstructure. All films exhibited ZST (111) orientation perpendicular to the substrate surface and the grain size as well as the deposition rate of the films increased with the increase of both the Ar partial pressure and the substrate temperature. At a Ar/O 2 ratio of 100/0, rf power level of 350 W and substrate temperature of 450 deg. C, the Zr 0.8 Sn 0.2 TiO 4 films with 6.44 μm thickness possess a dielectric constant of 42 (at 10 MHz), a dissipation factor of 0.065 (at 10 MHz), and a leakage current density of 2x10 -7 A/cm 2 at an electrical field of 1 kV/cm

Plasma properties of RF magnetron sputtering system using Zn target

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nafarizal, N.; Andreas Albert, A. R.; Sharifah Amirah, A. S.; Salwa, O.; Riyaz Ahmad, M. A. [Microelectronic and Nanotechnology - Shamsuddin Research Centre (MiNT-SRC), Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia 86400 Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor (Malaysia)

2012-06-29

In the present work, we investigate the fundamental properties of magnetron sputtering plasma using Zn target and its deposited Zn thin film. The magnetron sputtering plasma was produced using radio frequency (RF) power supply and Argon (Ar) as ambient gas. A Langmuir probe was used to collect the current from the plasma and from the current intensity, we calculate the electron density and electron temperature. The properties of Zn sputtering plasma at various discharge conditions were studied. At the RF power ranging from 20 to 100 W and gas pressure 5 mTorr, we found that the electron temperature was almost unchanged between 2-2.5 eV. On the other hand, the electron temperature increased drastically from 6 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 9} to 1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 10}cm{sup -3} when the discharge gas pressure increased from 5 to 10 mTorr. The electron microscope images show that the grain size of Zn thin film increase when the discharge power is increased. This may be due to the enhancement of plasma density and sputtered Zn density.

Plasma ``anti-assistance'' and ``self-assistance'' to high power impulse magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Anders, André; Yushkov, Georgy Yu.

2009-04-01

A plasma assistance system was investigated with the goal to operate high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) at lower pressure than usual, thereby to enhance the utilization of the ballistic atoms and ions with high kinetic energy in the film growth process. Gas plasma flow from a constricted plasma source was aimed at the magnetron target. Contrary to initial expectations, such plasma assistance turned out to be contraproductive because it led to the extinction of the magnetron discharge. The effect can be explained by gas rarefaction. A better method of reducing the necessary gas pressure is operation at relatively high pulse repetition rates where the afterglow plasma of one pulse assists in the development of the next pulse. Here we show that this method, known from medium-frequency (MF) pulsed sputtering, is also very important at the much lower pulse repetition rates of HiPIMS. A minimum in the possible operational pressure is found in the frequency region between HiPIMS and MF pulsed sputtering.

Plasma 'anti-assistance' and 'self-assistance' to high power impulse magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anders, Andre; Yushkov, Georgy Yu.

2009-01-01

A plasma assistance system was investigated with the goal to operate high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) at lower pressure than usual, thereby to enhance the utilization of the ballistic atoms and ions with high kinetic energy in the film growth process. Gas plasma flow from a constricted plasma source was aimed at the magnetron target. Contrary to initial expectations, such plasma assistance turned out to be contraproductive because it led to the extinction of the magnetron discharge. The effect can be explained by gas rarefaction. A better method of reducing the necessary gas pressure is operation at relatively high pulse repetition rates where the afterglow plasma of one pulse assists in the development of the next pulse. Here we show that this method, known from medium-frequency (MF) pulsed sputtering, is also very important at the much lower pulse repetition rates of HiPIMS. A minimum in the possible operational pressure is found in the frequency region between HiPIMS and MF pulsed sputtering

Effects of hydrogen gas on properties of tin-doped indium oxide films deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Do-Geun; Lee, Sunghun; Lee, Gun-Hwan; Kwon, Sik-Chol

2007-01-01

Tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) films were deposited at ∼ 70 deg. C of substrate temperature by radio frequency magnetron sputtering method using an In 2 O 3 -10% SnO 2 target. The effect of hydrogen gas ratio [H 2 / (H 2 + Ar)] on the electrical, optical and mechanical properties was investigated. With increasing the amount of hydrogen gas, the resistivity of the samples showed the lowest value of 3.5 x 10 -4 Ω.cm at the range of 0.8-1.7% of hydrogen gas ratio, while the resistivity increases over than 2.5% of hydrogen gas ratio. Hall effect measurements explained that carrier concentration and its mobility are strongly related with the resistivity of ITO films. The supplement of hydrogen gas also reduced the residual stress of ITO films up to the stress level of 110 MPa. The surface roughness and the crystallinity of the samples were investigated by using atomic force microscopy and x-ray diffraction, respectively

Effect of Ti Doping to Maintain Structural Disorder in InOx-Based Thin-Film Transistors Fabricated by RF Magnetron Sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Aikawa, Shinya

2017-12-01

The effect of Ti doping in an indium oxide (InOx)-based semiconductor is investigated for the thin-film transistor (TFT) property and crystal structure of the film. InOx and Ti-doped InOx (InTiOx) films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering under the same O2 partial pressure conditions were systematically compared. The TFT behavior of the InOx showed higher conductivity than that of the InTiOx and was drastically changed to metallic conduction after annealing at 150 °C. Under the annealing conditions when the electrical transition to the metallic behavior occurred, the InOx film was crystallized. The X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the shrinkage of the In2O3 unit cell is pronounced in the case of InOx films. Thus, Ti dopants may play the role as a suppressor for shrinkage of the unit cell, i.e. maintaining neighboring In-In distances, in addition to suppression of oxygen vacancies. The In-In distance, which is related to the overlapping of In 5 s orbitals, is considered to be one of the key factor for which InOx-based materials are utilized as conducting films or semiconducting channels.

Optical and magneto-optical characterization of TbFeCo and GdFeCo thin films for high-density recording

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hendren, W R; Atkinson, R; Pollard, R J; Salter, I W; Wright, C D; Clegg, W W; Jenkins, D F L

2003-01-01

Thin, optically semi-infinite films of amorphous TbFeCo and GdFeCo, suitable for magneto-optical recording, have been deposited by DC magnetron sputtering onto glass. Ellipsometric techniques have been used to determine the complex refractive index and complex magneto-optical parameter of the films in the wavelength range 400-900 nm, thus characterizing the materials. A review of the literature is presented and shows that the results for the TbFeCo films compare favourably with published results obtained from measurements conducted in situ, with the films protected with ZnS barrier layers. It is found that GdFeCo and TbFeCo are optically very similar, but magneto-optically the materials are quite different

Optical and magneto-optical characterization of TbFeCo and GdFeCo thin films for high-density recording

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hendren, W R [Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Queen' s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN (United Kingdom); Atkinson, R [Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Queen' s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN (United Kingdom); Pollard, R J [Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Queen' s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN (United Kingdom); Salter, I W [Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Queen' s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN (United Kingdom); Wright, C D [School of Engineering and Computer Science, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF (United Kingdom); Clegg, W W [CRIST, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL4 8AA (United Kingdom); Jenkins, D F L [CRIST, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL4 8AA (United Kingdom)

2003-03-12

Thin, optically semi-infinite films of amorphous TbFeCo and GdFeCo, suitable for magneto-optical recording, have been deposited by DC magnetron sputtering onto glass. Ellipsometric techniques have been used to determine the complex refractive index and complex magneto-optical parameter of the films in the wavelength range 400-900 nm, thus characterizing the materials. A review of the literature is presented and shows that the results for the TbFeCo films compare favourably with published results obtained from measurements conducted in situ, with the films protected with ZnS barrier layers. It is found that GdFeCo and TbFeCo are optically very similar, but magneto-optically the materials are quite different.

Effect of deposition temperature on the properties of nitrogen-doped AZO thin films grown on glass by rf reactive magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cho, Shinho, E-mail: scho@silla.ac.kr [Center for Green Fusion Technology and Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Silla University, Busan 617-736 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Heetae [Backlight Technology, LCD Division, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Asan 336-841 (Korea, Republic of)

2010-09-15

Nitrogen-doped aluminum zinc oxide (NAZO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates at various deposition temperatures by rf reactive magnetron sputtering. The NAZO film deposited at 400 deg. C shows a strongly c-axis preferred orientation and n-type conduction with a resistivity of 2.1 x 10{sup -2} {Omega} cm, Hall mobility of 7.7 cm{sup 2} V{sup -1} s{sup -1}, and electron concentration of 3.8 x 10{sup 19} cm{sup -3}. The optimum crystallographic structure occurs at a deposition temperature of 400 deg. C, where a considerable crystallinity enhancement of the films is observed. The band gap energies of the NAZO films, obtained by using Tauc model and parabolic bands, are found to significantly depend on the deposition temperature, along with the band gap narrowing at higher deposition temperature due to renormalization effects.

SERS spectra of pyridine adsorbed on nickel film prepared by magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Daoyong; Ouyang, Yu; Chen, Li; Cao, Weiran; Shi, Shaohua

2011-02-01

As a repeating well and cheaper enhancement substrate, the nickel film was fabricated with magnetron sputtering coating instrument. Surface enhanced Raman spectra (SERS) of pyridine adsorbed on this nickel film are compared with the experimental values of gaseous pyridine, the theoretical value of pyridine solution listed in other literatures and our method is better than electro-chemical etching electrode method for large scale preparation. The enhancement factor of the nickel film is calculated and the result indicates that magnetron sputtering coating technology is feasible for obtaining good SERS active surface.

Optical and electrical properties of Ti(Cr)O_2:N thin films deposited by magnetron co-sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kollbek, K.; Szkudlarek, A.; Marzec, M.M.; Lyson-Sypien, B.; Cecot, M.; Bernasik, A.; Radecka, M.; Zakrzewska, K.

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Co-doped well-crystallized stoichiometric Ti(Cr)O_2:N thin films are deposited. • Magnetron sputtering of ceramic TiO_2 target is a new strategy for co-doping. • Bigger contribution from substitutionally incorporated nitrogen is seen in XPS. • Significant red shift of the fundamental absorption edge is obtained. - Abstract: The paper deals with TiO_2-based thin films, doped with Cr and N, obtained by magnetron co-sputtering from titanium dioxide ceramic and chromium targets in Ar + N_2 atmosphere. Co-doped samples of Ti(Cr)O_2:N are investigated from the point of view of morphological, crystallographic, optical, and electrical properties. Characterization techniques such as: X-ray diffraction, XRD, scanning electron microscopy, SEM, atomic force microscopy, AFM, Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, EDX, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XPS, optical spectrophotometry as well as impedance spectroscopy are applied. XRD reveals TiO_2 and TiO_2:N thin films are well crystallized as opposed to those of TiO_2:Cr and Ti(Cr)O_2:N. XPS spectra confirm that co-doping has been successfully performed with the biggest contribution from the lower binding energy component of N 1s peak at 396 eV. SEM analysis indicates uniform and dense morphology without columnar growth. Comparison between the band gaps indicates a significant shift of the absorption edge towards visible range from 3.69 eV in the case of non-stoichiometric Ti(Cr)O_2_−_x:N to 2.78 eV in the case of stoichiometric Ti(Cr)O_2:N which should be attributed to the incorporation of both dopants at substitutional positions in TiO_2 lattice. Electrical conductivity of stoichiometric Ti(Cr)O_2:N increases in comparison to co-doped nonstoichiometric TiO_2_−_x thin film and reaches almost the same value as that of TiO_2 stoichiometric film.

Incorporation of N in TiO{sub 2} films grown by DC-reactive magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Serio, S. [CEFITEC, Departamento de Fisica, Faculdade de Ciencias e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica (Portugal); Melo Jorge, M.E. [CCMM, Departamento de Quimica e Bioquimica, Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande C8, 1749-016 Lisboa (Portugal); Nunes, Y. [CEFITEC, Departamento de Fisica, Faculdade de Ciencias e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica (Portugal); Barradas, N.P. [Instituto Tecnologico e Nuclear and CFNUL, E.N. 10, Sacavem 2686-953 (Portugal); Alves, E., E-mail: ealves@itn.pt [Instituto Tecnologico e Nuclear and CFNUL, E.N. 10, Sacavem 2686-953 (Portugal); Munnik, F. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Germany)

2012-02-15

Photocatalytic properties of TiO{sub 2} are expected to play an important role on emerging technologies based on OH radicals to destroy harmful nonbiodegradable organic and inorganic contaminants in water. The drawback is the wide band gap of TiO{sub 2} (3.2 eV) limiting its use to the UV part of electromagnetic spectrum under sunlight. Therefore, modifications of TiO{sub 2} are needed to tune the gap in order to allow an efficient use of the entire solar spectrum. One possibility is N-doping of TiO{sub 2} to make the photocatalytic activity possible under visible light and more suitable for water treatment. In our study nitrogen-doped TiO{sub 2} (TiO{sub 2-x}N{sub x}) films were deposited by DC-reactive magnetron sputtering using a dual-magnetron co-deposition apparatus on unheated glass and silicon substrates using a pure titanium target. The depth profile of nitrogen was measured with heavy ion elastic recoil detection analysis combined with Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and correlated with the optical and structural properties obtained by UV-VIS spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD).

Effects of substrate heating and vacuum annealing on optical and electrical properties of alumina-doped ZnO films deposited by DC magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Chien-Jen; Wang, Chun-Yuan; Jaing, Cheng-Chung

2011-10-01

Alumina-doped zinc oxide (AZO) films have wide range of applications in optical and optoelectronic devices. AZO films have advantage in high transparency, high stability to hydrogen plasma and low cost to alternative ITO film. AZO film was prepared by direct-current (DC) magnetron sputtering from ceramic ZnO:Al2O3 target. The AZO films were compared in two different conditions. The first is substrate heating process, in which AZO film was deposited by different substrate temperature, room temperature, 150 °C and 250 °C. The second is vacuum annealing process, in which AZO film with deposited at room temperature have been annealed at 250 °C and 450 °C in vacuum. The optical properties, electrical properties, grain size and surface structure properties of the films were studied by UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer, Hall effect measurement equipment, x-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. The resistivity, carrier mobility, carrier concentration, and grain size of AZO films were 1.92×10-3 Ω-cm, 6.38 cm2/Vs, 5.08×1020 #/cm3, and 31.48 nm respectively, in vacuum annealing of 450 °C. The resistivity, carrier mobility, carrier concentration, and grain size of AZO films were 8.72×10-4 Ω-cm, 6.32 cm2/Vs, 1.13×1021 #/cm3, and 31.56 nm, respectively, when substrate temperature was at 250 °C. Substrate heating process is better than vacuum annealed process for AZO film deposited by DC Magnetron Sputtering.

On the structure and surface chemical composition of indium-tin oxide films prepared by long-throw magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chuang, M.J.; Huang, H.F.; Wen, C.H.; Chu, A.K.

2010-01-01

Structures and surface chemical composition of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films prepared by long-throw radio-frequency magnetron sputtering technique have been investigated. The ITO films were deposited on glass substrates using a 20 cm target-to-substrate distance in a pure argon sputtering environment. X-ray diffraction results showed that an increase in substrate temperature resulted in ITO structure evolution from amorphous to polycrystalline. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy micrographs suggested that the ITO films were free of bombardment of energetic particles since the microstructures of the films exhibited a smaller grain size and no sub-grain boundary could be observed. The surface composition of the ITO films was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Oxygen atoms in both amorphous and crystalline ITO structures were observed from O 1 s XPS spectra. However, the peak of the oxygen atoms in amorphous ITO phase could only be found in samples prepared at low substrate temperatures. Its relative peak area decreased drastically when substrate temperatures were larger than 200 o C. In addition, a composition analysis from the XPS results revealed that the films deposited at low substrate temperatures contained high concentration of oxygen at the film surfaces. The oxygen-rich surfaces can be attributed to hydrolysis reactions of indium oxides, especially when large amount of the amorphous ITO were developed near the film surfaces.

Microstructural evaluation of NiTi-based films deposited by magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crăciunescu, Corneliu M., E-mail: corneliu.craciunescu@upt.ro; Mitelea, Ion, E-mail: corneliu.craciunescu@upt.ro; Budău, Victor, E-mail: corneliu.craciunescu@upt.ro [Department of Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, Politehnica University of Timisoara (Romania); Ercuţa, Aurel [Department of Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, Politehnica University of Timisoara and Department of Physics, West University Timisoara (Romania)

2014-11-24

Shape memory alloy films belonging to the NiTi-based systems were deposited on heated and unheated substrates, by magnetron sputtering in a custom made system, and their structure and composition was analyzed using electron microscopy. Several substrates were used for the depositions: glass, Cu-Zn-Al, Cu-Al-Ni and Ti-NiCu shape memory alloy ribbons and kapton. The composition of the Ti-Ni-Cu films showed limited differences, compared to the one of the target and the microstructure for the DC magnetron sputtering revealed crystallized structure with features determined on peel off samples from a Si wafer. Both inter and transcrystalline fractures were observed and related to the interfacial stress developed on cooling from deposition temperature.

Magnetron sputtering system with an annual discharge zone and two cathode modules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savich, V. A.; Yasyunas, A. A.; Kovrigo, V. M.; Kotov, D. A.; Shiripov, V. Ya.

2013-01-01

In this article, general discharge characteristics of a cylindrical magnetron sputtering system with an annual sputtering zone and a high target usage coefficient designed for transparent conducting coatings are shown. Two coupled DC-cathodes are used to improve coating uniformity. Radial sputtered material fluxes are being created. The engineered magnetic system is extremely balanced (G-factor is much higher than 2) and thus provides maximal effective operating power higher than 6 kW. The effectiveness of a magnetic trap results in a fast work cycle (less than 1.5 min) and a high target material usage coefficient (higher than 40%). A multipole magnetic field with null magnetic flux density zones lower target’s surface is being created. There is an influence between cathode modules despite mutual magnetic isolation, so magnetic conductors-shunts are used to weaken it. The magnetron can be used to sputter both metals and conducting ceramics (including ITO). (authors)

Fabrication and characterization of flaky core-shell particles by magnetron sputtering silver onto diatomite

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yuanyuan; Zhang, Deyuan; Cai, Jun

2016-02-01

Diatomite has delicate porous structures and various shapes, making them ideal templates for microscopic core-shell particles fabrication. In this study, a new process of magnetron sputtering assisted with photoresist positioning was proposed to fabricate lightweight silver coated porous diatomite with superior coating quality and performance. The diatomite has been treated with different sputtering time to investigate the silver film growing process on the surface. The morphologies, constituents, phase structures and surface roughness of the silver coated diatomite were analyzed with SEM, EDS, XRD and AFM respectively. The results showed that the optimized magnetron sputtering time was 8-16 min, under which the diatomite templates were successfully coated with uniform silver film, which exhibits face centered cubic (fcc) structure, and the initial porous structures were kept. Moreover, this silver coating has lower surface roughness (RMS 4.513 ± 0.2 nm) than that obtained by electroless plating (RMS 15.692 ± 0.5 nm). And the infrared emissivity of coatings made with magnetron sputtering and electroless plating silver coated diatomite can reach to the lowest value of 0.528 and 0.716 respectively.

Amorphous ITO thin films prepared by DC sputtering for electrochromic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teixeira, V.; Cui, H.N.; Meng, L.J.; Fortunato, E.; Martins, R.

2002-01-01

Indium-Tin-Oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates using DC magnetron reactive sputtering at different bias voltages and substrate temperatures. Some improvements were obtained on film properties, microstructure and other physical characteristics for different conditions. Amorphous and polycrystalline films can be obtained for various deposition conditions. The transmission, absorption, spectral and diffuse reflection of ITO films were measured in some ranges of UV-Vis-NIR. The refractive index (n), Energy band gap E g and the surface roughness of the film were derived from the measured spectra data. The carrier density (n c ) and the carrier mobility (μ) of the film micro conductive properties were discussed. The films exhibited suitable optical transmittance and conductivity for electrochromic applications

Control of amorphous films properties in the case of combined sputtering of targets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okunev, V.D.; Yurov, A.G.

1979-01-01

A possibility of controlling amorphous film properties produced by combined sputtering of two targets: was investigated one of the targets was made of a basis material-polycrystalline CdGeAs 2 , the other one was made of a material of additives. As the additives the Ni,Co elements with low chemical activity and the Cu,Te additives with high chemical activity were used. Besides, to study the effect of deviation from amorphous CdGeAs 2 stoichiometry on film properties, the Gd,Ge,As additives were investigated. The various additives influence on electric conductivity of amorphous films has been studied. It is shown that approximately 1 at% Ni or Co contents results in reducing film specific resistance by 6 orders. Cu and Te introduction results in the change of the structure and type of amorphous layer conductivity. The conclusion has been drawn, that introduction of the elements with high chemical activity can be used as the method of producing films with new physicochemical properties

Optical and electrical properties of Ti(Cr)O{sub 2}:N thin films deposited by magnetron co-sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kollbek, K., E-mail: kamila.kollbek@agh.edu.pl [Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology, AGH University of Science and Technology, Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow (Poland); Szkudlarek, A.; Marzec, M.M. [Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology, AGH University of Science and Technology, Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow (Poland); Lyson-Sypien, B.; Cecot, M. [Faculty of Computer Science, Electronics and Telecommunications, AGH University of Science and Technology, Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow (Poland); Bernasik, A. [Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology, AGH University of Science and Technology, Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow (Poland); Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science, AGH University of Science and Technology, Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow (Poland); Radecka, M. [Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, AGH University of Science and Technology, Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow (Poland); Zakrzewska, K. [Faculty of Computer Science, Electronics and Telecommunications, AGH University of Science and Technology, Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow (Poland)

2016-09-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Co-doped well-crystallized stoichiometric Ti(Cr)O{sub 2}:N thin films are deposited. • Magnetron sputtering of ceramic TiO{sub 2} target is a new strategy for co-doping. • Bigger contribution from substitutionally incorporated nitrogen is seen in XPS. • Significant red shift of the fundamental absorption edge is obtained. - Abstract: The paper deals with TiO{sub 2}-based thin films, doped with Cr and N, obtained by magnetron co-sputtering from titanium dioxide ceramic and chromium targets in Ar + N{sub 2} atmosphere. Co-doped samples of Ti(Cr)O{sub 2}:N are investigated from the point of view of morphological, crystallographic, optical, and electrical properties. Characterization techniques such as: X-ray diffraction, XRD, scanning electron microscopy, SEM, atomic force microscopy, AFM, Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, EDX, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XPS, optical spectrophotometry as well as impedance spectroscopy are applied. XRD reveals TiO{sub 2} and TiO{sub 2}:N thin films are well crystallized as opposed to those of TiO{sub 2}:Cr and Ti(Cr)O{sub 2}:N. XPS spectra confirm that co-doping has been successfully performed with the biggest contribution from the lower binding energy component of N 1s peak at 396 eV. SEM analysis indicates uniform and dense morphology without columnar growth. Comparison between the band gaps indicates a significant shift of the absorption edge towards visible range from 3.69 eV in the case of non-stoichiometric Ti(Cr)O{sub 2−x}:N to 2.78 eV in the case of stoichiometric Ti(Cr)O{sub 2}:N which should be attributed to the incorporation of both dopants at substitutional positions in TiO{sub 2} lattice. Electrical conductivity of stoichiometric Ti(Cr)O{sub 2}:N increases in comparison to co-doped nonstoichiometric TiO{sub 2−x} thin film and reaches almost the same value as that of TiO{sub 2} stoichiometric film.

Co-sputtered amorphous Nb–Ta, Nb–Zr and Ta–Zr coatings for corrosion protection of cyclotron targets for [{sup 18}F] production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Skliarova, Hanna, E-mail: Hanna.Skliarova@lnl.infn.it [National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Legnaro National Laboratories, Viale dell’Università, 2, 35020 Legnaro, Padua (Italy); University of Ferrara, Ferrara (Italy); Azzolini, Oscar, E-mail: Oscar.Azzolini@lnl.infn.it [National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Legnaro National Laboratories, Viale dell’Università, 2, 35020 Legnaro, Padua (Italy); Johnson, Richard R., E-mail: richard.johnson@teambest.com [BEST Cyclotron Systems Inc., 8765 Ash Street Unit 7, Vancouver, BC V6P 6T3 (Canada); Palmieri, Vincenzo, E-mail: Vincenzo.Palmieri@lnl.infn.it [National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Legnaro National Laboratories, Viale dell’Università, 2, 35020 Legnaro, Padua (Italy); University of Padua, Padua (Italy)

2015-08-05

Highlights: • Nb–Ta, Nb–Zr and Ta–Zr alloy films were deposited by co-sputtering. • Co-sputtered Nb–Zr and Nb–Ta alloy coatings had crystalline microstructures. • Diffusion barrier efficiency of Nb–Zr and Nb–Ta decreased with the increase of Nb %. • Co-sputtered Ta–Zr films with 30–73 at.% Ta were amorphous. • Sputtered amorphous Ta–Zr films showed superior diffusion barrier efficiency. - Abstract: Protective corrosion resistant coatings serve for decreasing the amount of ionic contaminants from Havar® entrance foils of the targets for [{sup 18}F] production. The corrosion damage of coated entrance foils is caused mainly by the diffusion of highly reactive products of water radiolysis through the protective film toward Havar® substrate. Since amorphous metal alloys (metallic glasses) are well-known to perform a high corrosion resistance, the glass forming ability, microstructure and diffusion barrier efficiency of binary alloys containing chemically inert Nb, Ta, Zr were investigated. Nb–Ta, Nb–Zr and Ta–Zr films of different alloy composition and ∼1.5 μm thickness were co-deposited by magnetron sputtering. Diffusion barrier efficiency tests used reactive aluminum underlayer and protons of acid solution and gallium atoms at elevated temperature as diffusing particles. Though co-sputtered Nb–Ta and Nb–Zr alloy films of different contents were crystalline, Ta–Zr alloy was found to form dense amorphous microstructures in a range of composition with 30–73% atomic Ta. The diffusion barrier efficiency of Nb–Zr and Nb–Ta alloy coatings decreased with increase of Nb content. The diffusion barrier efficiency of sputtered Ta–Zr alloy coatings increased with the transition from nanocrystalline columnar microstructure to amorphous for coatings with 30–73 at.% Ta.

Magnetic properties of amorphous Gd0.67Y0.33

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loudghiri, E.; Roky, K.; Hassini, A.; Belayachi, A.; Lassri, H.

2004-01-01

Amorphous Gd 0.67 Y 0.33 thin film has been prepared by RF sputtering and its magnetic properties have been studied. The magnetization measurements show that the M(T) curves present a maximum at low temperature and that the magnetic saturation is difficult to obtain even for fields up to 150 kOe for M(H) isotherms. This behavior can be attributed to the competing exchange interactions and the random magnetic anisotropy. The thermomagnetization curve is found to obey the Bloch law; the spin wave stiffness constant and the distance between nearest magnetic atoms were calculated from the experimental results. From an analysis of the approach to saturation magnetization, some fundamental parameters have been extracted

An Al-doped ZnO electrode grown by highly efficient cylindrical rotating magnetron sputtering for low cost organic photovoltaics

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jun-Hyuk; Ahn, Kyung-Jun; Park, Kang-Il; Na, Seok-In; Kim, Han-Ki

2010-03-01

We report the characteristics of Al-doped zinc oxide (AZO) films prepared by a highly efficient cylindrical rotating magnetron sputtering (CRMS) system for use as a transparent conducting electrode in cost-efficient bulk hetero-junction organic solar cells (OSCs). Using a rotating cylindrical type cathode with an AZO target, whose usage was above 80%, we were able to obtain a low cost and indium free AZO electrode with a low sheet resistance of ~4.59 Ω/sq, a high transparency of 85% in the visible wavelength region and a work function of 4.9 eV at a substrate temperature of 230 °C. Moreover, the neutral poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) : poly(styrenesulfonate) based OSC fabricated on the CRMS-grown AZO electrode at 230 °C showed an open circuit voltage of 0.5 V, a short circuit current of 8.94 mA cm-2, a fill factor of 45% and power conversion efficiency of 2.01%, indicating that CRMS is a promising cost-efficient AZO deposition technique for low cost OSCs.

AlN/Al dual protective coatings on NdFeB by DC magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li Jinlong; Mao Shoudong; Sun Kefei [Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Magnetic Materials and Application Technology, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201 (China); Li Xiaomin [Shanghai Institute of Ceramics Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050 (China); Song Zhenlun [Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Magnetic Materials and Application Technology, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201 (China)], E-mail: songzhenlun@nimte.ac.cn

2009-11-15

AlN/Al dual protective coatings were prepared on NdFeB by DC magnetron sputtering in a home-made industrial apparatus. Comparing with Al coating, AlN/Al coatings have a denser structure of an outmost AlN amorphous layer following an inner Al columnar crystal layer. The coatings and NdFeB substrate combine well, and moreover, there is occurrence of metallurgy bonding in the interface layer. Both Al and AlN/Al coatings have a good protective ability to NdFeB. Especially, the corrosion resistance of AlN/Al coated NdFeB is improved largely. AlN/Al and Al protective coatings not only do not deteriorate the magnetic properties of NdFeB, but contribute to their slight increase.

AlN/Al dual protective coatings on NdFeB by DC magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Jinlong; Mao Shoudong; Sun Kefei; Li Xiaomin; Song Zhenlun

2009-01-01

AlN/Al dual protective coatings were prepared on NdFeB by DC magnetron sputtering in a home-made industrial apparatus. Comparing with Al coating, AlN/Al coatings have a denser structure of an outmost AlN amorphous layer following an inner Al columnar crystal layer. The coatings and NdFeB substrate combine well, and moreover, there is occurrence of metallurgy bonding in the interface layer. Both Al and AlN/Al coatings have a good protective ability to NdFeB. Especially, the corrosion resistance of AlN/Al coated NdFeB is improved largely. AlN/Al and Al protective coatings not only do not deteriorate the magnetic properties of NdFeB, but contribute to their slight increase.

Effect of sputtering power on structure and properties of Bi film deposited by DC magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liao Guo; He Zhibing; Xu Hua; Li Jun; Chen Taihua; Chen Jiajun

2012-01-01

Bi film was fabricated at different sputtering powers by DC magnetron sputtering. The deposition rate of Bi film as the function of sputtering power was studied. The surface topography of Bi film was observed by SEM, and the growth mode of Bi film was investigated. The crystal structure was analyzed by XRD. The grain size and stress of Bi film were calculated. The SEM images show that all the films are columnar growth. The average grain size firstly increases as the sputtering power increases, then decreases at 60 W. The film becomes loose with the increase of sputtering power, while, the film gets compact when the sputtering power becomes from 45 to 60 W. The XRD results show that films are polycrystalline of hexagonal. And the stress transforms from the tensile stress to compressive stress as the sputtering power increases. (authors)

Turbostratic-like carbon nitride coatings deposited by industrial-scale direct current magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Louring, S.; Madsen, N.D.; Berthelsen, A.N.; Christensen, B.H.; Almtoft, K.P.; Nielsen, L.P.; Bøttiger, J.

2013-01-01

Carbon nitride thin films were deposited by direct current magnetron sputtering in an industrial-scale equipment at different deposition temperatures and substrate bias voltages. The films had N/(N + C) atomic fractions between 0.2 and 0.3 as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Raman spectroscopy provided insight into the ordering and extension of the graphite-like clusters, whereas nanoindentation revealed information on the mechanical properties of the films. The internal compressive film stress was evaluated from the substrate bending method. At low deposition temperatures the films were amorphous, whereas the film deposited at approximately 380 °C had a turbostratic-like structure as confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images. The turbostratic-like film had a highly elastic response when subjected to nanoindentation. When a CrN interlayer was deposited between the film and the substrate, XPS and Raman spectroscopy indicated that the turbostratic-like structure was maintained. However, it was inconclusive whether the film still exhibited an extraordinary elastic recovery. An increased substrate bias voltage, without additional heating and without deposition of an interlayer, resulted in a structural ordering, although not to the extent of a turbostratic-like structure. - Highlights: • Carbon nitride films were deposited by industrial-scale magnetron sputtering. • The deposition temperature and the substrate bias voltage were varied. • A turbostratic-like structure was obtained at an elevated deposition temperature. • The turbostratic-like film exhibited a very high elastic recovery. • The influence of a CrN interlayer on the film properties was investigated

Chromium-nanodiamond coatings obtained by magnetron sputtering and their tribological properties

Science.gov (United States)

Atamanov, M. V.; Khrushchov, M. M.; Marchenko, E. A.; Shevchenko, N. V.; Levin, I. S.; Petrzhik, M. I.; Miroshnichenko, V. I.; Relianu, M. D.

2017-07-01

Peculiarities of structure, chemical and phase composition, micromechanical and tribological properties of chromium-based coatings obtained by magnetron-sputtering of composite and/or compacted chromium-nanodiamond targets have been investigated.

Corrosion of thin, magnetron sputtered Nb_2O_5 films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pillis, Marina Fuser; Geribola, Guilherme Altomari; Scheidt, Guilherme; Gonçalves de Araújo, Edval; Lopes de Oliveira, Mara Cristina; Antunes, Renato Altobelli

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Niobium oxide based films were obtained by DC magnetron sputtering. • Different deposition times were tested. • The best corrosion resistance was obtained for the Nb_2O_5 film produced at 15′. • Film porosity determines the corrosion resistance. - Abstract: Niobium oxide based thin films were deposited on AISI 316 stainless steel substrates using reactive DC magnetron sputtering. Structure, composition and corrosion resistance of the niobium oxide films were studied. The corrosion behavior of the specimens was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization. The concentration of niobium and oxygen in the films was obtained by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS). The film structure was analyzed by X-ray diffractometry. The corrosion resistance of the substrate was improved by the Nb_2O_5 layers. The best protective performance was achieved for the deposition time of 15 min.

RF Reactive Magnetron Sputter Deposition of Silicon Sub-Oxides

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hattum, E.D. van

2007-01-01

RF reactive magnetron plasma sputter deposition of silicon sub oxide E.D. van Hattum Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Sciences, Utrecht University The work described in the thesis has been inspired and stimulated by the use of SiOx layers in the direct inductive printing technology,

Catalytic growth of ZnO nanostructures by r.f. magnetron sputtering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arroyo-Hernández María

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract The catalytic effect of gold seed particles deposited on a substrate prior to zinc oxide (ZnO thin film growth by magnetron sputtering was investigated. For this purpose, selected ultra thin gold layers, with thicknesses close to the percolation threshold, are deposited by thermal evaporation in ultra high vacuum (UHV conditions and subsequently annealed to form gold nanodroplets. The ZnO structures are subsequently deposited by r.f. magnetron sputtering in a UHV chamber, and possible morphological differences between the ZnO grown on top of the substrate and on the gold are investigated. The results indicate a moderate catalytic effect for a deposited gold underlayer of 4 nm, quite close to the gold thin film percolation thickness.

Simulation of the electric potential and plasma generation coupling in magnetron sputtering discharges

Science.gov (United States)

Trieschmann, Jan; Krueger, Dennis; Schmidt, Frederik; Brinkmann, Ralf Peter; Mussenbrock, Thomas

2016-09-01

Magnetron sputtering typically operated at low pressures below 1 Pa is a widely applied deposition technique. For both, high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) as well as direct current magnetron sputtering (dcMS) the phenomenon of rotating ionization zones (also referred to as spokes) has been observed. A distinct spatial profile of the electric potential has been associated with the latter, giving rise to low, mid, and high energy groups of ions observed at the substrate. The adherent question of which mechanism drives this process is still not fully understood. This query is approached using Monte Carlo simulations of the heavy particle (i.e., ions and neutrals) transport consistently coupled to a pre-specified electron density profile via the intrinsic electric field. The coupling between the plasma generation and the electric potential, which establishes correspondingly, is investigated. While the system is observed to strive towards quasi-neutrality, distinct mechanisms governing the shape of the electric potential profile are identified. This work is supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) in the frame of the transregional collaborative research centre TRR 87.

Synthesis and characterization of Gd-doped magnetite nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Honghu; Malik, Vikash; Mallapragada, Surya; Akinc, Mufit

2017-01-01

Synthesis of magnetite nanoparticles has attracted increasing interest due to their importance in biomedical and technological applications. Tunable magnetic properties of magnetite nanoparticles to meet specific requirements will greatly expand the spectrum of applications. Tremendous efforts have been devoted to studying and controlling the size, shape and magnetic properties of magnetite nanoparticles. Here we investigate gadolinium (Gd) doping to influence the growth process as well as magnetic properties of magnetite nanocrystals via a simple co-precipitation method under mild conditions in aqueous media. Gd doping was found to affect the growth process leading to synthesis of controllable particle sizes under the conditions tested (0–10 at% Gd"3"+). Typically, undoped and 5 at% Gd-doped magnetite nanoparticles were found to have crystal sizes of about 18 and 44 nm, respectively, supported by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Our results showed that Gd-doped nanoparticles retained the magnetite crystal structure, with Gd"3"+ randomly incorporated in the crystal lattice, probably in the octahedral sites. The composition of 5 at% Gd-doped magnetite was Fe_(_3_−_x_)Gd_xO_4 (x=0.085±0.002), as determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. 5 at% Gd-doped nanoparticles exhibited ferrimagnetic properties with small coercivity (~65 Oe) and slightly decreased magnetization at 260 K in contrast to the undoped, superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles. Templation by the bacterial biomineralization protein Mms6 did not appear to affect the growth of the Gd-doped magnetite particles synthesized by this method. - Highlights: • Gd-doped magnetite nanoparticles are synthesized via aqueous co-precipitation method under mild conditions. • Gd doping affects growth of magnetite nanoparticles leading to tunable particle size. • Gd-doped magnetite nanoparticles exhibit ferrimagnetic properties.

Post-growth annealing induced change of conductivity in As-doped ZnO grown by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

To, C. K.; Yang, B.; Su, S. C.; Ling, C. C.; Beling, C. D.; Fung, S. [Department of Physics, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road (Hong Kong)

2011-12-01

Arsenic-doped ZnO films were fabricated by radio frequency magnetron sputtering method at a relatively low substrate temperature of 200 deg. C. Post-growth annealing in air was carried out up to a temperature of 1000 deg. C. The samples were characterized by Hall measurement, positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS), secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), and cathodoluminescence (CL). The as-grown sample was of n-type and it converted to p-type material after the 400 deg. C annealing. The resulting hole concentration was found to increase with annealing temperature and reached a maximum of 6 x 10{sup 17} cm{sup -3} at the annealing temperature of 600 deg. C. The origin of the p-type conductivity was consistent with the As{sub Zn}(V{sub Zn}){sub 2} shallow acceptor model. Further increasing the annealing temperature would decrease the hole concentration of the samples finally converted the sample back to n-type. With evidence, it was suggested that the removal of the p-type conductivity was due to the dissociation of the As{sub Zn}(V{sub Zn}){sub 2} acceptor and the creation of the deep level defect giving rise to the green luminescence.

Post-growth annealing induced change of conductivity in As-doped ZnO grown by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

To, C. K.; Yang, B.; Su, S. C.; Ling, C. C.; Beling, C. D.; Fung, S.

2011-12-01

Arsenic-doped ZnO films were fabricated by radio frequency magnetron sputtering method at a relatively low substrate temperature of 200 °C. Post-growth annealing in air was carried out up to a temperature of 1000 °C. The samples were characterized by Hall measurement, positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS), secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), and cathodoluminescence (CL). The as-grown sample was of n-type and it converted to p-type material after the 400 °C annealing. The resulting hole concentration was found to increase with annealing temperature and reached a maximum of 6 × 1017 cm-3 at the annealing temperature of 600 °C. The origin of the p-type conductivity was consistent with the AsZn(VZn)2 shallow acceptor model. Further increasing the annealing temperature would decrease the hole concentration of the samples finally converted the sample back to n-type. With evidence, it was suggested that the removal of the p-type conductivity was due to the dissociation of the AsZn(VZn)2 acceptor and the creation of the deep level defect giving rise to the green luminescence.

Post-growth annealing induced change of conductivity in As-doped ZnO grown by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

To, C. K.; Yang, B.; Su, S. C.; Ling, C. C.; Beling, C. D.; Fung, S.

2011-01-01

Arsenic-doped ZnO films were fabricated by radio frequency magnetron sputtering method at a relatively low substrate temperature of 200 deg. C. Post-growth annealing in air was carried out up to a temperature of 1000 deg. C. The samples were characterized by Hall measurement, positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS), secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), and cathodoluminescence (CL). The as-grown sample was of n-type and it converted to p-type material after the 400 deg. C annealing. The resulting hole concentration was found to increase with annealing temperature and reached a maximum of 6 x 10 17 cm -3 at the annealing temperature of 600 deg. C. The origin of the p-type conductivity was consistent with the As Zn (V Zn ) 2 shallow acceptor model. Further increasing the annealing temperature would decrease the hole concentration of the samples finally converted the sample back to n-type. With evidence, it was suggested that the removal of the p-type conductivity was due to the dissociation of the As Zn (V Zn ) 2 acceptor and the creation of the deep level defect giving rise to the green luminescence.

High power impulse magnetron sputtering and its applications

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, YUAN; Lizhen, YANG; Zhongwei, LIU; Qiang, CHEN

2018-04-01

High power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) has attracted a great deal of attention because the sputtered material is highly ionized during the coating process, which has been demonstrated to be advantageous for better quality coating. Therefore, the mechanism of the HiPIMS technique has recently been investigated. In this paper, the current knowledge of HiPIMS is described. We focus on the mechanical properties of the deposited thin film in the latest applications, including hard coatings, adhesion enhancement, tribological performance, and corrosion protection layers. A description of the electrical, optical, photocatalytic, and functional coating applications are presented. The prospects for HiPIMS are also discussed in this work.

Nmr and esr studies on a-Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/:H films prepared by glow discharge and magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimizu, T.; Kumeda, M.; Morimoto, A.; Tsujimura, Y.; Kobayashi, I.

1986-01-01

Properties of a-Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/:H films prepared by magnetron sputtering (MG) and glow discharge decomposition (GD) were compared by means of NMR, ESR, IR and hydrogen-evolution measurements. For MG films, the content of dispersed H is roughly independent of x while the content of clustered H decreases with x. For GD films, both the contents of dispersed and clustered H decrease with x. ESR results reveal that most defects in the films are Ge dangling bonds and that the number of dangling bonds per Ge atom is roughly independent of x for MG films whereas it increases largely with x for GD films. The ratio of the intensity of the IR peak at 2100 cm/sup -1/ to that at 2000 cm/sup -1/ decreases and increases with x, respectively, for MG and GD films, and the ratio of the intensity of the low temperature H evolution peak to that of the high temperature H evolution peak decreases and increases with x, respectively for MG and GD films

Spectro-ellipsometric studies of sputtered amorphous Titanium dioxide thin films: simultaneous determination of refractive index, extinction coefficient, and void distribution

CERN Document Server

Lee, S I; Oh, S G

1999-01-01

Amorphous titanium dioxide thin films were deposited onto silicon substrates by using RF magnetron sputtering, and the index of refraction, the extinction coefficient, and the void distribution of these films were simultaneously determined from the analyses of there ellipsometric spectra. In particular, our novel strategy, which combines the merits of multi-sample fitting, the dual dispersion function, and grid search, was proven successful in determining optical constants over a wide energy range, including the energy region where the extinction coefficient was large. Moreover, we found that the void distribution was dependent on the deposition conditions, such as the sputtering power, the substrate temperature, and the substrate surface.

Hydroxyapatite formation on biomedical Ti–Ta–Zr alloys by magnetron sputtering and electrochemical deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Hyun-Ju [Department of Dental Materials, Research Center of Nano-Interface Activation for Biomaterials, and Research Center for Oral Disease Regulation of the Aged, School of Dentistry, Chosun University, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of); Jeong, Yong-Hoon [Biomechanics and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Division of Orthodontics, College of Dentistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States); Choe, Han-Cheol, E-mail: hcchoe@chosun.ac.kr [Department of Dental Materials, Research Center of Nano-Interface Activation for Biomaterials, and Research Center for Oral Disease Regulation of the Aged, School of Dentistry, Chosun University, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of); Brantley, William A. [Division of Prosthodontics and Restorative Science, College of Dentistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States)

2014-12-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate hydroxyapatite formation on Ti-25Ta-xZr titanium alloys resulting from radio-frequency magnetron sputtering and electrochemical deposition. Electrochemical deposition of hydroxyapatite (HA) was first carried out using a cyclic voltammetry (CV) method at 80 °C in 5 mM Ca (NO{sub 3}){sub 2} + 3 mM NH{sub 4}H{sub 2}PO{sub 4}. Then a physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating was obtained by a radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering technique. The microstructures, phase transformations, and morphologies of the hydroxyapatite films deposited on the titanium alloys were analyzed by optical microscopy (OM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The morphologies of electrochemically deposited HA showed plate-like shapes on the titanium alloys, and the morphologies of the RF-sputtered HA coating had the appearance droplet particles on the plate-like precipitates that had formed by electrochemical deposition. For the RF-sputtered HA coatings, the Ca/P ratio was increased, compared to that for the electrochemically deposited HA surface. Moreover, the RF-sputtered HA coating, consisting of agglomerated droplet particles on the electrochemically deposited HA surface, had better wettability compared to the bulk titanium alloy surface. - Highlights: • Hydroxyapatite (HA) was deposited on Ti–Ta–Zr alloys by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering and a cyclic voltammetry. • The morphologies of the RF-sputtered HA coating on electrochemical deposits presented plate-like shapes with a droplet particle. • The Ca/P ratio for RF-sputtered HA coatings was greater than that for electrochemical deposited HA coatings. • The RF-sputtered and electrochemical HA coatings had superior wettability compared to the electrochemically deposited coatings.

Hydroxyapatite formation on biomedical Ti–Ta–Zr alloys by magnetron sputtering and electrochemical deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hyun-Ju; Jeong, Yong-Hoon; Choe, Han-Cheol; Brantley, William A.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate hydroxyapatite formation on Ti-25Ta-xZr titanium alloys resulting from radio-frequency magnetron sputtering and electrochemical deposition. Electrochemical deposition of hydroxyapatite (HA) was first carried out using a cyclic voltammetry (CV) method at 80 °C in 5 mM Ca (NO 3 ) 2 + 3 mM NH 4 H 2 PO 4 . Then a physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating was obtained by a radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering technique. The microstructures, phase transformations, and morphologies of the hydroxyapatite films deposited on the titanium alloys were analyzed by optical microscopy (OM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The morphologies of electrochemically deposited HA showed plate-like shapes on the titanium alloys, and the morphologies of the RF-sputtered HA coating had the appearance droplet particles on the plate-like precipitates that had formed by electrochemical deposition. For the RF-sputtered HA coatings, the Ca/P ratio was increased, compared to that for the electrochemically deposited HA surface. Moreover, the RF-sputtered HA coating, consisting of agglomerated droplet particles on the electrochemically deposited HA surface, had better wettability compared to the bulk titanium alloy surface. - Highlights: • Hydroxyapatite (HA) was deposited on Ti–Ta–Zr alloys by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering and a cyclic voltammetry. • The morphologies of the RF-sputtered HA coating on electrochemical deposits presented plate-like shapes with a droplet particle. • The Ca/P ratio for RF-sputtered HA coatings was greater than that for electrochemical deposited HA coatings. • The RF-sputtered and electrochemical HA coatings had superior wettability compared to the electrochemically deposited coatings

Non-isothermal kinetics of phase transformations in magnetron sputtered alumina films with metastable structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuzjaková, Š.; Zeman, P.; Kos, Š.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Non-isothermal kinetics of phase transformations in alumina films was investigated. • The structure of alumina films affects kinetics of the transformation processes. • Kinetic triplets of all transformation processes were determined. • The KAS, FWO, FR and IKP methods for determination of E a and A were used. • The Málek method for determination of the kinetic model was used. - Abstract: The paper reports on non-isothermal kinetics of transformation processes in magnetron sputtered alumina thin films with an amorphous and γ-phase structure leading ultimately to the formation of the thermodynamically stable α-Al 2 O 3 phase. Phase transformation sequences in the alumina films were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at four different heating rates (10, 20, 30, 40 °C/min). Three isoconversional methods (Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS), Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO) and Friedman (FR) method) as well as the invariant kinetic parameters (IKP) method were used to determine the activation energies for transformation processes. Moreover, the pre-exponential factors were determined using the IKP method. The kinetic models of the transformation processes were determined using the Málek method. It was found that the as-deposited structure of alumina films affects kinetics of the transformation processes. The film with the amorphous as-deposited structure heated at 40 °C/min transforms to the crystalline γ phase at a temperature of ∼930 °C (E a,IKP = 463 ± 10 kJ/mol) and subsequently to the crystalline α phase at a temperature of ∼1200 °C (E a,IKP = 589 ± 10 kJ/mol). The film with the crystalline γ-phase structure heated at 40 °C/min is thermally stable up to ∼1100 °C and transforms to the crystalline α phase (E a,IKP = 511 ± 16 kJ/mol) at a temperature of ∼1195 °C. The empirical two-parameter Šesták–Berggren kinetic model was found to be the most adequate one to describe all transformation processes

The influence of target erosion grade in the optoelectronic properties of AZO coatings growth by magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zubizarreta, C.; G-Berasategui, E.; Ciarsolo, I.; Barriga, J.; Gaspar, D.; Martins, R.; Fortunato, E.

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • High quality AZO films deposited at low temperature by RF magnetron sputtering. • Transmittance values of 84% and resistivity of 1.9 × 10"−"3 Ω cm were obtained. • Stable optoelectronic and structural properties during whole life of the target. • RF MS: robust and reliable for the industrial manufacture of AZO frontal electrode. - Abstract: Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) transparent conductor coating has emerged as promising substitute to tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) as electrode in optoelectronic applications such as photovoltaics or light emitting diodes (LEDs). Besides its high transmission in the visible spectral region and low resistivity, AZO presents a main advantage over other candidates such as graphene, carbon nanotubes or silver nanowires; it can be deposited using the technology industrially implemented to manufacture ITO layers, the magnetron sputtering (MS). This is a productive, reliable and green manufacturing technique. But to guarantee the robustness, reproducibility and reliability of the process there are still some issues to be addressed, such as the effect and control of the target state. In this paper a thorough study of the influence of the target erosion grade in developed coatings has been performed. AZO films have been deposited from a ceramic target by RF MS. Structure, optical transmittance and electrical properties of the produced coatings have been analyzed as function of the target erosion grade. No noticeable differences have been found neither in optoelectronic properties nor in the structure of the coatings, indicating that the RF MS is a stable and consistent process through the whole life of the target.

Transparent Ga and Zn co-doped In2O3 electrode prepared by co-sputtering of Ga:In2O3 and Zn:In2O3 targets at room temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Jin-A; Kim, Han-Ki

2011-01-01

This study examined the characteristics of Ga:In 2 O 3 (IGO) co-sputtered Zn:In 2 O 3 (IZO) films prepared by dual target direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering at room temperature in a pure Ar atmosphere for transparent electrodes in IGZO-based TFTs. Electrical, optical, structural and surface properties of Ga and Zn co-doped In 2 O 3 (IGZO) electrodes were investigated as a function of IGO and IZO target DC power during the co-sputtering process. Unlike semiconducting InGaZnO 4 films, which were widely used as a channel layer in the oxide TFTs, the co-sputtered IGZO films showed a high transmittance (91.84%) and low resistivity (4.1 x 10 -4 Ω cm) at optimized DC power of the IGO and IZO targets, due to low atomic percent of Ga and Zn elements. Furthermore, the IGO co-sputtered IZO films showed a very smooth and featureless surface and an amorphous structure regardless of the IGO and IZO DC power due to the room temperature sputtering process. This indicates that co-sputtered IGZO films are a promising S/D electrode in the IGZO-based TFTs due to their low resistivity, high transmittance and same elements with channel InGaZnO 4 layer.

RF magnetron-sputtered coatings deposited from biphasic calcium phosphate targets for biomedical implant applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K.A. Prosolov

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Bioactive calcium phosphate coatings were deposited by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering from biphasic targets of hydroxyapatite and tricalcium phosphate, sintered at different mass % ratios. According to Raman scattering and X-ray diffraction data, the deposited hydroxyapatite coatings have a disordered structure. High-temperature treatment of the coatings in air leads to a transformation of the quasi-amorphous structure into a crystalline one. A correlation has been observed between the increase in the Ca content in the coatings and a subsequent decrease in Ca in the biphasic targets after a series of deposition processes. It was proposed that the addition of tricalcium phosphate to the targets would led to a finer coating's surface topography with the average size of 78 nm for the structural elements.

Characterization and device applications of ZnO films deposited by high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS)

Science.gov (United States)

Partridge, J. G.; Mayes, E. L. H.; McDougall, N. L.; Bilek, M. M. M.; McCulloch, D. G.

2013-04-01

ZnO films have been reactively deposited on sapphire substrates at 300 °C using a high impulse power magnetron sputtering deposition system and characterized structurally, optically and electronically. The unintentionally doped n-type ZnO films exhibit high transparency, moderate carrier concentration (˜5 × 1018 cm-3) and a Hall mobility of 8.0 cm2 V-1 s-1, making them suitable for electronic device applications. Pt/ZnO Schottky diodes formed on the HiPIMS deposited ZnO exhibited rectification ratios up to 104 at ±2 V and sensitivity to UV light.

High rate deposition of thin film cadmium sulphide by pulsed direct current magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lisco, F., E-mail: F.Lisco@lboro.ac.uk [Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology (CREST), School of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU (United Kingdom); Kaminski, P.M.; Abbas, A.; Bowers, J.W.; Claudio, G. [Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology (CREST), School of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU (United Kingdom); Losurdo, M. [Institute of Inorganic Methodologies and of Plasmas, IMIP-CNR, via Orabona 4, 70126 Bari (Italy); Walls, J.M. [Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology (CREST), School of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU (United Kingdom)

2015-01-01

Cadmium Sulphide (CdS) is an important n-type semiconductor widely used as a window layer in thin film photovoltaics Copper Indium Selenide, Copper Indium Gallium (di)Selenide, Copper Zinc Tin Sulphide and Cadmium Telluride (CdTe). Cadmium Sulphide has been deposited using a number of techniques but these techniques can be slow (chemical bath deposition and Radio Frequency sputtering) or the uniformity and the control of thickness can be relatively difficult (close space sublimation). In this paper we report on the development of a process using pulsed Direct Current magnetron sputtering which allows nanometre control of thin film thickness using time only. The CdS thin films deposited in this process are highly uniform and smooth. They exhibit the preferred hexagonal structure at room temperature deposition and they have excellent optical properties. Importantly, the process is highly stable despite the use of a semi-insulating magnetron target. Moreover, the process is very fast. The deposition rate using 1.5 kW of power to a 6-inch circular magnetron was measured to be greater than 8 nm/s. This makes the process suitable for industrial deployment. - Highlights: • Pulsed DC magnetron sputtering of CdS • High deposition rate deposition • Uniform, pinhole free films.

High rate deposition of thin film cadmium sulphide by pulsed direct current magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lisco, F.; Kaminski, P.M.; Abbas, A.; Bowers, J.W.; Claudio, G.; Losurdo, M.; Walls, J.M.

2015-01-01

Cadmium Sulphide (CdS) is an important n-type semiconductor widely used as a window layer in thin film photovoltaics Copper Indium Selenide, Copper Indium Gallium (di)Selenide, Copper Zinc Tin Sulphide and Cadmium Telluride (CdTe). Cadmium Sulphide has been deposited using a number of techniques but these techniques can be slow (chemical bath deposition and Radio Frequency sputtering) or the uniformity and the control of thickness can be relatively difficult (close space sublimation). In this paper we report on the development of a process using pulsed Direct Current magnetron sputtering which allows nanometre control of thin film thickness using time only. The CdS thin films deposited in this process are highly uniform and smooth. They exhibit the preferred hexagonal structure at room temperature deposition and they have excellent optical properties. Importantly, the process is highly stable despite the use of a semi-insulating magnetron target. Moreover, the process is very fast. The deposition rate using 1.5 kW of power to a 6-inch circular magnetron was measured to be greater than 8 nm/s. This makes the process suitable for industrial deployment. - Highlights: • Pulsed DC magnetron sputtering of CdS • High deposition rate deposition • Uniform, pinhole free films

Effect of residual gas on structural, electrical and mechanical properties of niobium films deposited by magnetron sputtering deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lanruo; Zhong, Yuan; Li, Jinjin; Cao, Wenhui; Zhong, Qing; Wang, Xueshen; Li, Xu

2018-04-01

Magnetron sputtering is an important method in the superconducting thin films deposition. The residual gas inside the vacuum chamber will directly affect the quality of the superconducting films. In this paper, niobium films are deposited by magnetron sputtering under different chamber residual gas conditions. The influence of baking and sputtering process on residual gas are studied as well. Surface morphology, electrical and mechanical properties of the films are analysed. The residual gas analysis result before the sputtering process could be regarded as a reference condition to achieve high quality superconducting thin films.

Substrate heating and cooling during magnetron sputtering of copper target

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shapovalov, Viktor I.; Komlev, Andrey E.; Bondarenko, Anastasia S., E-mail: stopnastia@gmail.com; Baykov, Pavel B.; Karzin, Vitaliy V.

2016-02-22

Heating and cooling processes of the substrate during the DC magnetron sputtering of the copper target were investigated. The sensitive element of a thermocouple was used as a substrate. It was found, that the heat outflow rate from the substrate is lower when the magnetron is turned off rather than when it is turned on. Furthermore, the heating rate, the ultimate temperature, and the heat outflow rate related to the deposition of copper atoms are directly proportional to the discharge current density. - Highlights: • New effect of heat outflow from substrate when magnetron is on was discovered. • This new effect is linear in terms of heat outflow rate to target current ratio. • Kinetic equation for heating process additively considers this effect.

Magnetic properties of in-plane oriented barium hexaferrite thin films prepared by direct current magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Xiaozhi; Yue, Zhenxing, E-mail: yuezhx@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn; Meng, Siqin; Yuan, Lixin [State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

2014-12-28

In-plane c-axis oriented Ba-hexaferrite (BaM) thin films were prepared on a-plane (112{sup ¯}0) sapphire (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) substrates by DC magnetron sputtering followed by ex-situ annealing. The DC magnetron sputtering was demonstrated to have obvious advantages over the traditionally used RF magnetron sputtering in sputtering rate and operation simplicity. The sputtering power had a remarkable influence on the Ba/Fe ratio, the hematite secondary phase, and the grain morphology of the as-prepared BaM films. Under 80 W of sputtering power, in-plane c-axis highly oriented BaM films were obtained. These films had strong magnetic anisotropy with high hysteresis loop squareness (M{sub r}/M{sub s} of 0.96) along the in-plane easy axis and low M{sub r}/M{sub s} of 0.03 along the in-plane hard axis. X-ray diffraction patterns and pole figures revealed that the oriented BaM films grew via an epitaxy-like growth process with the crystallographic relationship BaM (101{sup ¯}0)//α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}(112{sup ¯}0)//Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}(112{sup ¯}0)

Spatiotemporal synchronization of drift waves in a magnetron sputtering plasma

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Martines, E.; Zuin, M.; Cavazzana, R.; Adámek, Jiří; Antoni, V.; Serianni, G.; Spolaore, M.; Vianello, N.

2014-01-01

Roč. 21, č. 10 (2014), s. 102309-102309 ISSN 1070-664X Institutional support: RVO:61389021 Keywords : Drift waves * Magnetron sputtering plasma * Spatiotemporal synchronization Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics Impact factor: 2.142, year: 2014 http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4898693

Effect of growth interruption on the crystalline quality and electrical properties of Ga-doped ZnO thin film deposited on quartz substrate by magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Geun-Hyoung

2013-01-01

Ga-doped ZnO(GZO) thin films were deposited on the quartz substrate by magnetron sputtering system with growth interruption technique. As the number of interruptions and interruption time increased, the carrier concentration and Hall mobility in GZO films significantly increased. As a result, the resistivity of GZO films decreased. The optical transmittance of GZO films also increased with the number of interruption and interruption time. The transmittance showed over 90% in visual region. Atomic force microscopy measurement showed that the film surface became smoother with an increase of the number of interruption. In addition, the crystalline quality and electrical properties of GZO films were more improved when the growth interruption was employed with a temperature gradient. - Highlights: • Ga-doped ZnO thin films were deposited with growth interruption technique. • The crystallinity of the films was improved with the number of interruptions. • The crystallinity of the films was improved as the interruption time increased. • The growth interruption with a temperature gradient more improved the film quality

Unusual photoelectric behaviors of Mo-doped TiO2 multilayer thin films prepared by RF magnetron co-sputtering: effect of barrier tunneling on internal charge transfer

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, B. X.; Luo, S. Y.; Mao, X. G.; Shen, J.; Zhou, Q. F.

2013-01-01

Mo-doped TiO2 multilayer thin films were prepared by RF magnetron co-sputtering. Microstructures, crystallite parameters and the absorption band were investigated with atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. Internal carrier transport characteristics and the photoelectric property of different layer-assemble modes were examined on an electrochemical workstation under visible light. The result indicates that the double-layer structure with an undoped surface layer demonstrated a red-shifted absorption edge and a much stronger photocurrent compared to the uniformly doped sample, signifying that the electric field implanted at the interface between particles in different layers accelerated internal charge transfer effectively. However, a heavily doped layer implanted at the bottom of the three-layer film merely brought about negative effects on the photoelectric property, mainly because of the Schottky junction existing above the substrate. Nevertheless, this obstacle was successfully eliminated by raising the Mo concentration to 1020 cm-3, where the thickness of the depletion layer fell into the order of angstroms and the tunneling coefficient manifested a dramatic increase. Under this circumstance, the Schottky junction disappeared and the strongest photocurrent was observed in the three-layer film.

Nitrogen doping on NiO by reactive magnetron sputtering: A new pathway to dynamically tune the optical and electrical properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keraudy, Julien, E-mail: julien.keraudy@liu.se [Institut de Recherche Technologique (IRT), Chemin du Chaffault, 44340, Bouguenais (France); Institut des Matériaux Jean Rouxel (IMN), Université de Nantes, CNRS, 2 rue de la Houssinière, BP32229, 44322, Nantes Cedex 3 (France); Plasma & Coatings Physics Division, IFM Materials Physics, Linköping University, Linköping, SE 581-83 (Sweden); Ferrec, Axel; Richard-Plouet, Mireille; Hamon, Jonathan; Goullet, Antoine; Jouan, Pierre-Yves [Institut des Matériaux Jean Rouxel (IMN), Université de Nantes, CNRS, 2 rue de la Houssinière, BP32229, 44322, Nantes Cedex 3 (France)

2017-07-01

Highlights: • Nitrogen doping into NiO lattice (4 at.%) is achieved by only monitoring the N{sub 2}/O{sub 2} gas ratio in the plasma. • The replacement of O by N leads to a narrowing of the optical band-gap energy from 3.6 to 2.3 eV. • The origin of the narrowing is explained by the presence of an intermediate band and the introduction of occupied N 2p states. • Electrical conductivity of NiO:N samples depends on the amount of nickel vacancies and the nitrogen doping. - Abstract: N-doped nickel oxide (NiO:N) thin films were deposited on glass and silicon substrates by reactive DC magnetron sputtering in Ar/O{sub 2}/N{sub 2} gas atmosphere with a series of N{sub 2}/O{sub 2} gas ratio ranging from 0 to 80%. X-ray diffraction measurements have revealed that the films are constituted of Ni{sub 1-x}O grains and showed enhanced polycrystalline features with increasing N-doping concentration. For the first time, we report here that N-doping in the Ni-deficient NiO (Ni{sub 1-x}O) film leads to a band-gap narrowing from 3.6 to 2.3 eV. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements proved that up to 4 atomic percent (at.%) nitrogen can be incorporated at least at the surface of the NiO:N samples. In addition, XPS valence band spectra and UV–vis transmission measurements have demonstrated that the band-gap narrowing may originates from the contribution of an intermediate band (IB) ∼2.4 eV just above the valence band maximum and the up-shifting of the valence band edge (∼0.3 eV) due to the introduction of occupied N 2p states. Local I–V measurements, carried out by conductive AFM (C-AFM), have revealed that the extrinsic doping of N atoms within the oxide can be a good way to precisely control the electrical conductivity of such p-type materials.

Structure, adhesive strength and electrochemical performance of nitrogen doped diamond-like carbon thin films deposited via DC magnetron sputtering.

Science.gov (United States)

Khun, N W; Liu, E; Krishna, M D

2010-07-01

Nitrogen doped diamond-like carbon (DLC:N) thin films were deposited on p-Si (100) substrates by DC magnetron sputtering with different nitrogen flow rates at a substrate temperature of about 100 degrees C. The chemical bonding structure of the films was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The adhesive strength and surface morphology of the films were studied using micro-scratch tester and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. The electrochemical performance of the films was evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization testing and linear sweep voltammetry. The electrolytes used for the electrochemical tests were deaerated and unstirred 0.47 M KCl aqueous solution for potentiodynamic polarization testing and 0.2 M KOH and 0.1 M KCl solutions for voltammetric analysis. It was found that the DLC:N films could well passivate the underlying substrates though the corrosion resistance of the films decreased with increased nitrogen content in the films. The DLC:N films showed wide potential windows in the KOH solution, in which the detection ability of the DLC:N films to trace lead of about 1 x 10(-3) M Pb(2+) was also tested.

Transparent Conductive In and Ga Doped ZnO/Cu Bi-Layered Films Deposited by DC and RF Magnetron Sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moon, Hyun-Joo; Song, Young-Hwan; Oh, Jung-Hyun; Heo, Sung-Bo; Kim, Daeil

2016-01-01

In- and Ga-doped ZnO (IGZO) films were deposited on 5 nm thick Cu film buffered poly-carbonate substrates with RF magnetron sputtering and the effects of the Cu buffer layer on the optical and electrical properties of the films were investigated. The IGZO single layer films exhibited an electrical resistivity of 1.2×10"-1 Ω cm while the IGZO/Cu bi-layered films exhibited a lower resistivity of 1.6×10"-3 Ω cm. With respect to optical properties, the optical band gap of the IGZO films appeared to decrease as a result of an increasing carrier concentration due to the Cu buffer layer. In addition, the RMS roughness (8.2 nm) of the IGZO films also decreased to 6.8 nm by a Cu buffer layer in AFM observation. Although the optical transmittance in the range of visible wavelengths was deteriorated by the Cu buffer layer, the IGZO films with a 5 nm thick Cu buffer layer exhibited a higher figure of merit of 2.6×10"-4 Ω"-1 compared with the IGZO single layer films due to enhanced optoelectrical performance.

Transparent Conductive In and Ga Doped ZnO/Cu Bi-Layered Films Deposited by DC and RF Magnetron Sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moon, Hyun-Joo; Song, Young-Hwan; Oh, Jung-Hyun; Heo, Sung-Bo; Kim, Daeil [University of Ulsan, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of)

2016-06-15

In- and Ga-doped ZnO (IGZO) films were deposited on 5 nm thick Cu film buffered poly-carbonate substrates with RF magnetron sputtering and the effects of the Cu buffer layer on the optical and electrical properties of the films were investigated. The IGZO single layer films exhibited an electrical resistivity of 1.2×10{sup -}1 Ω cm while the IGZO/Cu bi-layered films exhibited a lower resistivity of 1.6×10{sup -}3 Ω cm. With respect to optical properties, the optical band gap of the IGZO films appeared to decrease as a result of an increasing carrier concentration due to the Cu buffer layer. In addition, the RMS roughness (8.2 nm) of the IGZO films also decreased to 6.8 nm by a Cu buffer layer in AFM observation. Although the optical transmittance in the range of visible wavelengths was deteriorated by the Cu buffer layer, the IGZO films with a 5 nm thick Cu buffer layer exhibited a higher figure of merit of 2.6×10{sup -}4 Ω{sup -}1 compared with the IGZO single layer films due to enhanced optoelectrical performance.

Self-sputtering runaway in high power impulse magnetron sputtering: The role of secondary electrons and multiply charged metal ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anders, Andre

2008-01-01

Self-sputtering runaway in high power impulse magnetron sputtering is closely related to the appearance of multiply charged ions. This conclusion is based on the properties of potential emission of secondary electrons and energy balance considerations. The effect is especially strong for materials whose sputtering yield is marginally greater than unity. The absolute deposition rate increases ∼Q 1/2 , whereas the rate normalized to the average power decreases ∼Q -1/2 , with Q being the mean ion charge state number

Combinatorial study of low-refractive Mg-F-Si-O nano-composites deposited by magnetron co-sputtering from compound targets

Science.gov (United States)

Mertin, Stefan; Länzlinger, Tony; Sandu, Cosmin S.; Scartezzini, Jean-Louis; Muralt, Paul

2018-03-01

Deposition of nano-composite Mg-F-Si-O films on optical grade silica glass was studied employing RF magnetron co-sputtering from magnesium fluoride (MgF2) and fused silica (SiO2) targets. The aim was to obtain a stable and reliable sputtering process for optical coatings exhibiting a refractive index lower than the one of quartz glass (1.46 at 550 nm) without adding gaseous fluorine to the deposition process. The two magnetrons were installed in a confocal way at 45° off-axis with respect to a static substrate, thus creating a lateral gradient in the thin-film composition. The deposited Mg-F-Si-O coatings were structurally analysed by electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The obtained films consist of MgF2 nanocrystals embedded in a SiO2-rich amorphous matrix. Spectroscopic ellipsometry and spectrophotometry measurements showed that they are highly transparent exhibiting a very-low extinction coefficient k and a refractive index n in the desired range between the one of MgF2 (1.38) and SiO2 (1.46). Films with n = 1.424 and 1.435 at 550 nm were accomplished with absorption below the detection threshold.

DC Magnetron sputtering of Y-Ba-Cu-O thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larsson, Gunnar.

1990-01-01

I have been studying dc magnetron sputtering of thin film YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x , one of the recently discovered high- temperatures superconductors. In the introduction a brief review of the subjects sputtering and superconductivity is given. Since partial pressure measurements, especially for oxygen, have been important in the work I include a short description of the operating principles of mass spectroscopy. Experimental results in addition to what is given in the papers concerning plasma are presented in an appendix at the end of the introduction. (au)

Heat treatable indium tin oxide films deposited with high power pulse magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horstmann, F.; Sittinger, V.; Szyszka, B.

2009-01-01

In this study, indium tin oxide (ITO) films were prepared by high power pulse magnetron sputtering [D. J. Christie, F. Tomasel, W. D. Sproul, D. C. Carter, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, 22 (2004) 1415. ] without substrate heating. The ITO films were deposited from a ceramic target at a deposition rate of approx. 5.5 nm*m/min kW. Afterwards, the ITO films were covered with a siliconoxynitride film sputtered from a silicon alloy target in order to prevent oxidation of the ITO film during annealing at 650 deg. C for 10 min in air. The optical and electrical properties as well as the texture and morphology of these films were investigated before and after annealing. Mechanical durability of the annealed films was evaluated at different test conditions. The results were compared with state-of-the art ITO films which were obtained at optimized direct current magnetron sputtering conditions

Additive manufactured Ti6Al4V scaffolds with the RF- magnetron sputter deposited hydroxyapatite coating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chudinova, E; Surmeneva, M; Surmenev, R; Koptioug, A; Scoglund, P

2016-01-01

Present paper reports on the results of surface modification of the additively manufactured porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds. Radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering was used to modify the surface of the alloy via deposition of the biocompatible hydroxyapatite (HA) coating. The surface morphology, chemical and phase composition of the HA-coated alloy were studied. It was revealed that RF magnetron sputtering allows preparing a homogeneous HA coating onto the entire surface of scaffolds. (paper)

Syntheses and characterization of TiC/a:C composite coatings using pulsed closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering (P-CFUBMS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, J.; Moore, J.J.; Mishra, B.; Pinkas, M.; Sproul, W.D.

2008-01-01

TiC/a:C nanocomposite coatings were prepared by reactively sputtering titanium and graphite targets in pure argon atmosphere using a pulsed closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering (P-CFUBMS) system. The microstructure of TiC/a:C coatings consisting of nanocrystalline TiC dispersed in an amorphous matrix of free carbon was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of coating compositions on the structure and properties of TiC/a:C coatings were investigated. In the present study, TiC/a:C coatings exhibit high hardness (24-29 GPa), low coefficient of friction (0.24-0.25) and low wear rate (less than 2.5 x 10 -7 mm 3 N -1 m -1 ) when the carbon concentration is in the range of 55-66 at.%. Further increase of the carbon content beyond 70 at.% significantly decreased the volume fraction of TiC nanocrystalline and formed a large amount of free amorphous carbon in the coatings. The excessive amorphous carbon phases resulted in a decrease in the coating hardness and the sliding friction coefficient, e.g. a low COF of 0.15 was obtained when the carbon concentration reached 80.5 at.%. However, the decreased hardness will lead to an increase in the wear rate in these high carbon content TiC/a:C coatings

Properties of Nb-doped ZnO transparent conductive thin films ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Administrator

by rf magnetron sputtering using a high quality ceramic target ... Guangxi Key Laboratory of Information Materials, Guilin University of Electronic ... films are highly textured along the c axis and perpendicular to the surface of the substrate. ... ZnO films; Nb-doped; magnetron sputtering; optical and electrical properties. 1.

Composition and crystal structure of N doped TiO2 film deposited at different O2 flow rate by direct current sputtering.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Wanyu; Ju, Dongying; Chai, Weiping

2011-06-01

N doped Ti02 films were deposited by direct current pulse magnetron sputtering system at room temperature. The influence of 02 flow rate on the crystal structure of deposited films was studied by Stylus profilometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray diffractometer. The results indicate that the 02 flow rate strongly controls the growth behavior and crystal structure of N doped Ti02 film. It is found that N element mainly exists as substitutional doped state and the chemical stiochiometry is near to TiO1.68±0.06N0.11±0.01 for all film samples. N doped Ti02 film deposited with 2 sccm (standard-state cubic centimeter per minute) 02 flow rate is amorphous structure with high growth rate, which contains both anatase phase and rutile phase crystal nucleuses. In this case, the film displays the mix-phase of anatase and rutile after annealing treatment. While N doped Ti02 film deposited with 12 cm(3)/min 02 flow rate displays anatase phase before and after annealing treatment. And it should be noticed that no TiN phase appears for all samples before and after annealing treatment. Copyright © 2011 The Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The influence of target erosion grade in the optoelectronic properties of AZO coatings growth by magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zubizarreta, C., E-mail: cristina.zubizarreta@tekniker.es [IK4-Tekniker, Research Centre, c/ Iñaki Goenaga, 5, 20600 Eibar, Guipuzkoa (Spain); G-Berasategui, E.; Ciarsolo, I.; Barriga, J. [IK4-Tekniker, Research Centre, c/ Iñaki Goenaga, 5, 20600 Eibar, Guipuzkoa (Spain); Gaspar, D.; Martins, R.; Fortunato, E. [i3N/CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (Portugal)

2016-09-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • High quality AZO films deposited at low temperature by RF magnetron sputtering. • Transmittance values of 84% and resistivity of 1.9 × 10{sup −3} Ω cm were obtained. • Stable optoelectronic and structural properties during whole life of the target. • RF MS: robust and reliable for the industrial manufacture of AZO frontal electrode. - Abstract: Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) transparent conductor coating has emerged as promising substitute to tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) as electrode in optoelectronic applications such as photovoltaics or light emitting diodes (LEDs). Besides its high transmission in the visible spectral region and low resistivity, AZO presents a main advantage over other candidates such as graphene, carbon nanotubes or silver nanowires; it can be deposited using the technology industrially implemented to manufacture ITO layers, the magnetron sputtering (MS). This is a productive, reliable and green manufacturing technique. But to guarantee the robustness, reproducibility and reliability of the process there are still some issues to be addressed, such as the effect and control of the target state. In this paper a thorough study of the influence of the target erosion grade in developed coatings has been performed. AZO films have been deposited from a ceramic target by RF MS. Structure, optical transmittance and electrical properties of the produced coatings have been analyzed as function of the target erosion grade. No noticeable differences have been found neither in optoelectronic properties nor in the structure of the coatings, indicating that the RF MS is a stable and consistent process through the whole life of the target.

Microstructural variation in titanium oxide thin films deposited by DC magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pandian, Ramanathaswamy; Natarajan, Gomathi; Kamruddin, M.; Tyagi, A.K.

2013-01-01

We report on the microstructural evolution of titanium oxide thin films deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering using titanium metal target. By varying the ratio of sputter-gas mixture containing argon, oxygen and nitrogen various phases of titanium oxide, almost pure rutile, rutile-rich and anatase-rich nano-crystalline, were deposited on Si substrates at room temperature. Using high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and micro-Raman techniques the microstructure of the films were revealed. The relationship between the microstructure of the films and the oxygen partial pressure during sputtering is discussed

Characteristics of a-IGZO/ITO hybrid layer deposited by magnetron sputtering.

Science.gov (United States)

Bang, Joon-Ho; Park, Hee-Woo; Cho, Sang-Hyun; Song, Pung-Keun

2012-04-01

Transparent a-IGZO (In-Ga-Zn-O) films have been actively studied for use in the fabrication of high-quality TFTs. In this study, a-IGZO films and a-IGZO/ITO double layers were deposited by DC magnetron sputtering under various oxygen flow rates. The a-IGZO films showed an amorphous structure up to 500 degrees C. The deposition rate of these films decreased with an increase in the amount of oxygen gas. The amount of indium atoms in the film was confirmed to be 11.4% higher than the target. The resistivity of double layer follows the rules for parallel DC circuits The maximum Hall mobility of the a-IGZO/ITO double layers was found to be 37.42 cm2/V x N s. The electrical properties of the double layers were strongly dependent on their thickness ratio. The IGZO/ITO double layer was subjected to compressive stress, while the ITO/IGZO double layer was subjected to tensile stress. The bending tolerance was found to depend on the a-IGZO thickness.

Rutile TiO2 thin films grown by reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agnarsson, B.; Magnus, F.; Tryggvason, T.K.; Ingason, A.S.; Leosson, K.; Olafsson, S.; Gudmundsson, J.T.

2013-01-01

Thin TiO 2 films were grown on Si(001) substrates by reactive dc magnetron sputtering (dcMS) and high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) at temperatures ranging from 300 to 700 °C. Optical and structural properties of films were compared both before and after post-annealing using scanning electron microscopy, low angle X-ray reflection (XRR), grazing incidence X-ray diffractometry and spectroscopic ellipsometry. Both dcMS- and HiPIMS-grown films reveal polycrystalline rutile TiO 2 , even prior to post-annealing. The HiPIMS-grown films exhibit significantly larger grains compared to that of dcMC-grown films, approaching 100% of the film thickness for films grown at 700 °C. In addition, the XRR surface roughness of HiPIMS-grown films was significantly lower than that of dcMS-grown films over the whole temperature range 300–700 °C. Dispersion curves could only be obtained for the HiPIMS-grown films, which were shown to have a refractive index in the range of 2.7–2.85 at 500 nm. The results show that thin, rutile TiO 2 films, with high refractive index, can be obtained by HiPIMS at relatively low growth temperatures, without post-annealing. Furthermore, these films are smoother and show better optical characteristics than their dcMS-grown counterparts. - Highlights: • We demonstrate growth of rutile TiO 2 on Si (111) by high power impulse magnetron sputtering. • The films exhibit significantly larger grains than dc magnetron sputtered films • TiO 2 films with high refractive index are obtained without post-growth annealing

Chromium-doped DLC for implants prepared by laser-magnetron deposition.

Science.gov (United States)

Jelinek, Miroslav; Kocourek, Tomáš; Zemek, Josef; Mikšovský, Jan; Kubinová, Šárka; Remsa, Jan; Kopeček, Jaromir; Jurek, Karel

2015-01-01

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin films are frequently used for coating of implants. The problem of DLC layers lies in bad layer adhesion to metal implants. Chromium is used as a dopant for improvement of adhesion of DLC films. DLC and Cr-DLC layers were deposited on silicon, Ti6Al4V and CoCrMo substrates by a hybrid technology using combination of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and magnetron sputtering. The topology of layers was studied using SEM, AFM and mechanical profilometer. Carbon and chromium content and concentration of trivalent and toxic hexavalent chromium bonds were determined by XPS and WDS. It follows from the scratch tests that Cr doping improved adhesion of DLC layers. Ethylene glycol, diiodomethane and deionized water were used to measure the contact angles. The surface free energy (SFE) was calculated. The antibacterial properties were studied using Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. The influence of SFE, hydrophobicity and surface roughness on antibacterial ability of doped layers is discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Composition and optical properties tunability of hydrogenated silicon carbonitride thin films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Bachar, A.; Bousquet, A.; Mehdi, H.; Monier, G.; Robert-Goumet, C.; Thomas, L.; Belmahi, M.; Goullet, A.; Sauvage, T.; Tomasella, E.

2018-06-01

Radiofrequency reactive magnetron sputtering was used to deposit hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbonitride (a-SiCxNy:H) at 400 °C by sputtering a silicon target under CH4 and N2 reactive gas mixture. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry revealed that the change of reactive gases flow rate (the ratio R = FN2/(FN2+FCH4)) induced a smooth chemical composition tunability from a silicon carbide-like film for R = 0 to a silicon nitride-like one at R = 1 with a large area of silicon carbonitrides between the two regions. The deconvolution of Fourier Transform InfraRed and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectrum highlighted a shift of the chemical environment of the deposited films corresponding to the changes seen by RBS. The consequence of these observations is that a control of refractive index in the range of [1.9-2.5] at λ = 633 nm and optical bandgap in the range [2 eV-3.8 eV] have been obtained which induces that these coatings can be used as antireflective coatings in silicon photovoltaic cells.

Preparation and Characterization of FC Films Coated on PET Substrates by RF Magnetron Sputtering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huang Mei-lin

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Fluorocarbon (FC films were prepared on polyethylene terephthalate (PET plates and PET fabrics respectively by a radiofrequency (RF magnetron sputtering technique using polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE as a target. Scanning electron microscope and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to investigate the morphology, structure and composition of the obtained FC films. The hydrophobicity and uvioresistant properties of the FC film coated fabric were studied. The results show that the FC films were successfully deposited on the PET substrates by a RF magnetron sputtering. The deposited films are made up of four components -CF3, -CF2-, CF- and -C-. The proportions of the four components and surface morphologies of the deposited films vary with the sputtering conditions. Compared with the original fabric samples, the hydrophobicity of the FC film coated fabrics is quite good and improved significantly.

Deposition of indium tin oxide films on acrylic substrates by radiofrequency magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiou, B.S.; Hsieh, S.T.; Wu, W.F.

1994-01-01

Indium tin oxide (ITO) films were deposited onto acrylic substrates by rf magnetron sputtering. Low substrate temperature (< 80 C) and low rf power (< 28 W) were maintained during sputtering to prevent acrylic substrate deformation. The influence of sputtering parameters, such as rf power, target-to-substrate distance, and chamber pressure, on the film deposition rate, the electrical properties, as well as the optical properties of the deposited films was investigated. Both the refractive index and the extinction coefficient were derived. The high reflection at wavelengths greater than 3 μm made these sputtered ITO films applicable to infrared mirrors

Effect of sputtering power on structure, adhesion strength and corrosion resistance of nitrogen doped diamond-like carbon thin films.

Science.gov (United States)

Khun, N W; Liu, E

2011-06-01

Nitrogen doped diamond-like carbon (DLC:N) thin films were deposited on highly conductive p-Si substrates using a DC magnetron sputtering deposition system. The DLC:N films were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), micro-Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle measurement and micro-scratch test. The XPS and Raman results indicated that the sputtering power significantly influenced the properties of the films in terms of bonding configuration in the films. The corrosion performance of the DLC:N films was investigated in a 0.6 M NaCl solution by means of potentiodynamic polarization testing. It was found that the corrosion performance of the films could be enhanced by higher sputtering powers.

Evaluation of the optoelectronic properties and corrosion behavior of Al2O3-doped ZnO films prepared by dc pulsed magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Zubizarreta, C.; Berasategui, E. G.; Bayón, R.; Escobar Galindo, R.; Barros, R.; Gaspar, D.; Nunes, D.; Calmeiro, T.; Martins, R.; Fortunato, E.; Barriga, J.

2014-12-01

The main requirements for transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films acting as electrodes are a high transmission rate in the visible spectral region and low resistivity. However, in many cases, tolerance to temperature and humidity exposure is also an important requirement to be fulfilled by the TCOs to assure proper operation and durability. Besides improving current encapsulation methods, the corrosion resistance of the developed TCOs must also be enhanced to warrant the performance of optoelectronic devices. In this paper the performance of aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) films deposited by pulsed dc magnetron sputtering has been studied. Structure, optical transmittance/reflectance, electrical properties (resistivity, carrier concentration and mobility) and corrosion resistance of the developed coatings have been analyzed as a function of the doping of the target and the coating thickness. Films grown from a 2.0 wt% Al2O3 target with a thickness of approximately 1 µm showed a very low resistivity of 6.54  ×  10-4 Ωcm and a high optical transmittance in the visible range of 84%. Corrosion studies of the developed samples have shown very low corrosion currents (nanoamperes), very high corrosion resistances (in the order of 107 Ω) and very high electrochemical stability, indicating no tendency for electrochemical corrosion degradation.

Deposition and characterization of single magnetron deposited Fe:SnO{sub x} coatings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kormunda, Martin, E-mail: martin.kormunda@ujep.cz [J.E. Purkinje University, Faculty of Science, Department of Physics, Ceske mladeze 8, 400 96 Usti nad Labem (Czech Republic); Fischer, Daniel; Hertwig, Andreas; Beck, Uwe [BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Division 6 4 Surface Technologies, Unter den Eichen 44-46, 12203 Berlin (Germany); Sebik, Matej; Pavlik, Jaroslav [J.E. Purkinje University, Faculty of Science, Department of Physics, Ceske mladeze 8, 400 96 Usti nad Labem (Czech Republic); Esser, Norbert [Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften — ISAS e.V., Department Berlin, Schwarzschildstr. 12, 12489 Berlin (Germany)

2015-11-30

Coatings deposited by magnetron co-sputtering from a single RF magnetron with a ceramic SnO{sub 2} target with iron inset in argon plasma were studied. The mass spectra of the process identified Sn{sup +} and SnO{sup +} species as the dominant species sputtered from the target, but no SnO{sub 2}{sup +} species were detected. The dominant positive ions in argon plasma are Ar{sup +} species. The only detected negative ions were O{sup −}. Sputtered neutral tin related species were not detected. Iron related species were also not detected because their concentration is below the detection limit. The concentration of iron dopant in the tin oxide coatings was controlled by the RF bias applied on the substrate holder while the discharge pressure also has some influence. The iron concentration was in the range from 0.9 at.% up to 19 at.% increasing with the substrate bias while the sheet resistivity decreases. The stoichiometry ratio of O/(Sn + Fe) in the coatings increased from 1.7 up to 2 in dependence on the substrate bias from floating bias (− 5 V) up to − 120 V of RF self-bias, respectively. The tin in the coatings was mainly bonded in Sn{sup 4+} state and iron was mainly in Fe{sup 2+} state when other tin bonding states were detected only in a small amounts. Iron bonding states in contrary to elemental compositions of the coatings were not influenced by the RF bias applied on the substrate. The coatings showed high transparency in the visible spectral range. However, an increased metallic behavior could be detected by using a higher RF bias for the deposition. The X-ray diffraction patterns and electron microscopy pictures made on the coatings confirmed the presence of an amorphous phase. - Highlights: • RF magnetron sputtering of SnO{sub 2} target with Fe inset in argon investigated by mass spectrometry • Optical properties of Fe doped SnO{sub x} coatings characterized • Analyses of overlapped XPS peaks at a spectrum from Fe doped SnO{sub x} coatings �

Combined optical emission and resonant absorption diagnostics of an Ar-O{sub 2}-Ce-reactive magnetron sputtering discharge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

El Mel, A.A. [Chimie des Interactions Plasma-Surface (ChIPS), Research Institute for Materials Science and Engineering, Université de Mons, Place du Parc 23, Mons B-7000 (Belgium); Institut des Matériaux Jean Rouxel, Université de Nantes, CNRS, 2 rue de la Houssinière B.P. 32229, Nantes Cedex 3 44322 (France); Ershov, S. [Chimie des Interactions Plasma-Surface (ChIPS), Research Institute for Materials Science and Engineering, Université de Mons, Place du Parc 23, Mons B-7000 (Belgium); Britun, N., E-mail: nikolay.britun@umons.ac.be [Chimie des Interactions Plasma-Surface (ChIPS), Research Institute for Materials Science and Engineering, Université de Mons, Place du Parc 23, Mons B-7000 (Belgium); Ricard, A. [Université de Toulouse, UPS, INPT, LAPLACE (Laboratoire Plasma et Conversion d' Energie), 118 route de Narbonne, Toulouse Cedex 9 F-31062 (France); Konstantinidis, S. [Chimie des Interactions Plasma-Surface (ChIPS), Research Institute for Materials Science and Engineering, Université de Mons, Place du Parc 23, Mons B-7000 (Belgium); Snyders, R. [Chimie des Interactions Plasma-Surface (ChIPS), Research Institute for Materials Science and Engineering, Université de Mons, Place du Parc 23, Mons B-7000 (Belgium); Materia Nova Research Center, Parc Initialis, Avenue Copernic 1, Mons B-7000 (Belgium)

2015-01-01

We report the results on combined optical characterization of Ar-O{sub 2}-Ce magnetron sputtering discharges by optical emission and resonant absorption spectroscopy. In this study, a DC magnetron sputtering system equipped with a movable planar magnetron source with a Ce target is used. The intensities of Ar, O, and Ce emission lines, as well as the absolute densities of Ar metastable and Ce ground state atoms are analyzed as a function of the distance from the magnetron target, applied DC power, O{sub 2} content, etc. The absolute number density of the Ar{sup m} is found to decrease exponentially as a function of the target-to-substrate distance. The rate of this decrease is dependent on the sputtering regime, which should be due to the different collisional quenching rates of Ar{sup m} by O{sub 2} molecules at different oxygen contents. Quantitatively, the absolute number density of Ar{sup m} is found to be equal to ≈ 3 × 10{sup 8} cm{sup −3} in the metallic, and ≈ 5 × 10{sup 7} cm{sup −3} in the oxidized regime of sputtering, whereas Ce ground state densities at the similar conditions are found to be few times lower. The absolute densities of species are consistent with the corresponding deposition rates, which decrease sharply during the transition from metallic to poisoned sputtering regime. - Highlights: • Optical emission and resonant absorption spectroscopy are employed to study Ar-O{sub 2}-Ce magnetron sputtering discharges. • The density of argon metastables is found to decrease exponentially when increasing the target-to-substrate distance. • The collision-quenching rates of Ar{sup m} by O{sub 2} molecules at different oxygen contents is demonstrated. • The deposition rates of cerium and cerium oxide thin films decrease sharply during the transition from the metallic to the poisoned sputtering regime.

Effect of deposition temperature on the properties of Al-doped ZnO films prepared by pulsed DC magnetron sputtering for transparent electrodes in thin-film solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Doo-Soo; Park, Ji-Hyeon; Shin, Beom-Ki; Moon, Kyeong-Ju; Son, Myoungwoo; Ham, Moon-Ho; Lee, Woong; Myoung, Jae-Min

2012-10-01

A simple but scalable approach to the production of surface-textured Al-doped ZnO(AZO) films for low-cost transparent electrode applications in thin-film solar cells is introduced in this study by combining pulsed dc magnetron sputtering (PDMS) with wet etching in sequence. First, structural, electrical, and optical properties of the AZO films prepared by a PDMS were investigated as functions of deposition temperature to obtain transparent electrode films that can be used as indium-free alternative to ITO electrodes. Increase in the deposition temperature to 230 °C accompanied the improvement in crystalline quality and doping efficiency, which enabled the lowest electrical resistivity of 4.16 × 10-4 Ω cm with the carrier concentration of 1.65 × 1021 cm-3 and Hall mobility of 11.3 cm2/V s. The wet etching of the films in a diluted HCl solution resulted in surface roughening via the formation of crater-like structures without significant degradation in the electrical properties, which is responsible for the enhanced light scattering capability required for anti-reflective electrodes in thin film solar cells.

[Effects of magnetron sputtered ZrN on the bonding strength of titanium porcelain].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Shu; Zhang, Wen-yan; Guang, Han-bing; Xia, Yang; Zhang, Fei-min

2009-04-01

To investigate the effect of magnetron sputtered ZrN on the bonding strength between a low-fusing porcelain (Ti/Vita titankeramik system) and commercially pure cast titanium. Sixteen specimens were randomly assigned to test group and control group (n=8). The control group received no surface treated. Magnetron sputtered ZrN film was deposited on the surface of specimens in the test group. Then the sixteen titanium-porcelain specimens were prepared in a rectangular shape and went through three-point bending test on a universal test machine. The bond strength of Ti/porcelain was recorded. The phase composition of the specimens was analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The interface at titanium and porcelain and the titanium surface after debonding were observed with a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and analyzed using energy depressive spectrum (EDS). New phase of ZrN was found with XRD in the test group. Statistical analysis showed higher bond strength following ZrN surface treatment in the test group [(45.991+/-0.648) MPa] than that in the control group [(29.483+/-1.007) MPa] (P=0.000). Bonded ceramic could be observed in test group, the amount of bonded ceramic was more than that in the control group. No obvious bonded ceramic in control group was found. Magnetron sputtered ZrN can improve bond strength of Ti/Vita titankeramik system significantly.

Influence of addition of indium and of post-annealing on structural, electrical and optical properties of gallium-doped zinc oxide thin films deposited by direct-current magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pham, Duy Phong [Laboratory of Advanced Materials, University of Science, Vietnam National University, HoChiMinh (Viet Nam); College of Information and Communication Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Nguyen, Huu Truong [Laboratory of Advanced Materials, University of Science, Vietnam National University, HoChiMinh (Viet Nam); Phan, Bach Thang [Laboratory of Advanced Materials, University of Science, Vietnam National University, HoChiMinh (Viet Nam); Faculty of Materials Science, University of Science, Vietnam National University, HoChiMinh (Viet Nam); Hoang, Van Dung [Laboratory of Advanced Materials, University of Science, Vietnam National University, HoChiMinh (Viet Nam); Maenosono, Shinya [School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292 (Japan); Tran, Cao Vinh, E-mail: tcvinh@hcmus.edu.vn [Laboratory of Advanced Materials, University of Science, Vietnam National University, HoChiMinh (Viet Nam)

2015-05-29

In this study, both gallium-doped zinc oxide (GZO) and indium-added gallium-doped zinc oxide (IGZO) thin films were deposited on commercial glasses by magnetron dc-sputtering in argon atmosphere. The crystal structure, electrical conductivity and optical transmission of as-deposited as well as post-annealed thin films of both GZO and IGZO were investigated for comparison. A small amount of indium introduced into GZO thin films had improved their polycrystalline structure and increased their electrical conductivity by over 29%. All obtained GZO and IGZO thin films have strong [002] crystalline direction, a characteristic orientation of ZnO thin films. Although post-annealed in air at high temperatures up to 500 °C, IGZO thin films still had very low sheet resistance of 6.6 Ω/□. Furthermore, they had very high optical transmission of over 80% in both visible and near-infrared regions. - Highlights: • Doping 0.1 at.% indium enhanced crystalline, electrical properties of GZO films. • The mobility of IGZO films was 25% higher than that of GZO films. • The IGZO films will be potential materials for transparent conducting electrodes.

Influence of addition of indium and of post-annealing on structural, electrical and optical properties of gallium-doped zinc oxide thin films deposited by direct-current magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pham, Duy Phong; Nguyen, Huu Truong; Phan, Bach Thang; Hoang, Van Dung; Maenosono, Shinya; Tran, Cao Vinh

2015-01-01

In this study, both gallium-doped zinc oxide (GZO) and indium-added gallium-doped zinc oxide (IGZO) thin films were deposited on commercial glasses by magnetron dc-sputtering in argon atmosphere. The crystal structure, electrical conductivity and optical transmission of as-deposited as well as post-annealed thin films of both GZO and IGZO were investigated for comparison. A small amount of indium introduced into GZO thin films had improved their polycrystalline structure and increased their electrical conductivity by over 29%. All obtained GZO and IGZO thin films have strong [002] crystalline direction, a characteristic orientation of ZnO thin films. Although post-annealed in air at high temperatures up to 500 °C, IGZO thin films still had very low sheet resistance of 6.6 Ω/□. Furthermore, they had very high optical transmission of over 80% in both visible and near-infrared regions. - Highlights: • Doping 0.1 at.% indium enhanced crystalline, electrical properties of GZO films. • The mobility of IGZO films was 25% higher than that of GZO films. • The IGZO films will be potential materials for transparent conducting electrodes

Properties of tungsten films prepared by magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahn, K.Y.; Ting, C.Y.; Brodsky, S.B.; Fryer, P.M.; Davari, B.; Angillelo, J.; Herd, S.R.; Licata, T.

1986-01-01

High-rate magnetron sputtering is a relatively simple process to produce tungsten films with good electrical and mechanical properties, and it offers good uniformity, reproducibility, process flexibility, and high throughput. The purity of the sputtered films is affected by the target purity (cold-pressed 99.95%, chemical vapor deposited 99.99% and cast 99.999%), base pressure, deposition rate, and substrate bias. Typical resistivity in films of 2000 to 3000A thickness deposited on Si, poly-Si, and SiO/sub 2/ ranges from 10 to 12 μΩ-cm, and this may be compared with 6 and 11 μΩ-cm by high-temperature evaporation and chemical vapor deposition, respectively. The presence of biaxial stress caused by substrate scanning was determined by x-ray technique. The sputtered films exhibit high compressive stress when deposited at low Ar pressure. It decreases with increasing pressure, and eventually changes sign to become tensile, and increases further with increasing pressure. Effects of processing parameters on films properties, and a comparison of film properties prepared by evaporation and chemical vapor deposition are discussed

SiC formation for a solar cell passivation layer using an RF magnetron co-sputtering system

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

In this paper, we describe a method of amorphous silicon carbide film formation for a solar cell passivation layer. The film was deposited on p-type silicon (100) and glass substrates by an RF magnetron co-sputtering system using a Si target and a C target at a room-temperature condition. Several different SiC [Si1-xCx] film compositions were achieved by controlling the Si target power with a fixed C target power at 150 W. Then, structural, optical, and electrical properties of the Si1-xCx films were studied. The structural properties were investigated by transmission electron microscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry. The optical properties were achieved by UV-visible spectroscopy and ellipsometry. The performance of Si1-xCx passivation was explored by carrier lifetime measurement. PMID:22221730

Effect of Oxygen Partial Pressure on the Electrical and Optical Properties of DC Magnetron Sputtered Amorphous TiO2 Films

OpenAIRE

Chandra Sekhar, M.; Kondaiah, P.; Radha Krishna, B.; Uthanna, S.

2013-01-01

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin films were deposited on p-Si (100) and Corning glass substrates held at room temperature by DC magnetron sputtering at different oxygen partial pressures in the range 9 × 10−3–9 × 10−2 Pa. The influence of oxygen partial pressure on the structural, electrical, and optical properties of the deposited films was systematically studied. XPS studies confirmed that the film formed at an oxygen partial pressure of 6×10−2 Pa was nearly stoichiometric. TiO2 films formed at...

Magnetic field effects on coating deposition rate and surface morphology coatings using magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Yu-Sen; Huang, Wesley

2010-01-01

Chromium nitride coatings exhibit superior hardness, excellent wear and oxidation resistance, and are widely applied in the die and mold industries. The aim of this study was to investigate magnetic field effects on the deposition rate and surface morphology of chromium nitride coatings deposited by magnetron sputtering. Four types of magnetic field configurations, including the magnetron sputtering system, SNSN, SNNN, and intermediate magnetron modification, are discussed in this paper. SKD11 cold work die steel and a silicon (100) chip were used as substrates in the chromium nitride depositions. The process parameters, such as target current, substrate bias, and the distance between the substrate and target, are at fixed conditions, except for the magnetic arrangement type. The experimental results showed that the deposition rates of the four types of magnetic field configurations were 1.06, 1.38, 1.67 and 1.26 µm h −1 , respectively. In these cases, the SNNN type performs more than 58% faster than the unbalanced magnetron configuration does for the deposition rate. The surface morphology of chromium nitride films was also examined by SEM and is discussed in this paper

The Effect of Thickness on the Physical Properties of Fe2O3 Thin Films Prepared by DC Magnetron Sputtering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Baha'a A. Al-Hilli

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study is to assess the influence of nano-particle Fe2O3 thin film thickness on some physical properties which were prepared by magnetron DC- sputtering on glass substrate at room temperature. The structure was tested with X-Ray diffraction and it was to be amorphous and to become single crystal with recognized peak in (003 after annealing at temperature 500oC. The physical properties as a function of deposition parameters and then film thickness were studied. The optical properties such as absorbance, energy gap and some optical constants are measured and found that of about (3eV energy gap.

Structure dependent resistivity and dielectric characteristics of tantalum oxynitride thin films produced by magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cristea, D., E-mail: daniel.cristea@unitbv.ro [Department of Materials Science, Transilvania University, 500036 Brasov (Romania); Crisan, A. [Department of Materials Science, Transilvania University, 500036 Brasov (Romania); Cretu, N. [Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics Department, Transilvania University, 500036 Brasov (Romania); Borges, J. [Centro de Física, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710 - 057 Braga (Portugal); Instituto Pedro Nunes, Laboratório de Ensaios, Desgaste e Materiais, Rua Pedro Nunes, 3030-199 Coimbra (Portugal); SEG-CEMUC, Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Coimbra, 3030-788 Coimbra (Portugal); Lopes, C.; Cunha, L. [Centro de Física, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710 - 057 Braga (Portugal); Ion, V.; Dinescu, M. [National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, Lasers Department, “Photonic Processing of Advanced Materials” Group, PO Box MG-16, RO 77125 Magurele-Bucharest (Romania); Barradas, N.P. [Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, E.N. 10 ao km 139,7, 2695-066 Bobadela LRS (Portugal); Alves, E. [Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, E.N. 10 ao km 139,7, 2695-066 Bobadela LRS (Portugal); Apreutesei, M. [MATEIS Laboratory-INSA de Lyon, 21 Avenue Jean Capelle, 69621 Villeurbanne cedex (France); Université de Lyon, Institut des Nanotechnologies de Lyon INL-UMR5270, CNRS, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, Ecully F-69134 (France); Munteanu, D. [Department of Materials Science, Transilvania University, 500036 Brasov (Romania)

2015-11-01

Highlights: • Tantalum oxynitride thin films have been deposited by magnetron sputtering, in various configurations. • The rising of the reactive gases mixture flow has the consequence of a gradual increase in the non-metallic content in the films, which results in a 10 orders of magnitude resistivity domain. • The higher resistivity films exhibit dielectric constants up to 41 and quality factors up to 70. - Abstract: The main purpose of this work is to present and to interpret the change of electrical properties of Ta{sub x}N{sub y}O{sub z} thin films, produced by DC reactive magnetron sputtering. Some parameters were varied during deposition: the flow of the reactive gases mixture (N{sub 2} and O{sub 2}, with a constant concentration ratio of 17:3); the substrate voltage bias (grounded, −50 V or −100 V) and the substrate (glass, (1 0 0) Si or high speed steel). The obtained films exhibit significant differences. The variation of the deposition parameters induces variations of the composition, microstructure and morphology. These differences cause variation of the electrical resistivity essentially correlated with the composition and structural changes. The gradual decrease of the Ta concentration in the films induces amorphization and causes a raise of the resistivity. The dielectric characteristics of some of the high resistance Ta{sub x}N{sub y}O{sub z} films were obtained in the samples with a capacitor-like design (deposited onto high speed steel, with gold pads deposited on the dielectric Ta{sub x}N{sub y}O{sub z} films). Some of these films exhibited dielectric constant values higher than those reported for other tantalum based dielectric films.

Tribological characterization of TiN coatings prepared by magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Makwana, Nishant S.; Chauhan, Kamlesh V.; Sonera, Akshay L.; Chauhan, Dharmesh B.; Dave, Divyeshkumar P.; Rawal, Sushant K.

2018-05-01

Titanium nitride (TiN) coating deposited on aluminium and brass pin substrates using RF reactive magnetron sputtering. The structural properties and surface morphology were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscope (AFM) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). There was formation of (101) Ti2N, (110) TiN2 and (102) TiN0.30 peaks at 3.5Pa, 2Pa and 1.25Pa sputtering pressure respectively. The tribological properties of coating were inspected using pin on disc tribometer equipment. It was observed that TiN coated aluminium and brass pins demonstrated improved wear resistance than uncoated aluminium and brass pins.

Comparison study of V-doped ZnO thin films on polycarbonate and quartz substrates deposited by RF magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suzuki, Tomoya, E-mail: tomoya@ecei.tohoku.ac.jp; Chiba, Hiroshi; Kawashima, Tomoyuki; Washio, Katsuyoshi

2016-04-30

Vanadium (V) doped ZnO (VZO) thin films were deposited on flexible polymer and quartz substrates by RF magnetron sputtering, and influences of deposition parameters of V concentration, RF power and growth temperature on resistivity, transmittance and crystallinity were investigated. For the polymer substrates, both a high heat-resistant polycarbonate (PC) film and a functional-layer-coated PC film were adopted. The resistivity decreased gradually but the transmittance was worsened with increasing V concentration. Low RF power and high growth temperature improved both transparency and conductivity. By over-coating of the functional layers, c-axis orientation was deteriorated while low-resistivity and high-transmittance characteristics were achieved. Resistivity and average visible-transmittance (wavelength = 450–800 nm) of VZO films on untreated PC and over-coated PC substrates were 0.98 mΩ cm and 83.7%, and 1.2 mΩ cm and 80.3%, respectively, at V concentration of 2 at.%, RF power of 100 W and growth temperature of 175 °C. VZO films on the polymer substrates had slightly high resistivity but nearly the same optical transmittance, compared to those on quartz, under the identical deposition parameters. These results indicate that good electrical and optical properties can be achieved for the VZO films on PC substrate. - Highlights: • V-doped ZnO (VZO) was deposited on polymer substrate. • Effects of V concentration, RF power and growth temperature were investigated. • Resistivity decreased gradually with increasing V concentration. • Low RF power was suitable to obtain low resistivity and high transmittance. • High growth temperature improved both transparency and conductivity.

Effect of a Ga-doped ZnO thin film with a ZTO buffer layer fabricated by using pulsed DC magnetron sputter for dye-sensitized solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, Sang-Woo; Lee, Kyung-Ju; Roh, Ji-Hyung; Park, On-Jeon; Kim, Hwan-Sun; Moon, Byung-Moo [Korea University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Ji, Min-Woo [Yonsei University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2014-08-15

The electrical property of a Ga-doped ZnO(GZO) thin film is well known to be similar that of commercialized fluorine-doped tin oxide(FTO). However GZO is limited for use at high process temperatures for solar cells because of its unstable resistivity at temperatures above 300 .deg. C. A GZO thin film compared to zinc tin oxide(ZTO)-GZO multilayer can be used at high process temperatures. A GZO thin film was deposited on glass by using pulsed DC magnetron sputter. Then, a ZTO buffer layer was deposited on the GZO surface. During the deposition, the working pressure was 5 mTorr (Z-1 glass) and 1 mTorr (Z-2 glass). Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were fabricated using Z-1, Z-2 and commercialized FTO glasses. Z-2 showed a conversion efficiency of 4.265%, which was enhanced by 0.399% compared to that of the DSSCs using FTO(3.784%). The conversion efficiency for Z-1 (3.889%) was a little higher than that of FTO. Thus, the ZTO-GZO electrode showed better characteristics than those obtained using the FTO electrode, which can be attributed to the reduced charge recombination and series resistance.

The effect of sputtering gas pressure on the structure and optical properties of MgNiO films grown by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xie, Wuze; Jiao, Shujie, E-mail: shujiejiao@gmail.com; Wang, Dongbo; Gao, Shiyong; Wang, Jinzhong; Yu, Qingjiang; Li, Hongtao

2017-05-31

Highlights: • MgNiO thin films were fabricated by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. • The structure and optical properties of MgNiO films were studied. • The mechanism of phase separation was discussed in detail. • The effect of different sputtering pressure also was discussed. - Abstract: In this study, MgNiO thin films were grown on quartz substrates by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The influence of different sputtering pressures on the crystalline and optical properties of MgNiO thin films has been studied. X-ray diffraction measurement indicates that the MgNiO films are cubic structure with (200) preferred orientation. UV–vis transmission spectra show that all the MgNiO thin films show more than 75% transmission at visible region, and the absorption edges of all thin films locate at solar-blind region (220 nm–280 nm). The lattice constant and Mg content of MgNiO samples were calculated using X-ray diffraction and transmission spectra data. The phase separation is observed both in the X-ray diffraction patterns and transmission spectra, and the phase separation is studied in detail based on the crystal growth theory and sputtering process.

Structure and optical properties of aSiAl and aSiAlHx magnetron sputtered thin films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Annett Thøgersen

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Thin films of homogeneous mixture of amorphous silicon and aluminum were produced with magnetron sputtering using 2-phase Al–Si targets. The films exhibited variable compositions, with and without the presence of hydrogen, aSi1−xAlx and aSi1−xAlxHy. The structure and optical properties of the films were investigated using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-VisNIR spectrometry, ellipsometry, and atomistic modeling. We studied the effect of alloying aSi with Al (within the range 0–25 at. % on the optical band gap, refractive index, transmission, and absorption. Alloying aSi with Al resulted in a non-transparent film with a low band gap (1 eV. Variations of the Al and hydrogen content allowed for tuning of the optoelectronic properties. The films are stable up to a temperature of 300 °C. At this temperature, we observed Al induced crystallization of the amorphous silicon and the presence of large Al particles in a crystalline Si matrix.

CrN thin films prepared by reactive DC magnetron sputtering for symmetric supercapacitors

KAUST Repository

Wei, Binbin; Liang, Hanfeng; Zhang, Dongfang; Wu, Zhengtao; Qi, Zhengbing; Wang, Zhoucheng

2016-01-01

stability are promising candidates as supercapacitor electrode materials. In this work, we report the fabrication of CrN thin films using reactive DC magnetron sputtering and further their applications for symmetric supercapacitors for the first time. The Cr

Pd-catalysts for DFAFC prepared by magnetron sputtering

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Bieloshapka, Igor; Jiříček, Petr; Vorokhta, M.; Tomšík, Elena; Rednyk, A.; Perekrestov, R.; Jurek, Karel; Ukraintsev, Egor; Hruška, Karel; Romanyuk, Olexandr; Lesiak, B.

2017-01-01

Roč. 419, Oct (2017), s. 838-846 ISSN 0169-4332 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP108/12/G108; GA MŠk LM2015088 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 ; RVO:61389013 Keywords : Pd catalyst * formic acid fuel cell * magnetron sputtering * DFAFC * surface morphology Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism; BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism (UMCH-V) OBOR OECD: Condensed matter physics (including formerly solid state physics, supercond.); Condensed matter physics (including formerly solid state physics, supercond.) (UMCH-V) Impact factor: 3.387, year: 2016

Coating multilayer material with improved tribological properties obtained by magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Mateescu, A. O.; Mateescu, G.; Balasoiu, M.; Pompilian, G. O.; Lungu, M.

2017-02-01

This work is based on the Patent no. RO 128094 B1, granted by the Romanian State Office for Inventions and Trademarks. The goal of the work is to obtain for investigations tribological coatings with multilayer structure with improved tribological properties, deposited by magnetron sputtering process from three materials (sputtering targets). Starting from compound chemical materials (TiC, TiB2 and WC), as sputtering targets, by deposition in argon atmosphere on polished stainless steel, we have obtained, based on the claims of the above patent, thin films of multilayer design with promising results regarding their hardness, elastic modulus, adherence, coefficient of friction and wear resistance. The sputtering process took place in a special sequence in order to ensure better tribological properties to the coating, comparing to those of the individual component materials. The tribological properties, such as the coefficient of friction, are evaluated using the tribometer test.

Possibility for hole doping into amorphous InGaZnO4 films prepared by RF sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kobayashi, Kenkichiro; Kohno, Yoshiumi; Tomita, Yasumasa; Maeda, Yasuhisa; Matsushima, Shigenori

2011-01-01

Amorphous InGaZnO 4 (IGZO) films codoped with Al and N atoms were prepared by sputtering of targets consisting of IGZO and AlN powders in Ar + O 2 atmospheres. No hole-conductivity is seen in films deposited at 2 x 10 -3 Torr, whereas hole-conductivity is found in films deposited at 2 x 10 -2 Torr at radio frequency powers of 60-80 W in 0.3-0.6% O 2 atmospheres. The amorphous p-type IGZO film has the resistivity of 210 Wcm, hole-density of 7.5 x 10 17 cm -3 , and mobility of 0.4 cm 2 /Vs. The rectification characteristic is obtained for a device constructed from Au, amorphous p-type IGZO, and amorphous n-type IGZO. (copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Contribution to crystallographical and mechanical analysis of molybdenum coatings prepared by magnetron cathode sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bosland, P.

1989-07-01

Molybdenum coatings with different compression stresses are obtained by magnetron cathode sputtering by varying negative voltage applied to the substrate during deposition. Stress evolution, crystal texture and argon content are studied [fr

Effect of target power on the physical properties of Ti thin films prepared by DC magnetron sputtering with supported discharge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kavitha A.

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The present paper describes the effect of target power on the properties of Ti thin films prepared by DC magnetron sputtering with (triode mode and without (diode mode supported discharge. The traditional diode magnetron sputtering with an addition of a hot filament has been used to sustain the discharge at a lower pressure. The effect of target power (60, 80, 100 and 120 W on the physical properties of Ti thin films has been studied in diode and triode modes. XRD studies showed that the Ti thin films prepared at a target power up to 100 W in diode mode were amorphous in nature. The Ti thin films exhibited crystalline structure at much lower target power of 80 W with a preferred orientation along (0 0 2 plane. The grain size of Ti thin films prepared in triode mode increased from 64 nm to 80 nm, whereas in diode mode, the grain size increased from 2 nm to 5 nm. EDAX analysis confirmed that the incorporation of reactive gases was lower in triode mode compared to diode mode. The electrical resistivity of Ti thin films deposited in diode mode was found to be 85 µΩ⋅cm (target power 120 W. The electrical resistivity of Ti thin films in triode mode was found to be deceased to 15.2 µΩ⋅cm (target power 120 W.

Evaluation of the optoelectronic properties and corrosion behavior of Al2O3-doped ZnO films prepared by dc pulsed magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zubizarreta, C; Berasategui, E G; Bayón, R; Barriga, J; Escobar Galindo, R; Barros, R; Gaspar, D; Nunes, D; Calmeiro, T; Martins, R; Fortunato, E

2014-01-01

The main requirements for transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films acting as electrodes are a high transmission rate in the visible spectral region and low resistivity. However, in many cases, tolerance to temperature and humidity exposure is also an important requirement to be fulfilled by the TCOs to assure proper operation and durability. Besides improving current encapsulation methods, the corrosion resistance of the developed TCOs must also be enhanced to warrant the performance of optoelectronic devices. In this paper the performance of aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) films deposited by pulsed dc magnetron sputtering has been studied. Structure, optical transmittance/reflectance, electrical properties (resistivity, carrier concentration and mobility) and corrosion resistance of the developed coatings have been analyzed as a function of the doping of the target and the coating thickness. Films grown from a 2.0 wt% Al 2 O 3 target with a thickness of approximately 1 µm showed a very low resistivity of 6.54  ×  10 –4  Ωcm and a high optical transmittance in the visible range of 84%. Corrosion studies of the developed samples have shown very low corrosion currents (nanoamperes), very high corrosion resistances (in the order of 10 7  Ω) and very high electrochemical stability, indicating no tendency for electrochemical corrosion degradation. (paper)

RF magnetron sputtering and evaporation of polyisobutylene and low density polyethylene

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kousal, J.; Hanuš, J.; Choukourov, A.; Hlídek, P.; Biederman, H.; Slavinská, D.; Zemek, Josef

2005-01-01

Roč. 200, 1-4 (2005), s. 472-475 ISSN 0257-8972 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) OC 527.10; GA MŠk(CZ) ME 553 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100521 Keywords : magnetron * radio frequency * sputtering * polyethylene * polyisobutylene Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.646, year: 2005

Opto-electronic properties of chromium doped indium-tin-oxide films deposited at room temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang Weiche; Lee Shihchin; Yang Chihhao; Lin Tienchai

2008-01-01

Indium-tin-oxide (ITO) doped chromium films were deposited on Corning 7059 glass prepared by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering under various levels of sputtering power for the chromium target. Experimental results show that the surface roughness slightly decreases by co-sputtering Cr. The pure ITO films deposited at room temperature were amorphous-like. At 15 W of chromium target power, the structure of ITO: Cr film mainly consists of (2 2 2) crystallization plane, with minority of (2 1 1), (4 4 0), (6 6 2) crystallization planes. The carrier concentration of the ITO films increases with increasing the doping of chromium, however the mobility of the carrier decreases. When the sputtering power of the chromium target is at 7.5 W, there has a maximum carrier mobility of 27.3 cm 2 V -1 s -1 , minimum carrier concentration of 2.47 x 10 20 cm -3 , and lowest resistivity of 7.32 x 10 -4 Ω cm. The transmittance of all the chromium doped ITO films at the 300-800 nm wavelength region in this experiment can reach up to 70-85%. In addition, the blue shift of UV-Vis spectrum is not observed with the increase of carrier concentration

The effect of Gd doping on the electrical and photoelectrical properties of Gd:ZnO/p-Si heterojunctions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baturay, Silan [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Dicle University, 21280 Diyarbakir (Turkey); Ocak, Yusuf Selim, E-mail: yusufselim@gmail.com [Department of Science, Faculty of Education, Dicle University, 21280 Diyarbakir (Turkey); Science and Technology Application and Research Center, Dicle University, 21280 Diyarbakir (Turkey); Kaya, Derya [Department of Physics, Institute of Natural Applied Sciences, Dicle University, 21280 Diyarbakir (Turkey)

2015-10-05

Highlights: • Undoped and Gd doped ZnO thin films were deposited onto p-Si semiconductor. • The Gd:ZnO/p-Si heterojunctions were compared with undoped ZnO/p-Si heterojunction. • A strong effect of Gd doping on the performance of the devices were reported. - Abstract: Undoped ZnO thin films, as well as 1%, 3% and 5% Gd-doped ZnO films, were deposited on p-type Si using spin coating. The structural properties of these thin films were analysed using X-ray diffraction, and the current–voltage (I–V) and capacitance–voltage (C–V) characteristics of the Gd:ZnO/p-Si heterojunctions were compared with those of the undoped ZnO/p-Si heterojunctions. We found that Gd doping had a strong effect on the performance of the devices, and that the Gd:ZnO/p-Si heterojunctions formed with 1% Gd-doped ZnO were the most strongly rectifying, and had the highest barrier height and the lowest series resistance. Furthermore, the I–V measurements of the 1% Gd-doped ZnO/p-Si heterojunction exhibited the strongest response to light.

[Effect of niobium nitride on the bonding strength of titanium porcelain by magnetron sputtering].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shu-shu; Zhang, La-bao; Guang, Han-bing; Zhou, Shu; Zhang, Fei-min

2010-05-01

To investigate the effect of magnetron sputtered niobium nitride (NbN) on the bonding strength of commercially pure cast titanium (Ti) and low-fusing porcelain (Ti/Vita titankeramik system). Sixty Ti specimens were randomly divided into four groups, group T1, T2, T3 and T4. All specimens of group T1 and T2 were first treated with 120 microm blasted Al2O3 particles, and then only specimens of group T2 were treated with magnetron sputtered NbN film. All specimens of group T3 and T4 were first treated with magnetron sputtered NbN film and then only specimens of group T4 were treated with 120 microm blasted Al2O3 particles. The composition of the deposits were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). A universal testing machine was used to perform the three-point bending test to evaluate the bonding strength of Ti and porcelain. The microstructure of NbN, the interface of Ti-porcelain and the fractured Ti surface were observed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy depressive spectrum (EDS), and the results were compared. The XRD results showed that the NbN deposits were cubic crystalline phases. The bonding strength of Ti and porcelain in T1 to T4 group were (27.2+/-0.8), (43.1+/-0.6), (31.4+/-1.0) and (44.9+/-0.6) MPa. These results were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance and differences between groups were compared using least significant difference test. Significant inter-group differences were found among all groups (Pporcelain, while samples treated with both Al2O3 and NbN had better bond. EDS of Ti-porcelain interface showed oxidation occurred in T1, T2 and T3, but was well controlled in T4. Magnetron sputtered NbN can prevent Ti from being oxidized, and can improve the bonding strength of Ti/Vita titankeramik system. Al2O3 blast can also improve the bonding strength of Ti/Vita titankeramik system.

An investigation of material properties and tribological performance of magnetron sputtered thin film coatings

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Harpal

This dissertation is divided into two categories based upon lubrication functionality and its application. The categories are: Dry film lubrication and Fluid film lubrication with thin film coatings. Thin film coatings examined in this work were deposited using closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering and RF-DC coupled magnetron sputtering systems. In Dry/Solid film lubrication, the mechanical, structural and tribological properties of two Molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) based coatings are examined and evaluated. Among the two coatings, one coating is doped with Ti (Ti-MoS2) and the other is a combination of metal, lubricant and oxide (Sb2O3/Au - MoS2). These coatings are known to provide low friction in vacuum environments. The goal of this work was to evaluate friction and wear performance of MoS2 doped coatings in unidirectional and reciprocating sliding contact under different environmental conditions. Sliding contact results showed friction and wear dependence on temperature and humidity. The formation and removal of transfer films and the recrystallization and reorientation of basal layers on the steel counterface was observed as the mechanism for low friction. Structural analysis revealed a relationship between the microstructural properties and tribological performance. It was also observed that the addition of dopants (Ti, Au, Sb 2O3) improved the mechanical properties as compared to pure MoS2 coatings. Further, the rolling contact performance of the coatings was measured on a five ball on rod tribometer and a Thrust bearing tribometer under vacuum and air environments. The rolling contact experiments indicated that life of the rolling components depend on the amount of material present between the contacts. Fluid film lubrication with thin film coatings investigates the possibilities to improve the performance and durability of tribological components when oils and thin films are synergistically coupled. In this work, the ability of a Diamond Like Carbon

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti–B–C–N–Si nanocomposite films deposited by unbalanced magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jang, Jaeho; An, Eunsol; Park, In-Wook; Nam, Dae-Geun [Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH), Busan, 618-230 (Korea, Republic of); Jo, Ilguk; Lin, Jianliang; Moore, John J. [Advanced Coatings and Surface Engineering Laboratory (ACSEL), Colorado School of Mines, 1500 Illinois St., Golden, Colorado 80401 (United States); Ho Kim, Kwang; Park, Ikmin [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, 609-735 (Korea, Republic of)

2013-11-15

Quinary Ti–B–C–N–Si nanocomposite thin films were deposited on AISI 304 stainless steel substrates by d.c. unbalanced magnetron sputtering from a TiB{sub 2}–TiC compound target and a pure Si target. The relationship between microstructure and mechanical properties of the films was investigated in terms of the nanosized crystallites/amorphous system. The synthesized Ti–B–C–N–Si films were characterized using x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that the Ti–B–C–N–Si films were nanocomposites composed of nanosized TiB{sub 2}, TiC, and TiSi{sub 2} crystallites (2-3 nm in size) embedded in an amorphous matrix. The addition of Si to the Ti–B–C–N film led to precipitation of nanosized crystalline TiSi{sub 2} and percolation of amorphous SiC phases. The Ti–B–C–N–Si films with up to 7 at. % Si content presented high hardness (≥35 GPa), H/E (≥0.0095), and W{sub e} (>50%) with compressive residual stress (∼0.5 GPa). A systematic investigation on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti–B–C–N–Si films containing different Si contents is reported.

ZnO film deposition by DC magnetron sputtering: Effect of target configuration on the film properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arakelova, E.; Khachatryan, A.; Kteyan, A.; Avjyan, K.; Grigoryan, S.

2016-08-01

Ballistic transport model for target-to-substrate atom transfer during magnetron sputter deposition was used to develop zinc target (cathode) configuration that enabled growth of uniform zinc oxide films on extensive surfaces and provided reproducibility of films characteristics irrespective of the cathode wear-out. The advantage of the developed target configuration for high-quality ZnO film deposition was observed in the sputtering pressure range of 5− 50 mTorr, and in the range of cathode-to-substrate distances 7–20 cm. Characteristics of the deposited films were demonstrated by using X-ray diffraction analysis, as well as optical and electrical measurements. - Highlights: • Change of target configuration for optimization of magnetron sputtering deposition is proposed. • Improvement of ZnO film properties due to use of this target is demonstrated. • This configuration provided reproducibility of the deposited films properties.

Structural and mechanical properties of ZrSiN thin films prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freitas, F.G.R.; Conceicao, A.G.S.; Vitoria, E.R.; Carvalho, R.G.; Tentardini, E.K.; Hübler, R.; Soares, G.

2014-01-01

Zirconium silicon nitride (ZrSiN) thin films were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering in order to verify the silicon influence on coating morphology and mechanical properties. The Si/(Zr+Si) ratio was adjusted between 0 to 14.5% just modifying the power applied on the silicon target. Only peaks associated to ZrN crystalline structure were observed in XRD analysis, since Si_3N_4 phase was amorphous. All samples have (111) preferred orientation, but there is a peak intensity reduction and a broadening increase for the sample with the highest Si/(Zr+Si) ratio (14.5%), demonstrating a considerable loss of crystallinity or grain size reduction (about 8 nm calculated by Scherrer). It was also observed that the texture coefficient for (200) increases with silicon addition. Chemical composition and thickness of the coatings were determined by RBS analysis. No significant changes in nano hardness with increasing Si content were found. The thin film morphology observed by SEM presents columnar and non columnar characteristics. The set of results suggests that Si addition is restricting the columnar growth of ZrN thin films. This conclusion is justified by the fact that Si contributes to increase the ZrN grains nucleation during the sputtering process. (author)

Highly c-axis oriented ZnO:Ni thin film nanostructure by RF magnetron sputtering: Structural, morphological and magnetic studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siddheswaran, R.; Savková, Jarmila; Medlín, Rostislav; Očenášek, Jan; Životský, Ondřej; Novák, Petr; Šutta, Pavol

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Highly preferred oriented columnar ZnO:Ni thin films were prepared by magnetron sputtering. • XRD and azimuthal studies explain the characteristics of orientation in [0 0 1] direction. • Surface morphology and grains distribution were explained by FE-SEM. • XTEM specimen prepared by ion slicing used for TEM microstructure analyses. • Tendency of ferromagnetism by influence of Ni content was studied by VSM. - Abstract: Nickel doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Ni) thin films with different Ni concentrations were deposited on silicon substrates at 400 °C by reactive magnetron sputtering using a mixture of Ar and O 2 gases. The X-ray diffraction and azimuthal patterns of the ZnO:Ni were carried out, and the quality of the strong preferred orientation of crystalline columns in the direction [0 0 1] perpendicular to the substrate surface were analysed. The grain size, distribution, and homogeneity of the thin film surfaces were studied by FE-SEM. The EDX and mapping confirmed that the Ni is incorporated into ZnO uniformly. The microstructure of the textured columns was analysed by TEM and HRTEM analyses. The average thickness and length of the columns were found to be about 50 nm and 600 nm, respectively. The rise of ferromagnetism by the influence of Ni content was studied by VSM magnetic studies at room temperature

The microstructure and properties of titanium dioxide films synthesized by unbalanced magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leng, Y.X.; Chen, J.Y.; Yang, P.; Sun, H.; Huang, N.

2007-01-01

In this work, titanium oxide films were deposited on Ti6Al4V and Si (1 0 0) by DC unbalanced magnetron sputtering method at different oxygen pressure. X-ray diffraction (XRD), microhardness tests, pin-on-disk wear experiments, surface contact angle tests and platelet adhesion investigation were conducted to evaluate the properties of the films. The corrosion behavior of titanium dioxide films was characterized by potentiodynamic polarization. The results showed that titanium oxide films deposited by unbalance magnetron sputtering were compact and could obviously enhance microhardness, wear resistance of titanium alloy substrate. Potentiodynamic polarization curves showed that Ti-6Al-4V deposited with titanium dioxide films had lower dissolution currents than that of the uncoated one. The results of in vitro hemocompatibility analyses indicated that the blood compatibility of the titanium dioxide films with bandgap 3.2 eV have better blood compatibility

Influence of sputtering gas pressure on properties of transparent conducting Si-doped zinc oxide films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qin, Hua; Liu, Hunfa; Lei, Chengxin [Shandong Univ. of Technology, Zibo (China). Dept. of Sciences

2013-10-15

Si-doped zinc oxide (SZO, Si 3%) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by means of direct current magnetron sputtering under different pressures. The influence of sputtering pressure on structure, morphology, optical and electrical properties of SZO thin films was investigated. The results reveal that the sputtering pressures have a significant impact on the growth rate, crystal quality and electrical properties of the films, but have little impact on the optical properties of the films. SZO thin film samples grown on glasses are polycrystalline with a hexagonal wurtzite structure and have a preferred orientation along the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate. When the sputtering pressure increases from 2 to 8 Pa, the film surface becomes compact and smooth, the degree of crystallization of the films increases, and the resistivity of films decreases. However, when the sputtering pressure continues to increase from 8 to 10 Pa, the degree of crystallization of the films decreases, the grain size decreases, and the resistivity of the films increases. SZO(3%) thin film deposited at a sputtering pressure of 8 Pa shows the largest carrier concentration, the largest mobility, the lowest resistivity of 3.0 x 10{sup -4} {Omega} cm and a high overall transmission of 93.3% in the visible range. (orig.)

Two-dimensional X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy study on the effect of magnetron sputtering atmosphere on GaN/SiC interface and gallium nitride thin film crystal structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shen, Huaxiang, E-mail: shenhuaxiang@gmail.com [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L7 (Canada); Zhu, Guo-Zhen; Botton, Gianluigi A. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L7 (Canada); Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L7 (Canada); Kitai, Adrian [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L7 (Canada); Department of Engineering Physics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L7 (Canada)

2015-03-21

The growth mechanisms of high quality GaN thin films on 6H-SiC by sputtering were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The XRD θ-2θ scans show that high quality (0002) oriented GaN was deposited on 6H-SiC by reactive magnetron sputtering. Pole figures obtained by 2D-XRD clarify that GaN thin films are dominated by (0002) oriented wurtzite GaN and (111) oriented zinc-blende GaN. A thin amorphous silicon oxide layer on SiC surfaces observed by STEM plays a critical role in terms of the orientation information transfer from the substrate to the GaN epilayer. The addition of H{sub 2} into Ar and/or N{sub 2} during sputtering can reduce the thickness of the amorphous layer. Moreover, adding 5% H{sub 2} into Ar can facilitate a phase transformation from amorphous to crystalline in the silicon oxide layer and eliminate the unwanted (33{sup ¯}02) orientation in the GaN thin film. Fiber texture GaN thin films can be grown by adding 10% H{sub 2} into N{sub 2} due to the complex reaction between H{sub 2} and N{sub 2}.

Wet chemical etching of Al-doped ZnO film deposited by RF magnetron sputtering method on textured glass substrate for energy application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hwang, Ki Hwan; Nam, Sang Hun; Jung, Won Suk; Lee, Yong Min; Yang, Hee Su; Boo, Jin Hyo [Dept. of Chemistry, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-03-15

The etching of glasses in aqueous hydrofluoric acid (HF) solutions is applied in many technological fields. Particularly, the textured transparent conductive oxide materials on the glass substrate etched by HF were used to improve the current density of solar cells. In this study, the textured glass substrate has been etched by solution and the Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films have been prepared on this textured glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering method. After the AZO film deposition, the surface of AZO has been etched by hydrochloric acid with different concentration and etching time. Etched AZO thin films had higher haze ratio and sheet resistance than bare AZO glass. Increases in the root-mean-square surface roughness of AZO films enhanced from 53.78 to 84.46 nm the haze ratio in above 700 nm wavelength. Our process could be applicable in texturing glass and etching AZO surface to fabricate solar cell in industrial scale. We also carried out fabricating an organic solar-cell device. Energy conversion efficiency improvement of 123% was obtained with textured AZO-based solar-cell device compared with that of nontextured solar-cell device.

Enhanced room temperature multiferroicity in Gd doped BFO

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Pradhan, SK

2009-01-01

Full Text Available deficient Gd doped multiferroic BFO system. At particular doping level of Gd, this bulk ceramics showed spectacular M~H behavior at room temperature which is likely to open a new avenue for the potential applications in information storing technology as well...

Sputtering of amorphous carbon layers studied by laser induced fluorescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pasch, E.

1992-07-01

In order to minimize the radiation losses, it is desirable to keep the plasmas in nuclear fusion devices free of high-Z-impurities. Therefore, the walls of TEXTOR and other tokamaks are covered with thin layers of amorphous carbon layers (a-C:H) or amorphous carbon/boron layers (a-C/B:H). The sputtering behaviour of these layers has been studied under bombardment by Ar + ions with energies of 1.5 keV and current densities of a few mA/cm 2 . Investigations of these coatings were carried out with the object to measure the velocity distribution of the sputtered atoms and the sputtered yields by laser induced fluorescence in the vacuum ultraviolet. (orig.)

Effects of oxygen contents on the electrochromic properties of tungsten oxide films prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, H.-H.

2008-01-01

The electrochromism have been extensively investigated due to their potential applications such as smart window of architecture and automobile glazing to save energy and modulate the transmittance of light and solar radiation. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of sputtering conditions on the microstructure and electrochromic properties of tungsten oxide films prepared by dc reactive magnetron sputtering. Experimental results showed that the deposition rate of WO 3-y films decreased with increasing oxygen flow rate. XRD and Raman spectra analysis suggests that the WO 3-y films deposited at various oxygen flow rates are poor crystallinity or amorphous. The transmission change between colored and bleached states at a wavelength of 550 nm was 61.4% as the oxygen content was 60%. The coloration efficiency slightly increases with increasing oxygen flow rate in the low oxygen content region and reaching a maximum value of 38.94 cm 2 /C at 60% oxygen content. In addition, the films deposited at 60% oxygen content showed a good reversibility. The effects of lithium ions intercalated on the transmission of WO 3-y films were also discussed

Solid oxide fuel cells with apatite-type lanthanum silicate-based electrolyte films deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yi-Xin; Wang, Sea-Fue; Hsu, Yung-Fu; Wang, Chi-Hua

2018-03-01

In this study, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) containing high-quality apatite-type magnesium doped lanthanum silicate-based electrolyte films (LSMO) deposited by RF magnetron sputtering are successfully fabricated. The LSMO film deposited at an Ar:O2 ratio of 6:4 on an anode supported NiO/Sm0.2Ce0·8O2-δ (SDC) substrate followed by post-annealing at 1000 °C reveals a uniform and dense c-axis oriented polycrystalline structure, which is well adhered to the anode substrate. A composite SDC/La0·6Sr0·4Co0·2Fe0·8O3-δ cathode layer is subsequently screen-printed on the LSMO deposited anode substrate and fired. The SOFC fabricated with the LSMO film exhibits good mechanical integrity. The single cell with the LSMO layer of ≈2.8 μm thickness reports a total cell resistance of 1.156 and 0.163 Ωcm2, open circuit voltage of 1.051 and 0.982 V, and maximum power densities of 0.212 and 1.490 Wcm-2 at measurement temperatures of 700 and 850 °C, respectively, which are comparable or superior to those of previously reported SOFCs with yttria stabilized zirconia electrolyte films. The results of the present study demonstrate the feasibility of deposition of high-quality LSMO films by RF magnetron sputtering on NiO-SDC anode substrates for the fabrication of SOFCs with good cell performance.

Optimizing electrical conductivity and optical transparency of IZO thin film deposited by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Lei

Transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin films of In2O3, SnO2, ZnO, and their mixtures have been extensively used in optoelectronic applications such as transparent electrodes in solar photovoltaic devices. In this project I deposited amorphous indium-zinc oxide (IZO) thin films by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering from a In2O3-10 wt.% ZnO sintered ceramic target to optimize the RF power, argon gas flowing rate, and the thickness of film to reach the maximum conductivity and transparency in visible spectrum. The results indicated optimized conductivity and transparency of IZO thin film is closer to ITO's conductivity and transparency, and is even better when the film was deposited with one specific tilted angle. National Science Foundation (NSF) MRSEC program at University of Nebraska Lincoln, and was hosted by Professor Jeff Shields lab.

Deposition and characterization of IrOx nanofoils on carbon nanotube templates by reactive magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Yi-Min; Cai, Jhen-Hong; Huang, Ying-Sheng; Lee, Kuei-Yi; Tsai, Dah-Shyang; Tiong, Kwong-Kau

2012-01-01

Large surface area IrO x nanofoils (IrO x NF) were deposited on multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) templates, forming IrO x /MWCNT nanocomposites, by reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering using Ir metal target. The structural and spectroscopic properties of IrO x NF were characterized. The micrographs of field emission scanning electron microscopy showed the formation of foil-like structure for the as-deposited samples. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed the contiguous presence of glassy iridium oxide, iridium metal, and iridium dioxide nanocrystals in the foil. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis provided the information of the oxidation states and the stoichiometry of IrO x NF. Raman spectra revealed the amorphous-like phase of the as-deposited IrO x NF. The nanofoil structure provided ultra-high surface area for electrical charge storage which made the IrO x /MWCNT nanocomposites as an attractive candidate for the supercapacitor applications.

Characterization and properties Ti-Al-Si-N nanocomposite coatings prepared by middle frequency magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, C. W.; Zhang, J.; Xie, W.; Shao, L. X.; Guo, L. P.; Fu, D. J.

2011-10-01

TiN-containing amorphous Ti-Al-Si-N (nc-TiN/a-Si 3N 4 or a-AlN) nanocomposite coatings were deposited by using a modified closed field twin unbalanced magnetron sputtering system which is arc assisted and consists of two circles of targets, at a substrate temperature of 300 °C. XRD, XPS and High-resolution TEM experiments showed that the coatings contain TiN nanocrystals embedded in the amorphous Si 3N 4 or AlN matrix. The coatings exhibit good mechanical properties that are greatly influenced by the Si contents. The hardness of the Ti-Al-Si-N coatings deposited at Si targets currents of 5, 8, 10, and 12 A were 45, 47, 54 and 46 GPa, respectively. The high hardness of the deposited Ti-Al-Si-N coatings may be own to the plastic distortion and dislocation blocking by the nanocrystalline structure. On the other hand, the friction coefficient decreases monotonously with increasing Si contents. This result would be caused by tribo-chemical reactions, which often take place in many ceramics, e.g. Si 3N 4 reacts with H 2O to produce SiO 2 or Si(OH) 2 tribolay-layer.

Study of working pressure on the optoelectrical properties of Al–Y codoped ZnO thin-film deposited using DC magnetron sputtering for solar cell applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsu, Feng-Hao; Wang, Na-Fu; Tsai, Yu-Zen; Chuang, Ming-Chieh; Cheng, Yu-Song; Houng, Mau-Phon

2013-01-01

Low cost transparent conductive Al–Y codoped ZnO (AZOY) thin-films were prepared on a glass substrate using a DC magnetron sputtering technique with various working pressures in the range of 5–13 mTorr. The relationship among the structural, electrical, and optical properties of sputtered AZOY films was studied as a function of working pressure. The XRD measurements show that the crystallinity of the films degraded as the working gas pressure increased. The AZOY thin-film deposited at a working pressure of 5 mTorr exhibited the lowest electrical resistivity of 4.3 × 10 −4 Ω cm, carrier mobility of 30 cm 2 /V s, highest carrier concentration of 4.9 × 10 20 cm −3 , and high transmittance in the visible region (400–800 nm) of approximately 90%. Compared with Al doped ZnO (AZO) thin-films deposited using DC or RF magnetron sputtering methods, a high carrier mobility was observed in our AZOY thin-films. This result can be used to effectively decrease the absorption of near infrared-rays in solar cell applications. The mechanisms are attributed to the larger transition energy between Ar atoms and sputtering particles and the size compensation of the dopants. Finally, the optimal quality AZOY thin-film was used as an emitter layer (or window layer) to form AZOY/n-Si heterojunction solar cells, which exhibited a stable conversion efficiency (η) of 9.4% under an AM1.5 illumination condition.

A novel DC Magnetron sputtering facility for space research and synchrotron radiation optics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hussain, A.M.; Christensen, Finn Erland; Pareschi, G.

1998-01-01

A new DC magnetron sputtering facility has been build up at the Danish Space Research Institute (DSRI), specially designed to enable uniform coatings of large area curved optics, such as Wolter-I mirror optics used in space telescopes and curved optics used in synchrotron radiation facilities...

Structural, chemical and nanomechanical investigations of SiC/polymeric a-C:H films deposited by reactive RF unbalanced magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Tomastik, C.; Lackner, J. M.; Pauschitz, A.; Roy, M.

2016-03-01

Amorphous carbon (or diamond-like carbon, DLC) films have shown a number of important properties usable for a wide range of applications for very thin coatings with low friction and good wear resistance. DLC films alloyed with (semi-)metals show some improved properties and can be deposited by various methods. Among those, the widely used magnetron sputtering of carbon targets is known to increase the number of defects in the films. Therefore, in this paper an alternative approach of depositing silicon-carbide-containing polymeric hydrogenated DLC films using unbalanced magnetron sputtering was investigated. The influence of the C2H2 precursor concentration in the deposition chamber on the chemical and structural properties of the deposited films was investigated by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and elastic recoil detection analysis. Roughness, mechanical properties and scratch response of the films were evaluated with the help of atomic force microscopy and nanoindentation. The Raman spectra revealed a strong correlation of the film structure with the C2H2 concentration during deposition. A higher C2H2 flow rate results in an increase in SiC content and decrease in hydrogen content in the film. This in turn increases hardness and elastic modulus and decreases the ratio H/E and H3/E2. The highest scratch resistance is exhibited by the film with the highest hardness, and the film having the highest overall sp3 bond content shows the highest elastic recovery during scratching.

High frequency pulse anodising of magnetron sputtered Al–Zr and Al–Ti Coatings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gudla, Visweswara Chakravarthy; Bordo, Kirill; Engberg, Sara

2016-01-01

High frequency pulse anodising of Al–Zr and Al–Ti coatings is studied as a surface finishing technique and compared to conventional decorative DC anodising. The Al–Zr and Al–Ti coatings were deposited using DC magnetron sputtering and were heat treated after deposition to generate a multiphase mi...

Growth of TiO2 Thin Film on Various Substrates using RF Magnetron Sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, Riyaz Ahmad Mohamed; Nayan, Nafarizal

2011-01-01

The conductivity of Titanium Dioxide (TiO 2 ) thin film fabricated using Radio Frequency (RF) Magnetron Sputtering on Silicon (Si), Indium doped--Tin Oxide (ITO) and microscope glass (M) substrates is presented in this paper. The dependant of thin film thickness and type of substrate been discussed. TiO 2 was deposited using Ti target in Ar+O 2 (45:10) mixture at 250 W for 45, 60, 75, 90, 105 and 120 minute. Resultant thickness varies from 295 nm to 724 nm with deposition rate 6.4 nm/min. On the other hand, resistivity, Rs value for ITO substrate is between 5.72x10 -7 to 1.54x10 -6 Ω.m, Si substrate range is between 3.52x10 -6 to 1.76x10 -5 Ω.m and M substrate range is between 99 to 332 Ω.m. The value of resistivity increases with the thickness of the thin film.

Study of the oxidation resistance of ZrxNand ZrxSi1-xN thin films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering; Estudo da resistencia a oxidacao de filmes finos de ZrxN e ZrxSi1-xN depositados por magnetron sputtering reativo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fernandez, D.R.; Freitas, F.G.R.; Felix, L.C.; Carvalho, R.G.; Fontes Junior, A.S.; Tentardini, E.K., E-mail: daniel.angel0275@gmail.com [Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS), Sao Cristovao, SE (Brazil). Departamento de Ciencia e Engenharia de Materiais; Silva Junior, H. da [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil)

2016-07-01

The objective of this work is to evaluate the oxidation resistance on pure zirconium nitride thin films and with silicon addition (ZrN and ZrSiN respectively). The thin films deposition were performed using reactive magnetron sputtering. The coatings were characterized by Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS), grazing angle X ray diffraction (GAXRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM-FEG) and oxidation tests starting from 500°C to 700°C. This study evaluated thin films with silicon content up to 14,9 at.%. GAXRD results showed only ZrN characteristics peaks, which allow the inference that Si3N4 has an amorphous structure. Oxidation tests demonstrate that the film with highest silicon content shows an increase of 200°C in oxidation temperature when compared with ZrN pure thin film. (author)

Electron beam induced coloration and luminescence in layered structure of WO3 thin films grown by pulsed dc magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karuppasamy, A.; Subrahmanyam, A.

2007-01-01

Tungsten oxide thin films have been deposited by pulsed dc magnetron sputtering of tungsten in argon and oxygen atmosphere. The as-deposited WO 3 film is amorphous, highly transparent, and shows a layered structure along the edges. In addition, the optical properties of the as-deposited film show a steplike behavior of extinction coefficient. However, the electron beam irradiation (3.0 keV) of the as-deposited films results in crystallization, coloration (deep blue), and luminescence (intense red emission). The above changes in physical properties are attributed to the extraction of oxygen atoms from the sample and the structural modifications induced by electron bombardment. The present method of coloration and luminescence has a potential for fabricating high-density optical data storage device

Investigation of photocatalytic activity of titanium dioxide deposited on metallic substrates by DC magnetron sputtering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Daviðsdóttir, Svava; Canulescu, Stela; Dirscherl, Kai

2013-01-01

The photocatalytic properties of titanium dioxide (TiO2) coating in the anatase crystalline structure deposited on aluminium AA1050 alloy and stainless steel S316L substrates were investigated. The coating was prepared by DC magnetron sputtering. The microstructure and surface morphology of the c......The photocatalytic properties of titanium dioxide (TiO2) coating in the anatase crystalline structure deposited on aluminium AA1050 alloy and stainless steel S316L substrates were investigated. The coating was prepared by DC magnetron sputtering. The microstructure and surface morphology...... sweep voltammetry, impedance measurements. The microstructure and surface morphology of the coating were similar irrespective of the nature of the substrate, while the photocatalytic behaviour was found to vary depending on the substrate type. In general the TiO2 coating on stainless steel was shown...

Dependence of plasma characteristics on dc magnetron sputter parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, S.Z.

2005-01-01

Plasma discharge characteristics of a dc magnetron system were measured by a single Langmuir probe at the center axis of the dual-side process chamber. Plasma potential, floating potential, electron and ion densities, and electron temperature were extracted with varying dc power and gas pressure during sputter deposition of a metal target; strong correlations were shown between these plasma parameters and the sputter parameters. The electron density was controlled mostly by secondary electron generation in constant power mode, while plasma potential reflects the confinement space variation due to change of discharge voltage. When discharge pressure was varied, plasma density increases with the increased amount of free stock molecules, while electron temperature inversely decreased, due to energy-loss collision events. In low-pressure discharges, the electron energy distribution function measurements show more distinctive bi-Maxwellian distribution, with the fast electron temperature gradually decreases with increased gas pressure

Discharge Characteristic of VHF-DC Superimposed Magnetron Sputtering System

Science.gov (United States)

Toyoda, Hirotaka; Fukuoka, Yushi; Fukui, Takashi; Takada, Noriharu; Sasai, Kensuke

2014-10-01

Magnetron plasmas are one of the most important tools for sputter deposition of thin films. However, energetic particles from the sputtered target such as backscattered rare gas atoms or oxygen negative ions from oxide targets sometimes induce physical and chemical damages as well as surface roughening to the deposited film surface during the sputtering processes. To suppress kinetic energy of such particles, superposition of RF or VHF power to the DC power has been investigated. In this study, influence of the VHF power superposition on the DC target voltage, which is important factor to determine kinetic energy of high energy particles, is investigated. In the study, 40 MHz VHF power was superimposed to an ITO target and decrease in the target DC voltage was measured as well as deposited film deposition properties such as deposition rate or electrical conductivity. From systematic measurement of the target voltage, it was revealed that the target voltage can be determined by a very simple parameter, i.e., a ratio of VHF power to the total input power (DC and VHF powers) in spite of the DC discharge current. Part of this work was supported by ASTEP, JST.

Effect of Si additions on thermal stability and the phase transition sequence of sputtered amorphous alumina thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bolvardi, H.; Baben, M. to; Nahif, F.; Music, D.; Schnabel, V.; Shaha, K. P.; Mráz, S.; Schneider, J. M.; Bednarcik, J.; Michalikova, J.

2015-01-01

Si-alloyed amorphous alumina coatings having a silicon concentration of 0 to 2.7 at. % were deposited by combinatorial reactive pulsed DC magnetron sputtering of Al and Al-Si (90-10 at. %) split segments in Ar/O 2 atmosphere. The effect of Si alloying on thermal stability of the as-deposited amorphous alumina thin films and the phase formation sequence was evaluated by using differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. The thermal stability window of the amorphous phase containing 2.7 at. % of Si was increased by more than 100 °C compared to that of the unalloyed phase. A similar retarding effect of Si alloying was also observed for the α-Al 2 O 3 formation temperature, which increased by more than 120 °C. While for the latter retardation, the evidence for the presence of SiO 2 at the grain boundaries was presented previously, this obviously cannot explain the stability enhancement reported here for the amorphous phase. Based on density functional theory molecular dynamics simulations and synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments for amorphous Al 2 O 3 with and without Si incorporation, we suggest that the experimentally identified enhanced thermal stability of amorphous alumina with addition of Si is due to the formation of shorter and stronger Si–O bonds as compared to Al–O bonds

Effect of Si additions on thermal stability and the phase transition sequence of sputtered amorphous alumina thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bolvardi, H.; Baben, M. to; Nahif, F.; Music, D., E-mail: music@mch.rwth-aachen.de; Schnabel, V.; Shaha, K. P.; Mráz, S.; Schneider, J. M. [Materials Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Kopernikusstr. 10, D-52074 Aachen (Germany); Bednarcik, J.; Michalikova, J. [Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, FS-PE group, Notkestrasse 85, D-22607 Hamburg (Germany)

2015-01-14

Si-alloyed amorphous alumina coatings having a silicon concentration of 0 to 2.7 at. % were deposited by combinatorial reactive pulsed DC magnetron sputtering of Al and Al-Si (90-10 at. %) split segments in Ar/O{sub 2} atmosphere. The effect of Si alloying on thermal stability of the as-deposited amorphous alumina thin films and the phase formation sequence was evaluated by using differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. The thermal stability window of the amorphous phase containing 2.7 at. % of Si was increased by more than 100 °C compared to that of the unalloyed phase. A similar retarding effect of Si alloying was also observed for the α-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} formation temperature, which increased by more than 120 °C. While for the latter retardation, the evidence for the presence of SiO{sub 2} at the grain boundaries was presented previously, this obviously cannot explain the stability enhancement reported here for the amorphous phase. Based on density functional theory molecular dynamics simulations and synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments for amorphous Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} with and without Si incorporation, we suggest that the experimentally identified enhanced thermal stability of amorphous alumina with addition of Si is due to the formation of shorter and stronger Si–O bonds as compared to Al–O bonds.

An inverted cylindrical sputter magnetron as metal vapor supply for electron cyclotron resonance ion sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weichsel, T., E-mail: tim.weichsel@fep.fraunhofer.de; Hartung, U.; Kopte, T. [Fraunhofer Institute for Electron Beam and Plasma Technology, 01277 Dresden (Germany); Zschornack, G. [Institute of Solid State Physics, Dresden University of Technology, 01062 Dresden, Germany and Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Dresden (Germany); Kreller, M.; Silze, A. [DREEBIT GmbH, 01900 Grossroehrsdorf (Germany)

2014-05-15

An inverted cylindrical sputter magnetron device has been developed. The magnetron is acting as a metal vapor supply for an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source. FEM simulation of magnetic flux density was used to ensure that there is no critical interaction between both magnetic fields of magnetron and ECR ion source. Spatially resolved double Langmuir probe and optical emission spectroscopy measurements show an increase in electron density by one order of magnitude from 1 × 10{sup 10} cm{sup −3} to 1 × 10{sup 11} cm{sup −3}, when the magnetron plasma is exposed to the magnetic mirror field of the ECR ion source. Electron density enhancement is also indicated by magnetron plasma emission photography with a CCD camera. Furthermore, photographs visualize the formation of a localized loss-cone - area, when the magnetron is operated at magnetic mirror field conditions. The inverted cylindrical magnetron supplies a metal atom load rate of R > 1 × 10{sup 18} atoms/s for aluminum, which meets the demand for the production of a milliampere Al{sup +} ion beam.

Superconductivity and magnetism in Ir-doped GdFeAsO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cui, Y.J.; Chen, Y.L.; Cheng, C.H.; Yang, Y.; Jiang, J.; Wang, Y.Z.; Zhang, Y.; Zhao, Y.

2010-01-01

The 5d-transition metal, Ir has successfully been doped at Fe site and induced superconductivity in GdFeAsO at T c = 18.9 K and ∼20 atom%. The Ir-doping shortened the c-axis length and stretched the a-axis one, which led to enhance the coupling between the FeAs- and SmO-layer, and to weaken the bonding between Fe and As atom. Paramagnetism was observed in all of the samples, which was resulted from the magnetic Gd ion as in the F-doped GdFeAsO. An upper critical field of GdFe 0.8 Ir 0.2 AsO was extrapolated to around 24 T, much smaller than that of F-doped GdFeAsO owing to a relatively low T c and small value of dH c2 /dT.

Room temperature deposition of crystalline indium tin oxide films by cesium-assisted magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Deuk Yeon; Baik, Hong-Koo

2008-01-01

Indium tin oxide (ITO) films were deposited on a Si (1 0 0) substrate at room temperature by cesium-assisted magnetron sputtering. Including plasma characteristics, the structural, electrical, and optical properties of deposited films were investigated as a function of cesium partial vapor pressure controlled by cesium reservoir temperature. We calculated the cesium coverage on the target surface showing maximum formation efficiency of negative ions by means of the theoretical model. Cesium addition promotes the formation efficiency of negative ions, which plays important role in enhancing the crystallinity of ITO films. In particular, the plasma density was linearly increased with cesium concentrations. The resultant decrease in specific resistivity and increase in transmittance (82% in the visible region) at optimum cesium concentration (4.24 x 10 -4 Ω cm at 80 deg. C of reservoir temperature) may be due to enhanced crystallinity of ITO films. Excess cesium incorporation into ITO films resulted in amorphization of its microstructure leading to degradation of ITO crystallinity. We discuss the cesium effects based on the growth mechanism of ITO films and the plasma density

Fracture toughness and sliding properties of magnetron sputtered CrBC and CrBCN coatings

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qianzhi; Zhou, Fei; Ma, Qiang; Callisti, Mauro; Polcar, Tomas; Yan, Jiwang

2018-06-01

CrBC and CrBCN coatings with low and high B contents were deposited on 316L steel and Si wafers using an unbalanced magnetron sputtering system. Mechanical properties including hardness (H), elastic modulus (E) and fracture toughness (KIc) as well as residual stresses (σ) were quantified. A clear correlation between structural, mechanical and tribological properties of coatings was found. In particular, structural analyses indicated that N incorporation in CrBC coatings with high B content caused a significant structural evolution of the nanocomposite structure (crystalline grains embedded into an amorphous matrix) from nc-CrB2/(a-CrBx, a-BCx) to nc-CrN/(a-BCx, a-BN). As a result, the hardness of CrBC coating with high B content decreased from 23.4 to 16.3 GPa but the fracture toughness was enhanced. Consequently, less cracks initiated on CrBCN coatings during tribological tests, which combined with the shielding effect of a-BN on wear debris, led to a low friction coefficient and wear rate.

Abrasion resistant low friction and ultra-hard magnetron sputtered AlMgB14 coatings

Science.gov (United States)

Grishin, A. M.

2016-04-01

Hard aluminum magnesium boride films were fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering from a single stoichiometric AlMgB14 ceramic target. X-ray amorphous AlMgB14 films are very smooth. Their roughness does not exceed the roughness of Si wafer and Corning glass used as the substrates. Dispersion of refractive index and extinction coefficient were determined within 300 to 2500 nm range for the film deposited onto Corning glass. Stoichiometric in-depth compositionally homogeneous 2 μm thick films on the Si(100) wafer possess the peak values of nanohardness 88 GPa and Young’s modulus 517 GPa at the penetration depth of 26 nm and, respectively, 35 GPa and 275 GPa at 200 nm depth. Friction coefficient was found to be 0.06. The coating scratch adhesion strength of 14 N was obtained as the first chipping of the coating whereas its spallation failure happened at 21 N. These critical loads and the work of adhesion, estimated as high as 18.4 J m-2, surpass characteristics of diamond like carbon films deposited onto tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co) substrates.

Photocatalytic activity of bipolar pulsed magnetron sputter deposited TiO{sub 2}/TiWO{sub x} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weng, Ko-Wei; Hu, Chung-Hsuan; Hua, Li-Yu; Lee, Chin-Tan [Department of Electronic Engineering, National Quemoy University, 1 Daxue Road, Jinning Township, Kinmen 89250, Taiwan, ROC (China); Zhao, Yu-Xiang [Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, National Quemoy University, Taiwan, ROC (China); Chang, Julian; Yang, Shu-Yi [Department of Applied English, National Quemoy University, Taiwan, ROC (China); Han, Sheng, E-mail: shenghan@nutc.edu.tw [Center for General Education, National Taichung University of Science and Technology, 129 San-min Road, Section 3, Taichung 40401, Taiwan, ROC (China)

2016-08-15

Highlights: • TiO{sub 2}/TiWO{sub x} films were fabricated by a bipolar pulsed magnetron sputtering apparatus. • Titanium oxide being sputtered tungsten enhanced the highly oriented of TiO{sub 2} (1 0 1) plane of the specimen assemblies. • The mechanism WO{sub 3}(h{sup +}, e{sup −})/TiO{sub 2}(h{sup +}, e{sup −}) → WO{sub 3}(e{sup −})/TiO{sub 2}(h{sup +}) shows the higher hydrophilicity and lower contact angle. - Abstract: Titanium oxide films were formed by sputtering and then TiWO{sub x} films were deposited by bipolar pulsed magnetron sputtering with pure titanium and tungsten metal targets. The sputtering of titanium oxide with tungsten enhanced the orientation of the TiO{sub 2} (1 0 1) plane of the specimen assemblies. The main varying parameter was the tungsten pulse power. Titanium oxide sputtered with tungsten using a pulsing power of 50 W exhibited a superior hydrophilic property, and a contact angle of 13.1°. This fabrication conditions maximized the photocatalytic decomposition of methylene blue solution. The mechanism by which the titanium oxide was sputtered with tungsten involves the photogeneration of holes and electron traps, inhibiting the hole–electron recombination, enhancing hydrophilicity and reducing the contact angle.

Titanium dioxide fine structures by RF magnetron sputter method deposited on an electron-beam resist mask

Science.gov (United States)

Hashiba, Hideomi; Miyazaki, Yuta; Matsushita, Sachiko

2013-09-01

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been draw attention for wide range of applications from photonic crystals for visible light range by its catalytic characteristics to tera-hertz range by its high refractive index. We present an experimental study of fabrication of fine structures of TiO2 with a ZEP electron beam resist mask followed by Ti sputter deposition techniques. A TiO2 thin layer of 150 nm thick was grown on an FTO glass substrate with a fine patterned ZEP resist mask by a conventional RF magnetron sputter method with Ti target. The deposition was carried out with argon-oxygen gases at a pressure of 5.0 x 10 -1 Pa in a chamber. During the deposition, ratio of Ar-O2 gas was kept to the ratio of 2:1 and the deposition ratio was around 0.5 Å/s to ensure enough oxygen to form TiO2 and low temperature to avoid deformation of fine pattern of the ZPU resist mask. Deposited TiO2 layers are white-transparent, amorphous, and those roughnesses are around 7 nm. Fabricated TiO2 PCs have wider TiO2 slabs of 112 nm width leaving periodic 410 x 410 nm2 air gaps. We also studied transformation of TiO2 layers and TiO2 fine structures by baking at 500 °C. XRD measurement for TiO2 shows that the amorphous TiO2 transforms to rutile and anatase forms by the baking while keeping the same profile of the fine structures. Our fabrication method can be one of a promising technique to optic devices on researches and industrial area.

Amorphous Si layers co-doped with B and Mn: Thin film growth and steering of magnetic properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drera, G.; Mozzati, M.C.; Colombi, P.; Salvinelli, G.; Pagliara, S.; Visentin, D.; Sangaletti, L.

2015-01-01

Amorphous silicon thin films co-doped with manganese (5% at.) and boron (1.8% at.) have been prepared by RF sputtering on Al 2 O 3 substrates held at room temperature (RT). The films, with an average thickness of about 0.9 μm, were carefully characterized by micro-Raman and X-ray photoemission spectroscopies. A ferromagnetic (FM) behavior up to RT was observed. In order to discuss and possibly rule out extrinsic effects usually related to segregations of ferromagnetic impurities in the samples, magnetization measurements were carried out on the Al 2 O 3 substrates, as well as on Si:B and Si:Mn films grown with the same RF sputtering system. Only the Si:B:Mn films displayed a FM behavior up to RT. Since amorphous films doped with Mn alone did not display any signature of FM ordering, boron co-doping results to be crucial for the onset of the FM behavior. The conductivity of the samples is not affected by boron doping that, therefore, does not appear to significantly contribute to a possible carrier-mediated FM interaction between Mn ions by supplying extra charges to the system. On this basis, the capability of B to hinder the quenching of the Mn 3d magnetic moments has also to be regarded as a possible role of this co-dopant in the observed magnetization. - Highlights: • We successfully deposited amorphous silicon thin films co-doped with Mn and B. • Structural, electronic, and magnetic properties have been carefully characterized. • A ferromagnetic behavior up to room temperature was detected. • The extrinsic origin of magnetism is excluded. • Boron can play a relevant role to avoid quenching of magnetic moment in Mn ions

Amorphous Si layers co-doped with B and Mn: Thin film growth and steering of magnetic properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drera, G. [I-LAMP, Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via dei Musei 41, 25121 Brescia (Italy); Mozzati, M.C. [CNISM, Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pavia, Via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia (Italy); Colombi, P. [CSMT Gestione s.c.a.r.l, Via Branze 45, 25123 Brescia (Italy); Salvinelli, G.; Pagliara, S.; Visentin, D. [I-LAMP, Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via dei Musei 41, 25121 Brescia (Italy); Sangaletti, L., E-mail: sangalet@dmf.unicatt.it [I-LAMP, Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via dei Musei 41, 25121 Brescia (Italy)

2015-09-01

Amorphous silicon thin films co-doped with manganese (5% at.) and boron (1.8% at.) have been prepared by RF sputtering on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} substrates held at room temperature (RT). The films, with an average thickness of about 0.9 μm, were carefully characterized by micro-Raman and X-ray photoemission spectroscopies. A ferromagnetic (FM) behavior up to RT was observed. In order to discuss and possibly rule out extrinsic effects usually related to segregations of ferromagnetic impurities in the samples, magnetization measurements were carried out on the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} substrates, as well as on Si:B and Si:Mn films grown with the same RF sputtering system. Only the Si:B:Mn films displayed a FM behavior up to RT. Since amorphous films doped with Mn alone did not display any signature of FM ordering, boron co-doping results to be crucial for the onset of the FM behavior. The conductivity of the samples is not affected by boron doping that, therefore, does not appear to significantly contribute to a possible carrier-mediated FM interaction between Mn ions by supplying extra charges to the system. On this basis, the capability of B to hinder the quenching of the Mn 3d magnetic moments has also to be regarded as a possible role of this co-dopant in the observed magnetization. - Highlights: • We successfully deposited amorphous silicon thin films co-doped with Mn and B. • Structural, electronic, and magnetic properties have been carefully characterized. • A ferromagnetic behavior up to room temperature was detected. • The extrinsic origin of magnetism is excluded. • Boron can play a relevant role to avoid quenching of magnetic moment in Mn ions.

Effect of Si addition on the structure and corrosion behavior of NbN thin films deposited by unbalanced magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Velasco, L. [Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Departamento de Ingenieria Mecanica y Mecatronica, Facultad de Ingenieria, Bogota (Colombia); University of Southern California, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Olaya, J.J. [Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Departamento de Ingenieria Mecanica y Mecatronica, Facultad de Ingenieria, Bogota (Colombia); Rodil, S.E. [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Mexico, D. F. (Mexico)

2016-02-15

In this work, nanostructured Nb{sub x}Si{sub y}N{sub z} thin films were deposited onto stainless steel AISI 304 substrates by co-sputtering a Nb target with Si additions while using unbalanced magnetron sputtering. The microstructure was analyzed by X-ray diffraction, and the chemical composition was identified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The hardness was measured by nanoindentation, and the corrosion resistance was studied by potentiodynamic polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy using a 3 wt% NaCl solution. The addition of Si in the NbN thin films changed the microstructure from a crystalline to an amorphous phase. The chemical analysis showed the presence of both Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} and NbN phases. The hardness decreased from 20 GPa (NbN) to 15 GPa for the film with the highest Si concentration (28.6 at.%). Nevertheless, the corrosion properties were significantly improved as the Si concentration increased; the polarization resistance after 168 h of immersion was two orders of magnitude larger in comparison with the substrate. (orig.)

Effect of Si addition on the structure and corrosion behavior of NbN thin films deposited by unbalanced magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Velasco, L.; Olaya, J.J.; Rodil, S.E.

2016-01-01

In this work, nanostructured Nb x Si y N z thin films were deposited onto stainless steel AISI 304 substrates by co-sputtering a Nb target with Si additions while using unbalanced magnetron sputtering. The microstructure was analyzed by X-ray diffraction, and the chemical composition was identified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The hardness was measured by nanoindentation, and the corrosion resistance was studied by potentiodynamic polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy using a 3 wt% NaCl solution. The addition of Si in the NbN thin films changed the microstructure from a crystalline to an amorphous phase. The chemical analysis showed the presence of both Si 3 N 4 and NbN phases. The hardness decreased from 20 GPa (NbN) to 15 GPa for the film with the highest Si concentration (28.6 at.%). Nevertheless, the corrosion properties were significantly improved as the Si concentration increased; the polarization resistance after 168 h of immersion was two orders of magnitude larger in comparison with the substrate. (orig.)

Electrochemical characterization of silicon/graphene/MWCNT hybrid lithium-ion battery anodes produced via RF magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Toçoğlu, Ubeyd, E-mail: utocoglu@sakarya.edu.tr; Hatipoğlu, Gizem; Alaf, Miraç; Kayış, Fuat; Akbulut, Hatem

2016-12-15

Graphical abstract: Silicon/graphene/MWCNT hybrid composite anodes were produced via RF magnetron sputtering technique. CR2016 type coin cells were assembled for electrochemical characterization of anodes. Electrochemical characterizations of anodes were conducted via galvanostatic charge/discharge, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. - Highlights: • Silicon/graphene/MWCNT hybrid negative lithium ion battery anodes were produced via magnetron sputtering. • Structural and electrochemical characterizations of composite anodes were conducted comprehensively. • The capacity values exhibited by composite anodes were found to be almost more than two times compared to thin film anodes after 100 cycles. - Abstract: In this study it was aimed to enhance cycling performance of silicon lithium ion battery anodes via producing flexible Silicon/Graphene/MWCNT composite structures. The volumetric expansions, which are the primary obstacle that hinders the practical usage of silicon anodes, were tried to suppress using flexible graphene/MWCNT paper substrates. Moreover to achieve lightweight and high electrical conductive anodes, the advantage of graphene was aimed to be exploited. Silicon/graphene/MWCNT flexible composite anodes were produced via radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering technique. Graphene/MWCNT papers were produced with vacuum filtration technique as substrate for sputtering process. At coating process of papers constant sputtering power was applied. Phase analysis was conducted with X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique and Raman spectroscopy. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) tests were carried out to reveal reversible reactions between silicon and lithium. Galvanostatic charge/discharge technique was employed to determine the cyclic performance of anodes. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy technique was used to understand the relation between cyclic performance and

Electrochemical characterization of silicon/graphene/MWCNT hybrid lithium-ion battery anodes produced via RF magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toçoğlu, Ubeyd; Hatipoğlu, Gizem; Alaf, Miraç; Kayış, Fuat; Akbulut, Hatem

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: Silicon/graphene/MWCNT hybrid composite anodes were produced via RF magnetron sputtering technique. CR2016 type coin cells were assembled for electrochemical characterization of anodes. Electrochemical characterizations of anodes were conducted via galvanostatic charge/discharge, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. - Highlights: • Silicon/graphene/MWCNT hybrid negative lithium ion battery anodes were produced via magnetron sputtering. • Structural and electrochemical characterizations of composite anodes were conducted comprehensively. • The capacity values exhibited by composite anodes were found to be almost more than two times compared to thin film anodes after 100 cycles. - Abstract: In this study it was aimed to enhance cycling performance of silicon lithium ion battery anodes via producing flexible Silicon/Graphene/MWCNT composite structures. The volumetric expansions, which are the primary obstacle that hinders the practical usage of silicon anodes, were tried to suppress using flexible graphene/MWCNT paper substrates. Moreover to achieve lightweight and high electrical conductive anodes, the advantage of graphene was aimed to be exploited. Silicon/graphene/MWCNT flexible composite anodes were produced via radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering technique. Graphene/MWCNT papers were produced with vacuum filtration technique as substrate for sputtering process. At coating process of papers constant sputtering power was applied. Phase analysis was conducted with X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique and Raman spectroscopy. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) tests were carried out to reveal reversible reactions between silicon and lithium. Galvanostatic charge/discharge technique was employed to determine the cyclic performance of anodes. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy technique was used to understand the relation between cyclic performance and

Characterization of Cr-O cermet solar selective coatings deposited by using direct-current magnetron sputtering technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Kil Dong

2006-01-01

Cr-O (Cr-CrO) cermet solar selective coatings with a double cermet layer film structure were prepared by using a special direct-current (dc) magnetron sputtering technology. The typical film structure from the surface to the bottom substrate was an Al 2 O 3 anti-reflection layer on a double Cr-O cermet layer on an Al metal infrared reflection layer. The deposited Cr-O cermet solar selective coating had an absorptance of α = 0.93 - 0.95 and an emittance of ε = 0.09 - 0.10(100 .deg. C). The absorption layers of the Cr-O cermet coatings deposited on glass and silicon substrates were identified as being amorphous by using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed that Cr-O cermet layers were very smooth and that their grain sizes were very small. The result of thermal stability test showed that the Cr-O cermet solar selective coating was stable for use at temperatures of under 400 .deg. C.

Superconductivity and magnetism in Ir-doped GdFeAsO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cui, Y.J.; Chen, Y.L. [Key Laboratory of Magnetic Levitation and Maglev Trains (Ministry of Education of China), Superconductivity R and D Center (SRDC), Mail Stop 165, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610031 (China); Cheng, C.H. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052 NSW (Australia); Yang, Y.; Jiang, J.; Wang, Y.Z.; Zhang, Y. [Key Laboratory of Magnetic Levitation and Maglev Trains (Ministry of Education of China), Superconductivity R and D Center (SRDC), Mail Stop 165, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610031 (China); Zhao, Y., E-mail: yzhao@swjtu.edu.c [Key Laboratory of Magnetic Levitation and Maglev Trains (Ministry of Education of China), Superconductivity R and D Center (SRDC), Mail Stop 165, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610031 (China); School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052 NSW (Australia)

2010-11-01

The 5d-transition metal, Ir has successfully been doped at Fe site and induced superconductivity in GdFeAsO at T{sub c} = 18.9 K and {approx}20 atom%. The Ir-doping shortened the c-axis length and stretched the a-axis one, which led to enhance the coupling between the FeAs- and SmO-layer, and to weaken the bonding between Fe and As atom. Paramagnetism was observed in all of the samples, which was resulted from the magnetic Gd ion as in the F-doped GdFeAsO. An upper critical field of GdFe{sub 0.8}Ir{sub 0.2}AsO was extrapolated to around 24 T, much smaller than that of F-doped GdFeAsO owing to a relatively low T{sub c} and small value of dH{sub c2}/dT.

Study of working pressure on the optoelectrical properties of Al–Y codoped ZnO thin-film deposited using DC magnetron sputtering for solar cell applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hsu, Feng-Hao [Institute of Microelectronics, Department of Electrical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, Dasyue Road, East District, Tainan City 701, Taiwan (China); Wang, Na-Fu; Tsai, Yu-Zen; Chuang, Ming-Chieh; Cheng, Yu-Song [Department of Electronic Engineering, Cheng Shiu University, 840 Chengcing Road, Niaosong District, Kaohsiung City 833, Taiwan (China); Houng, Mau-Phon, E-mail: mphoung@eembox.ncku.edu.tw [Institute of Microelectronics, Department of Electrical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, Dasyue Road, East District, Tainan City 701, Taiwan (China)

2013-09-01

Low cost transparent conductive Al–Y codoped ZnO (AZOY) thin-films were prepared on a glass substrate using a DC magnetron sputtering technique with various working pressures in the range of 5–13 mTorr. The relationship among the structural, electrical, and optical properties of sputtered AZOY films was studied as a function of working pressure. The XRD measurements show that the crystallinity of the films degraded as the working gas pressure increased. The AZOY thin-film deposited at a working pressure of 5 mTorr exhibited the lowest electrical resistivity of 4.3 × 10{sup −4} Ω cm, carrier mobility of 30 cm{sup 2}/V s, highest carrier concentration of 4.9 × 10{sup 20} cm{sup −3}, and high transmittance in the visible region (400–800 nm) of approximately 90%. Compared with Al doped ZnO (AZO) thin-films deposited using DC or RF magnetron sputtering methods, a high carrier mobility was observed in our AZOY thin-films. This result can be used to effectively decrease the absorption of near infrared-rays in solar cell applications. The mechanisms are attributed to the larger transition energy between Ar atoms and sputtering particles and the size compensation of the dopants. Finally, the optimal quality AZOY thin-film was used as an emitter layer (or window layer) to form AZOY/n-Si heterojunction solar cells, which exhibited a stable conversion efficiency (η) of 9.4% under an AM1.5 illumination condition.

Effect of Nb doping on the structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of RF magnetron sputtered In{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanostructured films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reshmi Krishnan, R.; Chalana, S.R.; Suresh, S.; Sudheer, S.K.; Mahadevan Pillai, V.P. [Department of Optoelectronics, University of Kerala (India); Sudarsanakumar, C. [School of Pure and Applied Physics, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala (India); Santhosh Kumar, M.C. [Optoelectronic Materials and Devices Lab, Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli (India)

2017-01-15

Undoped and niobium (Nb) doped indium oxide (In{sub 2}O{sub 3}) thin films are prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique. The effect of Nb on the structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of In{sub 2}O{sub 3}films are analyzed using techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), micro-Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, photoluminescence spectroscopy and Hall effect measurements. XRD analysis reveals that the as-deposited undoped and Nb doped films are polycrystalline in nature with cubic bixbyite structure. Raman analysis supports the presence of cubic bixbyite structure of In{sub 2}O{sub 3}in the films. XPS analysis shows a decrease of oxygen deficiency due to Nb and the existence of Nb as Nb{sup 4+} in the In{sub 2}O{sub 3}lattice. The band gap energy of the films increases with increase in Nb concentration. PL spectra reveal intense UV and visible emissions in all the films. Optical constants of the films are determined using spectroscopic ellipsometry. The thickness of films estimated using FESEM and ellipsometry are in good agreement. The carrier concentration, mobility and nature of carriers are measured using Hall measurement technique in Van der Pauw configuration at room temperature. (copyright 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Deposition of Al/Cu Multilayer By Double Targets Cylindrical DC Magnetron Sputtering System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Balashabadi

2013-12-01

Full Text Available A cylindrical direct current magnetron sputtering coater with two targets for deposition of multilayer thin films and cermet solar selective surfaces has been constructed. The substrate holder was able to rotate around the target for obtaining the uniform layer and separated multilayer phases. The Al/ Cu multilayer film was deposited on the glass substrate at the following conditions: Working gas = Pure argon, Working pressure = 1 Pa, Cathode current = 8 A and cathode voltage = -600 V .Microstructure of the film was investigated by X-Ray Diffraction and the scanning electron microscopy analyses. The elements profile was determined by glow discharge–optical emission spectroscopy analysis. During deposition, both targets with magnetron configuration were sputtered simultaneously by argon ions. A Plasma column on the targets surface was generated by a 290 G permanent magnet unit. Two DC power supply units with three phases input and maximum output of 12 A/1000V were used to deposit the multilayer thin films. A control phase system was used to adjust output voltage.

Thermal conductivity of nitride films of Ti, Cr, and W deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jagannadham, Kasichainula

2015-01-01

Nitride films of Ti, Cr, and W were deposited using reactive magnetron sputtering from metal targets in argon and nitrogen plasma. TiN films with (200) orientation were achieved on silicon (100) at the substrate temperature of 500 and 600 °C. The films were polycrystalline at lower temperature. An amorphous interface layer was observed between the TiN film and Si wafer deposited at 600 °C. TiN film deposited at 600 °C showed the nitrogen to Ti ratio to be near unity, but films deposited at lower temperature were nitrogen deficient. CrN film with (200) orientation and good stoichiometry was achieved at 600 °C on Si(111) wafer but the film deposited at 500 °C showed cubic CrN and hexagonal Cr 2 N phases with smaller grain size and amorphous back ground in the x-ray diffraction pattern. An amorphous interface layer was not observed in the cubic CrN film on Si(111) deposited at 600 °C. Nitride film of tungsten deposited at 600 °C on Si(100) wafer was nitrogen deficient, contained both cubic W 2 N and hexagonal WN phases with smaller grain size. Nitride films of tungsten deposited at 500 °C were nonstoichiometric and contained cubic W 2 N and unreacted W phases. There was no amorphous phase formed along the interface for the tungsten nitride film deposited at 600 °C on the Si wafer. Thermal conductivity and interface thermal conductance of all the nitride films of Ti, Cr, and W were determined by transient thermoreflectance technique. The thermal conductivity of the films as function of deposition temperature, microstructure, nitrogen stoichiometry and amorphous interaction layer at the interface was determined. Tungsten nitride film containing both cubic and hexagonal phases was found to exhibit much higher thermal conductivity and interface thermal conductance. The amorphous interface layer was found to reduce effective thermal conductivity of TiN and CrN films

Applying RF Magnetron sputtering to prepare ZnO thin films and their characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saad, M.; Kassis, A.

2009-05-01

ZnO thin films were prepared using Rf magnetron sputtering under several preparation conditions (different values of deposition pressure, Rf power, substrate temperature). The optical properties of these films were investigated by measuring their transmission in the spectral range (300-1000 nm), and the electrical properties were investigated by measuring their electrical resistance. Results have been discussed in terms of the modified Thornton model for sputtered thin metal oxide films. Preparation conditions for depositing the highly resistive transparent i-ZnO buffer layer and the highly conducting transparent n-ZnO window layer for solar cells were proposed. (author)

Effect of microstructure on mechanical and tribological properties of TiAlSiN nanocomposite coatings deposited by modulated pulsed power magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Z.L. [Surface Engineering Laboratory, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024 (China); College of Engineering, Hunan Agricultural University/Southern Regional Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain and Oil Crops in China, Changsha 410128 (China); Li, Y.G.; Wu, B. [Surface Engineering Laboratory, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024 (China); Lei, M.K., E-mail: surfeng@dlut.edu.cn [Surface Engineering Laboratory, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024 (China)

2015-12-31

TiAlSiN nanocomposite coatings were deposited in a closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering system by reactive sputtering from Ti{sub 0.475}Al{sub 0.475}Si{sub 0.05} targets using modulated pulsed power magnetron sputtering (MPPMS) under a floating substrate bias. The ratio of the nitrogen flow rate to the total gas flow rate (f{sub N{sub 2}}) was varied from 0 to 40%. The application of MPPMS as sputtering sources was aimed at generating a high ionization degree of the sputtered material and a high plasma density by using a pulsed high power approach. When f{sub N{sub 2}} = 0%, an amorphous-like structure Ti{sub 0.479}Al{sub 0.454}Si{sub 0.066} coating was deposited with a hardness of 10 GPa. When nitrogen was added, an optimized nanocomposite structure of nc-TiAlN/a-Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} formed in the TiAlSiN coating deposited at f{sub N{sub 2}} = 10%, in which 5–10 nm TiAlN nanocrystallites were embedded in a 2–3 nm thick amorphous Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} matrix. As the f{sub N{sub 2}} was increased up to 40%, the elementary composition of the coatings remained almost the same, but the grain size of nanocrystallites approached to 10–20 nm and the AlN phase gradually precipitated. A maximum hardness (H) of 33.2 GPa, a hardness to the elastic modulus (E) ratio of 0.081 and an H{sup 3}/E*{sup 2} ratio of 0.19 GPa were found in the coating deposited at f{sub N{sub 2}} = 10%. The friction coefficient of the TiAlSiN coatings was around 0.8–0.9 as sliding against a Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} counterpart under a normal load of 0.5 N. A wear rate of 2.0 × 10{sup −5} mm{sup 3} N{sup −1} m{sup −1} was measured in the TiAlSiN coatings deposited at f{sub N{sub 2}} = 20–40%. As only a low residual stress is found in the TiAlSiN coatings, we consider the complete phase separation is responsible for the enhanced mechanical and tribological properties of the nc-TiAlN/a-Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} nanocomposite coatings. - Highlights: • TiAlSiN nanocomposite coatings were prepared by

ZnO:Al thin films deposited by RF-magnetron sputtering with tunable and uniform properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Miorin, E; Montagner, F; Battiston, S; Fiameni, S; Fabrizio, M

2011-03-01

Nanostructured, high quality and large area Al-doped ZnO (ZnO:Al) thin films were obtained by radiofrequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The sample rotation during deposition has resulted in excellent spatial distribution of thickness and electro-optical properties compared to that obtained under static conditions. ZnO:Al thin films are employed in a large number of devices, including thin film solar cells, where the uniformity of the properties is a key factor for a possible up-scaling of the research results to industrially relevant substrate sizes. A chemical post etching treatment was employed achieving tunable surface nanotextures to generate light scattering at the desired wavelength for improved cell efficiency. Since the film resistivity is only slightly increased by the etching, this post-deposition step allows separating the optimization of electro-optical properties from light scattering behavior. The thin films were characterized by FE-SEM, XRD, UV-VIS spectroscopy, four probe and van der Paw techniques.

Urea impedimetric biosensor based on reactive RF magnetron sputtered zinc oxide nanoporous transducer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mozaffari, Sayed Ahmad; Rahmanian, Reza; Abedi, Mohammad; Amoli, Hossein Salar

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Application and optimization of reactive RF magnetron sputtering for homogeneous nanoporous ZnO thin film formation. • Exploiting nanoporous ZnO thin film as a good porous framework with large surface area/volume for having stable immobilized enzyme with minimum loss of activity. • Application of impedimetric assessment for urea biosensing due to its rapidity, sensitivity, and repeatability. - Abstract: Uniform sputtered nanoporous zinc oxide (Nano-ZnO) thin film on the conductive fluorinated-tin oxide (FTO) layer was applied to immobilize urease enzyme (Urs) for urea detection. Highly uniform nanoporous ZnO thin film were obtained by reactive radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering system at the optimized instrumental deposition conditions. Characterization of the surface morphology and roughness of ZnO thin film by field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) exhibits cavities of nanoporous film as an effective biosensing area for enzyme immobilization. Step by step monitoring of FTO/Nano-ZnO/Urs biosensor fabrication were performed using electrochemical methods such as cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. Fabricated FTO/Nano-ZnO/Urs biosensor was used for urea determination using EIS experiments. The impedimetric results show high sensitivity for urea detection within 0.83–23.24 mM and limit of detection as 0.40 mM

Altering properties of cerium oxide thin films by Rh doping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ševčíková, Klára; Nehasil, Václav; Vorokhta, Mykhailo; Haviar, Stanislav; Matolín, Vladimír

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Thin films of ceria doped by rhodium deposited by RF magnetron sputtering. • Concentration of rhodium has great impact on properties of Rh–CeO x thin films. • Intensive oxygen migration in films with low concentration of rhodium. • Oxygen migration suppressed in films with high amount of Rh dopants. - Abstract: Ceria containing highly dispersed ions of rhodium is a promising material for catalytic applications. The Rh–CeO x thin films with different concentrations of rhodium were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering and were studied by soft and hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, Temperature programmed reaction and X-ray powder diffraction techniques. The sputtered films consist of rhodium–cerium mixed oxide where cerium exhibits a mixed valency of Ce 4+ and Ce 3+ and rhodium occurs in two oxidation states, Rh 3+ and Rh n+ . We show that the concentration of rhodium has a great influence on the chemical composition, structure and reducibility of the Rh–CeO x thin films. The films with low concentrations of rhodium are polycrystalline, while the films with higher amount of Rh dopants are amorphous. The morphology of the films strongly influences the mobility of oxygen in the material. Therefore, varying the concentration of rhodium in Rh–CeO x thin films leads to preparing materials with different properties

A hybrid electron cyclotron resonance metal ion source with integrated sputter magnetron for the production of an intense Al{sup +} ion beam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weichsel, T., E-mail: tim.weichsel@fep.fraunhofer.de; Hartung, U.; Kopte, T. [Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP, 01277 Dresden (Germany); Zschornack, G. [Institute of Solid State Physics, Dresden University of Technology, 01062 Dresden, Germany and Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Dresden (Germany); Kreller, M.; Philipp, A. [DREEBIT GmbH, 01900 Grossroehrsdorf (Germany)

2015-09-15

A metal ion source prototype has been developed: a combination of magnetron sputter technology with 2.45 GHz electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source technology—a so called magnetron ECR ion source (MECRIS). An integrated ring-shaped sputter magnetron with an Al target is acting as a powerful metal atom supply in order to produce an intense current of singly charged metal ions. Preliminary experiments show that an Al{sup +} ion current with a density of 167 μA/cm{sup 2} is extracted from the source at an acceleration voltage of 27 kV. Spatially resolved double Langmuir probe measurements and optical emission spectroscopy were used to study the plasma states of the ion source: sputter magnetron, ECR, and MECRIS plasma. Electron density and temperature as well as Al atom density were determined as a function of microwave and sputter magnetron power. The effect of ECR heating is strongly pronounced in the center of the source. There the electron density is increased by one order of magnitude from 6 × 10{sup 9} cm{sup −3} to 6 × 10{sup 10} cm{sup −3} and the electron temperature is enhanced from about 5 eV to 12 eV, when the ECR plasma is ignited to the magnetron plasma. Operating the magnetron at constant power, it was observed that its discharge current is raised from 1.8 A to 4.8 A, when the ECR discharge was superimposed with a microwave power of 2 kW. At the same time, the discharge voltage decreased from about 560 V to 210 V, clearly indicating a higher plasma density of the MECRIS mode. The optical emission spectrum of the MECRIS plasma is dominated by lines of excited Al atoms and shows a significant contribution of lines arising from singly ionized Al. Plasma emission photography with a CCD camera was used to prove probe measurements and to identify separated plasma emission zones originating from the ECR and magnetron discharge.

Nucleation of ultrathin silver layer by magnetron sputtering in Ar/N2 plasma

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Bulíř, Jiří; Novotný, Michal; Lančok, Ján; Fekete, Ladislav; Drahokoupil, Jan; Musil, Jindřich

2013-01-01

Roč. 228, č. 1 (2013), S86-S90 ISSN 0257-8972 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP108/11/1298; GA ČR GP202/09/P324 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : ultrathin silver * magnetron sputtering * spectral ellipsometry * in-situ monitoring Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 2.199, year: 2013

Electrical properties of indium-tin oxide films deposited on nonheated substrates using a planar-magnetron sputtering system and a facing-targets sputtering system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iwase, Hideo; Hoshi, Youichi; Kameyama, Makoto

2006-01-01

Distribution of the electrical properties of indium-tin oxide (ITO) film prepared by both a planar-magnetron sputtering system (PMSS) and a facing-targets sputtering system (FTSS) at room temperature were investigated. It was found that the outstanding non-uniformities of the electrical properties in noncrystalline ITO films are mainly due to the variation of the oxygen stoichiometry dependent on film positions on substrate surfaces. Furthermore, ITO film with uniform distribution of electrical properties was obtainable using FTSS

Sputter-deposited Mg-Al-O thin films: linking molecular dynamics simulations to experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Georgieva, V; Bogaerts, A; Saraiva, M; Depla, D; Jehanathan, N; Lebelev, O I

2009-01-01

Using a molecular dynamics model the crystallinity of Mg x Al y O z thin films with a variation in the stoichiometry of the thin film is studied at operating conditions similar to the experimental operating conditions of a dual magnetron sputter deposition system. The films are deposited on a crystalline or amorphous substrate. The Mg metal content in the film ranged from 100% (i.e. MgO film) to 0% (i.e. Al 2 O 3 film). The radial distribution function and density of the films are calculated. The results are compared with x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analyses of experimentally deposited thin films by the dual magnetron reactive sputtering process. Both simulation and experimental results show that the structure of the Mg-Al-O film varies from crystalline to amorphous when the Mg concentration decreases. It seems that the crystalline Mg-Al-O films have a MgO structure with Al atoms in between.

Time-resolved investigation of dual high power impulse magnetron sputtering with closed magnetic field during deposition of Ti-Cu thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stranak, Vitezslav; Hippler, Rainer; Cada, Martin; Hubicka, Zdenek; Tichy, Milan

2010-01-01

Time-resolved comparative study of dual magnetron sputtering (dual-MS) and dual high power impulse magnetron sputtering (dual-HiPIMS) systems arranged with closed magnetic field is presented. The dual-MS system was operated with a repetition frequency 4.65 kHz (duty cycle ≅50%). The frequency during dual-HiPIMS is lower as well as its duty cycle (f=100 Hz, duty 1%). Different metallic targets (Ti, Cu) and different cathode voltages were applied to get required stoichiometry of Ti-Cu thin films. The plasma parameters of the interspace between magnetrons in the substrate position were investigated by time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy, Langmuir probe technique, and measurement of ion fluxes to the substrate. It is shown that plasma density as well as ion flux is higher about two orders of magnitude in dual-HiPIMS system. This fact is partially caused by low diffusion of ionized sputtered particles (Ti + ,Cu + ) which creates a preionized medium.

Functional nanostructured titanium nitride films obtained by sputtering magnetron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanchez, O.; Hernandez-Velez, M.; Navas, D.; Auger, M.A.; Baldonedo, J.L.; Sanz, R.; Pirota, K.R.; Vazquez, M.

2006-01-01

Development of new methods in the formation of hollow structures, in particular, nanotubes and nanocages are currently generating a great interest as a consequence of the growing relevance of these nanostructures on many technological fields, ranging from optoelectronics to biotechnology. In this work, we report the formation of titanium nitride (TiN) nanotubes and nanohills via reactive sputtering magnetron processes. Anodic Alumina Membranes (AAM) were used as template substrates to grow the TiN nanostructures. The AAM were obtained through electrochemical anodization processes by using oxalic acid solutions as electrolytes. The nanotubes were produced at temperatures below 100 deg. C, and using a pure titanium (99.995%) sputtering target and nitrogen as reactive gas. The obtained TiN thin films showed surface morphologies adjusted to pore diameter and interpore distance of the substrates, as well as ordered arrays of nanotubes or nanohills depending on the sputtering and template conditions. High Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy (HRSEM) was used to elucidate both the surface order and morphology of the different grown nanostructures. The crystalline structure of the samples was examined using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) patterns and their qualitative chemical composition by using X-ray Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (XEDS) in a scanning electron microscopy

Interfacial Structure and Photocatalytic Activity of Magnetron Sputtered TiO2 on Conducting Metal Substrates

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Daviðsdóttir, Svava; Petit, Jean-Pierre; Mermoux, Michel

2014-01-01

The photocatalytic behavior of magnetron sputtered anatase TiO2 coatings on copper, nickel, and gold was investigated with the aim of understanding the effect of the metallic substrate and coating-substrate interface structure. Stoichiometry and nanoscale structure of the coating were investigated...

The influence of RF power on the electrical properties of sputtered amorphous In—Ga—Zn—O thin films and devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Junfei; Dong Chengyuan; Wu Jie; Chen Yuting; Zhan Runze; Dai Wenjun

2013-01-01

The influence of radio frequency (RF) power on the properties of magnetron sputtered amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin films and the related thin-film transistor (TFT) devices is investigated comprehensively. A series of a-IGZO thin films prepared with magnetron sputtering at various RF powers are examined. The results prove that the deposition rate sensitively depends on RF power. In addition, the carrier concentration increases from 0.91 × 10 19 to 2.15 × 10 19 cm −3 with the RF power rising from 40 to 80 W, which may account for the corresponding decrease in the resistivity of the a-IGZO thin films. No evident impacts of RF power are observed on the surface roughness, crystalline nature and stoichiometry of the a-IGZO samples. On the other hand, optical transmittance is apparently influenced by RF power where the extracted optical band-gap value increases from 3.48 to 3.56 eV with RF power varying from 40 to 80 W, as is supposed to result from the carrier-induced band-filling effect. The rise in RF power can also affect the performance of a-IGZO TFTs, in particular by increasing the field-effect mobility clearly, which is assumed to be due to the alteration of the extended states in a-IGZO thin films. (semiconductor devices)

Magnetic and transport properties of amorphous ferro magnetic Gd--Au, Gd--Ni and Gd--Co alloys obtained by splat-cooling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durand, J.; Poon, S.J.

1977-06-01

We present the results of magnetization and transport measurements on the amorphous Gd 80 Au 20 , Gd 68 Ni 32 and Gd 67 Co 33 alloys over a temperature range of 1.8 to 300 0 K in fields up to 75 kOe. These ferromagnetic alloys obtained by splat-cooling have Curie temperatures T/sub c/ of 150, 125 and 175 0 K, respectively. The saturation moment per Gd atom extrapolated to 0 0 K is estimated to be 7 +- 0.1 μ/sub B/. The exchange integrals for Gd-Au and Gd-Ni are determined from the value of T/sub c/ and from the temperature dependence of the saturation magnetization. The zero-field resistivity for Gd-Ni and Gd-Co exhibits maxima around T/sub c/. We present some preliminary results of magnetoresistivity measurements with applied field parallel and perpendicular to the foil plane. The anisotropy is in-plane for Gd-Co. For the Gd-Au and Gd-Ni alloys, there is no well-defined easy axis

Deposition of lead-silicate glassy thin coatings by RF magnetron sputtering: Correlation between deposition parameters and electrical and structural properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rigato, V.; Maggioni, G.; Boscarino, D.; Della Mea, G.; Univ. di Trento, Mesiano

1996-01-01

Lead-silicate glassy thin films produced by means of Reactive Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering have found recent application in the development of MicroStrip Gas Chambers radiation detectors. Here, thin films (100--400 nm) of lead silicate glass have been deposited by RF magnetron sputtering in Ar plasma at different discharge conditions. The interaction of the sputtered species with the gas atoms during the transport process through the discharge region and the kinetics of growth of the films have been investigated as a function of the target composition and of the substrate temperature. This study demonstrates the possibility of controlling the surface electrical resistance of the films in a wide range of values ranging from 10 12 to 10 17 Ω/□ during the film growth

Bioactivity response of Ta_1_-_xO_x coatings deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almeida Alves, C.F.; Cavaleiro, A.; Carvalho, S.

2016-01-01

The use of dental implants is sometimes accompanied by failure due to periimplantitis disease and subsequently poor esthetics when soft–hard tissue margin recedes. As a consequence, further research is needed for developing new bioactive surfaces able to enhance the osseous growth. Tantalum (Ta) is a promising material for dental implants since, comparing with titanium (Ti), it is bioactive and has an interesting chemistry which promotes the osseointegration. Another promising approach for implantology is the development of implants with oxidized surfaces since bone progenitor cells interact with the oxide layer forming a diffusion zone due to its ability to bind with calcium which promotes a stronger bond. In the present report Ta-based coatings were deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering onto Ti CP substrates in an Ar + O_2 atmosphere. In order to assess the osteoconductive response of the studied materials, contact angle and in vitro tests of the samples immersed in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) were performed. Structural results showed that oxide phases where achieved with larger amounts of oxygen (70 at.% O). More compact and smooth coatings were deposited by increasing the oxygen content. The as-deposited Ta coating presented the most hydrophobic character (100°); with increasing oxygen amount contact angles progressively diminished, down to the lowest measured value, 63°. The higher wettability is also accompanied by an increase on the surface energy. Bioactivity tests demonstrated that highest O-content coating, in good agreement with wettability and surface energy values, showed an increased affinity for apatite adhesion, with higher Ca/P ratio formation, when compared to the bare Ti substrates. - Highlights: • Ta_1_-_xO_x coatings were deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering. • Amorphous oxide phases were achieved with higher oxygen amounts. • Contact angles progressively diminished, with increasing oxygen content. • Ta oxide surface

MoOx thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering as an anode for aqueous micro-supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Can; Li, Zhengcao; Zhang, Zhengjun

2013-12-01

In order to examine the potential application of non-stoichiometric molybdenum oxide as anode materials for aqueous micro-supercapacitors, conductive MoOx films (2 ⩽ x ⩽ 2.3) deposited via RF magnetron sputtering at different temperatures were systematically studied for composition, structure and electrochemical properties in an aqueous solution of Li2SO4. The MoOx (x ≈ 2.3) film deposited at 150 °C exhibited a higher areal capacitance (31 mF cm-2 measured at 5 mV s-1), best rate capability and excellent stability at potentials below -0.1 V versus saturated calomel electrode, compared to the films deposited at room temperature and at higher temperatures. These superior properties were attributed to the multi-valence composition and mixed-phase microstructure, i.e., the coexistence of MoO2 nanocrystals and amorphous MoOx (2.3 < x ⩽ 3). A mechanism combining Mo(IV) oxidation/reduction on the hydrated MoO2 grain surfaces and cation intercalation/extrusion is proposed to illustrate the pseudo-capacitive process.

Reducing the impurity incorporation from residual gas by ion bombardment during high vacuum magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosen, Johanna; Widenkvist, Erika; Larsson, Karin; Kreissig, Ulrich; Mraz, Stanislav; Martinez, Carlos; Music, Denis; Schneider, J. M.

2006-01-01

The influence of ion energy on the hydrogen incorporation has been investigated for alumina thin films, deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering in an Ar/O 2 /H 2 O environment. Ar + with an average kinetic energy of ∼5 eV was determined to be the dominating species in the plasma. The films were analyzed with x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and elastic recoil detection analysis, demonstrating evidence for amorphous films with stoichiometric O/Al ratio. As the substrate bias potential was increased from -15 V (floating potential) to -100 V, the hydrogen content decreased by ∼70%, from 9.1 to 2.8 at. %. Based on ab initio calculations, these results may be understood by thermodynamic principles, where a supply of energy enables surface diffusion, H 2 formation, and desorption [Rosen et al., J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 17, L137 (2005)]. These findings are of importance for the understanding of the correlation between ion energy and film composition and also show a pathway to reduce impurity incorporation during film growth in a high vacuum ambient

MoOx thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering as an anode for aqueous micro-supercapacitors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Can Liu

2013-11-01

Full Text Available In order to examine the potential application of non-stoichiometric molybdenum oxide as anode materials for aqueous micro-supercapacitors, conductive MoOx films (2 ≤ x ≤ 2.3 deposited via RF magnetron sputtering at different temperatures were systematically studied for composition, structure and electrochemical properties in an aqueous solution of Li2SO4. The MoOx (x ≈ 2.3 film deposited at 150 °C exhibited a higher areal capacitance (31 mF cm−2 measured at 5 mV s−1, best rate capability and excellent stability at potentials below −0.1 V versus saturated calomel electrode, compared to the films deposited at room temperature and at higher temperatures. These superior properties were attributed to the multi-valence composition and mixed-phase microstructure, i.e., the coexistence of MoO2 nanocrystals and amorphous MoOx (2.3 < x ≤ 3. A mechanism combining Mo(IV oxidation/reduction on the hydrated MoO2 grain surfaces and cation intercalation/extrusion is proposed to illustrate the pseudo-capacitive process.

High power pulsed magnetron sputtering: A method to increase deposition rate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raman, Priya; McLain, Jake; Ruzic, David N; Shchelkanov, Ivan A.

2015-01-01

High power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HPPMS) is a state-of-the-art physical vapor deposition technique with several industrial applications. One of the main disadvantages of this process is its low deposition rate. In this work, the authors report a new magnetic field configuration, which produces deposition rates twice that of conventional magnetron's dipole magnetic field configuration. Three different magnet pack configurations are discussed in this paper, and an optimized magnet pack configuration for HPPMS that leads to a higher deposition rate and nearly full-face target erosion is presented. The discussed magnetic field produced by a specially designed magnet assembly is of the same size as the conventional magnet assembly and requires no external fields. Comparison of deposition rates with different power supplies and the electron trapping efficiency in complex magnetic field arrangements are discussed

Structural and dielectric studies of Co doped MgTiO3 thin films fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Santhosh Kumar

2014-06-01

Full Text Available We report the structural, dielectric and leakage current properties of Co doped MgTiO3 thin films deposited on platinized silicon (Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrates by RF magnetron sputtering. The role of oxygen mixing percentage (OMP on the growth, morphology, electrical and dielectric properties of the thin films has been investigated. A preferred orientation of grains along (110 direction has been observed with increasing the OMP. Such evolution of the textured growth is explained on the basis of the orientation factor analysis followed the Lotgering model. (Mg1-xCoxTiO3 (x = 0.05 thin films exhibits a maximum relative dielectric permittivity of ɛr = 12.20 and low loss (tan δ ∼ 1.2 × 10−3 over a wide range of frequencies for 75% OMP. The role of electric field frequency (f and OMP on the ac-conductivity of (Mg0.95Co0.05TiO3 have been studied. A progressive increase in the activation energy (Ea and relative permittivity ɛr values have been noticed up to 75% of OMP, beyond which the properties starts deteriorate. The I-V characteristics reveals that the leakage current density decreases from 9.93 × 10−9 to 1.14 × 10−9 A/cm2 for OMP 0% to 75%, respectively for an electric field strength of 250 kV/cm. Our experimental results reveal up to that OMP ≥ 50% the leakage current mechanism is driven by the ohmic conduction, below which it is dominated by the schottky emission.

Properties of Co-deposited indium tin oxide and zinc oxide films using a bipolar pulse power supply and a dual magnetron sputter source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Man-Soo; Seob Jeong, Heui; Kim, Won Mok; Seo, Yong Woon

2003-01-01

Multilayer coatings consisting of metal layers sandwiched between transparent conducting oxide layers are widely used for flat panel display electrodes and electromagnetic shield coatings for plasma displays, due to their high electrical conductivity and light transmittance. The electrical and optical properties of these multilayer films depend largely on the surface characteristics of the transparent conducting oxide thin films. A smoother surface on the transparent conducting oxide thin films makes it easier for the metal layer to form a continuous film, thus resulting in a higher conductivity and visible light transmittance. Indium tin oxide (ITO) and zinc oxide (ZnO) films were co-deposited using a dual magnetron sputter and a bipolar pulse power supply to decrease the surface roughness of the transparent conducting oxide films. The symmetric pulse mode of the power supply was used to simultaneously sputter an In 2 O 3 (90 wt %) : SnO 2 (10 wt %) target and a ZnO target. We varied the duty of the pulses to control the ratio of ITO : ZnO in the thin films. The electrical and optical properties of the films were studied, and special attention was paid to the surface roughness and the crystallinity of the films. By co-depositing ITO and ZnO at a pulse duty ratio of ITO:ZnO=45:45 using a dual magnetron sputter and a bipolar pulse power supply, we were able to obtain amorphous transparent conducting oxide films with a very smooth surface which had a Zn-rich buffer layer under a In-rich surface layer. All of the films exhibited typical electrical and optical properties of transparent conducting oxide films deposited at room temperature

Irradiation response of radio-frequency sputtered Al/Gd2O3/p-Si MOS capacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Kahraman, A.; Yilmaz, E.

2017-10-01

The usage of the Gadolinium oxide (Gd2O3) as sensitive region in the MOS (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor)-based dosimeters was investigated in the presented study. The Gd2O3 films grown on p-type Si (100) by RF magnetron sputtering were annealed at 800 °C under N2 ambient. The back and front metal contacts were establishes to produce MOS capacitors. The fabricated Gd2O3 MOS capacitors were irradiated in the dose range 0.5-50 Gy by 60Co gamma source. The performed Capacitance-Voltage (C-V) curves of the Gd2O3 MOS capacitors shifted to right side relative to pre-irradiation one. While continuous increments in the oxide trapped charges with increasing in gamma dose were observed, interface trapped charges fluctuated in the studied dose range. However, the variation of the interface trapped charge densities was found in the order of 1011 cm-2 and no significant variation was observed with applied dose. These results confirm that a significant deterioration does not occur in the capacitance during the irradiation. The higher oxide trapped charges compared to interface trapped charges showed that these traps were more responsible for the shift of the C-V curves. The sensitivity and percentage fading after 105 min of the Gd2O3 MOS capacitor were found as 39.7±1.4 mV/Gy and 14.5%, respectively. The devices sensitivity was found to be higher than that of capacitors composed of Er2O3, Sm2O3, La2O3, Al2O3, and SiO2, but, the high fading values is seen as a major problem for these capacitors. Finally, the barrier height was investigated with gamma exposure and the results showed that its value increased with increasing in radiation dose due to possible presence of the acceptor-like interface states.

Particle-balance models for pulsed sputtering magnetrons

Science.gov (United States)

Huo, Chunqing; Lundin, D.; Gudmundsson, J. T.; Raadu, M. A.; Bradley, J. W.; Brenning, N.

2017-09-01

The time-dependent plasma discharge ionization region model (IRM) has been under continuous development during the past decade and used in several studies of the ionization region of high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) discharges. In the present work, a complete description of the most recent version of the IRM is given, which includes improvements, such as allowing for returning of the working gas atoms from the target, a separate treatment of hot secondary electrons, addition of doubly charged metal ions, etc. To show the general applicability of the IRM, two different HiPIMS discharges are investigated. The first set concerns 400 μs long discharge pulses applied to an Al target in an Ar atmosphere at 1.8 Pa. The second set focuses on 100 μs long discharge pulses applied to a Ti target in an Ar atmosphere at 0.54 Pa, and explores the effects of varying the magnetic field strength. The model results show that Al2+ -ions contribute negligibly to the production of secondary electrons, while Ti2+ -ions effectively contribute to the production of secondary electrons. Similarly, the model results show that for an argon discharge with Al target the contribution of Al+-ions to the discharge current at the target surface is over 90% at 800 V. However, at 400 V the Al+-ions and Ar+-ions contribute roughly equally to the discharge current in the initial peak, while in the plateau region Ar+-ions contribute to roughly \\frac{2}{3} of the current. For high currents the discharge with Al target develops almost pure self-sputter recycling, while the discharge with Ti target exhibits close to a 50/50 combination of self-sputter recycling and working gas-recycling. For a Ti target, a self-sputter yield significantly below unity makes working gas-recycling necessary at high currents. For the discharge with Ti target, a decrease in the B-field strength, resulted in a corresponding stepwise increase in the discharge resistivity.

Giant Negative Piezoresistive Effect in Diamond-like Carbon and Diamond-like Carbon-Based Nickel Nanocomposite Films Deposited by Reactive Magnetron Sputtering of Ni Target

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meškinis, Šaru Nas; Gudaitis, Rimantas; Šlapikas, Kęstutis

2018-01-01

deposited by either reactive HIPIMS or dc magnetron sputtering of Ni target was explained by possible clustering of the sp2-bonded carbon and/or formation of areas with the decreased hydrogen content. It was suggested that the tensile stress-induced rearrangements of these conglomerations have resulted......Piezoresistive properties of hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (DLC) and DLC-based nickel nanocomposite (DLC:Ni) films were studied in the range of low concentration of nickel nanoparticles. The films were deposited by reactive high power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) of Ni target, and some...... samples were deposited by direct current (dc) reactive magnetron sputtering for comparison purposes. Raman scattering spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to study the structure and chemical composition of the films. A four...

Crystalline silicon films grown by pulsed dc magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reinig, Peter; Fenske, Frank; Fuhs, Walther; Selle, Burkhardt [Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin, Abt. Silizium-Photovoltaik, Kekulestr. 5, D-12489 Berlin (Germany)

2002-04-01

Pulsed dc magnetron sputtering is used as a novel method for the deposition of crystalline silicon films on glass substrates. Hydrogen-free polycrystalline Si-films are deposited with high deposition rates at temperatures of 400-450 C and pulse frequencies f in the range 0-250 kHz. Strong preferential (100) orientation of the crystallites is observed with increasing f. High frequency and similarly high negative substrate bias cause an increase of the Ar content and an enhancement of structural disorder. Measurements of the transient floating potential suggest that the observed structural effects are related to bombardment of the growing film by Ar{sup +} ions of high energy.

Bulletin of Materials Science | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Silver-doped hydrogenated amorphous carbon (Ag-DLC) films were deposited on Si substrates using a hybrid plasma vapour deposition–plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PVD–PECVD) process combining Ag target magnetron sputtering and PECVD in an Ar–CH4 plasma. Processing parameters (working ...

Electrical and optical properties of amorphous indium zinc oxide films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, N.; Sato, Y.; Song, P.K.; Kaijio, A.; Inoue, K.; Shigesato, Y.

2006-01-01

Valence electron control and electron transport mechanisms on the amorphous indium zinc oxide (IZO) films were investigated. The amorphous IZO films were deposited by dc magnetron sputtering using an oxide ceramic IZO target (89.3 wt.% In 2 O 3 and 10.7 wt.% ZnO). N-type impurity dopings, such as Sn, Al or F, could not lead to the increase in carrier density in the IZO. Whereas, H 2 introduction into the IZO deposition process was confirmed to be effective to increase carrier density. By 30% H 2 introduction into the deposition process, carrier density increased from 3.08 x 10 2 to 7.65 x 10 2 cm -3 , which must be originated in generations of oxygen vacancies or interstitial Zn 2+ ions. Decrease in the transmittance in the near infrared region and increase in the optical band gap were observed with the H 2 introduction, which corresponded to the increase in carrier density. The lowest resistivity of 3.39 x 10 -4 Ω cm was obtained by 10% H 2 introduction without substrate heating during the deposition

Ferrimagnetic properties of Co/(Gd-Co) multilayers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Svalov, A.V.; Fernandez, A.; Vas'kovskiy, V.O.; Tejedor, M.; Barandiaran, J.M.; Orue, I.; Kurlyandskaya, G.V.

2006-01-01

Co/(Gd-Co) multilayers have been prepared by rf-sputtering and investigated by means of Transverse Magnetooptic Kerr Effect (TMOKE), SQUID and VSM magnetometry. The composition of amorphous Gd 0.36 Co 0.64 layers was chosen so that their saturation magnetization was dominated by Gd moments in all the temperature range. Co and Gd-Co layers formed a macroscopic ferrimagnetically coupled system displaying a compensation temperature. Complete magnetic moment compensation was found at such point. An inversion of TMOKE hysteresis loops and a divergent behaviour of coercivity were also observed. By changing the layers thickness it has been possible to control the magnetic characteristics of the Co/(Gd-Co) structures, in particular the compensation takes place at different temperatures

As(III) Removal from Drinking Water by Carbon Nanotube Membranes with Magnetron-Sputtered Copper: Performance and Mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Luan, Hongyan; Zhang, Quan; Cheng, Guo-An; Huang, Haiou

2018-06-07

Current approaches for functionalizing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) often utilize harsh chemical conditions, and the resulting harmful wastes can cause various environmental and health concerns. In this study, magnetron sputtering technique is facilely employed to functionalize CNT membranes by depositing Cu onto premade CNT membranes without using any chemical treatment. A comparative evaluation of the substrate polymeric membrane (mixed cellulose ester (MCE)), MCE sputtered with copper (Cu/MCE), the pristine CNT membrane (CNT), and CNT membrane sputtered with Cu (Cu/CNT) shows that Cu/CNT possesses mechanically stable structures and similar membrane permeability as MCE. More importantly, Cu/CNT outperforms other membranes with high As(III) removal efficiency of above 90%, as compared to less than 10% by MCE and CNT, and 75% by Cu/MCE from water. The performance of Cu/CNT membranes for As(III) removal is also investigated as a function of ionic strength, sputtering time, co-existing ions, solution pH, and the reusability. Further characterizations of As speciation in the filtrate and on Cu/CNT reveal that arsenite removal by Cu/CNT possibly began with Cu-catalyzed oxidation of arsenite to arsenate, followed by adsorptive filtration of arsenate by the membrane. Overall, this study demonstrates that magnetron sputtering is a promising greener technology for the productions of metal-CNT composite membranes for environmental applications.

Reactive magnetron sputtering of Si-C-N films with controlled mechanical and optical properties

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Vlček, J.; Kormunda, M.; Čížek, J.; Soukup, Z.; Peřina, Vratislav; Zemek, Josef

2003-01-01

Roč. 12, č. 8 (2003), s. 1287-1294 ISSN 0925-9635 R&D Projects: GA MŠk ME 203; GA MŠk OC 527.90 Institutional research plan: CEZ:MSM 235200002 Keywords : silicon-carbon-nitride films * magnetron co-sputtering Subject RIV: BG - Nuclear, Atomic and Molecular Physics, Colliders Impact factor: 1.867, year: 2003

Effect of oxygen flow rate on ITO thin films deposited by facing targets sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Youn J.; Jin, Su B.; Kim, Sung I.; Choi, Yoon S.; Choi, In S.; Han, Jeon G.

2010-01-01

Tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates at various oxygen flow rates using a planar magnetron sputtering system with facing targets. In this system, the strong internal magnets inside the target holders confine the plasma between the targets. High resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed a combination of amorphous and crystalline phases on the glass substrate. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggested that the decrease in carrier concentration and increase in mobility were caused by a decrease in the concentration of Sn 4+ states. The electrical and optical properties of the ITO films were examined by Hall measurements and UV-visible spectroscopy, which showed a film resistivity and transmittance of 4.26 x l0 -4 Ω cm, and > 80% in the visible region, respectively.

Investigation of corrosion behavior of nitrogen doped and platinum/ruthenium doped diamond-like carbon thin films in Hank's solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khun, N.W.; Liu, E.

2011-01-01

Undoped (DLC), nitrogen-doped (N-DLC) and platinum/ruthenium doped diamond-like carbon (PtRu-DLC) thin films were deposited on p-Si (100) substrates using a DC magnetron sputtering deposition system. The chemical composition, bonding structure, surface morphology and adhesion strength of the films were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), micro-Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and micro-scratch test, respectively. The corrosion behavior of the films in a Hank's solution was investigated using potentiodynamic polarization test. The corrosion results revealed that the PtRu-DLC film had the highest corrosion potential among the films used in this study. Highlights: → DLC thin films were deposited on Si substrates via dc magnetron sputtering. → Some DLC films were doped with N and/or Pt/Ru. → The film corrosion behavior was studied in a Hank solution with polarization test. → The PtRu-DLC film showed the highest corrosion potential among the films studied.

Mechanical properties of nanocrystalline palladium prepared by magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Castrup, Anna; Hahn, Horst [Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (Germany); Technical University of Darmstadt (Germany); Scherer, Torsten; Ivanisenko, Yulia; Choi, In-Suk; Kraft, Oliver [Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (Germany)

2009-07-01

Nanocrystalline metals and alloys with grain sizes well below 100 nm often demonstrate unique deformation behaviour and therefore attract a great interest in material science. The understanding of deformation mechanisms operating in nanocrystalline materials is important to predict their mechanical properties. In the present study Pd films of 1{mu}m thickness were prepared using UHV rf magnetron sputtering on dog bone shaped Kapton substrates and on Si/SiO2 wafers. The films were sputtered using multilayer technology with an individual layer thickness of 10 nm. This resulted in grain sizes of about 20 nm. Initial microstructure and texture were characterized using conventional XRD measurements and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in both cross section- and plane view. The mechanical properties were investigated using tensile testing and nanoindentation at several strain rates. An increased hardness and strength as compared to coarse grained Pd was observed, as well as high strain rate sensitivity. The microstructure in the gauge section after tensile testing was again analyzed using TEM in order to reveal signatures of deformation mechanisms like dislocation motion or twinning.

Control of wettability of hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films by laser-assisted micro- and nanostructuring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pfleging, Wilhelm; Kohler, Robert; Torge, Maika; Trouillet, Vanessa; Danneil, Friederike; Stueber, Michael

2011-01-01

A flexible and rapid surface functionalization of amorphous carbon films shows a great potential for various application fields such as biological surfaces and tribological systems. For this purpose, the combination of thin film deposition and subsequent laser material processing was investigated. Amorphous carbon layers doped with hydrogen were deposited on silicon wafers by reactive direct-current magnetron sputtering. Films with three different hydrogen contents were synthesized. Subsequent to the thin film deposition process, UV laser material processing at wavelengths of 193 nm or 248 nm was performed with respect to chemical surface modification and surface structuring on micro- and nanometer scale. Depending on structure size and laser-induced chemical surface modification the adjustment of the surface energy and wetting behaviour in a broad range from hydrophobic to hydrophilic was possible. The chemical modification and the ablation mechanisms near the ablation threshold were strongly influenced by the hydrogen content in amorphous carbon thin films. Structural and chemical information of the as-deposited and modified films was obtained by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle measurements.

Microstructural control of TiC/a-C nanocomposite coatings with pulsed magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pei, Y.T.; Chen, C.Q.; Shaha, K.P.; De Hosson, J.Th.M.; Bradley, J.W.; Voronin, S.A.; Cada, M.

2008-01-01

In this paper, we report some striking results on the microstructural control of TiC/a-C nanocomposite coatings with pulsed direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering. The interface morphology and microstructure evolution as a function of pulse frequency and duty cycle were scrutinized using atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy techniques. It is shown that, with increasing pulse frequency, the nanocomposite coatings exhibit evolutions in morphology of the growing interface from rough to smooth and in the microstructure from strongly columnar to fully columnar-free. In addition, the smoothly growing interface favors the formation of a tailor-made multilayered nanocomposite structure. The fundamental mechanisms are analyzed with the assistance of plasma diagnostic experiments. Ion mass/energy spectrometry measurements reveal that, depending on the frequency and duty cycle of DC pulses, pulsing of the magnetrons can control the flux and energy distribution of Ar + ions over a very broad range for concurrent impingement on the growing interface of deposited coatings, in comparison with DC sputtering. The significantly enhanced energy flux density is thought to be responsible for the 'adatom transfer' in interface smoothening and thus the restraint of columnar growth

Study on the preparation of boron-rich film by magnetron sputtering in oxygen atmosphere

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pan, Zhangmin; Yang, Yiming; Huang, Jian; Ren, Bing; Yu, Hongze; Xu, Run; Ji, Huanhuan; Wang, Lin; Wang, Linjun, E-mail: ljwang@shu.edu.cn

2016-12-01

Highlights: • Boron ({sup 10}B) oxide films were successfully grown using RF magnetron sputtering. • Effects of oxygen partial pressure on the property of the films were studied. • Substrates were covered with B-rich film and film surface was covered with B{sub 2}O{sub 3}. • The growth mechanism of films in oxygen atmosphere was analyzed using XPS. - Abstract: In this paper, the growth of boron ({sup 10}B) oxide films on (1 0 0) silicon substrate were achieved by radio frequency (r.f.) magnetron sputtering under the different oxygen partial pressure with a target of boron and boron oxide. The structure and properties of deposited films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectrometer (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The results showed that the substrate was covered with boron-rich films tightly and the surface of films was covered with B{sub 2}O{sub 3}. And the growth mechanism of boron-rich film in oxygen atmosphere was also analyzed.

Ferromagnetism in Gd doped ZnO nanowires: A first principles study

KAUST Repository

Aravindh, S. Assa

2014-12-19

In several experimental studies, room temperature ferromagnetism in Gd-doped ZnO nanostructures has been achieved. However, the mechanism and the origin of the ferromagnetism remain controversial. We investigate the structural, magnetic, and electronic properties of Zn 48O48 nanowires doped with Gd, using density functional theory. Our findings indicate that substitutionally incorporated Gd atoms prefer occupying the surface Zn sites. Moreover, the formation energy increases with the distance between Gd atoms, signifying that no Gd-Gd segregation occurs in the nanowires within the concentration limit of ≤2%. Gd induces ferromagnetism in ZnO nanowires with magnetic coupling energy up to 21 meV in the neutral state, which increases with additional electron and O vacancy, revealing the role of carriers in magnetic exchange. The potential for achieving room temperature ferromagnetism and high TC in ZnO:Gd nanowires is evident from the large ferromagnetic coupling energy (200 meV) obtained with the O vacancy. Density of states shows that Fermi level overlaps with Gd f states with the introduction of O vacancy, indicating the possibility of s-f coupling. These results will assist in understanding experimental findings in Gd-doped ZnO nanowires.

Ferromagnetism in Gd doped ZnO nanowires: A first principles study

KAUST Repository

Aravindh, S. Assa; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo; Roqan, Iman S.

2014-01-01

In several experimental studies, room temperature ferromagnetism in Gd-doped ZnO nanostructures has been achieved. However, the mechanism and the origin of the ferromagnetism remain controversial. We investigate the structural, magnetic, and electronic properties of Zn 48O48 nanowires doped with Gd, using density functional theory. Our findings indicate that substitutionally incorporated Gd atoms prefer occupying the surface Zn sites. Moreover, the formation energy increases with the distance between Gd atoms, signifying that no Gd-Gd segregation occurs in the nanowires within the concentration limit of ≤2%. Gd induces ferromagnetism in ZnO nanowires with magnetic coupling energy up to 21 meV in the neutral state, which increases with additional electron and O vacancy, revealing the role of carriers in magnetic exchange. The potential for achieving room temperature ferromagnetism and high TC in ZnO:Gd nanowires is evident from the large ferromagnetic coupling energy (200 meV) obtained with the O vacancy. Density of states shows that Fermi level overlaps with Gd f states with the introduction of O vacancy, indicating the possibility of s-f coupling. These results will assist in understanding experimental findings in Gd-doped ZnO nanowires.

The Analysis of Distribution of Thickness of ThinFilm Coating During the Magnetron Sputtering on Systems with Planetary Movement of Substrate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. R. Sagatelyan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The article subject is a thin-film coating process using ion-plasma sputter deposition systems with magnetron sputtering targets. To improve coating thickness evenness of parts various manufacturers equip their systems with mechanisms for moving the coating parts, and sometimes the magnetrons. More specifically, the article concerns the ion-plasma sputtering process using a system equipped with a mechanism for providing a planetary movement of the coating parts in the plane perpendicular to the planes of two sputtering targets.The purpose of this work was to improve a distribution of the coating thickness evenness on the sputtering surface of the part. It is achieved through selection of the best combinations of kinematic and geometric factors that characterize a particular sputtering operation, depending on the size and position of the surface to be coated. These factors include a ratio between directions and frequencies of the self-rotation of satellite planetary gear, which holds a work piecesubstrate, and the translational motion i.e. planetary carrier rotation to carry the satellite; the angles of planes of the right and left magnetrons with respect to the system frontal plane. Since there is, essentially, a lack of mathematical models to perform the appropriate calculations for the considered type of system designs, a more specific aim of the article is to develop a technique to evaluate the uneven thickness of coatings provided by the systems of this type.To achieve this more specific purpose the analytical technique had been used, applying the postulates of analytical geometry and theoretical mechanics. The main results of the research described in the article are as follows:- mathematical models of dependencies of geometric and kinematic parameters, changing during the sputtering process and characterizing each considered point on the surface of the work piece, on the current position of the work piece in the structure of the planetary

Structural and magnetic properties of Gd-doped ZnO

KAUST Repository

Bantounas, Ioannis

2014-01-01

We use density functional theory to investigate structural and magnetic properties of Gd doped ZnO, accounting for the impurity 4f states using the GGA + U method. (i) We calculate the binding energy of forming [Gd-Gd] dimers, [VO - GdZn] and [VZn - GdZn] complexes and find that while the formation of [VZn - GdZn] is favourable, [GdZn - GdZn] and [VO - GdZn] complexes are less likely to form. Next, (ii) we investigate the spacial arrangement of two (and three) GdZn impurities in a 3 × 3 × 2 supercell and find that the magnetic impurities are energetically favourable when occupying distant lattice sites. Finally, we study the nature of interactions between the magnetic impurities (iii) for Gd in nearest-neighbour and non-nearest-neighbour Zn sites, (iv) in the presence of Zn or O vacancies, and (v) with and without additional charge carriers. Our results show mainly paramagnetic behaviour. In a few cases, e.g. magnetic impurities occupying in-plane nearest-neighbour zinc sites with n-type carrier doping, weak ferromagnetic coupling is observed. This magnetic ordering is of the order of a few meV and can be easily destroyed by thermal fluctuations. We thus expect Gd:ZnO to show paramagnetic behaviour at temperatures approaching room temperature.

Solution growth of Tb doped Gd_2O_3 film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, M.; Pitale, S.; Desai, D.G.; Patra, G.D.; Sen, S.; Gadkari, S.C.

2016-01-01

Nanomaterials of Gd_2O_3 have proven applications in medical imaging and cancer therapy due to the presence of element Gd. Also Gd_2O_3 films have been grown by vapor phase method as well as self assembly in solution and studied as a high-k dielectric and efficient luminescence material. Here, we report a method to obtain Tb doped Gd_2O_3 film by solution growth method followed by suitable heat treatment. Uniform films of Tb doped Gadolinium hydroxycarbonate have been deposited on fused quartz substrates kept inside a solution containing gadolinium nitrate, terbium nitrate and Urea maintained at 90°C. Gadolinium hydroxy-carbonate films are then treated at 800°C for 2 hour to obtain Tb doped cubic Gd_2O_3 as confirmed by X-ray diffraction measurement. The photoluminescence spectra display characteristic Tb emission at 544 nm when excited at 285 nm. The lifetime of Tb emission is found to be of the order of few microseconds. (author)

Positron annihilation study on the superconductivity of Gd-doped YBCO system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Zhenping; Su Yuling; Xue Yuncai; Liu Haizeng; Gong Shicheng; Zhao Jingxun; Li Xigui

2006-01-01

To make clear the influence of magnetic rare-earth ion Gd 3+ doping in the Y site on crystal structure and localized electron structure of YBCO system, the Gd-doped Y 1-x Gd x Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ (x=0-1.0) systems were studied systematically by the positron annihilation technique and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The XRD analysis reveals that Gd 3+ with bigger radius doping in Y site makes the crystal parameters and crystal volume increase, while all the samples remain the single orthorhombic phase as YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ (YBCO) system does. The temperature dependence of resistance measurement shows that T c is above 90 K for all samples, and T c increases with increasing Gd 3+ content. The positron experiment indicates that the localized electronic density n e decreases with increasing Gd 3+ content. (authors)

Doping effects on the structural, magnetic, and hyperfine properties of Gd-doped SnO{sub 2} nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coelho-Júnior, H.; Aquino, J. C. R.; Aragón, F. H. [Universidade de Brasília, Núcleo de Física Aplicada, Instituto de Física (Brazil); Hidalgo, P. [Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade Gama-FGA, Setor Central Gama (Brazil); Cohen, R.; Nagamine, L. C. C. M. [Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Física (Brazil); Coaquira, J. A. H., E-mail: coaquira@unb.br; Silva, S. W. da [Universidade de Brasília, Núcleo de Física Aplicada, Instituto de Física (Brazil); Brito, H. F. [Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Química (Brazil)

2014-12-15

In this work we present the study of the structural, magnetic, and hyperfine properties of Gd-doped SnO{sub 2} nanoparticles synthesized by a polymer precursor method. The X-ray diffraction data analysis shows the formation of the rutile-type structure in all samples with Gd content from 1.0 to 10.0 mol%. The mean crystallite size is ∼11 nm for the 1.0 mol% Gd-doped samples and it shows a decreasing tendency as the Gd content is increased. The analysis of magnetic measurements indicates the coexistence of ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases for the 1.0 mol% Gd-doped sample; however, above that content, only a paramagnetic phase is observed. The ferromagnetic phase observed in the 1.0 mol% Gd-doped sample has been assigned to the presence of bound magnetic polarons which overlap to create a spin-split impurity band. Room-temperature {sup 119}Sn Mössbauer measurements reveal the occurrence of strong electric quadrupole interactions. It has been determined that the absence of magnetic interactions even for 1.0 mol% Gd-doped sample has been related to the weak magnetic field associated to the exchange interaction between magnetic ions and the donor impurity band. The broad distribution of electric quadrupole interactions are attributed to the several non-equivalent surroundings of Sn{sup 4+} ions provoked by the entrance of Gd{sup 3+} ions and to the likely presence of Sn{sup 2+} ions. The isomer shift seems to be nearly independent of the Gd content for samples with Gd content below 7.5 mol%.

Photoluminescence optimization of Er-doped SiO{sub 2} films synthesized by radiofrequency magnetron sputtering with energetic treatments during and after deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cattaruzza, E., E-mail: cattaruz@unive.it; Battaglin, G.; Trave, E.; Visentin, F.

2011-06-01

By radiofrequency magnetron sputtering co-deposition we synthesized Er:SiO{sub 2} film 0.5 {mu}m thick on silica substrates, with Er content < 0.3 atomic %. By changing the preparation condition (during deposition we have used an additional negative bias voltage applied to the substrates for inducing a low-energy ion bombardment, with or without a contemporary heating) and by varying the thermal treatment after the synthesis (the best conditions were 1 h in the range 700-800 deg. C, in air) we have obtained an Er:SiO{sub 2} system with an intense photoluminescence emission at {lambda} = 1.54 {mu}m. The best-performing Er:SiO{sub 2} samples obtained by sputtering have shown a photoluminescence response comparable to that of the typical Er:SiO{sub 2} thin film systems obtained by conventional techniques used in applicative framework.

Effect of Ge Content on the Formation of Ge Nanoclusters in Magnetron-Sputtered GeZrOx-Based Structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Khomenkova, L; Lehninger, D; Kondratenko, O; Ponomaryov, S; Gudymenko, O; Tsybrii, Z; Yukhymchuk, V; Kladko, V; von Borany, J; Heitmann, J

2017-12-01

Ge-rich ZrO 2 films, fabricated by confocal RF magnetron sputtering of pure Ge and ZrO 2 targets in Ar plasma, were studied by multi-angle laser ellipsometry, Raman scattering, Auger electron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction for varied deposition conditions and annealing treatments. It was found that as-deposited films are homogeneous for all Ge contents, thermal treatment stimulated a phase separation and a formation of crystalline Ge and ZrO 2 . The "start point" of this process is in the range of 640-700 °C depending on the Ge content. The higher the Ge content, the lower is the temperature necessary for phase separation, nucleation of Ge nanoclusters, and crystallization. Along with this, the crystallization temperature of the tetragonal ZrO 2 exceeds that of the Ge phase, which results in the formation of Ge crystallites in an amorphous ZrO 2 matrix. The mechanism of phase separation is discussed in detail.

Ultra-hard AlMgB14 coatings fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering from a stoichiometric target

Science.gov (United States)

Grishin, A. M.; Khartsev, S. I.; Böhlmark, J.; Ahlgren, M.

2015-01-01

For the first time hard aluminum magnesium boride films were fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering from a single stoichiometric ceramic AlMgB14 target. Optimized processing conditions (substrate temperature, target sputtering power and target-to-substrate distance) enable fabrication of stoichiometric in-depth compositionally homogeneous films with the peak values of nanohardness 88 GPa and Young's modulus 517 GPa at the penetration depth of 26 nm and, respectively, 35 and 275 GPa at 200 nm depth in 2 μm thick film.

Modification of the electronic properties of As2Se3 films by erbium using ion-plasma sputtering method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prikhodko, O.Yu.; Sarsembinov, Sh.Sh.; Ryaguzov, A.P.; Maksimova, S.Ya.; Chuprynin, A.S.

2003-01-01

At present one of the vital problems of semiconductor materials studies is production of new light emitting materials for fiber optics, namely for light-emitting diode, emitting at room temperature in the range of minimum absorption of quartz optic fiber. It is well-known that heterostructures based on amorphous semiconductors, containing large concentrations of rare-earth elements have such properties. The method of ion-plasma co-sputtering (IPCM) of the original and doping materials allows us to obtain amorphous semiconductor films with large impurity concentration. This method was used to produce amorphous films of chalcogenide vitreous semiconductors (ChVS), doped with impurities of different chemical nature. But the capability of IPCM for ChVS doping with rare-earth elements has not been studied well yet. Therefore it is interesting to obtain amorphous films of arsenic selenide doped with erbium using IPCM and study its electronic properties. The films were produced using high frequency (13.56 MHz) ion-plasma co-sputtering of combined target of vitreous As 2 Se 3 and a metal. The sputtering of the target was conducted in argon atmosphere. Er concentration in the films varied between 0 and 4 atomic percent. Amorphism of the structure of the obtained films was monitored using X-ray diffraction methods. Electrical and optical properties of Er-doped As 2 Se 3 films and the charge carrier transportation processes were studied. It was determined that doped films significantly differ from the pure ones in the values of main electronic parameters: conductivity, energy activation of conductivity, optical band-gap, drift mobility of electrons and holes and mobility activation energy. Note that common rules of change of electronic parameters of As 2 Se 3 films affected by Er doping agree with the rules, established during modification of As 2 Se 3 films with dopes of transition metals with incomplete 3d-shell (Fe, Ni). Analysis of the obtained results showed that doing

Antibacterial properties of nano-silver coated PEEK prepared through magnetron sputtering.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiuju; Gan, Kang; Liu, Hong; Song, Xiaoqing; Chen, Tianjie; Liu, Chenchen

2017-09-01

We aimed to investigate the cytotoxicity and antibacterial properties of nano-silver-coated polyetheretherketone (PEEK) produced through magnetron sputtering and provide a theoretical basis for its use in clinical applications. The surfaces of PEEKs were coated with nano-silver at varying thicknesses (3, 6, 9, and 12nm) through magnetron sputtering technology. The resulting coated PEEK samples were classified into the following groups according to the thickness of the nano-silver coating: PEEK-3 (3nm), PEEK-6 (6nm), PEEK-9 (9nm), PEEK-12 (12nm), and PEEK control group. The surface microstructure and composition of each sample were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and energy dispersive spectrum (EDS) analysis. The water contact angle of each sample was then measured by contact angle meters. A cell counting kit (CCK-8) was used to analyze the cytotoxicity of the mouse fibroblast cells (L929) in the coated groups (n=5) and group test samples (n=6), negative control (polyethylene, PE) (n=6), and positive control group (phenol) (n=6). The antibacterial properties of the samples were tested by co-culturing Streptococcus mutans and Straphylococcus aureus. The bacteria that adhered to the surface of samples were observed by SEM. The antibacterial adhesion ability of each sample was then evaluated. SEM and AFM analysis results showed that the surfaces of control group samples were smooth but compact. Homogeneous silver nano-particles (AgNPs) and nano-silver coating were uniformly distributed on the surface of the coated group samples. Compared with the control samples, the nano-silver coated samples had a significant increase in surface roughness (Pnano-silver coating increased. EDS analysis showed that not only C and O but also Ag were present on the surface of the coated samples. Moreover, the water contact angle of modified samples significantly increased after nano-silver coating modification (Pnano-silver coating can

Growth behavior of rat bone marrow cells on RF magnetron sputtered hydroxyapatite and dicalcium pyrophosphate coatings.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yan, Y.; Wolke, J.G.C.; Ruijter, A. De; Yubao, L.; Jansen, J.A.

2006-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the osteogenic properties of magnetron sputtered dicalcium pyrophaosphate (DCPP) and hydroxylapatite (HA) coatings. Therefore, DCPP and HA coatings were deposited on grit-blasted titanium discs. The substrates were used as-prepared or received an additional heat

Fabricating Pinhole-Free YSZ Sub-Microthin Films by Magnetron Sputtering for Micro-SOFCs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Hill

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Submicron thin yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ films were prepared on a variety of substrates with different surface morphologies by magnetron sputtering followed by thermal oxidation. Pinholes were observed in the films deposited on nanoporous alumina substrates. Initial dense Y/Zr films developed nanocracks after thermal oxidation on smooth Si wafer substrates. At optimal sputtering and oxidation conditions, smooth and crack/pore-free films were achieved on Si wafer substrates. The thin YSZ films exhibited fully ionic conduction with ionic conductivities, and activation energy corroborated well with the values from commercial YSZ plates. The thin YSZ films can be utilized in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs for intermediate temperature operations.

Investigation of corrosion behavior of nitrogen doped and platinum/ruthenium doped diamond-like carbon thin films in Hank's solution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khun, N.W.; Liu, E., E-mail: MEJLiu@ntu.edu.sg

2011-10-10

Undoped (DLC), nitrogen-doped (N-DLC) and platinum/ruthenium doped diamond-like carbon (PtRu-DLC) thin films were deposited on p-Si (100) substrates using a DC magnetron sputtering deposition system. The chemical composition, bonding structure, surface morphology and adhesion strength of the films were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), micro-Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and micro-scratch test, respectively. The corrosion behavior of the films in a Hank's solution was investigated using potentiodynamic polarization test. The corrosion results revealed that the PtRu-DLC film had the highest corrosion potential among the films used in this study. Highlights: {yields} DLC thin films were deposited on Si substrates via dc magnetron sputtering. {yields} Some DLC films were doped with N and/or Pt/Ru. {yields} The film corrosion behavior was studied in a Hank solution with polarization test. {yields} The PtRu-DLC film showed the highest corrosion potential among the films studied.

Application of high rate magnetron sputtering to the fabrication of A-15 compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kampwirth, R.T.; Hafstrom, J.W.; Wu, C.T.

1976-01-01

High quality Nb 3 Sn films have been fabricated using a recently developed magnetron sputtering process capable of deposition rates approaching 1 μm/min. at sputtering voltages less than 500 V and power levels of about 5 KW. Low sputtering voltages allow more complete thermalization at lower pressures of the material condensing on the substrate which can improve long range order. Transition temperatures of up to 18.3 0 K, J/sub c/(O)'s of 15 x 10 6 A/cm 2 and Hc 2 as high as 240 kOe have been achieved in 1-3 μm films deposited from a Nb 3 Sn reacted powder target with substrate temperatures between 600 and 800 0 C. The films exhibit smooth surfaces and, generally, a [200] preferred orientation. The growth of the film is columnar in nature. The sputtering parameters, substrate material and temperature will be related to film structure T/sub c/ and J/sub c/(H,T) and the Nb/Sn ratio as determined by Rutherford backscattering

Ferromagnetism in Gd doped ZnO nanowires: A first principles study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aravindh, S. Assa; Schwingenschloegl, Udo, E-mail: udo.schwingenschloegl@kaust.edu.sa, E-mail: iman.roqan@kaust.edu.sa; Roqan, Iman S., E-mail: udo.schwingenschloegl@kaust.edu.sa, E-mail: iman.roqan@kaust.edu.sa [Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900 (Saudi Arabia)

2014-12-21

In several experimental studies, room temperature ferromagnetism in Gd-doped ZnO nanostructures has been achieved. However, the mechanism and the origin of the ferromagnetism remain controversial. We investigate the structural, magnetic, and electronic properties of Zn{sub 48}O{sub 48} nanowires doped with Gd, using density functional theory. Our findings indicate that substitutionally incorporated Gd atoms prefer occupying the surface Zn sites. Moreover, the formation energy increases with the distance between Gd atoms, signifying that no Gd-Gd segregation occurs in the nanowires within the concentration limit of ≤2%. Gd induces ferromagnetism in ZnO nanowires with magnetic coupling energy up to 21 meV in the neutral state, which increases with additional electron and O vacancy, revealing the role of carriers in magnetic exchange. The potential for achieving room temperature ferromagnetism and high T{sub C} in ZnO:Gd nanowires is evident from the large ferromagnetic coupling energy (200 meV) obtained with the O vacancy. Density of states shows that Fermi level overlaps with Gd f states with the introduction of O vacancy, indicating the possibility of s-f coupling. These results will assist in understanding experimental findings in Gd-doped ZnO nanowires.

Effect of nitrogen doping on TiO.sub.x./sub.N.sub.y./sub. thin film formation at reactive high-power pulsed magnetron sputtering

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Straňák, Vítězslav; Quaas, M.; Bogdanowicz, R.; Steffen, H.; Wulff, H.; Hubička, Zdeněk; Tichý, M.; Hippler, R.

2010-01-01

Roč. 43, č. 28 (2010), s. 1-7 ISSN 0022-3727 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR KAN301370701; GA MŠk(CZ) 1M06002 Grant - others:AVČR(CZ) M100100915 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100522 Keywords : magnetron sputtering * TiO 2 * pulse discharge * XRD * band gap Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics Impact factor: 2.105, year: 2010 http://iopscience.iop.org/0022-3727/43/28/285203/

Nanostructure transition in Cr–C–N coatings deposited by pulsed closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Z.L.; Lin, J.; Moore, J.J.; Lei, M.K.

2012-01-01

Cr–C–N coatings with different compositions, i.e. (C + N)/Cr atomic ratios (x) of 0.81–2.77, were deposited using pulsed closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering by varying the chromium and graphite target powers, the pulse configuration and the ratio of the nitrogen flow rate to the total gas flow rate. Three kinds of nanostructures were identified in the Cr–C–N coatings dependent on the x values: a nano-columnar structure of hexagonal closed-packed (hcp) Cr 2 (C,N) and face-centered cubic (fcc) Cr(C,N) at x = 0.81 and 1.03 respectively, a nanocomposite structure consisting of nanocrystalline Cr(C,N) embedded in an amorphous C(N) matrix at x = 1.26 and 1.78, and a Cr-containing amorphous C(N) structure at x = 2.77. A maximum hardness of 31.0 GPa and a high H/E ratio of 1.0 have been achieved in the nc-Cr(C,N)/a-C(N) nanocomposite structure at x = 1.26, whereas the coating with a Cr-containing amorphous C(N) structure had a minimum hardness of 10.9 GPa and a low H/E ratio of 0.08 at x = 2.77. The incorporation of carbon into the Cr–N coatings led to a phase transition from hcp-Cr 2 (C,N) to fcc-Cr(C,N) by the dissolution into the nanocrystallites, and promoted the amorphization of Cr–C–N coatings with the precipitation of amorphous C(N). It was found that a high x value over 1.0 in the Cr–C–N coatings is the composition threshold to the nanostructure transition. - Highlights: ► Nanostructure transition of Cr–C–N coatings depended on (C + N)/Cr atomic ratio. ► A nano-columnar structure formed at atomic ratio less than 1.0. ► A nc-Cr(C,N)/a-C(N) nanocomposite structure formed at atomic ratio of 1.0–2.7. ► A Cr-containing amorphous C(N) structure formed at atomic ratio more than 2.7. ► Maximum hardness of 31.0 GPa was for nanocomposite coatings at atomic ratio of 1.26.

Structural, electrical and magnetic characterization of in-situ crystallized ZnO:Co thin films synthesized by reactive magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lardjane, Soumia, E-mail: lardjanesoumia@yahoo.fr [IRTES-LERMPS, UTBM, Site de Montbéliard, 90010 Belfort Cedex (France); Division Etude et Prédiction des Matériaux, Unité de Recherche Matériaux et Energies Renouvelables, Université Abou Bekr Belkaid, Tlemcen (Algeria); Pour Yazdi, Mohammad Arab [IRTES-LERMPS, UTBM, Site de Montbéliard, 90010 Belfort Cedex (France); Martin, Nicolas [FEMTO-ST, Département MN2S, UMR 6174 CNRS, Université de Franche-Comté, ENSMM, UTBM, 32, Avenue de l’Observatoire, 25044 Besancon Cedex (France); Bellouard, Christine [Laboratoire de Physique des Matériaux, Nancy University, CNRS, 54506 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy Cedex (France); Fenineche, Nour-eddine [IRTES-LERMPS, UTBM, Site de Montbéliard, 90010 Belfort Cedex (France); Schuler, Andreas [Solar Energy and Buildings Physics Laboratory, EPFL ENAC IIC LESO-PB, Station 18, Bâtiment LE, 1015 Lausanne (Switzerland); Merad, Ghouti [Division Etude et Prédiction des Matériaux, Unité de Recherche Matériaux et Energies Renouvelables, Université Abou Bekr Belkaid, Tlemcen (Algeria); Billard, Alain [IRTES-LERMPS, UTBM, Site de Montbéliard, 90010 Belfort Cedex (France)

2015-07-01

Zn{sub 1−x}Co{sub x}O (0 < x < 0.146) conductive thin films have been deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering of metallic Zn and Co targets at high pressure and temperature. The structural properties have been investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It has been observed that all as-deposited films are crystallized in pure hcp ZnO structure and neither traces of metallic nor oxide Co-rich clusters were detected. The average grain size estimated from full width at half maximum of XRD results varied between 65 and 83 nm. XPS analyses exhibit that Co ions are successfully entered into ZnO lattice as Co{sup +2}. The electrical properties including conductivity, carrier density and carrier mobility were determined by Hall effect measurements in a temperature range from 300 K to 475 K. The conductivity of the films decreases from σ{sub 300K} = 2.2 × 10{sup 4} to 2.3 × 10{sup −1} Sm{sup −1} as the Co content changes from 0 to 0.146. Magnetic measurements reveal the absence of ferromagnetism even at 3 K and a paramagnetic Curie–Weiss behavior associated to magnetic clusters. - Highlights: • Zn{sub 1−x}Co{sub x}O conductive thin films were synthesized by reactive magnetron sputtering. • Structural characterization exhibited the absence of Co clusters or secondary phases. • The film conductivity decreased with increasing of Co concentration. • No ferromagnetism was observed in all Co doped ZnO samples. • Magnetic properties are described by a Curie–Weiss behavior associated to clusters.

High-throughput identification of higher-κ dielectrics from an amorphous N2-doped HfO2–TiO2 library

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, K.-S.; Lu, W.-C.; Wu, C.-Y.; Feng, H.-C.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Amorphous N 2 -doped HfO 2 –TiO 2 libraries were fabricated using sputtering. • Structure and quality of the dielectric and interfacial layers were investigated. • κ (54), J L < 10 −6 A/cm 2 , and equivalent oxide thickness (1 nm) were identified. - Abstract: High-throughput sputtering was used to fabricate high-quality, amorphous, thin HfO 2 –TiO 2 and N 2 -doped HfO 2 –TiO 2 (HfON–TiON) gate dielectric libraries. Electron probe energy dispersive spectroscopy was used to investigate the structures, compositions, and qualities of the dielectric and interfacial layers of these libraries to determine their electrical properties. A κ value of approximately 54, a leakage current density <10 −6 A/cm 2 , and an equivalent oxide thickness of approximately 1 nm were identified in an HfON–TiON library within a composition range of 68–80 at.% Ti. This library exhibits promise for application in highly advanced metal–oxide–semiconductor (higher-κ) gate stacks

Multiple-target method for sputtering amorphous films for bubble-domain devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burilla, C.T.; Bekebrede, W.R.; Smith, A.B.

1976-01-01

Previously, sputtered amorphous metal alloys for bubble applications have ordinarily been prepared by standard sputtering techniques using a single target electrode. The deposition of these alloys is reported using a multiple target rf technique in which a separate target is used for each element contained in the alloy. One of the main advantages of this multiple-target approach is that the film composition can be easily changed by simply varying the voltages applied to the elemental targets. In the apparatus, the centers of the targets are positioned on a 15 cm-radius circle. The platform holding the film substrate is on a 15 cm-long arm which can rotate about the center, thus bringing the sample successively under each target. The platform rotation rate is adjustable from 0 to 190 rpm. That this latter speed is sufficient to homogenize the alloys produced is demonstrated by measurements made of the uniaxial anisotropy constant in Gd 0 . 12 Co 0 . 59 Cu 0 . 29 films. The anisotropy is 6.0 x 10 5 ergs/cm 3 and independent of rotation rate above approximately 25 rpm, but it drops rapidly for slower rotation rates, reaching 1.8 x 10 5 ergs/cm 3 for 7 rpm. The film quality is equal to that of films made by conventional methods. Coercivities of a few oersteds in samples with stripe widths of 1 to 2 μm and magnetizations of 800 to 2800 G were observed

Deposition of thin titanium-copper films with antimicrobial effect by advanced magnetron sputtering methods

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Straňák, V.; Wulff, H.; Rebl, H.; Zietz, C.; Arndt, K.; Bogdanowicz, R.; Nebe, B.; Bader, R.; Podbielski, A.; Hubička, Zdeněk; Hippler, R.

2011-01-01

Roč. 31, č. 7 (2011), s. 1512-1519 ISSN 0928-4931 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP205/11/0386; GA MŠk(CZ) 1M06002 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100520 Keywords : implant coating * titanium-copper film * pulsed magnetron sputtering Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 2.686, year: 2011

Substrates effect on Zn1-xMnxO thin films grown by RF magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elanchezhiyan, J.; Bhuvana, K.P.; Gopalakrishnan, N.; Balasubramanian, T.

2008-01-01

In this paper, we have presented the surface effect of the substrates on Mn doped ZnO (Zn 1-x Mn x O) thin films grown on Si(1 0 0) and sapphire [i.e. Al 2 O 3 (0 0 0 1)] by RF magnetron sputtering. These grown films have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) to know its structural, optical and magnetic properties. All these properties have been found to be strongly influenced by the substrate surface on which the films have been deposited. The XRD results show that the Mn doped ZnO films deposited on Si(1 0 0) exhibit a polycrystalline nature whereas the films on sapphire substrate have only (0 0 2) preferential orientations indicating that the films are single crystalline. The studies of room temperature PL spectra reveal that the Zn 1-x Mn x O/Si(1 0 0) system is under severe compressive strain while the strain is almost relaxed in Zn 1-x Mn x O/Al 2 O 3 (0 0 0 1) system. It has been observed from VSM studies that Zn 1-x Mn x O/Al 2 O 3 (0 0 0 1) system shows ferromagnetic nature while the paramagnetic behaviour observed in Zn 1-x Mn x O/Si(1 0 0) system

Reactive sputter deposition

CERN Document Server

Mahieu, Stijn

2008-01-01

In this valuable work, all aspects of the reactive magnetron sputtering process, from the discharge up to the resulting thin film growth, are described in detail, allowing the reader to understand the complete process. Hence, this book gives necessary information for those who want to start with reactive magnetron sputtering, understand and investigate the technique, control their sputtering process and tune their existing process, obtaining the desired thin films.

Deposition of thin films by magnetron sputtering molybdenum in samples of pure copper; Deposicao de filmes finos de molibdenio por magnetron sputtering em amostra de cobre puro

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ferreira, N.M.; Almeida, E.O. de; Alves Junior, C. [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Campus Universitario Lagoa Nova, PPGCEM - Natal, RN (Brazil); Lourenco, J.M. [Instituto Federal de Educacao, Ciencias e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Norte (IFRN), Natal, RN (Brazil)

2010-07-01

The deposition surface is a process of thermochemical treatment, which involves the deposition of a thin film usually about one to two microns on a metallic substrate, which constitutes one of the most important surface engineering techniques. The plasma deposition process with the configuration of magnetron sputtering it is removing material from a solid surface (target) through the impact of energetic particles from plasma. The aim of this study is to characterize the microstructure of the material under study using the techniques of optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. (author)

Evolution of film temperature during magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaginyan, L.R.; Han, J.G.; Shaginyan, V.R.; Musil, J.

2006-01-01

We report on the results of measurements of the temperature T F surf which developed on the surface of films deposited by magnetron sputtering of chromium and copper targets on cooling and non-cooling silicon substrates. The T F surf and substrate temperature (T s ) were simultaneously measured using high-resolution IR camera and thermocouple, respectively. We revealed that the T F surf steeply grows, keeps constant when it achieves saturation level, and rapidly drops to the value of the T s after stopping the deposition. At the same time, the T s either does not change for the case of cooling substrate or increases to a certain level for noncooling substrate. However, in both cases the T s remains several times lower than the T F surf . The T F surf is proportional to the flux of energy delivered to the growth surface by sputtered atoms and other fast particles, weakly depends on the depositing metal and can achieve several hundreds of deg. C. This phenomenon is explained by a model assuming formation of a hot thin surface layer (HTSL) on the top of the growing film, which exists only during film deposition and exhibits extremely low thermal conductivity. Due to this unique property the temperature T F surf of HTSL is several times higher than the T s . Variations in the T F surf fairly correlate with structure changes of Cr films along thickness investigated in detail previously

High-induction nanocrystalline soft magnetic Fe{sub X}Ti{sub Y}B{sub Z} films prepared by magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sheftel, Elena N.; Tedzhetov, Valentin A.; Harin, Eugene V.; Usmanova, Galina Sh. [A.A. Baikov Institute of Metallurgy and Material Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation); Kiryukhantsev-Korneev, Filipp V. [National University of Science and Technology ' ' MISIS' ' , Moscow (Russian Federation)

2016-12-15

To design films with the Fe/TiB{sub 2} nanocomposite structure, which are characterized by high saturation induction B{sub s}, the phase and structural states and static magnetic properties of Fe-TiB{sub 2} films prepared by magnetron sputtering and subjected to subsequent annealing have been studied. According to X-ray diffraction data, either amorphous or nanocrystalline single-phase structure (an α-Fe(Ti,B) supersaturated solid solution with a bcc crystal lattice) is formed in the as-sputtered films. Depending on the film composition, the grain size of the α-Fe(Ti,B) phase varies from 45.6 to 6.5 nm; grains are characterized by high microstrain (0.21-4.96%). The annealing at 200-500 C leads to a decrease in the lattice parameter of the α-Fe(Ti,B) phase, i.e. to its depletion of titanium and boron and to the formation of two-phase α-Fe + Fe{sub 3}B structure after annealing at 500 C. The annealing at 200-500 C almost does not affect the grain size and microstrain of the bcc α-Fe-based phase. The amorphous state of the films is stable up to 500 C. All studied films are ferromagnets; the saturation induction B{sub s}(0.95-2.13 T) and coercive field H{sub c} (0.4-5 kA/m) of the films were determined. Correlations between the B{sub s} and H{sub c} magnitudes and the chemical composition of the films, their phase and structural states and magnetic structure are discussed. (copyright 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Algan/Gan Hemt By Magnetron Sputtering System

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia Perez, Roman

In this thesis, the growth of the semiconductor materials AlGaN and GaN is achieved by magnetron sputtering for the fabrication of High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs). The study of the deposited nitrides is conducted by spectroscopy, diffraction, and submicron scale microscope methods. The preparation of the materials is performed using different parameters in terms of power, pressure, temperature, gas, and time. Silicon (Si) and Sapphire (Al2O3) wafers are used as substrates. The chemical composition and surface topography of the samples are analyzed to calculate the materials atomic percentages and to observe the devices surface. The instruments used for the semiconductors characterization are X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). The project focused its attention on the reduction of impurities during the deposition, the controlled thicknesses of the thin-films, the atomic configuration of the alloy AlxGa1-xN, and the uniformity of the surfaces.

Surface functionalization of nanostructured LaB{sub 6}-coated Poly Trilobal fabric by magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Yan, E-mail: wuyanchn@hotmail.com [Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Branch, Jiaxing Nanyang Polytechnic Institute, Jiaxing 314003 (China); Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education), Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China); Zhang, Lin, E-mail: zhanglin2007@sdu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education), Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China); Min, Guanghui, E-mail: ghmin@sdu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education), Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China); Yu, Huashun; Gao, Binghuan; Liu, Huihui; Xing, Shilong; Pang, Tao [Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education), Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China)

2016-10-30

Highlights: • Nanostructured LaB{sub 6} films were deposited on flexible textile substrates by dc magnetron sputtering. • The pronounced influence of the working pressure on the morphologies and optical properties of LaB{sub 6} films has been revealed. • The concept of Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) was employed and LaB{sub 6}-coated PET textiles with ultraviolet protection ability were obtained. - Abstract: Nanostructured LaB{sub 6} films were deposited on flexible Poly Trilobal substrates (PET textiles) through direct current magnetron sputtering in order to broaden its applications and realize surface functionalization of polyester fabrics. Characterizations and performances were investigated by employing a scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) spectrophotometer. Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) conducted by the integral conversion was employed to measure the ultraviolet protection ability. As expected, the growth of LaB{sub 6} film depending on the pressure variation enhanced UV-blocking ability (UPF rating at 30.17) and absorption intensity of the textiles.

Preparation of single-crystal TiC (111) by radio frequency magnetron sputtering at low temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qi, Q.; Zhang, W.Z.; Shi, L.Q.; Zhang, W.Y.; Zhang, W.; Zhang, B.

2012-01-01

Single-crystal films of TiC (111) have been synthesized at room temperature on Al 2 O 3 (0001) substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering using a compound Ti–C target. The substrate temperature and bias were varied to explore the influence of deposition parameters on the crystal structure. Both Al 2 O 3 (0001) and Si (100) substrates were used for epitaxial growth of TiC films. A series of characterizations of TiC films were carried out, including Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Single-crystal films of TiC (111) on the Al 2 O 3 (0001) were demonstrated. - Highlights: ► Single-crystal films of TiC (111) have been synthesized by RF magnetron sputtering. ► Both temperature and bias affect greatly the TiC crystal structure. ► Al 2 O 3 substrate is much better than Si substrate for TiC epitaxial growth. ► TiC (111) epitaxial film can be grown on Al 2 O 3 (0001) at room temperature.

Characteristics of ZnO/diamond thin films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering

CERN Document Server

Park, Y W; Lee, J G; Baik, Y J; Kim, H J; Jung, H J; Choi, W K; Cho, B H; Park, C Y

1999-01-01

Due to its high Young's modulus, diamond has the highest acoustic wave velocity among all materials and is expected to be a candidate substrate for high-frequency surface acoustic wave(SAW) devices. In this study, the deposition of ZnO, as a piezoelectric layer, on a diamond substrate is investigated. ZnO has been fabricated by using RF magnetron sputtering with a ZnO target and various Ar/O sub 2 gas ratios, RF powers, and substrate temperatures at a vacuum of 10 sup - sup 5 Torr. The sputtered ZnO films are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and I-V characteristics. All the films show only a (002) orientation. The atomic concentration of the sputtered ZnO films is changed by the oxygen gas ratio, and the ZnO films are grown with a homogeneous composition over their entire thickness. The electrical resistivity of the films varied from 4x10 sup 3 to 7x10 sup 8 OMEGA cm, depending on the Ar/O sub 2 gas ratio. The phase...

Constitution, microstructure, mechanical properties, and performance of magnetron-sputtered carbon films with additions of silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bauer, C. [Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH, Institut fuer Materialforschung I, Postfach 3640, 76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); Leiste, H.; Stueber, M.; Ulrich, S.; Holleck, H.

2003-11-01

Amorphous carbon films with additions of silicon were deposited by non-reactive magnetron sputtering on WC-Co hard metal and on silicon substrates. The targets were hot-pressed, homogenous mixtures of graphite and silicon carbide powder. Additional argon ion bombardment of the growing film was applied by a substrate bias varied between 0V and -800 V. The deposited amorphous carbon films with two different silicon contents (5 at.% and 23 at.% respectively) were characterised with respect to their microstructure, density, thickness, residual stress, Vickers hardness, Young's modulus, critical load of failure, friction coefficient, and wear behaviour. The residual stress of the carbon films could be remarkably lowered by silicon additions (23 at.%). The hardness reached high values (2200 HV0.05) and the friction coefficient for unlubricated sliding friction against a steel (1.3505) counterpart was as low as 0.06. (Abstract Copyright [2003], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.) [German] Amorphe Kohlenstoffschichten mit Zusaetzen von Silizium wurden nichtreaktiv durch Magnetronzerstaeubung auf Substraten aus WC-Co Hartmetall und Silizium abgeschieden. Die neuartigen Targets wurden durch Heisspressen einer homogenen Mischung aus Graphit- und Siliziumcarbidpulver hergestellt. Durch Anlegen einer elektrischen Substratvorspannung von 0 V bis -800 V wurden die aufwachsenden Schichten zusaetzlich mit Argonionen unterschiedlicher Energie beschossen. Die abgeschiedenen amorphen Kohlenstoffschichten mit Zusaetzen von Silizium (5 at% bzw. 23 at%) wurden hinsichtlich Struktur, Dichte, Dicke, Eigenspannungen, Vickershaerte, reduziertem Elastizitaetsmodul, kritischer Last des Versagens im Ritztest, Reibwert und Verschleissverhalten untersucht. Fuer Schichten mit hohem Siliziumgehalt (23 at%) erfolgte eine erhebliche Reduzierung der Eigenspannung, die Haerte wurde bei sehr hohen Werten stabilisiert (2200 HV0,05) und der Reibungskoeffizient fuer ungeschmierte Gleitreibung gegen Stahl (1

CH₃NH₃PbI₃-based planar solar cells with magnetron-sputtered nickel oxide.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Jin; Meng, Fanping; Zhang, Hua; Cao, Kun; Yuan, Huailiang; Cheng, Yibing; Huang, Feng; Wang, Mingkui

2014-12-24

Herein we report an investigation of a CH3NH3PbI3 planar solar cell, showing significant power conversion efficiency (PCE) improvement from 4.88% to 6.13% by introducing a homogeneous and uniform NiO blocking interlayer fabricated with the reactive magnetron sputtering method. The sputtered NiO layer exhibits enhanced crystallization, high transmittance, and uniform surface morphology as well as a preferred in-plane orientation of the (200) plane. The PCE of the sputtered-NiO-based perovskite p-i-n planar solar cell can be further promoted to 9.83% when a homogeneous and dense perovskite layer is formed with solvent-engineering technology, showing an impressive open circuit voltage of 1.10 V. This is about 33% higher than that of devices using the conventional spray pyrolysis of NiO onto a transparent conducting glass. These results highlight the importance of a morphology- and crystallization-compatible interlayer toward a high-performance inverted perovskite planar solar cell.

Bioactivity response of Ta{sub 1-x}O{sub x} coatings deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Almeida Alves, C.F., E-mail: cristiana.alves@fisica.uminho.pt [GRF-CFUM, Physics Departament, University of Minho, Campus of Azurem, Guimaraes 4800-058 (Portugal); Cavaleiro, A. [SEG-CEMUC, Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Coimbra, Coimbra 3030-788 (Portugal); Carvalho, S. [GRF-CFUM, Physics Departament, University of Minho, Campus of Azurem, Guimaraes 4800-058 (Portugal); SEG-CEMUC, Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Coimbra, Coimbra 3030-788 (Portugal)

2016-01-01

The use of dental implants is sometimes accompanied by failure due to periimplantitis disease and subsequently poor esthetics when soft–hard tissue margin recedes. As a consequence, further research is needed for developing new bioactive surfaces able to enhance the osseous growth. Tantalum (Ta) is a promising material for dental implants since, comparing with titanium (Ti), it is bioactive and has an interesting chemistry which promotes the osseointegration. Another promising approach for implantology is the development of implants with oxidized surfaces since bone progenitor cells interact with the oxide layer forming a diffusion zone due to its ability to bind with calcium which promotes a stronger bond. In the present report Ta-based coatings were deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering onto Ti CP substrates in an Ar + O{sub 2} atmosphere. In order to assess the osteoconductive response of the studied materials, contact angle and in vitro tests of the samples immersed in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) were performed. Structural results showed that oxide phases where achieved with larger amounts of oxygen (70 at.% O). More compact and smooth coatings were deposited by increasing the oxygen content. The as-deposited Ta coating presented the most hydrophobic character (100°); with increasing oxygen amount contact angles progressively diminished, down to the lowest measured value, 63°. The higher wettability is also accompanied by an increase on the surface energy. Bioactivity tests demonstrated that highest O-content coating, in good agreement with wettability and surface energy values, showed an increased affinity for apatite adhesion, with higher Ca/P ratio formation, when compared to the bare Ti substrates. - Highlights: • Ta{sub 1-x}O{sub x} coatings were deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering. • Amorphous oxide phases were achieved with higher oxygen amounts. • Contact angles progressively diminished, with increasing oxygen content. • Ta

Electrical properties of AlN{sub x}O{sub y} thin films prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borges, J., E-mail: joelborges@fisica.uminho.pt [Centro de Fisica, Universidade do Minho, 4710-057 Braga (Portugal); Martin, N. [Institut FEMTO-ST, Departement MN2S, UMR 6174 (CNRS, UFC, ENSMM, UTBM) 32, Avenue de l' Observatoire 25044 BESANCON Cedex (France); Barradas, N.P.; Alves, E. [Instituto Superior Tecnico, Instituto Tecnologico Nuclear, E.N. 10, 2686-953 Sacavem (Portugal); Eyidi, D.; Beaufort, M.F.; Riviere, J.P. [Institut PPRIME, UPR 3346 CNRS-Universite de Poitiers-ENSMA, Departement de Physique et Mecanique des Materiaux, BP 30179 86962 Chasseneuil-Futuroscope Cedex (France); Vaz, F.; Marques, L. [Centro de Fisica, Universidade do Minho, 4710-057 Braga (Portugal)

2012-08-31

Direct current magnetron sputtering was used to produce AlN{sub x}O{sub y} thin films, using an aluminum target, argon and a mixture of N{sub 2} + O{sub 2} (17:3) as reactive gases. The partial pressure of the reactive gas mixture was increased, maintaining the discharge current constant. Within the two identified regimes of the target (metallic and compound), four different tendencies for the deposition rate were found and a morphological evolution from columnar towards cauliflower-type, ending up as dense and featureless-type films. The structure was found to be Al-type (face centered cubic) and the structural characterization carried out by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy suggested the formation of an aluminum-based polycrystalline phase dispersed in an amorphous aluminum oxide/nitride (or oxynitride) matrix. This type of structure, composition, morphology and grain size, were found to be strongly correlated with the electrical response of the films, which showed a gradual transition between metallic-like responses towards semiconducting and even insulating-type behaviors. A group of films with high aluminum content revealed a sharp decrease of the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) as the concentration ratio of non-metallic/aluminum atomic ratio increased. Another group of samples, where the non-metallic content became more important, revealed a smooth transition between positive and negative values of TCR. In order to test whether the oxynitride films have a unique behavior or simply a transition between the typical responses of aluminum and of those of the correspondent nitride and oxide, the electrical properties of the ternary oxynitride system were compared with AlN{sub x} and AlO{sub y} systems, prepared in similar conditions. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer AlN{sub x}O{sub y} thin films were produced using magnetron sputtering. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer AlN{sub x}O{sub y} film morphology, composition and

Small grain size zirconium-based coatings deposited by magnetron sputtering at low temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jimenez, O., E-mail: omar.jimenez.udg@gmail.com [Departamento de Ingeniería de Proyectos, CUCEI, Universidad de Guadalajara, AP 307, CP 45101 Zapopan, Jal (Mexico); Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD (United Kingdom); Audronis, M.; Leyland, A. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD (United Kingdom); Flores, M.; Rodriguez, E. [Departamento de Ingeniería de Proyectos, CUCEI, Universidad de Guadalajara, AP 307, CP 45101 Zapopan, Jal (Mexico); Kanakis, K.; Matthews, A. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD (United Kingdom)

2015-09-30

Hard, partly amorphous, ZrTiB(N) coatings were deposited by Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) onto (111) silicon wafers at low substrate temperatures of 85 and 110 °C using Closed Field Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering. A segmented rectangular sputter target composed of three pieces (Zr/TiB{sub 2}/Zr) was used as the source of evaporation of coating components. Two different substrate biases (i.e. floating potential and − 50 V) and N{sub 2} reactive-gas flow rates of 2, 4 and 6 sccm were employed as the main deposition parameter variables. The chemical composition, structure, morphology and mechanical properties were investigated using a variety of analytical techniques such as Glow-Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy, cross-sectional Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Glancing Angle X-ray Diffraction (GAXRD) and nanoindentation. With other parameters fixed, coating properties were found to be dependent on the substrate negative bias and nitrogen flow rate. Linear scan profiles and SEM imaging revealed that all coatings were smooth, dense and featureless (in fracture cross section) with no apparent columnar morphology or macro-defects. GAXRD structural analysis revealed that mostly metallic phases were formed for coatings containing no nitrogen, whereas a solid solution (Zr,Ti)N single phase nitride was found in most of the reactively deposited coatings — exhibiting a very small grain size due to nitrogen and boron grain refinement effects. Hardness values from as low as 8.6 GPa up to a maximum of 25.9 GPa are related mainly to solid solution strengthening effects. The measured elastic moduli correlated with the trends in hardness behaviour; values in the range of 120–200 GPa were observed depending on the selected deposition parameters. Also, high H/E values (> 0.1) were achieved with several of the coatings.

Effect of negative bias on the composition and structure of the tungsten oxide thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Meihan; Lei, Hao; Wen, Jiaxing; Long, Haibo; Sawada, Yutaka; Hoshi, Yoichi; Uchida, Takayuki; Hou, Zhaoxia

2015-12-01

Tungsten oxide thin films were deposited at room temperature under different negative bias voltages (Vb, 0 to -500 V) by DC reactive magnetron sputtering, and then the as-deposited films were annealed at 500 °C in air atmosphere. The crystal structure, surface morphology, chemical composition and transmittance of the tungsten oxide thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-vis spectrophotometer. The XRD analysis reveals that the tungsten oxide films deposited at different negative bias voltages present a partly crystallized amorphous structure. All the films transfer from amorphous to crystalline (monoclinic + hexagonal) after annealing 3 h at 500 °C. Furthermore, the crystallized tungsten oxide films show different preferred orientation. The morphology of the tungsten oxide films deposited at different negative bias voltages is consisted of fine nanoscale grains. The grains grow up and conjunct with each other after annealing. The tungsten oxide films deposited at higher negative bias voltages after annealing show non-uniform special morphology. Substoichiometric tungsten oxide films were formed as evidenced by XPS spectra of W4f and O1s. As a result, semi-transparent films were obtained in the visible range for all films deposited at different negative bias voltages.

Grain size stabilization of tetragonal phase of zirconia in sputtered Zr-O cermet films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hadavi, M. S.; Keshmiri, H.; Kompany, A.; Zhang, Q. C.

2005-01-01

In this research, thin films of Zr/ZrO 2 composites were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering technique on Si and fused Silica substrates, and their structures were investigated by x-ray diffraction method. During the deposition of the cermet layers, a Zr metallic target was sputtered in a gas mixture of Ar and O 2 . By controlling of O 2 flow rate, the different metal volume fractions in the cermet layers were achieved. The optical response of the samples was studied using spectroscopy methods. Also the effect of vacuum annealing on the structures and the optical properties were studies. x-ray diffraction results indicated that the prepared samples were amorphous and vacuum annealing induced crystallization in the cermet films. This research also show that without doping, the tetragonal phase of Zirconia can be stabilized at a temperature lower than the normal transition temperature. This is g rain size stabilization a nd relates to the small size of the crystallizes. In order to study the electron diffraction in the selected area patterns, the samples were analysed by a high-resolution transmission microscope. The selected area patterns results showed that all of the as prepared samples were amorphous showing evidence of very small Zr crystallites immersed in a dielectric medium. The Sad results are in close agreement with those obtained by x-ray diffraction analysis

Grain size stabilization of tetragonal phase of zirconia in sputtered Zr- O cermet films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. S. Hadavi

2005-06-01

Full Text Available  In this research, thin films of Zr/ZrO2 composites were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering technique on Si and fused Silica substrates, and their structures were investigated by XRD method. During the deposition of the cermet layers, a Zr metallic target was sputtered in a gas mixture of Ar and O2. By controlling of O2 flow rate, the different metal volume fractions in the cermet layers were achieved. The optical response of the samples was studied using spectroscopy methods. Also the effect of vacuum annealing on the structures and the optical properties were studied. XRD results indicated that the prepared samples were amorphous and vacuum annealing induced crystallization in the cermet films. This research also showed that without doping, the tetragonal phase of zirconia can be stabilized at a temperature lower than the normal transition temperature. This is “grain size stabilization” and relates to the small size of the crystallites. In order to study the electron diffraction in the selected area patterns (SAD, the samples were analyzed by a high-resolution transmission microscope. The SAD results showed that all of the as prepared samples were amorphous showing evidence of very small Zr crystallites immersed in a dielectric medium.The SAD results are in close agreement with those obtained by XRD analysis.

Effect of deposition temperature on the properties of Al-doped ZnO films prepared by pulsed DC magnetron sputtering for transparent electrodes in thin-film solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Doo-Soo; Park, Ji-Hyeon; Shin, Beom-Ki; Moon, Kyeong-Ju; Son, Myoungwoo; Ham, Moon-Ho; Lee, Woong; Myoung, Jae-Min

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Surface-textured AZO films were achieved by combining PDMS method with wet etching. ► The AZO film deposited at 230 °C by PDMS exhibited the best performance. ► It is due to the higher plasma density supplied from PDMS system. ► Wet etching of the films produces a crater-like rough surface morphology. - Abstract: A simple but scalable approach to the production of surface-textured Al-doped ZnO(AZO) films for low-cost transparent electrode applications in thin-film solar cells is introduced in this study by combining pulsed dc magnetron sputtering (PDMS) with wet etching in sequence. First, structural, electrical, and optical properties of the AZO films prepared by a PDMS were investigated as functions of deposition temperature to obtain transparent electrode films that can be used as indium-free alternative to ITO electrodes. Increase in the deposition temperature to 230 °C accompanied the improvement in crystalline quality and doping efficiency, which enabled the lowest electrical resistivity of 4.16 × 10 −4 Ω cm with the carrier concentration of 1.65 × 10 21 cm −3 and Hall mobility of 11.3 cm 2 /V s. The wet etching of the films in a diluted HCl solution resulted in surface roughening via the formation of crater-like structures without significant degradation in the electrical properties, which is responsible for the enhanced light scattering capability required for anti-reflective electrodes in thin film solar cells.

Contribution to mechanical and crystallographic analysis of molyledenum layers prepared by magnetron cathode sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bosland, P.

1988-01-01

Molybdenum coatings presenting different compression stresses are elaborated by magnetron cathode sputtering by varying the negative voltage of the substrate during deposition. Stress evolution is accompanied by crystal texture evolution and argon content incorporated in the layers. Crystallite orientation is explained by a phenomenon similar to canalisation observed in ion implantation. In a same deposit each component presents its own deformations different from neighbouring components [fr

The influence of target erosion grade in the optoelectronic properties of AZO coatings growth by magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Zubizarreta, C.; G-Berasategui, E.; Ciarsolo, I.; Barriga, J.; Gaspar, D.; Martins, R.; Fortunato, E.

2016-09-01

Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) transparent conductor coating has emerged as promising substitute to tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) as electrode in optoelectronic applications such as photovoltaics or light emitting diodes (LEDs). Besides its high transmission in the visible spectral region and low resistivity, AZO presents a main advantage over other candidates such as graphene, carbon nanotubes or silver nanowires; it can be deposited using the technology industrially implemented to manufacture ITO layers, the magnetron sputtering (MS). This is a productive, reliable and green manufacturing technique. But to guarantee the robustness, reproducibility and reliability of the process there are still some issues to be addressed, such as the effect and control of the target state. In this paper a thorough study of the influence of the target erosion grade in developed coatings has been performed. AZO films have been deposited from a ceramic target by RF MS. Structure, optical transmittance and electrical properties of the produced coatings have been analyzed as function of the target erosion grade. No noticeable differences have been found neither in optoelectronic properties nor in the structure of the coatings, indicating that the RF MS is a stable and consistent process through the whole life of the target.

Quantitative characterization of silicon- and aluminium oxynitride films produced by reactive dc-magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dreer, S.

2000-05-01

The deposition of aluminum and silicon oxynitride films by reactive dc-magnetron sputtering was systematically planned by design of experiments, carried out and evaluated with the application of specialized statistics software. The influence of the deposition parameters on the resulting films was evaluated by multiple regression analysis. With the obtained data a model of the deposition process for the quantitative prediction of the deposition parameters necessary to obtain films with desired composition was built. This is also of technological importance, since the physical properties of the films strongly depend on their composition. Furthermore, the long term repeatability of the deposition process was implemented into the model. A precise and economic way for quantitative bulk analysis of silicon/aluminum, oxygen and nitrogen based on EPMA was presented and the use of data gained by the latter method is discussed for the calculation of relative sensitivity factors for SIMS and hf-SNMS. Advantages and disadvantages of SIMS, hf-SNMS, hf-GD-OES, and sputter AES were compared. The combination FT-IR/EPMA/SIMS at present offers the best possibility for a quantitative bulk and in depth distribution analysis of such films in the range of 20 to 1000 nm thickness. The films were also characterized by XRD and PAA. The refractive index and the growth rate of the films were determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. With indentation by a nano hardness tester the hardness and the Young's modulus of the films were obtained. The results of these measurements were evaluated by statistical software. The dependencies of the physical properties on the deposition parameters and on the film thickness were evaluated and quantified. Furthermore, the dependencies of the physical properties on the film composition represented by the oxygen content were evaluated. (author)

DC sputter deposition of amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (a-IGZO) films with H2O introduction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aoi, Takafumi; Oka, Nobuto; Sato, Yasushi; Hayashi, Ryo; Kumomi, Hideya; Shigesato, Yuzo

2010-01-01

Amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (a-IGZO) films were deposited by dc magnetron sputtering with H 2 O introduction and how the H 2 O partial pressure (P H 2 O ) during the deposition affects the electrical properties of the films was investigated in detail. Resistivity of the a-IGZO films increased dramatically to over 2 x 10 5 Ωcm with increasing P H 2 O to 2.7 x 10 -2 Pa while the hydrogen concentration in the films increased to 2.0 x 10 21 cm -3 . TFTs using a-IGZO channels deposited under P H 2 O at 1.6-8.6 x 10 -2 Pa exhibited a field-effect mobility of 1.4-3.0 cm 2 /Vs, subthreshold swing of 1.0-1.6 V/decade and on-off current ratio of 3.9 x 10 7 -1.0 x 10 8 .

Magnetron sputtered zinc oxide nanorods as thickness-insensitive cathode interlayer for perovskite planar-heterojunction solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Lusheng; Huang, Zhifeng; Cai, Longhua; Chen, Weizhong; Wang, Baozeng; Chen, Kaiwu; Bai, Hua; Tian, Qingyong; Fan, Bin

2014-12-10

Suitable electrode interfacial layers are essential to the high performance of perovskite planar heterojunction solar cells. In this letter, we report magnetron sputtered zinc oxide (ZnO) film as the cathode interlayer for methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3) perovskite solar cell. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis demonstrate that the sputtered ZnO films consist of c-axis aligned nanorods. The solar cells based on this ZnO cathode interlayer showed high short circuit current and power conversion efficiency. Besides, the performance of the device is insensitive to the thickness of ZnO cathode interlayer. Considering the high reliability and maturity of sputtering technique both in lab and industry, we believe that the sputtered ZnO films are promising cathode interlayers for perovskite solar cells, especially in large-scale production.

Development of low temperature RF magnetron sputtered ITO films on flexible substrate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muneshwar, T.P.; Varma, V.; Meshram, N; Soni, S.; Dusane, R.O. [Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076 (India)

2010-09-15

Indium tin oxide (ITO) is one of the important materials used as transparent conducting oxide (TCO) layer in thin film solar cells, digital displays and other similar applications. For applications involving flexible polymeric substrates, it is important that deposition of ITO is carried out at near room temperature. This requirement puts constraint on stoichiometry leading to undesired electrical and optical properties. Effect of oxygen partial pressure on ITO films deposited on flexible Kapton {sup registered} by the RF magnetron sputtering is reported in this paper. (author)

Mechanical properties and biocompatibility of the sputtered Ti doped hydroxyapatite.

Science.gov (United States)

Vladescu, A; Padmanabhan, S C; Ak Azem, F; Braic, M; Titorencu, I; Birlik, I; Morris, M A; Braic, V

2016-10-01

The hydroxyapatite enriched with Ti were prepared as possible candidates for biomedical applications especially for implantable devices that are in direct contact to the bone. The hydroxyapatites with different Ti content were prepared by RF magnetron sputtering on Ti-6Al-4V alloy using pure hydroxyapatite and TiO2 targets. The content of Ti was modified by changing the RF power fed on TiO2 target. The XPS and FTIR analyses revealed the presence of hydroxyapatite structure. The hardness and elastic modulus of the hydroxyapatite were increased by Ti addition. After 5 days of culture, the cell viability of the Ti-6Al-4V was enhanced by depositing with undoped or doped hydroxyapatite. The Ti additions led to an increase in cell viability of hydroxyapatite, after 5 days of culture. The electron microscopy showed the presence of more cells on the surface of Ti-enriched hydroxyapatite than those observed on the surface of the uncoated alloys or undoped hydroxyapatite. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thickness characteristics of YBaCuO system thin films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furuhashi, Hideo; Jinno, Makoto; Takashima, Osamu; Uchida, Yoshiyuki; Maeda, Akinori; Kojima, Kenzo; Ochiai, Shizuyasu; Ohashi, Asao

1994-01-01

The practical use of oxide high temperature superconductors for electronics field has been advanced. The oxide high temperature superconductor thin films is very sensitive to the production conditions, and their making with good reproducibility is difficult. In this study, the method of producing the thin films having good quality with good reproducibility by RF magnetron sputtering, and the relation of the film thickness with the superconductivity characteristics of YBaCuO system thin films in the different methods of substrate washing were examined. The sputtering conditions are shown. For the purpose of preventing the worsening of the film quality due to the reverse sputtering of oxygen negative ions to the thin film surface, sputtering gas pressure was set up high at 30 Pa. The film thickness and the temperature-resistance characteristics were measured. The experimental method and the experimental results are reported. By keeping the temperature on substrate surfaces constant, the reproducibility in the production of the thin films was improved remarkably. The effect of substrate washing was large. (K.I.)

Textured surface structures formed using new techniques on transparent conducting Al-doped zinc oxide films prepared by magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minami, Tadatsugu; Miyata, Toshihiro; Uozaki, Ryousuke; Sai, Hitoshi; Koida, Takashi

2016-01-01

Surface-textured Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films formed using two new techniques based on magnetron sputtering deposition were developed by optimizing the light scattering properties to be suitable for transparent electrode applications in thin-film silicon solar cells. Scrambled egg-like surface-textured AZO films were prepared using a new texture formation technique that post-etched pyramidal surface-textured AZO films prepared under deposition conditions suppressing c-axis orientation. In addition, double surface-textured AZO films were prepared using another new texture formation technique that completely removed, by post-etching, the pyramidal surface-textured AZO films previously prepared onto the initially deposited low resistivity AZO films; simultaneously, the surface of the low resistivity films was slightly etched. However, the obtained very high haze value in the range from the near ultraviolet to visible light in the scrambled egg-like surface-textured AZO films did not contribute significantly to the obtainable photovoltaic properties in the solar cells fabricated using the films. Significant light scattering properties as well as a low sheet resistance could be achieved in the double surface-textured AZO films. In addition, a significant improvement of external quantum efficiency in the range from the near ultraviolet to visible light was achieved in superstrate-type n-i-p μc-Si:H solar cells fabricated using a double surface-textured AZO film prepared under optimized conditions as the transparent electrode. - Highlights: • Double surface-textured AZO films prepared using a new texture formation technique • Extensive light scattering properties with low sheet resistance achieved in the double surface-textured AZO films • Improved external quantum efficiency of μc-Si:H solar cells using a double surface-textured AZO film

Textured surface structures formed using new techniques on transparent conducting Al-doped zinc oxide films prepared by magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Minami, Tadatsugu [Optoelectronic Device System R& D Center, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Nonoichi, Ishikawa 921-8501 (Japan); Miyata, Toshihiro, E-mail: tmiyata@neptune.kanazawa-it.ac.jp [Optoelectronic Device System R& D Center, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Nonoichi, Ishikawa 921-8501 (Japan); Uozaki, Ryousuke [Optoelectronic Device System R& D Center, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Nonoichi, Ishikawa 921-8501 (Japan); Sai, Hitoshi; Koida, Takashi [Research Center for Photovoltaics, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568 (Japan)

2016-09-01

Surface-textured Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films formed using two new techniques based on magnetron sputtering deposition were developed by optimizing the light scattering properties to be suitable for transparent electrode applications in thin-film silicon solar cells. Scrambled egg-like surface-textured AZO films were prepared using a new texture formation technique that post-etched pyramidal surface-textured AZO films prepared under deposition conditions suppressing c-axis orientation. In addition, double surface-textured AZO films were prepared using another new texture formation technique that completely removed, by post-etching, the pyramidal surface-textured AZO films previously prepared onto the initially deposited low resistivity AZO films; simultaneously, the surface of the low resistivity films was slightly etched. However, the obtained very high haze value in the range from the near ultraviolet to visible light in the scrambled egg-like surface-textured AZO films did not contribute significantly to the obtainable photovoltaic properties in the solar cells fabricated using the films. Significant light scattering properties as well as a low sheet resistance could be achieved in the double surface-textured AZO films. In addition, a significant improvement of external quantum efficiency in the range from the near ultraviolet to visible light was achieved in superstrate-type n-i-p μc-Si:H solar cells fabricated using a double surface-textured AZO film prepared under optimized conditions as the transparent electrode. - Highlights: • Double surface-textured AZO films prepared using a new texture formation technique • Extensive light scattering properties with low sheet resistance achieved in the double surface-textured AZO films • Improved external quantum efficiency of μc-Si:H solar cells using a double surface-textured AZO film.

Highly stable hydrogenated gallium-doped zinc oxide thin films grown by DC magnetron sputtering using H2/Ar gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeda, Satoshi; Fukawa, Makoto

2004-01-01

The effects of water partial pressure (P H 2 O ) on electrical and optical properties of Ga-doped ZnO films grown by DC magnetron sputtering were investigated. With increasing P H 2 O , the resistivity (ρ) of the films grown in pure Ar gas (Ar-films) significantly increased due to the decrease in both free carrier density and Hall mobility. The transmittance in the wavelength region of 300-400 nm for the films also increased with increasing P H 2 O . However, no significant P H 2 O dependence of the electrical and optical properties was observed for the films grown in H 2 /Ar gas mixture (H 2 /Ar-films). Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that hydrogen concentration in the Ar-films increased with increasing P H 2 O and grain size of the films decreases with increasing the hydrogen concentration. These results indicate that the origin of the incorporated hydrogen is attributed to the residual water vapor in the coating chamber, and that the variation of ρ and transmittance along with P H 2 O of the films resulted from the change in the grain size. On the contrary, the hydrogen concentration in H 2 /Ar-films was almost constant irrespective of P H 2 O and the degree of change in the grain size of the films versus P H 2 O was much smaller than that of Ar-films. These facts indicate that the hydrogen primarily comes from H 2 gas and the adsorption species due to H 2 gas preferentially adsorb to the growing film surface over residual water vapor. Consequently, the effects of P H 2 O on the crystal growth are reduced

Epitaxial growth of "infinite layer” thin films and multilayers by rf magnetron sputtering

OpenAIRE

Fàbrega, L.; Koller, E.; Triscone, J. M.; Fischer, Ø.

2017-01-01

We report on the preparation and characterization of epitaxial ACuO2 (A = Sr, Ca, Ba) thin films and multilayers with the so- called infinite layer (IL) structure, by rf magnetron sputtering. Films and multilayers without Ba have a remarkable crystal quality, whereas those containing this large ion are often multiphased and unstable. In spite of the excellent crystalline quality of these samples, obtaining thin films having both IL structure and displaying superconducting properties has not s...

Experimental investigation on photoelectric properties of ZAO thin film deposited on flexible substrate by magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Ming; Liu, Kun; Liu, Xinghua; Wang, Dongyang; Ba, Dechun; Xie, Yuanhua; Du, Guangyu; Ba, Yaoshuai

2016-12-01

Transparent conductive ZAO (Zinc Aluminum Oxide) films on flexible substrates have a great potential for low-cost mass-production solar cells. ZAO thin films were achieved on flexible PET (polyethylene terephthalate) substrates by RF magnetron sputtering technology. The surface morphology and element content, the transmittance and the sheet resistance of the films were measured to determine the optical process parameters. The results show that the ZAO thin film shows the best parameters in terms of photoelectric performance including sputtering power, working pressure, sputtering time, substrate temperature (100 W, 1.5 Pa, 60 min, 125 °C). The sheet resistance of 510 Ω and transmittance in visible region of 92% were obtained after characterization. Surface morphology was uniform and compact with a good crystal grain.

Influences of the RF power ratio on the optical and electrical properties of GZO thin films by DC coupled RF magnetron sputtering at room temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peng, Shou [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Float Glass, Bengbu 233018 (China); Bengbu Design & Research Institute for Glass Industry, Bengbu 233018 (China); Yao, Tingting, E-mail: yaott0815@163.com [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Float Glass, Bengbu 233018 (China); Bengbu Design & Research Institute for Glass Industry, Bengbu 233018 (China); Yang, Yong; Zhang, Kuanxiang; Jiang, Jiwen; Jin, Kewu; Li, Gang; Cao, Xin; Xu, Genbao; Wang, Yun [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Float Glass, Bengbu 233018 (China); Bengbu Design & Research Institute for Glass Industry, Bengbu 233018 (China)

2016-12-15

Ga-doped zinc oxide (GZO) thin films were deposited by closed field unbalanced DC coupled RF magnetron sputtering system at room temperature. The RF sputtering power ratio was adjusted from 0% to 100%. The crystal structure, surface morphology, transmittance and electrical resistivity of GZO films mainly influenced by RF sputtering power ratio were investigated by X-ray diffractometer, scanning electronic microscope, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer and Hall effect measurement. The research results indicate that the increasing RF power ratio can effectively reduce the discharge voltage of system and increase the ionizing rate of particles. Meanwhile, the higher RF power ratio can increase the carrier mobility in GZO thin film and improve the optical and electrical properties of GZO thin film significantly. Within the optimal discharge voltage window, the film deposits at 80% RF power ratio exhibits the lowest resistivity of 2.6×10{sup −4} Ω cm. We obtain the GZO film with the best average optical transmittance is approximately 84% in the visible wavelength. With the increasing RF power ratio, the densification of GZO film is enhanced. The densification of GZO film is decrease when the RF power ratio is 100%.

Gd doping induced weak ferromagnetic ordering in ZnS nanoparticles synthesized by low temperature co-precipitation technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaur, Palvinder [Department of Physics, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab, 147002 (India); Kumar, Sanjeev, E-mail: sanjeev04101977@gmail.com [Applied Science Department, PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh, 160012 (India); Chen, Chi-Liang, E-mail: chen.cl@nsrrc.org.tw [National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC), Hsinchu, 30076, Taiwan (China); Yang, Kai-Siang [National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC), Hsinchu, 30076, Taiwan (China); Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Wei, Da-Hua [Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Dong, Chung-Li [Department of Physics, Tamkang University, Tamsui, Taiwan (China); Srivastava, C. [Materials Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012 (India); Rao, S.M. [Department of Physics, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab, 147002 (India); Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan (China)

2017-01-15

Zn{sub 1−x}Gd{sub x}S nanoparticles with Gd concentration x = 0.00, 0.02 and 0.04 were synthesized by the chemical co-precipitation technique using thioglycerol as capping agent. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) were employed to characterize the as synthesized Gd doped ZnS nanoparticles. XRD and TEM studies show the formation of cubic ZnS nanoparticles with an average size in the range 5–10 nm. The doping did not alter the phase of the ZnS. The PL spectra of doped ZnS nanoparticles showed the presence of sulphur vacancies in the lattice. XANES of Gd doped ZnS nanoparticles depicts spectral changes may arise from charge transfer between host Zn and dopant Gd ions. A VSM study shows that the weak ferromagnetic behaviour increases with increase in Gd doping ZnS nanoparticles. - Highlights: • Gd doped ZnS nanoparticles synthesized using co-precipitation technique. • PL studies depict sulphur and zinc vacancies in Gd doped ZnS nanoparticles. • XANES studies depict the charge transfer between host Zn and dopant Gd ions. • Room temperature weak ferromagnetism is observed in Gd doped ZnS nanoparticles.

Gd doping induced weak ferromagnetic ordering in ZnS nanoparticles synthesized by low temperature co-precipitation technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaur, Palvinder; Kumar, Sanjeev; Chen, Chi-Liang; Yang, Kai-Siang; Wei, Da-Hua; Dong, Chung-Li; Srivastava, C.; Rao, S.M.

2017-01-01

Zn_1_−_xGd_xS nanoparticles with Gd concentration x = 0.00, 0.02 and 0.04 were synthesized by the chemical co-precipitation technique using thioglycerol as capping agent. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) were employed to characterize the as synthesized Gd doped ZnS nanoparticles. XRD and TEM studies show the formation of cubic ZnS nanoparticles with an average size in the range 5–10 nm. The doping did not alter the phase of the ZnS. The PL spectra of doped ZnS nanoparticles showed the presence of sulphur vacancies in the lattice. XANES of Gd doped ZnS nanoparticles depicts spectral changes may arise from charge transfer between host Zn and dopant Gd ions. A VSM study shows that the weak ferromagnetic behaviour increases with increase in Gd doping ZnS nanoparticles. - Highlights: • Gd doped ZnS nanoparticles synthesized using co-precipitation technique. • PL studies depict sulphur and zinc vacancies in Gd doped ZnS nanoparticles. • XANES studies depict the charge transfer between host Zn and dopant Gd ions. • Room temperature weak ferromagnetism is observed in Gd doped ZnS nanoparticles.

Study of structural relaxation in amorphous alloys prepared by sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Habibi, S.; Banaee, N.; Majidy, S.

2004-01-01

Full text: We have prepared amorphous alloy of Al x Cu 1-x (with X= 93, 90, 80, 70, 30) using sputtering system. The rate of growth was 0.7 nm/sec. X-ray diffractometer was used to conform the amorphous nature of the prepared specimens. High temperature annealing can change amorphous to crystalline structure, while low temperature annealing may transform amorphous state to a more stable amorphous state via structural relaxation of the specimen and enhancing the properties of the alloys, such as mechanical ductility etc. Here we have annealed the alloys at temperatures 100, 150, 200, 250, 300 and 350 C for 1 hour. We observed that microhardness of the specimen increases with annealing and gets maximum value at 300 C. Our XRD experiments and also earlier Moessbauer studies show that while the average interatomic distances reduces due to annealing, structure remains amorphous

Surface composition of magnetron sputtered Pt-Co thin film catalyst for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vorokhta, Mykhailo, E-mail: vorohtam@gmail.com [Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Department of Surface and Plasma Science, V Holešovičkách 2, 18000 Prague (Czech Republic); Khalakhan, Ivan; Václavů, Michal [Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Department of Surface and Plasma Science, V Holešovičkách 2, 18000 Prague (Czech Republic); Kovács, Gábor; Kozlov, Sergey M. [Departament de Química Física and Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, c/ Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Kúš, Peter; Skála, Tomáš; Tsud, Natalia; Lavková, Jaroslava [Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Department of Surface and Plasma Science, V Holešovičkách 2, 18000 Prague (Czech Republic); Potin, Valerie [Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne, UMR 6303 CNRS-Université Bourgogne, 9 Av. A. Savary, BP 47870, F-21078 Dijon Cedex (France); and others

2016-03-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Nanostructured Pt-Co thin catalyst films were grown on carbon by magnetron sputtering. • The surface composition of the nanostructured Pt-Co films was investigated by surface analysis techniques. • We carried out modeling of Pt-Co nanoalloys by computational methods. • Both experiment and modeling based on density functional theory showed that the surface of Pt-Co nanoparticles is almost exclusively composed of Pt atoms. - Abstract: Recently we have tested a magnetron sputtered Pt-Co catalyst in a hydrogen-fed proton exchange membrane fuel cell and showed its high catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction. Here we present further investigation of the magnetron sputtered Pt-Co thin film catalyst by both experimental and theoretical methods. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy experiments confirmed the nanostructured character of the catalyst. The surface composition of as-deposited and annealed at 773 K Pt-Co films was investigated by surface analysis techniques, such as synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Modeling based on density functional theory showed that the surface of 6 nm large 1:1 Pt-Co nanoparticles is almost exclusively composed of Pt atoms (>90%) at typical operation conditions and the Co content does not exceed 20% at 773 K, in agreement with the experimental characterization of such films annealed in vacuum. According to experiment, the density of valence states of surface atoms in Pt-Co nanostructures is shifted by 0.3 eV to higher energies, which can be associated with their higher activity in the oxygen reduction reaction. The changes in electronic structure caused by alloying are also reflected in the measured Pt 4f, Co 3p and Co 2p photoelectron peak binding energies.

Structure and morphology of magnetron sputter deposited ultrathin ZnO films on confined polymeric template

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Ajaib; Schipmann, Susanne; Mathur, Aakash; Pal, Dipayan; Sengupta, Amartya; Klemradt, Uwe; Chattopadhyay, Sudeshna

2017-08-01

The structure and morphology of ultra-thin zinc oxide (ZnO) films with different film thicknesses on confined polymer template were studied through X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS). Using magnetron sputter deposition technique ZnO thin films with different film thicknesses (weight of polystyrene). The detailed internal structure, along the surface/interfaces and the growth direction of the system were explored in this study, which provides insight into the growth procedure of ZnO on confined polymer and reveals that a thin layer of ZnO, with very low surface and interface roughness, can be grown by DC magnetron sputtering technique, with approximately full coverage (with bulk like electron density) even in nm order of thickness, in 2-7 nm range on confined polymer template, without disturbing the structure of the underneath template. The resulting ZnO-polystyrene hybrid systems show strong ZnO near band edge (NBE) and deep-level (DLE) emissions in their room temperature photoluminescence spectra, where the contribution of DLE gets relatively stronger with decreasing ZnO film thickness, indicating a significant enhancement of surface defects because of the greater surface to volume ratio in thinner films.

Fabrication and electrochemistry characteristics of nickel-doped diamond-like carbon film toward applications in non-enzymatic glucose detection

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chi-Wen; Chen, Wei-En; Sun, Yin Tung Albert; Lin, Chii-Ruey

2018-04-01

This research work focused on the fabrication of nickel-doped diamond-like carbon (DLC) films and their characteristics including of surface morphology, microstructure, and electrochemical aiming at applications in non-enzymatic glucose detection. Novel nanodiamond target was employed in unbalanced magnetron radio-frequency co-sputtering process to prepared high quality Ni-doped DLC thin film at room temperature. TEM analysis reveals a highly uniform distribution of Ni crystallites in amorphous carbon matrix with fraction ranged from 3 to 11.5 at.% which is considered as active sites for the glucose detection. Our cyclic voltammetry measurements using 0.1 M H2SO4 solution demonstrated that the as-prepared Ni-doped DLC films possess large electrochemical potential window of 2.12 V, and this was also observed to be significantly reduced at high Ni doping level owing to lower sp3 fraction. The non-enzymatic glucose detection investigation indicates that the Ni-doped DLC thin film electrode prepared under 7 W of DC sputtering power on Ni target possesses good detecting performance, high stability, and high sensitivity to glucose concentration up to 10 mM, even with the existence of uric acid and ascorbic acid. The peak current was observed to be proportional to glucose concentration and scanning rate, demonstrating highly reversibility redox process of the film electrode and glucose.

Multilayer DLC coatings via alternating bias during magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li Fengji [School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore); Zhang, Sam, E-mail: msyzhang@ntu.edu.sg [School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore); Kong Junhua [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore); Zhang Yujuan [Key Laboratory of Special Functional Material, Henan University (China); Zhang Wali [School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)

2011-05-31

To combat the high residual stress problem in monolayer diamond-like carbon coatings, this paper fabricated multilayer diamond-like carbon coatings with alternate soft and hard layers via alternating bias during magnetron sputtering. The surface, cross sectional morphology, bonding structures and mechanical properties are investigated. The atomic force microscopy images indicate low bias results in rougher surface with large graphite clusters and voids suggesting low coating density. The multilayered coatings demonstrate relatively smooth surface stemming from higher bias. The cross sectional images from field emission scanning electron microscopy indicate coating thickness decreases as substrate bias increases and confirm that higher bias results in denser coating. Delamination is observed in monolayer coatings due to high residual stress. The trend of sp{sup 3}/sp{sup 2} fraction estimated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is consistent with that of I{sub D}/I{sub G} ratios from Raman spectra, indicating the change of bonding structure with change of substrate bias. Hardness of multilayer diamond-like carbon coating is comparable to the coatings deposited at low constant bias but the adhesion strength and toughness are significantly improved. Alternately biased sputtering deposition provides an alternative when combination of hardness, toughness and adhesion strength is needed in an all diamond-like carbon coating.

Oxidation and Tribological Behavior of Ti-B-C-N-Si Nanocomposite Films Deposited by Pulsed Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering.

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Jaeho; Heo, Sungbo; Kim, Wang Ryeol; Kim, Jun-Ho; Nam, Dae-Geun; Kim, Kwang Ho; Park, Ikmin; Park, In-Wook

2018-03-01

Quinary Ti-B-C-N-Si nanocomposite films were deposited onto AISI 304 substrates using a pulsed d.c. magnetron sputtering system. The quinary Ti-B-C-N-Si (5 at.%) film showed excellent tribological and wear properties compared with those of the Ti-B-C-N films. The steady friction coefficient of 0.151 and a wear rate of 2 × 10-6 mm3N-1m-1 were measured for the Ti-B-C-N-Si films. The oxidation behavior of Ti-B-C-N-Si nanocomposite films was systematically investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermal analyzer with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It is concluded that the addition of Si into the Ti-B-C-N film improved the tribological properties and oxidation resistance of the Ti-B-C-N-Si films. The improvements are due to the formation of an amorphous SiOx phase, which plays a major role in the self-lubricant tribo-layers and oxidation barrier on the film surface or in the grain boundaries, respectively.

Krypton-85 storage in sputter-deposited amorphous metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tingey, G.L.; McClanahan, E.D.; Lytle, J.M.; Gordon, N.R.; Knoll, R.W.

1982-06-01

After comparing options for storing radioactive krypton gas, the United States Department of Energy selected ion implantation of the gas into a sputter-deposited metal matrix as the reference process. This technique is being developed with pilot-scale testing and further characterization of the deposited product. The process involves implanting krypton atoms into a growing deposit during the sputtering process. An amorphous metal deposit of nominal composition Ni 0 81 La 0 09 Kr 0 10 has been selected for further studies because of the high krypton loading, high sputtering yield, relatively low cost of the metallic components, resistance to corrosion, and stability of the product. The krypton release from this amorphous metal is described as an activated diffusion process which increases linearly with the square root of time. Studies of krypton release rate as a function of temperature were completed and an activation energy for the diffusion of 70 kcal/mole obtained. From these data, we estimated that the krypton release during the first ten years would be 0.5% for a maximum temperature of 350 0 C. The actual release of the krypton during storage was projected to be lower by a factor of 10 7 with the maximum temperature only 220 0 C. Thermal analysis studies show two energy releases occurring with krypton-containing alloys: one associated with recrystallization of the amorphous alloy and a second associated with krypton release. The total energy release between 100 and 800 0 C was less than 50 cal/g. Estimates are given for the cost of operation of the ion implantation process for solidification of the krypton-85 from a 2000-tonne heavy metal/year reprocessing plant. The present value costs, in 1981 dollars including capital and operating costs and assuming a 30-year life, are about $26M for the lifetime of the plant. Annual energy consumption of the process was estimated to be 3.9 M kWh/year

Domino Platform: PVD Coaters for Arc Evaporation and High Current Pulsed Magnetron Sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vetter, J; Müller, J; Erkens, G

2012-01-01

AlTiN and CrN coatings were deposited in hybrid DOMINO platforms by magnetron sputtering (DC-MS, DC-MS+HCP-MS, HCP-MS) and vacuum arc evaporation. The ion cleaning was done by the AEGD process. The coating rates and the energy efficiency of both deposition processes were compared. The roughness effects of the different coating types were discussed. Preliminary results of the change of pulse characteristics during simultaneously running of HCP-MS plus vacuum arc evaporation are shown.

β-FeSi2 films prepared on 6H-SiC substrates by magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Li; Hongbin, Pu; Chunlei, Zheng; Zhiming, Chen

2015-06-01

β-FeSi2 thin films have been successfully prepared by magnetron sputtering and post rapid thermal annealing method on 6H-SiC (0001) substrates using a FeSi2 target and a Si target. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy are applied to analyze the formation of β-FeSi2 films. XRD spectra reveal that the amorphous FeSi2 films are transformed to β-FeSi2 phase as the annealing temperature is increased from 500 to 900 °C for 5 min and the optimal annealing temperature is 900 °C. The formation of β-FeSi2 is also confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations indicate that the film is flat, relatively compact and the interface between β-FeSi2 and 6H-SiC is clear. Atomic force microscope (AFM) measurements demonstrate that the surface roughness confirmed by the root mean square (RMS) of the β-FeSi2 film is 0.87 nm. Near-infrared spectrophotometer observation shows that the absorption coefficient is of the order of 105 cm-1 and the optical band-gap of the β-FeSi2 film is 0.88 eV. The β-FeSi2 film with high crystal quality is fabricated by co-sputtering a FeSi2 target and a Si target for 60 min and annealing at 900 °C for 5 min. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51177134) and the Natural Science Basic Research Plan in Shaanxi Province of China (No. 2015JM6286).

Investigation of DC magnetron-sputtered TiO2 coatings: Effect of coating thickness, structure, and morphology on photocatalytic activity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Daviðsdóttir, Svava; Shabadi, Rajashekhara; Galca, Aurelian Catalin

2014-01-01

The photocatalytic performance of magnetron-sputtered titanium dioxide (TiO2) coatings of different thickness in anatase crystalline structure deposited on aluminium 1050 alloy substrates was investigated using a combination of photo-electrochemistry, methylene blue decomposition, and microscopic...

Characterization of sp3 bond content of carbon films deposited by high power gas injection magnetron sputtering method by UV and VIS Raman spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Zdunek, Krzysztof; Chodun, Rafał; Wicher, Bartosz; Nowakowska-Langier, Katarzyna; Okrasa, Sebastian

2018-04-01

This paper presents the results of investigations of carbon films deposited by a modified version of the magnetron sputtering method - HiPGIMS (High Power Gas Injection Magnetron Sputtering). In this experiment, the magnetron system with inversely polarized electrodes (sputtered cathode at ground potential and positively biased, spatially separated anode) was used. This arrangement allowed us to conduct the experiment using voltages ranging from 1 to 2 kV and a power supply system equipped with 25/50 μF capacitor battery. Carbon films were investigated by VIS/UV Raman spectroscopy. Sp3/sp2 bonding ratio was evaluated basing the elementary components of registered spectra. Our investigation showed that sp3 bond content increases with discharge power but up to specific value only. In extreme conditions of generating plasma impulses, we detected a reversed relation of the sp3/sp2 ratio. In our opinion, a energy of plasma pulse favors nucleation of a sp3 phase because of a relatively higher ionization state but in extreme cases the influence of energy is reversed.

Characterization of sp3 bond content of carbon films deposited by high power gas injection magnetron sputtering method by UV and VIS Raman spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Zdunek, Krzysztof; Chodun, Rafał; Wicher, Bartosz; Nowakowska-Langier, Katarzyna; Okrasa, Sebastian

2018-04-05

This paper presents the results of investigations of carbon films deposited by a modified version of the magnetron sputtering method - HiPGIMS (High Power Gas Injection Magnetron Sputtering). In this experiment, the magnetron system with inversely polarized electrodes (sputtered cathode at ground potential and positively biased, spatially separated anode) was used. This arrangement allowed us to conduct the experiment using voltages ranging from 1 to 2kV and a power supply system equipped with 25/50μF capacitor battery. Carbon films were investigated by VIS/UV Raman spectroscopy. Sp 3 /sp 2 bonding ratio was evaluated basing the elementary components of registered spectra. Our investigation showed that sp 3 bond content increases with discharge power but up to specific value only. In extreme conditions of generating plasma impulses, we detected a reversed relation of the sp 3 /sp 2 ratio. In our opinion, a energy of plasma pulse favors nucleation of a sp 3 phase because of a relatively higher ionization state but in extreme cases the influence of energy is reversed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of sputtering deposition parameters on electrical and optical properties of aluminium-doped zinc oxide thin films for photovoltaic applications

Science.gov (United States)

Krawczak, Ewelina; Agata, Zdyb; Gulkowski, Slawomir; Fave, Alain; Fourmond, Erwann

2017-11-01

Transparent Conductive Oxides (TCOs) characterized by high visible transmittance and low electrical resistivity play an important role in photovoltaic technology. Aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) is one of the TCOs that can find its application in thin film solar cells (CIGS or CdTe PV technology) as well as in other microelectronic applications. In this paper some optical and electrical properties of ZnO:Al thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering method have been investigated. AZO layers have been deposited on the soda lime glass substrates with use of variable technological parameters such as pressure in the deposition chamber, power applied and temperature during the process. The composition of AZO films has been investigated by EDS method. Thickness and refraction index of the deposited layers in dependence on certain technological parameters of sputtering process have been determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. The measurements of transmittance and sheet resistance were also performed.

Aluminum oxide films deposited in low pressure conditions by reactive pulsed dc magnetron sputtering

CERN Document Server

Seino, T

2002-01-01

The reactive pulsed dc sputtering technique is widely used for the deposition of oxide films. The operating pressure for sputtering is commonly above 0.13 Pa. In this study, however, aluminum oxide (alumina) films were deposited at operating pressures from 0.06 to 0.4 Pa using a sputtering system equipped with a scanning magnetron cathode and a pulsed dc power supply. The pulsed dc power was found to be useful not only to reduce arcing, but also to sustain the discharge at low pressure. The electrical breakdown field, intrinsic stress, O/Al ratio, refractive index, and surface roughness were investigated. Both a low intrinsic stress and an O/Al ratio around the stoichiometry were required to get the film having a high breakdown field. A low operating pressure of 0.1 Pa was found to provide the necessary stress and O/Al ratio targets. A 50-nm-thick alumina film having a maximum breakdown field of 7.4 MV/cm was obtained.

Deposition of nanostructured fluorocarbon plasma polymer films by RF magnetron sputtering of polytetrafluoroethylene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kylian, Ondrej, E-mail: ondrej.kylian@gmail.com; Drabik, Martin; Polonskyi, Oleksandr; Cechvala, Juraj; Artemenko, Anna; Gordeev, Ivan; Choukourov, Andrei; Matolinova, Iva; Slavinska, Danka; Biederman, Hynek, E-mail: bieder@kmf.troja.mff.cuni.cz

2011-07-29

The RF magnetron sputtering of polytetrafluoroethylene target is studied with the aim to find out conditions leading to the deposition of super-hydrophobic thin films. It is shown that such coatings can be prepared at elevated pressures and a longer distance between the sputtered target and the substrate. This is explained by an increase in the density of longer C{sub x}F{sub y} molecules that reach the substrate and a lower flux of ions and CF{sub 2} radicals on the surface of growing film under such deposition conditions, as observed by optical emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Such changes in plasma composition result in a deposition of rough films having F/C ratio close to 2 as observed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. These findings clearly distinguish our results from the previous investigations of polytetrafluoroethylene sputtering performed at shorter distances from the target, where either low F/C ratio or low roughness of the deposited films did not allow reaching super-hydrophobic character of the coatings.

Synthesis and characterization of CdTe nanostructures grown by RF magnetron sputtering method

Science.gov (United States)

Akbarnejad, Elaheh; Ghoranneviss, Mahmood; Hantehzadeh, Mohammad Reza

2017-08-01

In this paper, we synthesize Cadmium Telluride nanostructures by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering system on soda lime glass at various thicknesses. The effect of CdTe nanostructures thickness on crystalline, optical and morphological properties has been studied by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometry, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. The XRD parameters of CdTe nanostructures such as microstrain, dislocation density, and crystal size have been examined. From XRD analysis, it could be assumed that increasing deposition time caused the formation of the wurtzite hexagonal structure of the sputtered films. Optical properties of the grown nanostructures as a function of film thickness have been observed. All the films indicate more than 60% transmission over a wide range of wavelengths. The optical band gap values of the films have obtained in the range of 1.62-1.45 eV. The results indicate that an RF sputtering method succeeded in depositing of CdTe nanostructures with high purity and controllable physical properties, which is appropriate for photovoltaic and nuclear detector applications.

RHEED oscillations in spinel ferrite epitaxial films grown by conventional planar magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Ojima, T.; Tainosho, T.; Sharmin, S.; Yanagihara, H.

2018-04-01

Real-time in situ reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) observations of Fe3O4, γ-Fe2O3, and (Co,Fe)3O4 films on MgO(001) substrates grown by a conventional planar magnetron sputtering was studied. The change in periodical intensity of the specular reflection spot in the RHEED images of three different spinel ferrite compounds grown by two different sputtering systems was examined. The oscillation period was found to correspond to the 1/4 unit cell of each spinel ferrite, similar to that observed in molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and pulsed laser deposition (PLD) experiments. This suggests that the layer-by-layer growth of spinel ferrite (001) films is general in most physical vapor deposition (PVD) processes. The surfaces of the films were as flat as the surface of the substrate, consistent with the observed layer-by-layer growth process. The observed RHEED oscillation indicates that even a conventional sputtering method can be used to control film thickness during atomic layer depositions.

RHEED oscillations in spinel ferrite epitaxial films grown by conventional planar magnetron sputtering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Ojima

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Real-time in situ reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED observations of Fe3O4, γ-Fe2O3, and (Co,Fe3O4 films on MgO(001 substrates grown by a conventional planar magnetron sputtering was studied. The change in periodical intensity of the specular reflection spot in the RHEED images of three different spinel ferrite compounds grown by two different sputtering systems was examined. The oscillation period was found to correspond to the 1/4 unit cell of each spinel ferrite, similar to that observed in molecular beam epitaxy (MBE and pulsed laser deposition (PLD experiments. This suggests that the layer-by-layer growth of spinel ferrite (001 films is general in most physical vapor deposition (PVD processes. The surfaces of the films were as flat as the surface of the substrate, consistent with the observed layer-by-layer growth process. The observed RHEED oscillation indicates that even a conventional sputtering method can be used to control film thickness during atomic layer depositions.

Room temperature growth of nanocrystalline anatase TiO2 thin films by dc magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Preetam; Kaur, Davinder

2010-01-01

We report, the structural and optical properties of nanocrystalline anatase TiO 2 thin films grown on glass substrate by dc magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The influence of sputtering power and pressure over crystallinity and surface morphology of the films were investigated. It was observed that increase in sputtering power activates the TiO 2 film growth from relative lower surface free energy to higher surface free energy. XRD pattern revealed the change in preferred orientation from (1 0 1) to (0 0 4) with increase in sputtering power, which is accounted for different surface energy associated with different planes. Microstructure of the films also changes from cauliflower type to columnar type structures with increase in sputtering power. FESEM images of films grown at low pressure and low sputtering power showed typical cauliflower like structure. The optical measurement revealed the systematic variation of the optical constants with deposition parameters. The films are highly transparent with transmission higher than 90% with sharp ultraviolet cut off. The transmittance of these films was found to be influenced by the surface roughness and film thickness. The optical band gap was found to decrease with increase in the sputtering power and pressure. The refractive index of the films was found to vary in the range of 2.50-2.24 with increase in sputtering pressure or sputtering power, resulting in the possibility of producing TiO 2 films for device applications with different refractive index, by changing the deposition parameters.

Composite SiOx/hydrocarbon plasma polymer films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering of SiO2 and polyimide

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Drabik, M.; Kousal, J.; Pinosh, Y.; Choukourov, A.; Biederman, H.; Slavínská, D.; Macková, Anna; Boldyryeva, Hanna; Pešička, J.

2007-01-01

Roč. 81, č. 7 (2007), s. 920-927 ISSN 0042-207X Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10480505 Keywords : composite films * magnetron * sputtering * polyimide * SiO2 Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics Impact factor: 0.881, year: 2007

Contamination of magnetron sputtered metallic films by oxygen from residual atmosphere in deposition chamber

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Pokorný, Petr; Musil, Jindřich; Fitl, Přemysl; Novotný, Michal; Lančok, Ján; Bulíř, Jiří

2015-01-01

Roč. 12, č. 5 (2015), s. 416-421 ISSN 1612-8850 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP108/11/1298; GA ČR(CZ) GAP108/11/1312; GA ČR(CZ) GAP108/11/0958; GA ČR(CZ) GA14-10279S Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : contamination * low-pressure discharges * magnetron * metallic films * sputtering Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 2.713, year: 2015

Synergistic effect of indium and gallium co-doping on the properties of RF sputtered ZnO thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Shaheera, M.; Girija, K. G.; Kaur, Manmeet; Geetha, V.; Debnath, A. K.; Karri, Malvika; Thota, Manoj Kumar; Vatsa, R. K.; Muthe, K. P.; Gadkari, S. C.

2018-04-01

ZnO thin films were synthesized using RF magnetron sputtering, with simultaneous incorporation of Indium (In) and Gallium (Ga). The structural, optical, chemical composition and surface morphology of the pure and co-doped (IGZO) thin films were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), UV-visible spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and Raman spectroscopy. XRD revealed that these films were oriented along c-axis with hexagonal wurtzite structure. The (002) diffraction peak in the co-doped sample was observed at 33.76° with a slight shift towards lower 2θ values as compared to pure ZnO. The surface morphology of the two thin films was observed to differ. For pure ZnO films, round grains were observed and for IGZO thin films round as well as rod type grains were observed. All thin films synthesized show excellent optical properties with more than 90% transmission in the visible region and band gap of the films is observed to decrease with co-doping. The co doping of In and Ga is therefore expected to provide a broad range optical and physical properties of ZnO thin films for a variety of optoelectronic applications.

Photoelectron-spectroscopic and reactivity investigation of thin Pd-Sn films prepared by magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skala, T.; Veltruska, K.; Sedlacek, L.; Masek, K.; Matolinova, I.; Matolin, V.

2007-01-01

We have studied Pd-Sn layers with different composition prepared by magnetron sputtering. Layers were sputtered onto Al 2 O 3 and SiO 2 substrates and studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Spectra confirmed that after vacuum annealing residual oxygen and carbon have been removed and bimetallic bonds have been created. The shift of Pd 3d 5/2 core level to higher binding energy followed by the peak narrowing in dependence on the composition was observed, accompanied by the shift of the Pd 4d in the valence band region, induced by hybridization of Pd-d and Sn-s,p states. Experiments carried out on a gas-flow reactor indicate increasing temperature of the CO oxidation with tin ratio in the alloy

Gd(iii)-doped carbon dots as a dual fluorescent-MRI probe

KAUST Repository

Bourlinos, Athanasios B.; Bakandritsos, Aristides; Kouloumpis, Antonios; Gournis, Dimitrios; Krysmann, Marta; Giannelis, Emmanuel P.; Polakova, Katerina; Safarova, Klara; Hola, Katerina; Zboril, Radek

2012-01-01

We describe the synthesis of Gd(iii)-doped carbon dots as dual fluorescence-MRI probes for biomedical applications. The derived Gd(iii)-doped carbon dots show uniform particle size (3-4 nm) and gadolinium distribution and form stable dispersions in water. More importantly, they exhibit bright fluorescence, strong T1-weighted MRI contrast and low cytotoxicity. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012.

Magnetron Sputtering as a Fabrication Method for a Biodegradable Fe32Mn Alloy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Till Jurgeleit

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Biodegradable metals are a topic of great interest and Fe-based materials are prominent examples. The research task is to find a suitable compromise between mechanical, corrosion, and magnetic properties. For this purpose, investigations regarding alternative fabrication processes are important. In the present study, magnetron sputtering technology in combination with UV-lithography was used in order to fabricate freestanding, microstructured Fe32Mn films. To adjust the microstructure and crystalline phase composition with respect to the requirements, the foils were post-deposition annealed under a reducing atmosphere. The microstructure and crystalline phase composition were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, for mechanical characterization, uniaxial tensile tests were performed. The in vitro corrosion rates were determined by electrochemical polarization measurements in pseudo-physiological solution. Additionally, the magnetic properties were measured via vibrating sample magnetometry. The foils showed a fine-grained structure and a tensile strength of 712 MPa, which is approximately a factor of two higher compared to the sputtered pure Fe reference material. The yield strength was observed to be even higher than values reported in literature for alloys with similar composition. Against expectations, the corrosion rates were found to be lower in comparison to pure Fe. Since the annealed foils exist in the austenitic, and antiferromagnetic γ-phase, an additional advantage of the FeMn foils is the low magnetic saturation polarization of 0.003 T, compared to Fe with 1.978 T. This value is even lower compared to the SS 316L steel acting as a gold standard for implants, and thus enhances the MRI compatibility of the material. The study demonstrates that magnetron sputtering in combination with UV-lithography is a new concept for the fabrication of already in situ

Structure and morphology of magnetron sputter deposited ultrathin ZnO films on confined polymeric template

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, Ajaib [Discipline of Metallurgy Engineering and Materials Science, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore 453552 (India); Schipmann, Susanne [II. Insatitute of Physics and JARA-FIT, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen (Germany); Mathur, Aakash; Pal, Dipayan [Discipline of Metallurgy Engineering and Materials Science, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore 453552 (India); Sengupta, Amartya [Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Delhi 110016 (India); Klemradt, Uwe [II. Insatitute of Physics and JARA-FIT, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen (Germany); Chattopadhyay, Sudeshna, E-mail: sudeshna@iiti.ac.in [Discipline of Metallurgy Engineering and Materials Science, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore 453552 (India); Discipline of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore 453552 (India); Centre for Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore 453552 (India)

2017-08-31

Highlights: • Ultra-thin ZnO films grown on confined polymeric (polystyrene, PS) template. • XRR and GISAXS explore the surface/interfaces structure and morphology of ZnO/PS. • Insights into the growth mechanism of magnetron sputtered ZnO thin film on PS template. • Nucleated disk-like cylindrical particles are the basis of the formation of ZnO layers. • Effect of ZnO film thickness on room temperature PL spectra in ZnO/PS systems. - Abstract: The structure and morphology of ultra-thin zinc oxide (ZnO) films with different film thicknesses on confined polymer template were studied through X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS). Using magnetron sputter deposition technique ZnO thin films with different film thicknesses (<10 nm) were grown on confined polystyrene with ∼2R{sub g} film thickness, where R{sub g} ∼ 20 nm (R{sub g} is the unperturbed radius of gyration of polystyrene, defined by R{sub g} = 0.272 √M{sub 0}, and M{sub 0} is the molecular weight of polystyrene). The detailed internal structure, along the surface/interfaces and the growth direction of the system were explored in this study, which provides insight into the growth procedure of ZnO on confined polymer and reveals that a thin layer of ZnO, with very low surface and interface roughness, can be grown by DC magnetron sputtering technique, with approximately full coverage (with bulk like electron density) even in nm order of thickness, in 2–7 nm range on confined polymer template, without disturbing the structure of the underneath template. The resulting ZnO-polystyrene hybrid systems show strong ZnO near band edge (NBE) and deep-level (DLE) emissions in their room temperature photoluminescence spectra, where the contribution of DLE gets relatively stronger with decreasing ZnO film thickness, indicating a significant enhancement of surface defects because of the greater surface to volume ratio in thinner films.

Superlattice doped layers for amorphous silicon photovoltaic cells

Science.gov (United States)

Arya, Rajeewa R.

1988-01-12

Superlattice doped layers for amorphous silicon photovoltaic cells comprise a plurality of first and second lattices of amorphous silicon alternatingly formed on one another. Each of the first lattices has a first optical bandgap and each of the second lattices has a second optical bandgap different from the first optical bandgap. A method of fabricating the superlattice doped layers also is disclosed.

Corrosion-resistant amorphous metallic films of Mo49Cr33B18 alloy

Science.gov (United States)

Ramesham, R.; Distefano, S.; Fitzgerald, D.; Thakoor, A. P.; Khanna, S. K.

1987-01-01

Corrosion-resistant amorphous metallic alloy films of Mo49Cr33B18 with a crystallization temperature of 590 C were deposited onto glass and quartz substrates by magnetron sputter-quench technique. The amorphous nature of the films was confirmed by their diffuse X-ray diffraction patterns. The deposited films are densely packed (zone T) and exhibit low stress and good adhesion to the substrate. Corrosion current of as-deposited coating of MoCrB amorphous metallic alloy is approximately three orders of magnitude less than the corrosion current of 304 stainless steel in 1N H2SO4 solution.

Understanding deposition rate loss in high power impulse magnetron sputtering: I. Ionization-driven electric fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brenning, N; Huo, C; Raadu, M A; Lundin, D; Helmersson, U; Vitelaru, C; Stancu, G D; Minea, T

2012-01-01

The lower deposition rate for high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) compared with direct current magnetron sputtering for the same average power is often reported as a drawback. The often invoked reason is back-attraction of ionized sputtered material to the target due to a substantial negative potential profile, sometimes called an extended presheath, from the location of ionization toward the cathode. Recent studies in HiPIMS devices, using floating-emitting and swept-Langmuir probes, show that such extended potential profiles do exist, and that the electric fields E z directed toward the target can be strong enough to seriously reduce ion transport to the substrate. However, they also show that the potential drops involved can vary by up to an order of magnitude from case to case. There is a clear need to understand the underlying mechanisms and identify the key discharge variables that can be used for minimizing the back-attraction. We here present a combined theoretical and experimental analysis of the problem of electric fields E z in the ionization region part of HiPIMS discharges, and their effect on the transport of ionized sputtered material. In particular, we have investigated the possibility of a ‘sweet spot’ in parameter space in which the back-attraction of ionized sputtered material is low. It is concluded that a sweet spot might possibly exist for some carefully optimized discharges, but probably in a rather narrow window of parameters. As a measure of how far a discharge is from such a window, a Townsend product Π Townsend is proposed. A parametric analysis of Π Townsend shows that the search for a sweet spot is complicated by the fact that contradictory demands appear for several of the externally controllable parameters such as high/low working gas pressure, short/long pulse length, high/low pulse power and high/low magnetic field strength. (paper)

Nitrogen Atom Energy Distributions in a Hollow-cathode Planar Sputtering Magnetron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruzic, D.N.; Goeckner, M.J.; Cohen, S.A.; Wang, Zhehui

1999-01-01

Energy distributions of N atoms in a hollow-cathode planar sputtering magnetron were obtained by use of optical emission spectroscopy. A characteristic line, N I 8216.3 , well-separated from molecular nitrogen emission bands, was identified. Jansson's nonlinear spectral deconvolution method, refined by minimization of χ w ampersand sup2; , was used to obtain the optimal deconvolved spectra. These showed nitrogen atom energies from 1 eV to beyond 500 eV. Based on comparisons with VFTRIM results, we propose that the energetic N atoms are generated from N 2 + ions after these ions are accelerated through the sheath and dissociatively reflect from the cathode

Venting temperature determines surface chemistry of magnetron sputtered TiN films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greczynski, G. [Thin Film Physics Division, Department of Physics (IFM), Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping (Sweden); Materials Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Kopernikusstr. 10, D-52074 Aachen (Germany); Mráz, S.; Schneider, J. M. [Materials Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Kopernikusstr. 10, D-52074 Aachen (Germany); Hultman, L. [Thin Film Physics Division, Department of Physics (IFM), Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping (Sweden)

2016-01-25

Surface properties of refractory ceramic transition metal nitride thin films grown by magnetron sputtering are essential for resistance towards oxidation necessary in all modern applications. Here, typically neglected factors, including exposure to residual process gases following the growth and the venting temperature T{sub v}, each affecting the surface chemistry, are addressed. It is demonstrated for the TiN model materials system that T{sub v} has a substantial effect on the composition and thickness-evolution of the reacted surface layer and should therefore be reported. The phenomena are also shown to have impact on the reliable surface characterization by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Effect of deposition parameters on properties of ITO films prepared by reactive middle frequency pulsed dual magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogozin, A.I.; Vinnichenko, M.V.; Kolitsch, A.; Moeller, W.

2004-01-01

ITO layers with low resistivity and high visible transmittance were produced by means of middle frequency reactive dual magnetron sputtering. The influence of base pressure, Ar/O 2 ratio and magnetron pulse duration on the film composition, structure, electrical, and optical properties has been investigated. The deposition rate is proportional to the magnetron operation power at changing pulse duration and constant Ar and O 2 flows. At enhanced O 2 flows an onset of the magnetron target oxidation is discussed as a reason for the decrease of the deposition rate. The presence of water vapor in the residual gas is determined to be a reason for deterioration of resistivity and optical transmittance observed for ITO films produced at a base pressures higher than 5·10 -4 Pa. It is demonstrated that spectroscopic ellipsometry can be used as a noncontact tool to monitor the resistivity of ITO films

Effect of deposition temperature on the properties of Al-doped ZnO films prepared by pulsed DC magnetron sputtering for transparent electrodes in thin-film solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Doo-Soo; Park, Ji-Hyeon; Shin, Beom-Ki; Moon, Kyeong-Ju [Information and Electronic Materials Research Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, 134 Shinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Son, Myoungwoo [Department of Nanobio Materials and Electronics, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 500-712 (Korea, Republic of); Ham, Moon-Ho [Department of Nanobio Materials and Electronics, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 500-712 (Korea, Republic of); School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 500-712 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Woong [School of Nano and Advanced Materials Engineering, Changwon National University, 9 Sarim-Dong, Changwon, Gyeongnam 641-773 (Korea, Republic of); Myoung, Jae-Min, E-mail: jmmyoung@yonsei.ac.kr [Information and Electronic Materials Research Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, 134 Shinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of)

2012-10-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Surface-textured AZO films were achieved by combining PDMS method with wet etching. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The AZO film deposited at 230 Degree-Sign C by PDMS exhibited the best performance. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer It is due to the higher plasma density supplied from PDMS system. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Wet etching of the films produces a crater-like rough surface morphology. - Abstract: A simple but scalable approach to the production of surface-textured Al-doped ZnO(AZO) films for low-cost transparent electrode applications in thin-film solar cells is introduced in this study by combining pulsed dc magnetron sputtering (PDMS) with wet etching in sequence. First, structural, electrical, and optical properties of the AZO films prepared by a PDMS were investigated as functions of deposition temperature to obtain transparent electrode films that can be used as indium-free alternative to ITO electrodes. Increase in the deposition temperature to 230 Degree-Sign C accompanied the improvement in crystalline quality and doping efficiency, which enabled the lowest electrical resistivity of 4.16 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} {Omega} cm with the carrier concentration of 1.65 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 21} cm{sup -3} and Hall mobility of 11.3 cm{sup 2}/V s. The wet etching of the films in a diluted HCl solution resulted in surface roughening via the formation of crater-like structures without significant degradation in the electrical properties, which is responsible for the enhanced light scattering capability required for anti-reflective electrodes in thin film solar cells.

Structural, magnetic, and electrical properties of Gd-doped BiFeO3 nanoparticles with reduced particle size

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lotey, Gurmeet Singh; Verma, N. K.

2012-01-01

Pure and Gd-doped BiFeO 3 nanoparticles have been synthesized by sol–gel method. The significant effects of size and Gd-doping on structural, electrical, and magnetic properties have been investigated. X-ray diffraction study reveals that the pure BiFeO 3 nanoparticles possess rhombohedral structure, but with 10% Gd-doping complete structural transformation from rhombohedral to orthorhombic has been observed. The particle size of pure and Gd-doped BiFeO 3 nanoparticles, calculated using Transmission electron microscopy, has been found to be in the range 25–15 nm. Pure and Gd-doped BiFeO 3 nanoparticles show ferromagnetic character, and the magnetization increases with decrease in particle size and increase in doping concentration. Scanning electron microscopy study reveals that grain size decreases with increase in Gd concentration. Well-saturated polarization versus electric field loop is observed for the doped samples. Leakage current density decreases by four orders by doping Gd in BiFeO 3 . The incorporation of Gd in BiFeO 3 enhances spin as well as electric polarization at room temperature. The possible origin of enhancement in these properties has been explained on the basis of dopant and its concentration, phase purity, small particle, and grain size.

The Optimum Fabrication Condition of p-Type Antimony Tin Oxide Thin Films Prepared by DC Magnetron Sputtering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huu Phuc Dang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Transparent Sb-doped tin oxide (ATO thin films were fabricated on quartz glass substrates via a mixed (SnO2 + Sb2O3 ceramic target using direct current (DC magnetron sputtering in ambient Ar gas at a working pressure of 2 × 10−3 torr. X-ray diffraction (XRD, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, Hall-effect, and UV-vis spectra measurements were performed to characterize the deposited films. The substrate temperature of the films was investigated in two ways: (1 films were annealed in Ar ambient gas after being deposited at room temperature or (2 they were deposited directly at different temperatures. The first process for fabricating the ATO films was found to be easier than the second process. The deposited films showed p-type electrical properties, a polycrystalline tetragonal rutile structure, and their average transmittance was greater than 80% in the visible light range at the optimum annealing temperature of 500°C. The best electrical properties of the film were obtained on a 10 wt% Sb2O3-doped SnO2 target with a resistivity, hole concentration, and Hall mobility of 0.55 Ω·cm, 1.2 × 1019 cm−3, and 0.54 cm2V−1s−1, respectively.

Improvement of dielectric properties of BLT thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Besland, M P; Barroy, P R J; Richard-Plouet, M; Tessier, P Y; Brohan, L; Djouadi, M A; Borderon, C; Tacon, S Le; Averty, D; Gundel, H W

2008-01-01

Well crystallized BLT thin films were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering using a target of Aurivillius phase Bi 3.25 La 0.75 Ti 3 O 12 (BLT 0,75 ), elaborated in our institute. RF sputtering experiments were performed at room temperature with an argon/oxygen mixture, in a pressure range of 20-50 mTorr. Optimisation of the plasma parameters, namely deposition pressure, RF power and oxygen content in the gas phase, allows obtaining BLT films with a chemical composition close to Bi 3.25 La 0.75 Ti 3 O 12 . After ex-situ annealing under oxygen atmosphere at 650 deg. C, BLT films deposited on Pt/TiO 2 /SiO 2 /Si (multilayer) substrates exhibit well defined rod-like grains morphology. A two step deposition process appeared to be necessary in order to reach satisfying dielectric properties. The effect of the plasma parameters on the chemical composition and electrical properties are presented and discussed

Electrical and optical study of transparent V-based oxide semiconductors prepared by magnetron sputtering under different conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Prociow

2011-04-01

Full Text Available This work is focused on structural, optical and electrical behaviors of vanadium-based oxide thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering under different conditions. Thin films have been deposited on glass substrates from metallic vanadium target at low sputtering pressure. Different working gases: argon/oxygen mixture, and especially pure oxygen gas, have been applied. Results of X-ray diffraction together with optical transmission and temperature- dependent electrical resistivity measurements have been presented. Transmission coefficient, cut-off wavelength and the width of the optical band gap have been calculated from optical measurements. The d.c. resistivity values at room temperature and thermal activation energy have been obtained from electrical investigations. The influence of sputtering process conditions on optical and electrical properties has been discussed.

Influence of sputtering power on the optical properties of ITO thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

K, Aijo John; M, Deepak, E-mail: manju.thankamoni@gmail.com; T, Manju, E-mail: manju.thankamoni@gmail.com [Department of Physics, Sree Sankara College, Kalady P. O., Ernakulam Dist., Kerala (India); Kumar, Vineetha V. [Dept. of Physics, K. E. College, Mannanam, Kottayam Dist., Kerala (India)

2014-10-15

Tin doped indium oxide films are widely used in transparent conducting coatings such as flat panel displays, crystal displays and in optical devices such as solar cells and organic light emitting diodes due to the high electrical resistivity and optical transparency in the visible region of solar spectrum. The deposition parameters have a commendable influence on the optical and electrical properties of the thin films. In this study, ITO thin films were prepared by RF magnetron sputtering. The properties of the films prepared under varying sputtering power were compared using UV- visible spectrophotometry. Effect of sputtering power on the energy band gap, absorption coefficient and refractive index are investigated.

Electrical properties of vacuum-annealed titanium-doped indium oxide films

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yan, L.T.; Rath, J.K.; Schropp, R.E.I.

2011-01-01

Titanium-doped indium oxide (ITiO) films were deposited on Corning glass 2000 substrates at room temperature by radio frequency magnetron sputtering followed by vacuum post-annealing. With increasing deposition power, the as-deposited films showed an increasingly crystalline nature. As-deposited

Study of deposition rae coating of Ag thin films by magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghanati, M.; Zendehnam, A.

2003-01-01

Exact knowledge about deposition rate and its distribution and variation of them with respect to coating parameters (Gas pressure, Distance, discharge current,..) is very vital. In this experimental research coating of Ag thin films by magnetron sputtering have been carried out over Ar pressure range of 10 -2 -10 -1 mbar, and discharge current up to 1000 m.A, and distance between glass substrates to silver target (Cathode) was changed from 5 to 15 cm. The obtained results have been investigated by help of computer curve fitting, and these studies show a very good agreement for the conditions used in this work

Spectroscopic imaging of self-organization in high power impulse magnetron sputtering plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, Joakim; Ni, Pavel; Anders, André

2013-01-01

Excitation and ionization conditions in traveling ionization zones of high power impulse magnetron sputtering plasmas were investigated using fast camera imaging through interference filters. The images, taken in end-on and side-on views using light of selected gas and target atom and ion spectral lines, suggest that ionization zones are regions of enhanced densities of electrons, and excited atoms and ions. Excited atoms and ions of the target material (Al) are strongly concentrated near the target surface. Images from the highest excitation energies exhibit the most localized regions, suggesting localized Ohmic heating consistent with double layer formation

Computer investigations of the influences of magnets for magnetron-sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knotek, O.; Loeffler, F.; Schnaut, U.; Guan, W.

1993-01-01

For a long time PVD (Physical-Vapour-Deposition) technology has been applied in various modern technical fields, owing to the wide range of possible coating materials whose potential is virtually unlimited. Besides electronic, optical and decorative applications for PVD films, hard films, in particular, have been widely applied for tool coatings which play important roles for the resistance against wear and corrosion. The MSIP (Magnetron-Sputter-Ion-Plating) coating process is one of the PVD-processes, providing 1) relatively high deposition rates, 2) large deposition areas, and 3) low substrate heating. The magnetron behind the target influences the distribution of the electrons moving in the plasma and the space between the cathode and anode, thus the distribution of the ions impinging on the surface of the target. Since the electrons are distributed unevenly in front of the target, the working gas atoms are therefore unevenly ionized in the plasma and the ions also unevenly bombard the target surface and the erosion of the target surface is uneven. Therefore the investigations of the magnetic field in the MSIP are very important for the optimization of the deposition process and the usage of the target. Generally, the accurate calculations or measurements of the direction and strength of the magnetic field (magnetic induction or magnetic flux density vector B) is difficult in comparison to measurements of the electrical field, because vector B is a vector with varying direction and magnitude. In this paper, it is shown that a magnetic field of a cylindrical magnetron in MSIP-equipment can be quickly simulated through a simple model and the distribution of the field is discussed. (orig.)

High-speed deposition of protective films of aluminium oxide by the method of reactive magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bugaev, S.P.; Zakhrov, A.N.; Ladyzhenskii, O.P.; Sochugov, M.S.

2001-01-01

The high optical characteristics of aluminium films made them attractive for different functional and decorative applications. It is well-known that the corrosion resistance of alloying is determined by the presence of the oxide film on its surface, but on the aluminium films, deposited by vacuum methods, the resistance is extremely low resulting in the relatively rapid failure of the coating. At present, there is a large number of methods of depositing the films of aluminium oxide. In most cases, it is recommended to use reactive magnetron sputtering of an aluminium target in a magnetron spraying system (MSS) using direct current, on dispersion of the target of aluminium oxide in a high-frequency MSS

Structural and optical properties of (Sr,Ba)2SiO4:Eu2+ thin films grown by magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Leliang; Zheng, Jun; Zuo, Yuhua; Cheng, Buwen; Wang, Qiming

2014-01-01

(Sr,Ba) 2 SiO 4 :Eu 2+ thin films were deposited on Si at different substrate temperatures by magnetron sputtering. The morphology and crystalline phases of the films were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, respectively. The silicate crystal phase was presented when films were annealed above 900 °C and the annealing temperature had great impact on the film morphology. The samples annealed at 1000 °C in a non-reducing atmosphere for 30 s show intense room temperature Eu 2+ emission. These findings may open a promising way to prepare efficient phosphor thin films for on-chip light emitting diodes application. - Highlights: • The (Sr, Ba) 2 SiO 4 :Eu 2+ films are fabricated by magnetron sputtering. • A very strong RT PL emission at 540 nm is achieved. • The morphology and optical properties dependent on temperature are studied