The Effect of Film Thickness on the Gas Sensing Properties of Ultra-Thin TiO₂ Films Deposited by Atomic Layer Deposition.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Rachel L; Simion, Cristian Eugen; Blackman, Christopher S; Carmalt, Claire J; Stanoiu, Adelina; Di Maggio, Francesco; Covington, James A

2018-03-01

Analyte sensitivity for gas sensors based on semiconducting metal oxides should be highly dependent on the film thickness, particularly when that thickness is on the order of the Debye length. This thickness dependence has previously been demonstrated for SnO₂ and inferred for TiO₂. In this paper, TiO₂ thin films have been prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) using titanium isopropoxide and water as precursors. The deposition process was performed on standard alumina gas sensor platforms and microscope slides (for analysis purposes), at a temperature of 200 °C. The TiO₂ films were exposed to different concentrations of CO, CH₄, NO₂, NH₃ and SO₂ to evaluate their gas sensitivities. These experiments showed that the TiO₂ film thickness played a dominant role within the conduction mechanism and the pattern of response for the electrical resistance towards CH₄ and NH₃ exposure indicated typical n -type semiconducting behavior. The effect of relative humidity on the gas sensitivity has also been demonstrated.

The application of the barrier-type anodic oxidation method to thickness testing of aluminum films

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jianwen; Yao, Manwen; Xiao, Ruihua; Yang, Pengfei; Hu, Baofu; Yao, Xi

2014-09-01

The thickness of the active metal oxide film formed from a barrier-type anodizing process is directly proportional to its formation voltage. The thickness of the consumed portion of the metal film is also corresponding to the formation voltage. This principle can be applied to the thickness test of the metal films. If the metal film is growing on a dielectric substrate, when the metal film is exhausted in an anodizing process, because of the high electrical resistance of the formed oxide film, a sudden increase of the recorded voltage during the anodizing process would occur. Then, the thickness of the metal film can be determined from this voltage. As an example, aluminum films are tested and discussed in this work. This method is quite simple and is easy to perform with high precision.

Film thickness determination by grazing incidence diffraction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Battiston, G A; Gerbasi, R [CNR, Padua (Italy). Istituto di Chimica e Tecnologie Inorganiche e dei Materiali Avanzati

1996-09-01

Thin films deposited via MOCVD (Metal Organic Chemical Vapour Deposition) are layers in the thickness range of a few manometers to about ten micrometers. An understanding of the physics and chemistry of films is necessary for a better comprehension of the phenomena involved in the film deposition procedure and its optimisation. Together with the crystalline phase a parameter that must be determined is the thickness of the layer. In this work the authors present a method for the measurement of the film thickness. This procedure, based on diffraction intensity absorption of the X-rays, both incident and diffracted in passing through the layers, resulted quite simple, rapid and non-destructive.

Film thickness determination by grazing incidence diffraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Battiston, G. A.; Gerbasi, R.

1996-01-01

Thin films deposited via MOCVD (Metal Organic Chemical Vapour Deposition) are layers in the thickness range of a few manometers to about ten micrometers. An understanding of the physics and chemistry of films is necessary for a better comprehension of the phenomena involved in the film deposition procedure and its optimisation. Together with the crystalline phase a parameter that must be determined is the thickness of the layer. In this work the authors present a method for the measurement of the film thickness. This procedure, based on diffraction intensity absorption of the X-rays, both incident and diffracted in passing through the layers, resulted quite simple, rapid and non-destructive

Effect of diffraction and film-thickness gradients on wafer-curvature measurements of thin-film stress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Breiland, W.G.; Lee, S.R.; Koleske, D.D.

2004-01-01

When optical measurements of wafer curvature are used to determine thin-film stress, the laser beams that probe the sample are usually assumed to reflect specularly from the curved surface of the film and substrate. Yet, real films are not uniformly thick, and unintended thickness gradients produce optical diffraction effects that steer the laser away from the ideal specular condition. As a result, the deflection of the laser in wafer-curvature measurements is actually sensitive to both the film stress and the film-thickness gradient. We present a Fresnel-Kirchhoff optical diffraction model of wafer-curvature measurements that provides a unified description of these combined effects. The model accurately simulates real-time wafer-curvature measurements of nonuniform GaN films grown on sapphire substrates by vapor-phase epitaxy. During thin-film growth, thickness gradients cause the reflected beam to oscillate asymmetrically about the ideal position defined by the stress-induced wafer curvature. This oscillating deflection has the same periodicity as the reflectance of the growing film, and the deflection amplitude is a function of the film-thickness gradient, the mean film thickness, the wavelength distribution of the light source, the illuminated spot size, and the refractive indices of the film and substrate. For typical GaN films grown on sapphire, misinterpretation of these gradient-induced oscillations can cause stress-measurement errors that approach 10% of the stress-thickness product; much greater errors occur in highly nonuniform films. Only transparent films can exhibit substantial gradient-induced deflections; strongly absorbing films are immune

Conversion of just-continuous metallic films to large particulate substrates for metal-enhanced fluorescence

OpenAIRE

Aslan, Kadir; Malyn, Stuart N.; Zhang, Yongxia; Geddes, Chris D.

2008-01-01

We report the effects of thermally annealing, non-, just-, and thick continuous silver films for their potential applications in metal-enhanced fluorescence, a near-field concept which can alter the free-space absorption and emissive properties of close-proximity fluorophores (excited states). We have chosen to anneal a noncontinuous particulate film 5 nm thick and two thicker continuous films, 15 and 25 nm thick, respectively. Our results show that the annealing of the 25 nm film has little ...

Epitaxially influenced boundary layer model for size effect in thin metallic films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bazant, Zdenek P.; Guo Zaoyang; Espinosa, Horacio D.; Zhu Yong; Peng Bei

2005-01-01

It is shown that the size effect recently observed by Espinosa et al., [J. Mech. Phys. Solids51, 47 (2003)] in pure tension tests on free thin metallic films can be explained by the existence of a boundary layer of fixed thickness, located at the surface of the film that was attached onto the substrate during deposition. The boundary layer is influenced by the epitaxial effects of crystal growth on the dislocation density and texture (manifested by prevalent crystal plane orientations). This influence is assumed to cause significantly elevated yield strength. Furthermore, the observed gradual postpeak softening, along with its size independence, which is observed in short film strips subjected to pure tension, is explained by slip localization, originating at notch-like defects, and by damage, which can propagate in a stable manner when the film strip under pure tension is sufficiently thin and short. For general applications, the present epitaxially influenced boundary layer model may be combined with the classical strain-gradient plasticity proposed by Gao et al., [J. Mech. Phys. Solids 47, 1239 (1999)], and it is shown that this combination is necessary to fit the test data on both pure tension and bending of thin films by one and the same theory. To deal with films having different crystal grain sizes, the Hall-Petch relation for the yield strength dependence on the grain size needs to be incorporated into the combined theory. For very thin films, in which a flattened grain fills the whole film thickness, the Hall-Petch relation needs a cutoff, and the asymptotic increase of yield strength with diminishing film thickness is then described by the extension of Nix's model of misfit dislocations by Zhang and Zhou [J. Adv. Mater. 38, 51 (2002)]. The final result is a proposal of a general theory for strength, size effect, hardening, and softening of thin metallic films

Epitaxially influenced boundary layer model for size effect in thin metallic films

Science.gov (United States)

Bažant, Zdeněk P.; Guo, Zaoyang; Espinosa, Horacio D.; Zhu, Yong; Peng, Bei

2005-04-01

It is shown that the size effect recently observed by Espinosa et al., [J. Mech. Phys. Solids51, 47 (2003)] in pure tension tests on free thin metallic films can be explained by the existence of a boundary layer of fixed thickness, located at the surface of the film that was attached onto the substrate during deposition. The boundary layer is influenced by the epitaxial effects of crystal growth on the dislocation density and texture (manifested by prevalent crystal plane orientations). This influence is assumed to cause significantly elevated yield strength. Furthermore, the observed gradual postpeak softening, along with its size independence, which is observed in short film strips subjected to pure tension, is explained by slip localization, originating at notch-like defects, and by damage, which can propagate in a stable manner when the film strip under pure tension is sufficiently thin and short. For general applications, the present epitaxially influenced boundary layer model may be combined with the classical strain-gradient plasticity proposed by Gao et al., [J. Mech. Phys. Solids 47, 1239 (1999)], and it is shown that this combination is necessary to fit the test data on both pure tension and bending of thin films by one and the same theory. To deal with films having different crystal grain sizes, the Hall-Petch relation for the yield strength dependence on the grain size needs to be incorporated into the combined theory. For very thin films, in which a flattened grain fills the whole film thickness, the Hall-Petch relation needs a cutoff, and the asymptotic increase of yield strength with diminishing film thickness is then described by the extension of Nix's model of misfit dislocations by Zhang and Zhou [J. Adv. Mater. 38, 51 (2002)]. The final result is a proposal of a general theory for strength, size effect, hardening, and softening of thin metallic films.

Metal-insulator transition induced in CaVO3 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gu Man; Laverock, Jude; Chen, Bo; Smith, Kevin E.; Wolf, Stuart A.; Lu Jiwei

2013-01-01

Stoichiometric CaVO 3 (CVO) thin films of various thicknesses were grown on single crystal SrTiO 3 (STO) (001) substrates using a pulsed electron-beam deposition technique. The CVO films were capped with a 2.5 nm STO layer. We observed a temperature driven metal-insulator transition (MIT) in CVO films with thicknesses below 4 nm that was not observed in either thick CVO films or STO films. The emergence of this MIT can be attributed to the reduction in effective bandwidth due to a crossover from a three-dimensional metal to a two-dimensional insulator. The insulating phase was only induced with a drive current below 0.1 μA. X-ray absorption measurements indicated different electronic structures for thick and very thin films of CVO. Compared with the thick film (∼60 nm), thin films of CVO (2–4 nm) were more two-dimensional with the V charge state closer to V 4+ .

Determination of accurate metal silicide layer thickness by RBS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirchhoff, J.F.; Baumann, S.M.; Evans, C.; Ward, I.; Coveney, P.

1995-01-01

Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) is a proven useful analytical tool for determining compositional information of a wide variety of materials. One of the most widely utilized applications of RBS is the study of the composition of metal silicides (MSi x ), also referred to as polycides. A key quantity obtained from an analysis of a metal silicide is the ratio of silicon to metal (Si/M). Although compositional information is very reliable in these applications, determination of metal silicide layer thickness by RBS techniques can differ from true layer thicknesses by more than 40%. The cause of these differences lies in how the densities utilized in the RBS analysis are calculated. The standard RBS analysis software packages calculate layer densities by assuming each element's bulk densities weighted by the fractional atomic presence. This calculation causes large thickness discrepancies in metal silicide thicknesses because most films form into crystal structures with distinct densities. Assuming a constant layer density for a full spectrum of Si/M values for metal silicide samples improves layer thickness determination but ignores the underlying physics of the films. We will present results of RBS determination of the thickness various metal silicide films with a range of Si/M values using a physically accurate model for the calculation of layer densities. The thicknesses are compared to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) cross-section micrographs. We have also developed supporting software that incorporates these calculations into routine analyses. (orig.)

Frequency characteristics of the MIM thick film capacitors fabricated by laser micro-cladding electronic pastes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cao Yu; Li Xiangyou [Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Sci and Tech, 430074 Wuhan, Hubei (China); Zeng Xiaoyan [Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Sci and Tech, 430074 Wuhan, Hubei (China)], E-mail: xyzeng@mail.hust.edu.cn

2008-05-25

With rapid development of the electronic industry, how to respond the market requests quickly, shorten R and D prototyping fabrication period, and reduce the cost of the electronic devices have become a challenge work, which need flexible manufacturing methods. In this work, two direct write processing methods, direct material deposition by microPen and Nd:YAG laser micro-cladding, are integrated with CAD/CAM technology for the hybrid fabrication of passive electronic components. Especially, the metal-insulator-metal (MIM) type thick film capacitors are fabricated on ceramic substrates by this method. A basic two-step procedure of laser micro-cladding electronic pastes (LMCEPs) process for the thick film pattern preparation is presented. For a better understanding of the MIM thick film capacitor characterization, equivalent circuit models at low-frequency and high-frequency domains are introduced, respectively. The frequency characteristics tests up to 1.8 GHz of capacitance stability, equivalent series resistance (ESR), equivalent series inductance (ESL) and impendence are performed, and the results show good DC voltage stability (<2.48%), good frequency stability (<2.6%) and low dissipation factor (<0.6%) of the MIM thick film capacitors, which may get application to megahertz regions. The further developments of the LMCEP process for fabricating MIM thick film capacitors are also investigated.

Frequency characteristics of the MIM thick film capacitors fabricated by laser micro-cladding electronic pastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao Yu; Li Xiangyou; Zeng Xiaoyan

2008-01-01

With rapid development of the electronic industry, how to respond the market requests quickly, shorten R and D prototyping fabrication period, and reduce the cost of the electronic devices have become a challenge work, which need flexible manufacturing methods. In this work, two direct write processing methods, direct material deposition by microPen and Nd:YAG laser micro-cladding, are integrated with CAD/CAM technology for the hybrid fabrication of passive electronic components. Especially, the metal-insulator-metal (MIM) type thick film capacitors are fabricated on ceramic substrates by this method. A basic two-step procedure of laser micro-cladding electronic pastes (LMCEPs) process for the thick film pattern preparation is presented. For a better understanding of the MIM thick film capacitor characterization, equivalent circuit models at low-frequency and high-frequency domains are introduced, respectively. The frequency characteristics tests up to 1.8 GHz of capacitance stability, equivalent series resistance (ESR), equivalent series inductance (ESL) and impendence are performed, and the results show good DC voltage stability (<2.48%), good frequency stability (<2.6%) and low dissipation factor (<0.6%) of the MIM thick film capacitors, which may get application to megahertz regions. The further developments of the LMCEP process for fabricating MIM thick film capacitors are also investigated

Effect of thickness on optical properties of thermally evaporated SnS films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selim, M.S.; Gouda, M.E.; El-Shaarawy, M.G.; Salem, A.M.; Abd El-Ghany, W.A.

2013-01-01

The effect of film thickness on the structure and optical properties of thermally evaporated SnS film has been studied. SnS films with different thicknesses in the range 152–585 nm were deposited onto clean glass substrates at room temperature. X-ray diffraction study revealed that SnS films of thickness ≥ 283 nm are crystalline, whereas films of lower thickness exhibit poor crystalline with more amorphous background. The crystalline nature of the lower film thickness has been confirmed using transmission electron microscope and the corresponding electron diffraction pattern. The thicker film samples showed nearly stoichiometric chemical composition; however, thinner samples are deficient in S and rich in Sn. The optical property of the deposited films has been investigated in the wavelength range 350–2500 nm. The refractive index increases notably with increasing film thickness. The refractive index for the investigated film thicknesses are adequately described by the effective-single-oscillator model. The static refractive index and the static dielectric constant have been calculated. Analysis of the optical absorption coefficient revealed the presence of direct optical transition and the corresponding band gap values were found to decrease as the film thickness increases. - Highlights: ► X-ray diffraction was used to study the structure of SnS films. ► Transmission electron microscope confirms the crystalline state of SnS films. ► The refractive index increases notably with increasing the film thickness. ► The optical band gap of SnS films decreases with increasing film thickness

Thick-film effects in the oxidation and hydriding of zirconium alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, A.B. Jr.

1989-08-01

One of the fundamental discoveries involving radiation effects on the oxidation of Zircaloy in low-oxygen aqueous environments is the influence of thick oxide films. Zircaloy oxidation rates in low-oxygen (hydrogen-rich) coolants initially proceed at relatively low rates, often almost uninfluenced by radiation. Marked upturns in oxidation rate have signaled the onset of radiation effects. The radiation effects appear to correlate with a threshold oxide thickness. Results of the test reactor experiments lead to formulation of the Thick-Film Hypothesis: beyond a threshold oxide thickness, radiolysis of water that infiltrates oxide cracks and pores controls the oxidation rate; radiation creates microenvironments inside the oxide film, producing highly oxidizing conditions, that are no longer suppressed by the coolant-borne hydrogen. Upturns in oxidation rate on high-exposure Zircaloy pressure tubes add confirmatory evidence for the thick-film effect. This paper summarizes the early evidence for thick-film behavior, including oxidation and hydriding trends, updates confirmatory evidence from Zircaloy reactor and fuel assembly components, and highlights other observations from the test reactor series that have potential fundamental significance to explanations of radiation effects on Zircaloy. 23 refs., 10 figs

Thickness dependence of optical properties of VO2 thin films epitaxially grown on sapphire (0 0 0 1)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Gang; Jin Ping; Tazawa, Masato; Yoshimura, Kazuki

2005-01-01

Vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ) films were epitaxially grown on α-Al 2 O 3 (0 0 0 1) by rf reactive magnetron sputtering. The effects of film thickness ranging from 3 to 150 nm on optical properties were investigated. It revealed that the semiconductor--metal phase transition temperature considerably decreases as film thickness decreases, in particular for the film with thickness less than 10 nm. On the other hand, we found that the difference in visible transmittance between the two phases of VO 2 also varies with film thickness. For the films with thickness less than 50 nm, the semiconductor phase exhibits lower visible transmittance than its metallic phase, while for those with thickness larger than 50 nm the situation is reversed

Anomalous size effect in conductivity of Bi films of small thickness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anopchenko, A.S.; Kashirin, V.Yu.; Komnik, Yu.F.

1995-01-01

Experimental data are obtained at helium temperature, which describe the kinetic properties (conductivity, magnetoresistance and Hall coefficient) of Bi films whose thicknesses are within 100-500 A. The small-thickness Bi films display an anomalous size effect- the growing conductivity at decreasing thickness, and pronounced quantum interference effects - weak electron localization and enhancing electron-electron interaction in a disordered system. The information derived on the kinetic properties of the films is used to identify the character of the changes in the electron and hole concentrations and mobilities with a decreasing thickness. The isotropy of the properties in the films plane due to the axial texture has permitted us to use the equations for a conductor with two types of charge carriers. The used kinetic characteristics correctly take into account the contribution of the quantum corrections related to quantum interference. It is found that the concentration of the charge carries increases appreciably (by about two orders of magnitude) as the film thickness decreases to 100 A, which determines the anomalous size effect in the conductivity of the films

Experimental investigation into the effect of substrate clamping on the piezoelectric behaviour of thick-film PZT elements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Torah, R N; Beeby, S P; White, N M [Department of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, SO17 1BJ (United Kingdom)

2004-04-07

This paper details an experimental investigation of the clamping effect associated with thick-film piezoelectric elements printed on a substrate. The clamping effect reduces the measured piezoelectric coefficient, d{sub 33}, of the film. This reduction is due to the influence of the d{sub 31} component in the film when a deformation of the structure occurs, by either the direct or indirect piezoelectric effect. Theoretical analysis shows a reduction in the measured d{sub 33} of 62%, i.e. a standard bulk lead zirconate titanate (PZT)-5H sample with a manufacturer specified d{sub 33} of 593pC/N would fall to 227.8pC/N. To confirm this effect, the d{sub 33} coefficients of five thin bulk PZT-5H samples of 220 {mu}m thickness were measured before and after their attachment to a metallized 96% alumina substrate. The experimental results show a reduction in d{sub 33} of 74% from 529pC/N to 139pC/N. The theoretical analysis was then applied to existing University of Southampton thick-film devices. It is estimated that the measured d{sub 33} value of 131pC/N of the thick-film devices is the equivalent of an unconstrained d{sub 33} of 345pC/N.

Metal-insulator transition induced in CaVO{sub 3} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gu Man [Department of Physics, University of Virginia, 382 McCormick Rd., Charlottesville, Virginia 22904 (United States); Laverock, Jude; Chen, Bo; Smith, Kevin E. [Department of Physics, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215 (United States); Wolf, Stuart A. [Department of Physics, University of Virginia, 382 McCormick Rd., Charlottesville, Virginia 22904 (United States); Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, 395 McCormick Rd., Charlottesville, Virginia 22904 (United States); Lu Jiwei [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, 395 McCormick Rd., Charlottesville, Virginia 22904 (United States)

2013-04-07

Stoichiometric CaVO{sub 3} (CVO) thin films of various thicknesses were grown on single crystal SrTiO{sub 3} (STO) (001) substrates using a pulsed electron-beam deposition technique. The CVO films were capped with a 2.5 nm STO layer. We observed a temperature driven metal-insulator transition (MIT) in CVO films with thicknesses below 4 nm that was not observed in either thick CVO films or STO films. The emergence of this MIT can be attributed to the reduction in effective bandwidth due to a crossover from a three-dimensional metal to a two-dimensional insulator. The insulating phase was only induced with a drive current below 0.1 {mu}A. X-ray absorption measurements indicated different electronic structures for thick and very thin films of CVO. Compared with the thick film ({approx}60 nm), thin films of CVO (2-4 nm) were more two-dimensional with the V charge state closer to V{sup 4+}.

Novel mechanisms for self-assembled pattern formation in nanoscopic metal films

Science.gov (United States)

Kalyanaraman, R.; Trice, J.; Favazza, C.; Thomas, D.; Sureshkumar, R.

2007-03-01

Classical hydrodynamic theory of dewetting of spinodally unstable thin films (Vrij, Disc. farad. Soc. 1966) predicts a monotonic increase in patterning length scales with increasing film thickness. We verified this effect for nanoscopic Co metal films following melting by ns laser pulses for thickness regime hFavazza et al. Nanotechnology, 2006). However, a dramatic change is observed beyond this thickness hc, with length scales decreasing with increasing h. This novel behavior arises from strong thickness dependence of heating by ultrafast laser light resulting in thermocapillary effects, whose magnitude and sign are thickness dependent. We modified the classical theory, according to which the instability occurs when the stabilizing capillary force is overcome by destabilizing attractive long-range interactions, to include thermocapillary effects. The modified theory accurately predicts the experimentally observed trend. This result suggests that a variety of new length scales can be accessed by robust self-assembly via dewetting of metal films under ultrafast light.

Applicability of X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy as method to determine thickness and composition of stacks of metal thin films: A comparison with imaging and profilometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vrielink, J.A.M.; Tiggelaar, R.M.; Gardeniers, J.G.E.; Lefferts, L.

2012-01-01

In this work the applicability of X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) for fast, accurate and non-destructive determination of the thickness of a variety of single-layer and multi-layer metal thin films deposited on glass and silicon is investigated. Data obtained with XRF is compared with information from profilometry and images from scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Whereas thickness determinations based on profilometry and cross-sectional SEM-imaging have restrictions with respect to thickness of metal stacks or hardness of the metals, XRF has no such limitations. Moreover, XRF can discriminate between sublayers in a multi-layer film, and can also be utilized for compositional analysis and density estimations. Good agreement between thickness data obtained with XRF, profilometry and SEM-images is found, under the justifiable assumption that the density of sputter-deposited and evaporated thin films is ca. 5% below that of bulk metals. Similar XRF-results are found for non-patterned areas (64 mm 2 metal) as well as lithographically patterned areas containing a series of small metal lines (total metal surface ca. 8 mm 2 ). As a consequence, it is concluded that XRF is a versatile technique for analysis, verification, control or evaluation of the thickness, density or (elemental) composition of thin metal film line-patterns, during their fabrication as well as prior or post to applications.

Photo-induced insulator-metal transition in Pr0.6Ca0.4MnO3 thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition: Effect of thickness dependent structural and transport properties

Science.gov (United States)

Elovaara, Tomi; Huhtinen, Hannu; Majumdar, Sayani; Paturi, Petriina

2016-09-01

We report photo-induced colossal magnetoresistive insulator-metal transition (IMT) in Pr0.6Ca0.4MnO3 thin films under much reduced applied magnetic field. The colossal effect was studied as a function of film thickness and thus with variable structural properties. Thorough structural, magnetic and magnetotransport characterization under light shows that the highest effect on the transition field can be obtained in the thinnest film (38 nm). However, due to the substrate induced strain of this film the required magnetic field for IMT is quite high. The best crystalline properties of the 110 nm film lead to the lowest IMT field under light and 109% change in resistance at 10 K. With increasing thickness, the film properties start to move more toward the bulk material and, hence, IMT is no more observed under the applied field of 9 T. Our results indicate that for obtaining large photo-induced CMR, the best epitaxial quality of thin films is essential.

The Effect of Film Thickness on the Gas Sensing Properties of Ultra-Thin TiO2 Films Deposited by Atomic Layer Deposition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel L. Wilson

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Analyte sensitivity for gas sensors based on semiconducting metal oxides should be highly dependent on the film thickness, particularly when that thickness is on the order of the Debye length. This thickness dependence has previously been demonstrated for SnO2 and inferred for TiO2. In this paper, TiO2 thin films have been prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD using titanium isopropoxide and water as precursors. The deposition process was performed on standard alumina gas sensor platforms and microscope slides (for analysis purposes, at a temperature of 200 °C. The TiO2 films were exposed to different concentrations of CO, CH4, NO2, NH3 and SO2 to evaluate their gas sensitivities. These experiments showed that the TiO2 film thickness played a dominant role within the conduction mechanism and the pattern of response for the electrical resistance towards CH4 and NH3 exposure indicated typical n-type semiconducting behavior. The effect of relative humidity on the gas sensitivity has also been demonstrated.

Polymer thin film as coating layer to prevent corrosion of metal/metal oxide film

Science.gov (United States)

Sarkar, Suman; Kundu, Sarathi

2018-04-01

Thin film of polymer is used as coating layer and the corrosion of metal/metal oxide layer is studied with the variation of the thickness of the coating layer. The thin layer of polystyrene is fabricated using spin coating method on copper oxide (CuO) film which is deposited on glass substrate using DC magnetron sputtering technique. Thickness of the polystyrene and the CuO layers are determined using X-ray reflectivity (XRR) technique. CuO thin films coated with the polystyrene layer are exposed to acetic acid (2.5 v/v% aqueous CH3COOH solution) environments and are subsequently analyzed using UV-Vis spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Surface morphology of the film before and after interaction with the acidic environment is determined using AFM. Results obtained from the XRR and UV-Vis spectroscopy confirm that the thin film of polystyrene acts as an anticorrosion coating layer and the strength of the coating depends upon the polymer layer thickness at a constant acid concentration.

Percolation effect in thick film superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sali, R.; Harsanyi, G. [Technical Univ. of Budapest (Hungary)

1994-12-31

A thick film superconductor paste has been developed to study the properties of granulated superconductor materials, to observe the percolation effect and to confirm the theory of the conducting mechanism in the superconducting thick films. This paste was also applied to make a superconducting planar transformer. Due to high T{sub c} and advantageous current density properties the base of the paste was chosen to be of Bi(Pb)SrCaCuO system. For contacts a conventional Ag/Pt paste was used. The critical temperature of the samples were between 110 K and 115 K depending on the printed layer thickness. The critical current density at the boiling temperature of the liquid He- was between 200-300 A/cm{sup 2}. The R(T) and V(I) functions were measured with different parameters. The results of the measurements have confirmed the theory of conducting mechanism in the material. The percolation structure model has been built and described. As an application, a superconducting planar thick film transformer was planned and produced. Ten windings of the transformer were printed on one side of the alumina substrate and one winding was printed on the other side. The coupling between the two sides was possible through the substrate. The samples did not need special drying and firing parameters. After the preparation, the properties of the transformer were measured. The efficiency and the losses were determined. Finally, some fundamental advantages and problems of the process were discussed.

Percolation effect in thick film superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sali, R.; Harsanyi, G.

1994-01-01

A thick film superconductor paste has been developed to study the properties of granulated superconductor materials, to observe the percolation effect and to confirm the theory of the conducting mechanism in the superconducting thick films. This paste was also applied to make a superconducting planar transformer. Due to high T c and advantageous current density properties the base of the paste was chosen to be of Bi(Pb)SrCaCuO system. For contacts a conventional Ag/Pt paste was used. The critical temperature of the samples were between 110 K and 115 K depending on the printed layer thickness. The critical current density at the boiling temperature of the liquid He- was between 200-300 A/cm 2 . The R(T) and V(I) functions were measured with different parameters. The results of the measurements have confirmed the theory of conducting mechanism in the material. The percolation structure model has been built and described. As an application, a superconducting planar thick film transformer was planned and produced. Ten windings of the transformer were printed on one side of the alumina substrate and one winding was printed on the other side. The coupling between the two sides was possible through the substrate. The samples did not need special drying and firing parameters. After the preparation, the properties of the transformer were measured. The efficiency and the losses were determined. Finally, some fundamental advantages and problems of the process were discussed

Thickness effect on the microstructure, morphology and optoelectronic properties of ZnS films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prathap, P; Revathi, N; Subbaiah, Y P Venkata; Reddy, K T Ramakrishna

2008-01-01

Thin films of ZnS with thicknesses ranging from 100 to 600 nm have been deposited on glass substrates by close spaced thermal evaporation. All the films were grown at the same deposition conditions except the deposition time. The effect of thickness on the physical properties of ZnS films has been studied. The experimental results indicated that the thickness affects the structure, lattice strain, surface morphology and optoelectronic properties of ZnS films significantly. The films deposited at a thickness of 100 nm showed hexagonal structure whereas films of thickness 300 nm or more showed cubic structure. However, coexistence of both cubic and hexagonal structures was observed in the films of 200 nm thickness. The surface roughness of the films showed an increasing trend at higher thicknesses of the films. A blue-shift in the energy band gap along with an intense UV emission band was observed with the decrease of film thickness, which are ascribed to the quantum confinement effect. The behaviour of optical constants such as refractive index and extinction coefficient were analysed. The variation of refractive index and extinction coefficient with thickness was explained on the basis of the contribution from the packing density of the layers. The electrical resistivity as well as the activation energy were evaluated and found to decrease with the increase of film thickness. The thickness had a significant influence on the optical band gap as well as the luminescence intensity

Investigation of the fabrication parameters of thick film metal oxide-polymer pH electrodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gac, Arnaud

2002-01-01

This thesis describes a study into the development of an optimum material and fabrication process for the production of thick film pH electrodes. These devices consist of low cost, miniature and rugged pH sensors formed by screen printing a metal oxide bearing paste onto a high temperature (∼850 deg C) fired metal back contact supported on a standard alumina substrate. The pH sensitive metal oxide layer must be fabricated at relatively low temperatures (<300 deg C) in order to maintain the pH sensitivity of the layer and hence requires the use of a suitably stable low temperature curing binder. Bespoke fabricated inks are derived from a Taguchi style factorial experimental plans in which, different binder types, curing temperatures, hydration level and percentage mixtures of different metal oxides and layer thicknesses were investigated. The pH responses of 18 printed electrodes per batch were assessed in buffer solutions with respect to a commercial reference electrode forming a complete potentiometric circuit. The evaluation criteria used in the study included the device-to-device variation in sensitivity of the pH sensors and their sensitivity variation as a function of time. The results indicated the importance of the choice of binder type in particular on the performance characteristics. Reproducible device-to-device variation in sensitivity was determined for the best inks found, whatever the ink fabrication batch. A reduction in the sensitivity variation with time has been determined using the mathematical models derived from an experimental plan. The lack of reproducibility of the sensitivity magnitude, regardless of the ink manufacturing batch, seems to be a recurrent problem with prototype inks. Experimental sub-Nernstian responses are discussed in the light of possible pH mechanisms. (author)

The effect of bubble acceleration on the liquid film thickness in micro tubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Han, Youngbae, E-mail: bhan@feslab.t.u-tokyo.ac.j [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Shikazono, Naoki, E-mail: shika@feslab.t.u-tokyo.ac.j [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan)

2010-08-15

Liquid film thickness is an important parameter for predicting boiling heat transfer in micro tubes. In the previous study (), liquid film thickness under the steady condition was investigated and an empirical correlation for the initial liquid film thickness based on capillary number, Reynolds number and Weber number was proposed. However, under flow boiling conditions, bubble velocity is not constant but accelerated due to evaporation. It is necessary to consider this bubble acceleration effect on the liquid film thickness, since it affects viscous, surface tension and inertia forces in the momentum equation. In addition, viscous boundary layer develops, and it may also affect the liquid film thickness. In the present study, the effect of bubble acceleration is investigated. Laser focus displacement meter is used to measure the liquid film thickness. Ethanol, water and FC-40 are used as working fluids. Circular tubes with three different inner diameters, D = 0.5, 0.7 and 1.0 mm, are used. The increase of liquid film thickness with capillary number is restricted by the bubble acceleration. Finally, an empirical correlation is proposed for the liquid film thickness of accelerated flows in terms of capillary number and Bond number based on the bubble acceleration.

The effect of bubble acceleration on the liquid film thickness in micro tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Youngbae; Shikazono, Naoki

2010-01-01

Liquid film thickness is an important parameter for predicting boiling heat transfer in micro tubes. In the previous study (), liquid film thickness under the steady condition was investigated and an empirical correlation for the initial liquid film thickness based on capillary number, Reynolds number and Weber number was proposed. However, under flow boiling conditions, bubble velocity is not constant but accelerated due to evaporation. It is necessary to consider this bubble acceleration effect on the liquid film thickness, since it affects viscous, surface tension and inertia forces in the momentum equation. In addition, viscous boundary layer develops, and it may also affect the liquid film thickness. In the present study, the effect of bubble acceleration is investigated. Laser focus displacement meter is used to measure the liquid film thickness. Ethanol, water and FC-40 are used as working fluids. Circular tubes with three different inner diameters, D = 0.5, 0.7 and 1.0 mm, are used. The increase of liquid film thickness with capillary number is restricted by the bubble acceleration. Finally, an empirical correlation is proposed for the liquid film thickness of accelerated flows in terms of capillary number and Bond number based on the bubble acceleration.

Adhesion of rhodium films on metallic substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marot, L.; Covarel, G.; Tuilier, M.-H.; Steiner, R.; Oelhafen, P.

2008-01-01

Rhodium coated metallic films were prepared by magnetron sputtering on metallic substrates. All films were elaborated in same conditions on copper, molybdenum and stainless steel. Adhesion strength tests were carried out by scratch test. The results reveal that the adhesion strength between the film and the substrate is influenced by the hardness of the substrate. Increase of deposition temperature improves the adhesion of the coating. In addition, pre-treatment of substrates by a filtered cathodic vacuum arc and the layer thickness have has some effects on the final adhesion strength

Adhesion of rhodium films on metallic substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marot, L. [Department of Physics, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 82, CH-4056 Basel (Switzerland)], E-mail: laurent.marot@unibas.ch; Covarel, G.; Tuilier, M.-H. [Laboratoire Mecanique, Materiaux et Procedes de Fabrication, Pole STIC-SPI-Math 61 rue Albert Camus, Universite de Haute-Alsace, F-68093 - Mulhouse Cedex (France); Steiner, R.; Oelhafen, P. [Department of Physics, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 82, CH-4056 Basel (Switzerland)

2008-09-01

Rhodium coated metallic films were prepared by magnetron sputtering on metallic substrates. All films were elaborated in same conditions on copper, molybdenum and stainless steel. Adhesion strength tests were carried out by scratch test. The results reveal that the adhesion strength between the film and the substrate is influenced by the hardness of the substrate. Increase of deposition temperature improves the adhesion of the coating. In addition, pre-treatment of substrates by a filtered cathodic vacuum arc and the layer thickness have has some effects on the final adhesion strength.

An X-ray fluorescence method for the determination of metals thicknesses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vazquez, Cristina; Leyt, D.V. de; Riveros, J.A.

1987-01-01

An absolute method for the determination of the thickness of a metal film deposited on a metallic substrate is described. The method is based on the measurement of fluorescent intensity ratios for two lines from the substrate element. Additionally, the proposed method can be employed to determine the density of the deposited material or the incident angle of primary radiation and take off angle, if the metal film thickness is known. (Author) [es

Effect of ZrO2 film thickness on the photoelectric properties of mixed-cation perovskite solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yanyan; Zhao, Li; Wei, Shoubin; Xiao, Meng; Dong, Binghai; Wan, Li; Wang, Shimin

2018-05-01

In this work, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) were fabricated in the ambient air, with a scaffold layer composed of TiO2/ZrO2 double layer as the mesoscopic layer and carbon as the counter electrode. The effect of ZrO2 thin film thickness on the photovoltaic performances of PSCs was also studied in detail. Results showed that the photoelectric properties of as-prepared PSCs largely depend on the thin film thickness due to a series of factors, including surface roughness, charge transport resistance, and electron-hole recombination rate. The power conversion efficiency of PSCs increased from 8.37% to 11.33% by varying the thin film thickness from 75 nm to 305 nm, and the optimal power conversion efficiency was realized up to the 11.33% with a thin film thickness of 167 nm. This research demonstrates a promising route for the high-efficiency and low-cost photovoltaic technology.

Effect of Ni Doping on Gas Sensing Performance of ZnO Thick Film Resistor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. K. DEORE

2010-11-01

Full Text Available This work investigates the use of ZnO-NiO as a H2S metal oxide thick film gas sensor. To find the optimum ratio of NiO to ZnO, two compositions were prepared using different molecular percentages and prepared as a thick film paste. These pastes were then screen-printed onto glass substrates with suitable binder. The final composition of each film was determined using SEM analysis. The films were used to detect CO, CL2, ethanol, Amonia and H2S. For each composition tested, the highest responses where displayed for H2S gas. The Thick film having composition of equal molar ZnO and NiO shows the highest response at operating temp. 350 0C for 100 ppm level. The gas response, selectivity, response and recovery time of the sensor were measured and presented. The role played by NiO species is to improve the gas sensing performance is discussed.

Comparison of different methods for measuring the passive film thickness on metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benoit, Marie; Bataillon, Christian; Gwinner, Benoit; Miserque, Frédéric; Orazem, Mark E.; Sánchez-Sánchez, Carlos M.; Tribollet, Bernard; Vivier, Vincent

2016-01-01

Highlights: • In situ EIS and ex situ XPS were used for the characterization of zirconium oxide films. • The film thicknesses can be obtained from the analysis of a single EIS diagram. • A convenient graphical method to extract film properties is proposed. - Abstract: In situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements on electrogenerated zirconium oxide films on zirconium (Zr/ZrO_2) were used to quantify the oxide film thickness and resistivity profiles through the oxide. The EIS analysis presented here takes advantage of the high-frequency domain at which the constant-phase element (CPE) behavior of the oxide film reverts to a capacitive response and the Cole-Cole representations of the complex capacitance to extract the high-frequency capacitance of the oxide film without reference to the nature of the time-constant distribution within the oxide film. The film thickness of the ZrO_2 samples measured from the high-frequency capacitance of EIS were in good agreement with the thickness obtained from XPS. Moreover, the EIS analysis presented is based on the use of the integral solution of the power law model, which allows to obtain in one single EIS experiment, both the film thickness and the resistivity profile in the ZrO_2 film. This work suggests a convenient graphical method to extract film properties and serves to validate a key assumption of the power-law model for interpretation of CPE parameters in terms of physical properties.

Structural, transport and microwave properties of 123/sapphire films: Thickness effect

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Predtechensky, MR.; Smal, A.N.; Varlamov, Y.D. [Institute of Thermophysics, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation)] [and others

1994-12-31

The effect of thickness and growth conditions on the structure and microwave properties has been investigated for the 123/sapphire films. It has been shown that in the conditions of epitaxial growth and Al atoms do not diffuse from substrate into the film and the films with thickness up to 100nm exhibit the excellent DC properties. The increase of thickness of GdBaCuO films causes the formation of extended line-mesh defects and the increase of the surface resistance (R{sub S}). The low value of surface resistance R{sub S}(75GHz,77K)=20 mOhm has been obtained for the two layer YBaCuO/CdBaCuO/sapphire films.

Optical resonance analysis of reflected long period fiber gratings with metal film overlay

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Guiju; Cao, Bing; Wang, Chinua; Zhao, Minfu

2008-11-01

We present the experimental results of a novel single-ended reflecting surface plasma resonance (SPR) based long period fiber grating (LPFG) sensor. A long period fiber grating sensing device is properly designed and fabricated with a pulsed CO2 laser writing system. Different nm-thick thin metal films are deposited on the fiber cladding and the fiber end facet for the excitation of surface plasma waves (SPWs) and the reflection of the transmission spectrum of the LPFG with doubled interaction between metal-dielectric interfaces of the fiber to enhance the SPW of the all-fiber SPR-LPFG sensing system. Different thin metal films with different thicknesses are investigated. The effect of the excited SPW transmission along the fiber cladding-metal interface with silver and aluminum films is observed. It is found that different thicknesses of the metal overlay show different resonant behaviors in terms of resonance peak situation, bandwidth and energy loss. Within a certain range, thinner metal film shows narrower bandwidth and deeper peak loss.

Effect of thickness on magnetic phase coexistence and electrical transport in Nd0.51Sr0.49MnO3 films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prasad, R.; Singh, M.P.; Fournier, P.; Siwach, P.K.; Singh, H.K.; Kaur, A.

2010-01-01

We present the impact of the film thickness on the coexistence of various magnetic phases and its link to the magnetoresistance of Nd 0.51 Sr 0.49 MnO 3 thin films. These epitaxial films are deposited on LaAlO 3 (001) substrates by DC magnetron sputtering. Films with thicknesses of approximately 30 nm are found to be under full compressive strain while those with thicknesses ∝100 nm and beyond exhibit the presence of both strained and relaxed phases, as evidenced from X-ray diffraction studies. Both films exhibit multiple magnetic transitions controlled by strong electron correlations and phase coexistence. These films also display insulator-metal transitions (IMT) and colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) under moderate magnetic fields. Among the two set of films, only the 30-nm films show a weak signature of charge ordering at T∼50 K. Even at temperatures much lower than the IMT, the 30-nm films show huge magnetoresistance (MR) ∝80%. This suggests presence of softened charge-ordered insulating (COI) clusters that are transformed into ferromagnetic metallic (FMM) ones by the external magnetic field. In the 100-nm films, the corresponding MR is suppressed to less than 20%. Our study demonstrates that the softening of the COI phase is induced by the combined effect of the in-plane compressive strain and a slight reduction in Sr concentration. (orig.)

The effects of film thickness on the electrical, optical, and structural properties of cylindrical, rotating, magnetron-sputtered ITO films

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jae-Ho; Seong, Tae-Yeon; Ahn, Kyung-Jun; Chung, Kwun-Bum; Seok, Hae-Jun; Seo, Hyeong-Jin; Kim, Han-Ki

2018-05-01

We report the characteristics of Sn-doped In2O3 (ITO) films intended for use as transparent conducting electrodes; the films were prepared via a five-generation, in-line type, cylindrical, rotating magnetron sputtering (CRMS) system as a function of film thickness. By using a rotating cylindrical ITO target with high usage (∼80%), we prepared high conductivity, transparent ITO films on five-generation size glass. The effects of film thickness on the electrical, optical, morphological, and structural properties of CRMS-grown ITO films are investigated in detail to correlate the thickness and performance of ITO films. The preferred orientation changed from the (2 2 2) to the (4 0 0) plane with increasing thickness of ITO is attributed to the stability of the (4 0 0) plane against resputtering during the CRMS process. Based on X-ray diffraction, surface field emission scanning electron microscopy, and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, we suggest a possible mechanism to explain the preferred orientation and effects of film thickness on the performance of CRMS-grown ITO films.

The effect of wet film thickness on VOC emissions from a finishing varnish.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Shun-Cheng; Kwok, Ngai-Hong; Guo, Hai; Hung, Wing-Tat

2003-01-20

Finishing varnishes, a typical type of oil-based varnishes, are widely used to shine metal, wood trim and cabinet surfaces in Hong Kong. The influence of wet film thickness on volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from a finishing varnish was studied in an environmental test chamber. The varnish was applied on an aluminium foil with three different wet film thickness (35.2, 69.9 and 107.3 microm). The experimental conditions were 25.0 degrees C, 50.0% relative humidity (RH) with an air exchange rate of 0.5 h(-1). The concentrations of the major VOCs were monitored for the first 10 h. The air samples were collected by canisters and analysed by gas chromatography/mass selective detector (GC/MSD). Six major VOCs including toluene, chlorobenzene, ethylbenzene, m,p-xylene, o-xylene and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene were identified and quantified. Marked differences were observed for three different film thicknesses. VOC concentrations increased rapidly during the first few hours and then decreased as the emission rates declined. The thicker the wet film, the higher the VOC emissions. A model expression included an exponentially decreasing emission rate of varnish film. The concentration and time data measured in the chamber were used to determine the parameters of empirical emission rate model. The present work confirmed that the film thickness of varnish influenced markedly the concentrations and emissions of VOCs. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science B.V.

Equilibrium helium film in the thick film limit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klier, J.; Schletterer, F.; Leiderer, P.; Shikin, V.

2003-01-01

For the thickness of a liquid or solid quantum film, like liquid helium or solid hydrogen, there exist still open questions about how the film thickness develops in certain limits. One of these is the thick film limit, i.e., the crossover from the thick film to bulk. We have performed measurements in this range using the surface plasmon resonance technique and an evaporated Ag film deposited on glass as substrate. The thickness of the adsorbed helium film is varied by changing the distance h of the bulk reservoir to the surface of the substrate. In the limiting case, when h > 0, the film thickness approaches about 100 nm following the van der Waals law in the retarded regime. The film thickness and its dependence on h is precisely determined and theoretically modeled. The equilibrium film thickness behaviour is discussed in detail. The agreement between theory and experiment is very good

Miniaturized, Planar Ion-selective Electrodes Fabricated by Means of Thick-film Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Koncki

2006-04-01

Full Text Available Various planar technologies are employed for developing solid-state sensorshaving low cost, small size and high reproducibility; thin- and thick-film technologies aremost suitable for such productions. Screen-printing is especially suitable due to itssimplicity, low-cost, high reproducibility and efficiency in large-scale production. Thistechnology enables the deposition of a thick layer and allows precise pattern control.Moreover, this is a highly economic technology, saving large amounts of the used inks. Inthe course of repetitions of the film-deposition procedure there is no waste of material dueto additivity of this thick-film technology. Finally, the thick films can be easily and quicklydeposited on inexpensive substrates. In this contribution, thick-film ion-selective electrodesbased on ionophores as well as crystalline ion-selective materials dedicated forpotentiometric measurements are demonstrated. Analytical parameters of these sensors arecomparable with those reported for conventional potentiometric electrodes. All mentionedthick-film strip electrodes have been totally fabricated in only one, fully automated thick-film technology, without any additional manual, chemical or electrochemical steps. In allcases simple, inexpensive, commercially available materials, i.e. flexible, plastic substratesand easily cured polymer-based pastes were used.

Effects of film thickness on scintillation characteristics of columnar CsI:Tl films exposed to high gamma radiation doses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shinde, Seema; Singh, S.G.; Sen, S.; Gadkari, S.C., E-mail: gadkari@barc.gov.in

2016-02-21

Oriented columnar films of Tl doped CsI (CsI:Tl) of varying thicknesses from 50 µm to 1000 µm have been deposited on silica glass substrates by a thermal evaporation technique. The SEM micrographs confirmed the columnar structure of the film while the powder X-ray diffraction pattern recorded for the films revealed a preferred orientation of the grown columns along the <200> direction. Effects of high energy gamma exposure up to 1000 Gy on luminescence properties of the films were investigated. Results of radio-luminescence, photo-luminescence and scintillation studies on the films are compared with those of a CsI:Tl single crystal with similar thickness. A possible correlation between the film thicknesses and radiation damage in films has been observed. - Highlights: • CsI:Tl films of different thicknesses deposited for γ and α detection. • Pulse-height spectra found to degrade with increasing thickness. • Radiation damage is found more in films than single crystal of comparable thickness. • Detection efficiency increases for γ while it is invariant for α beyond 50 µm.

Effects of film thickness on scintillation characteristics of columnar CsI:Tl films exposed to high gamma radiation doses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shinde, Seema; Singh, S.G.; Sen, S.; Gadkari, S.C.

2016-01-01

Oriented columnar films of Tl doped CsI (CsI:Tl) of varying thicknesses from 50 µm to 1000 µm have been deposited on silica glass substrates by a thermal evaporation technique. The SEM micrographs confirmed the columnar structure of the film while the powder X-ray diffraction pattern recorded for the films revealed a preferred orientation of the grown columns along the direction. Effects of high energy gamma exposure up to 1000 Gy on luminescence properties of the films were investigated. Results of radio-luminescence, photo-luminescence and scintillation studies on the films are compared with those of a CsI:Tl single crystal with similar thickness. A possible correlation between the film thicknesses and radiation damage in films has been observed. - Highlights: • CsI:Tl films of different thicknesses deposited for γ and α detection. • Pulse-height spectra found to degrade with increasing thickness. • Radiation damage is found more in films than single crystal of comparable thickness. • Detection efficiency increases for γ while it is invariant for α beyond 50 µm.

Persistent quantum-size effect in aluminum films up to twelve atoms thick

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boettger, J.C.

1996-01-01

Total energies and work functions have been calculated for unrelaxed, free-standing Al(111) films, 1 endash 12 layers thick, using the all-electron, full-potential linear combination of Gaussian-type orbitals endash fitting-function technique. The work function exhibits a significant quantum-size effect (at least 0.1 eV) over the entire range of thickness considered. This result contradicts an old prediction that the work function of an Al(111) N-layer film will converge to within a few hundredths of an eV by N=6. The present result, which is consistent with earlier jellium calculations, demonstrates the risk of mistaking an accidental coincidence of work functions for two films, differing in thickness by one layer, for a true convergence with respect to thickness. The implications for thin-film calculations of surface properties are discussed. A linear fit to the film binding energy vs thickness is used to extract the Al(111) surface energy (0.45 eV) and the binding energy of bulk Al (4.06 eV). copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

Thickness-modulated anisotropic ferromagnetism in Fe-doped epitaxial HfO2 thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Wenlong; Liu, Ming; Zhang, Ruyi; Ma, Rong; Wang, Hong

2017-10-01

Epitaxial tetragonal Fe-doped Hf0.95Fe0.05O2 (FHO) thin films with various thicknesses were deposited on (001)-oriented NdCaAlO4 (NCAO) substrates by using a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) system. The crystal structure and epitaxial nature of the FHO thin films were confirmed by typical x-ray diffraction (XRD) θ-2θ scan and reciprocal space mapping (RSM). The results indicate that two sets of lattice sites exist with two different crystal orientations [(001) and (100)] in the thicker FHO thin films. Further, the intensity of the (100) direction increases with the increase in thicknesses, which should have a significant effect on the anisotropic magnetization of the FHO thin films. Meanwhile, all the FHO thin films possess a tetragonal phase structure. An anisotropy behavior in magnetization has been observed in the FHO thin films. The anisotropic magnetization of the FHO thin films is slowly weakened as the thickness increases. Meanwhile, the saturation magnetization (Ms) of both in-plane and out-of-plane decreases with the increase in the thickness. The change in the anisotropic magnetization and Ms is attributed to the crystal lattice and the variation in the valence of Fe ions. These results indicate that the thickness-modulated anisotropic ferromagnetism of the tetragonal FHO epitaxial thin films is of potential use for the integration of metal-oxide semiconductors with spintronics.

Hall effect measurement for precise sheet resistance and thickness evaluation of Ruthenium thin films using non-equidistant four-point probes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frederik Westergaard Østerberg

2018-05-01

Full Text Available We present a new micro Hall effect measurement method using non-equidistant electrodes. We show theoretically and verify experimentally that it is advantageous to use non-equidistant electrodes for samples with low Hall sheet resistance. We demonstrate the new method by experiments where Hall sheet carrier densities and Hall mobilities of Ruthenium thin films (3-30 nm are determined. The measurements show that it is possible to measure Hall mobilities as low as 1 cm2V−1s−1 with a relative standard deviation of 2-3%. We show a linear relation between measured Hall sheet carrier density and film thickness. Thus, the method can be used to monitor thickness variations of ultra-thin metal films.

Thickness Dependent Optical Properties of Sol-gel based MgF2 – TiO2 Thin Films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siddarth Krishnaraja Achar

2018-04-01

Full Text Available MgF2 – TiO2 thin films were prepared by cost effective solgel technique onto glass substrates and optical parameters were determined by envelope technique. Thin films were characterized by optical transmission spectroscopy in the spectral range 290 – 1000 nm. The refractive index, extinction coefficient, Optical thickness and band gap dependency on thickness were evaluated. Thickness dependency of thin films showed direct allowed transition with band gap of 3.66 to 3.73 eV.

Transferred metal electrode films for large-area electronic devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Jin-Guo; Kam, Fong-Yu; Chua, Lay-Lay

2014-01-01

The evaporation of metal-film gate electrodes for top-gate organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) limits the minimum thickness of the polymer gate dielectric to typically more than 300 nm due to deep hot metal atom penetration and damage of the dielectric. We show here that the self-release layer transfer method recently developed for high-quality graphene transfer is also capable of giving high-quality metal thin-film transfers to produce high-performance capacitors and OFETs with superior dielectric breakdown strength even for ultrathin polymer dielectric films. Dielectric breakdown strengths up to 5–6 MV cm −1 have been obtained for 50-nm thin films of polystyrene and a cyclic olefin copolymer TOPAS ® (Zeon). High-quality OFETs with sub-10 V operational voltages have been obtained this way using conventional polymer dielectrics and a high-mobility polymer semiconductor poly[2,5-bis(3-tetradecylthiophene-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-2,5-diyl]. The transferred metal films can make reliable contacts without damaging ultrathin polymer films, self-assembled monolayers and graphene, which is not otherwise possible from evaporated or sputtered metal films

Two-scale homogenization to determine effective parameters of thin metallic-structured films

Science.gov (United States)

Marigo, Jean-Jacques

2016-01-01

We present a homogenization method based on matched asymptotic expansion technique to derive effective transmission conditions of thin structured films. The method leads unambiguously to effective parameters of the interface which define jump conditions or boundary conditions at an equivalent zero thickness interface. The homogenized interface model is presented in the context of electromagnetic waves for metallic inclusions associated with Neumann or Dirichlet boundary conditions for transverse electric or transverse magnetic wave polarization. By comparison with full-wave simulations, the model is shown to be valid for thin interfaces up to thicknesses close to the wavelength. We also compare our effective conditions with the two-sided impedance conditions obtained in transmission line theory and to the so-called generalized sheet transition conditions. PMID:27616916

Density functional study of ferromagnetism in alkali metal thin films

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

thickness uniform jellium model (UJM), and it is argued that within LSDA or GGA, alkali metal thin films cannot be claimed to have an FM ground state. Relevance of these results to the experiments on transition metal-doped alkali metal thin films ...

Influence of Thickness and Interface on the Low-Temperature Enhancement of the Spin Seebeck Effect in YIG Films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Er-Jia Guo

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The temperature-dependent longitudinal spin Seebeck effect (LSSE in heavy metal (HM/Y_{3}Fe_{5}O_{12} (YIG hybrid structures is investigated as a function of YIG film thickness, magnetic field strength, and different HM detection materials. The LSSE signal shows a large enhancement with reductions in temperature, leading to a pronounced peak at low temperatures. We find that the LSSE peak temperature strongly depends on the film thickness as well as on the magnetic field. Our result can be well explained in the framework of magnon-driven LSSE by taking into account the temperature-dependent effective propagation length of thermally excited magnons in the bulk of the material. We further demonstrate that the LSSE peak is significantly shifted by changing the interface coupling to an adjacent detection layer, revealing a more complex behavior beyond the currently discussed bulk effect. By direct microscopic imaging of the interface, we correlate the observed temperature dependence with the interface structure between the YIG and the adjacent metal layer. Our results highlight the role of interface effects on the temperature-dependent LSSE in HM/YIG system, suggesting that the temperature-dependent spin current transparency strikingly relies on the interface conditions.

Use of buffy coat thick films in detecting malaria parasites in patients with negative conventional thick films.

Science.gov (United States)

Duangdee, Chatnapa; Tangpukdee, Noppadon; Krudsood, Srivicha; Wilairatana, Polrat

2012-04-01

To determine the frequency of malaria parasite detection from the buffy coat blood films by using capillary tube in falciparum malaria patients with negative conventional thick films. Thirty six uncomplicated falciparum malaria patients confirmed by conventional thick and thin films were included in the study. The patients were treated with artemisinin combination therapy at Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Bangkok, Thailand for 28 day. Fingerpricks for conventional blood films were conducted every 6 hours until negative parasitemia, then daily fingerpricks for parasite checks were conducted until the patients were discharged from hospital. Blood samples were also concurrently collected in 3 heparinized capillary tubes at the same time of fingerpricks for conventional blood films when the prior parasitemia was negative on thin films and parasitemia was lower than 50 parasites/200 white blood cells by thick film. The first negative conventional thick films were compared with buffy coat thick films for parasite identification. Out of 36 patients with thick films showing negative for asexual forms of parasites, buffy coat films could detect remaining 10 patients (27.8%) with asexual forms of Plasmodium falciparum. The study shows that buffy coat thick films are useful and can detect malarial parasites in 27.8% of patients whose conventional thick films show negative parasitemia.

Relation between film thickness and surface doping of MoS2 based field effect transistors

Science.gov (United States)

Lockhart de la Rosa, César J.; Arutchelvan, Goutham; Leonhardt, Alessandra; Huyghebaert, Cedric; Radu, Iuliana; Heyns, Marc; De Gendt, Stefan

2018-05-01

Ultra-thin MoS2 film doping through surface functionalization with physically adsorbed species is of great interest due to its ability to dope the film without reduction in the carrier mobility. However, there is a need for understanding how the thickness of the MoS2 film is related to the induced surface doping for improved electrical performance. In this work, we report on the relation of MoS2 film thickness with the doping effect induced by the n-dopant adsorbate poly(vinyl-alcohol). Field effect transistors built using MoS2 films of different thicknesses were electrically characterized, and it was observed that the ION/OFF ratio after doping in thin films is more than four orders of magnitudes greater when compared with thick films. Additionally, a semi-classical model tuned with the experimental devices was used to understand the spatial distribution of charge in the channel and explain the observed behavior. From the simulation results, it was revealed that the two-dimensional carrier density induced by the adsorbate is distributed rather uniformly along the complete channel for thin films (<5.2 nm) contrary to what happens for thicker films.

Multifunctional thick-film structures based on spinel ceramics for environment sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vakiv, M; Hadzaman, I; Klym, H; Shpotyuk, O; Brunner, M

2011-01-01

Temperature sensitive thick films based on spinel-type NiMn 2 O 4 -CuMn 2 O 4 -MnCo 2 O 4 manganites with p- and p + -types of electrical conductivity and their multilayer p + -p structures were studied. These thick-film elements possess good electrophysical characteristics before and after long-term ageing test at 170 deg. C. It is shown that degradation processes connected with diffusion of metallic Ag into film grain boundaries occur in one-layer p-and p + -conductive films. Some part of the p + -p structures were of high stability, the relative electrical drift being no more than 1 %.

Effect of Temperature on Film Thickness of Two Types of Commonly used Luting Cements.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, M Praveen; Priyadarshini, Reddy; Kumar, Yasangi M; Priya, K Shanthi; Chunchuvyshnavi, Chunchuvyshnavi; Yerrapragada, Harika

2017-12-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of temperature change on film thickness of both types of cements. Totally, 60 samples were prepared with 10 in each subgroup, thus comprising 30 in each group. Materials tested were glass ionomer cement (GIC) type I and zinc phosphate type I. Samples were manipulated with manufacturer's instructions and tested according to American Dental Association (ADA) guidelines. The mean values of film thickness were recorded for both groups I and II. In intragroup comparison of group 1, subgroup III (26.560 ± 0.489 urn) was found to have the highest film thickness followed by subgroup II (24.182 ± 0.576 urn) and the lowest in subgroup I (20.209 ± 0.493 urn). In intragroup comparison of group II, the film thickness recorded in subgroup III (25.215 ± 0.661 urn) was the highest followed by subgroup II (21.471 ± 0.771 urn) and the least in subgroup I (17.951 ± 0.654 urn; p film thickness than group I (23.650 ± 0.271). The results were found to be statistically significant (p film thickness. Zinc phosphate has less film thickness than GIC. Zinc phosphate should be preferred over GIC in clinical practice, and more stress should be given in mechanical preparation of crowns for better retentive quality of prosthesis.

Thickness Dependent on Photocatalytic Activity of Hematite Thin Films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yen-Hua Chen

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Hematite (Fe2O3 thin films with different thicknesses are fabricated by the rf magnetron sputtering deposition. The effects of film thicknesses on the photocatalytic activity of hematite films have been investigated. Hematite films possess a polycrystalline hexagonal structure, and the band gap decreases with an increase of film thickness. Moreover, all hematite films exhibit good photocatalytic ability under visible-light irradiation; the photocatalytic activity of hematite films increases with the increasing film thickness. This is because the hematite film with a thicker thickness has a rougher surface, providing more reaction sites for photocatalysis. Another reason is a lower band gap of a hematite film would generate more electron-hole pairs under visible-light illumination to enhance photocatalytic efficiency. Experimental data are well fitted with Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic model. The photocatalytic rate constant of hematite films ranges from 0.052 to 0.068 min-1. This suggests that the hematite film is a superior photocatalyst under visible-light irradiation.

Film thickness in gas-liquid two-phase flow, (2)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sekoguchi, Kotohiko; Fukano, Toru; Kawakami, Yasushi; Shimizu, Hideo.

1977-01-01

The effect of four rectangular obstacles inserted into a circular tube has been studied in gas-liquid two-phase flow. The obstacles are set on the inner wall of the tube, and the ratio of the opening is 0.6. The water film flows partially through the obstacles. The minimum thickness of water film was measured in relation to flow speed. The serious effect of the obstacles was seen against the formation of water film, and drainage under the obstacles and backward flow play important roles. Since water film can flow partially through the obstacles, the film in case of the rectangular obstacles in thicker than that in case of an orifice when the gas flow speed was slower than 5 m/s. However, when the gas flow speed is over 5 m/s, the film thickness was thinner. The minimum film thickness of downstream of the obstacles was almost same as that in case of no obstacle. The minimum film thickness of up stream depends on the location of measurement due to the effect of drainage. (Kato, T.)

Ceramic thick film humidity sensor based on MgTiO3 + LiF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kassas, Ahmad; Bernard, Jérôme; Lelièvre, Céline; Besq, Anthony; Guhel, Yannick; Houivet, David; Boudart, Bertrand; Lakiss, Hassan; Hamieh, Tayssir

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The fabricated sensor based on MgTiO 3 + LiF materials used the spin coating technology. • The response time is 70 s to detect variation between 5 and 95% relative humidity. • The addition of Scleroglucan controls the viscosity and decreases the roughness of thick film surface. • This humidity sensor is a promising, low-cost, high-quality, reliable ceramic films, that is highly sensitive to humidity. - Abstract: The feasibility of humidity sensor, consisting of a thick layer of MgTiO 3 /LiF materials on alumina substrate, was studied. The thermal analysis TGA-DTGA and dilatometric analysis worked out to confirm the sintering temperature. An experimental plan was applied to describe the effects of different parameters in the development of the thick film sensor. Structural and microstructural characterizations of the developed thick film were made. Rheological study with different amounts of a thickener (scleroglucan “sclg”), showing the behavior variation, as a function of sclg weight % was illustrated and rapprochement with the results of thickness variation as a function of angular velocity applied in the spin coater. The electrical and dielectric measurements confirmed the sensitivity of the elaborated thick film against moisture, along with low response time

Nanomechanical investigation of thin-film electroceramic/metal-organic framework multilayers

Science.gov (United States)

Best, James P.; Michler, Johann; Liu, Jianxi; Wang, Zhengbang; Tsotsalas, Manuel; Maeder, Xavier; Röse, Silvana; Oberst, Vanessa; Liu, Jinxuan; Walheim, Stefan; Gliemann, Hartmut; Weidler, Peter G.; Redel, Engelbert; Wöll, Christof

2015-09-01

Thin-film multilayer stacks of mechanically hard magnetron sputtered indium tin oxide (ITO) and mechanically soft highly porous surface anchored metal-organic framework (SURMOF) HKUST-1 were studied using nanoindentation. Crystalline, continuous, and monolithic surface anchored MOF thin films were fabricated using a liquid-phase epitaxial growth method. Control over respective fabrication processes allowed for tuning of the thickness of the thin film systems with a high degree of precision. It was found that the mechanical indentation of such thin films is significantly affected by the substrate properties; however, elastic parameters were able to be decoupled for constituent thin-film materials (EITO ≈ 96.7 GPa, EHKUST-1 ≈ 22.0 GPa). For indentation of multilayer stacks, it was found that as the layer thicknesses were increased, while holding the relative thickness of ITO and HKUST-1 constant, the resistance to deformation was significantly altered. Such an observation is likely due to small, albeit significant, changes in film texture, interfacial roughness, size effects, and controlling deformation mechanism as a result of increasing material deposition during processing. Such effects may have consequences regarding the rational mechanical design and utilization of MOF-based hybrid thin-film devices.

Effect of the thickness of a fluoropolymer film on the radiotically prepared fuel cell membranes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ko, Beom Seok; Sohn, Joon Yong; Nho, Young Chang; Shin, Jun Hwa [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jong Il [Chonbuk National University, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of)

2010-06-15

To observe the effect of the thickness of a fluoropolymer film on the radiotically prepared fuel cell membranes, fuel cell membranes with various thickness were prepared by simultaneous radiation grafting of styrene into polyethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) with various thicknesses (25, 50 and 100 {mu}m) and subsequent sulfonation. The physico-chemical properties of the prepared membranes such as ion exchange capacity, water uptake, distribution of sulfonic acid group were evaluated in the correlation with the thickness of ETFE film. In additions, proton conductivity and methanol permeability of the prepared membranes were also evaluated. The results revealed that the proton conductivity and methanol permeability of the prepared membranes were largely affected by the thickness of ETFE film utilized as a base film.

Effect of the thickness of a fluoropolymer film on the radiotically prepared fuel cell membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ko, Beom Seok; Sohn, Joon Yong; Nho, Young Chang; Shin, Jun Hwa; Kim, Jong Il

2010-01-01

To observe the effect of the thickness of a fluoropolymer film on the radiotically prepared fuel cell membranes, fuel cell membranes with various thickness were prepared by simultaneous radiation grafting of styrene into polyethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) with various thicknesses (25, 50 and 100 μm) and subsequent sulfonation. The physico-chemical properties of the prepared membranes such as ion exchange capacity, water uptake, distribution of sulfonic acid group were evaluated in the correlation with the thickness of ETFE film. In additions, proton conductivity and methanol permeability of the prepared membranes were also evaluated. The results revealed that the proton conductivity and methanol permeability of the prepared membranes were largely affected by the thickness of ETFE film utilized as a base film

The effect of film thickness and molecular structure on order and disorder in thin films of compositionally asymmetric block copolymers

Science.gov (United States)

Mishra, Vindhya

Directed self-assembly of thin film block copolymers offer a high throughput-low cost route to produce next generation lithographic devices, if one can bring the defect densities in the self assembled patterns below tolerance limits. However, the ability to control the nanoscale structure or morphology in thin film block copolymers presents challenges due to confinement effects on equilibrium behavior. Using structure characterization techniques such as grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), transmission electron and atomic force microscopy as well as self-consistent field theory, we have investigated how film thickness, annealing temperature and block copolymer structure affects the equilibrium behavior of asymmetric block copolymer films. Our studies have revealed the complicated dependence of order-disorder transitions, order-order transitions and symmetry transitions on film thickness. We found that the thickness dependent transition in the packing symmetry of spherical morphology diblock copolymers can be suppressed by blending with a small amount of majority block homopolymer, which allowed us to resolve the driving force behind this transition. Defect densities in, and the order-disorder transition temperature of, thin films of graphoepitaxially aligned diblock copolymer cylinders showed surprising sensitivity to the microdomain spacing. Methods to mitigate defect formation in thin films have been identified. The challenge of quantification of structural order in these systems was overcome using GISAXS, which allowed us to study the phenomena of disordering in two and three dimensions. Through studies on block copolymers which exhibit an order-order transition in bulk, we found that that subtle differences in the packing frustration of the spherical and cylindrical phases as well as the higher configurational entropy of free chain ends at the surface can drive the equilibrium configuration in thin films away from the stable bulk structure

Interferometric measurement of film thickness during bubble blowing

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Z.; Mandracchia, B.; Ferraro, V.; Tammaro, D.; Di Maio, E.; Maffettone, P. L.; Ferraro, P.

2017-06-01

In this paper, we propose digital holography in transmission configuration as an effective method to measure the time-dependent thickness of polymeric films during bubble blowing. We designed a complete set of experiments to measure bubble thickness, including the evaluation of the refractive index of the polymer solution. We report the measurement of thickness distribution along the film during the bubble formation process until the bubble`s rupture. Based on those data, the variation range and variation trend of bubble film thickness are clearly measured during the process of expansion to fracture is indicated.

Thermally generated metals for plasmonic coloring and surface-enhanced Raman sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Zhenping; Chen, Jian; Liu, Guiqiang; Wang, Yan; Liu, Yi; Tang, Li; Liu, Zhengqi

2018-03-01

Spectral coloring glass and its application on the surface-enhanced Raman scattering are demonstrated experimentally via a simple and moderate heat-treating of the top ultrathin gold film to create discrete nanoparticles, which can produce localized surface plasmon resonances and strong plasmonic near-field coupling effects. Ultrathin metal films with a wide range of thicknesses are investigated by different heat-treatment processes. The annealed metal films have been demonstrated with a series of spectral coloring responses. Moreover, the microscopy images of the metal film structures confirm the formation of distinct geometry features in these operation procedures. Densely packed nanoparticles are observed for the ultrathin metal film with the single-digit level of thickness. With increasing the film thickness over 10 nm, metallic clusters and porous morphologies can be obtained. Importantly, the metallic resonators can provide enhanced Raman scattering with the detection limit down to 10 - 7 molL - 1 of Rhodamine 6G molecules due to the excitation of plasmon resonances and strong near-field coupling effects. These features hold great potential for large-scale and low-cost production of colored glass and Raman substrate.

Use of cermet thin film resistors with nitride passivated metal insulator field effect transistor

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, G. A.; Harrap, V.

1971-01-01

Film deposition of cermet resistors on same chip with metal nitride oxide silicon field effect transistors permits protection of contamination sensitive active devices from contaminants produced in cermet deposition and definition processes. Additional advantages include lower cost, greater reliability, and space savings.

Characterization of Kerfless Linear Arrays Based on PZT Thick Film.

Science.gov (United States)

Zawada, Tomasz; Bierregaard, Louise Moller; Ringgaard, Erling; Xu, Ruichao; Guizzetti, Michele; Levassort, Franck; Certon, Dominique

2017-09-01

Multielement transducers enabling novel cost-effective fabrication of imaging arrays for medical applications have been presented earlier. Due to the favorable low lateral coupling of the screen-printed PZT, the elements can be defined by the top electrode pattern only, leading to a kerfless design with low crosstalk between the elements. The thick-film-based linear arrays have proved to be compatible with a commercial ultrasonic scanner and to support linear array beamforming as well as phased array beamforming. The main objective of the presented work is to investigate the performance of the devices at the transducer level by extensive measurements of the test structures. The arrays have been characterized by several different measurement techniques. First, electrical impedance measurements on several elements in air and liquid have been conducted in order to support material parameter identification using the Krimholtz-Leedom-Matthaei model. It has been found that electromechanical coupling is at the level of 35%. The arrays have also been characterized by a pulse-echo system. The measured sensitivity is around -60 dB, and the fractional bandwidth is close to 60%, while the center frequency is about 12 MHz over the whole array. Finally, laser interferometry measurements have been conducted indicating very good displacement level as well as pressure. The in-depth characterization of the array structure has given insight into the performance parameters for the array based on PZT thick film, and the obtained information will be used to optimize the key parameters for the next generation of cost-effective arrays based on piezoelectric thick film.

Clinical and cost-effectiveness of internal limiting membrane peeling for patients with idiopathic full thickness macular hole. Protocol for a Randomised Controlled Trial: FILMS (Full-thickness macular hole and Internal Limiting Membrane peeling Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cook Jonathan

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A full-thickness macular hole (FTMH is a common retinal condition associated with impaired vision. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs have demonstrated that surgery, by means of pars plana vitrectomy and post-operative intraocular tamponade with gas, is effective for stage 2, 3 and 4 FTMH. Internal limiting membrane (ILM peeling has been introduced as an additional surgical manoeuvre to increase the success of the surgery; i.e. increase rates of hole closure and visual improvement. However, little robust evidence exists supporting the superiority of ILM peeling compared with no-peeling techniques. The purpose of FILMS (Full-thickness macular hole and Internal Limiting Membrane peeling Study is to determine whether ILM peeling improves the visual function, the anatomical closure of FTMH, and the quality of life of patients affected by this disorder, and the cost-effectiveness of the surgery. Methods/Design Patients with stage 2–3 idiopathic FTMH of less or equal than 18 months duration (based on symptoms reported by the participant and with a visual acuity ≤ 20/40 in the study eye will be enrolled in this FILMS from eight sites across the UK and Ireland. Participants will be randomised to receive combined cataract surgery (phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation and pars plana vitrectomy with postoperative intraocular tamponade with gas, with or without ILM peeling. The primary outcome is distance visual acuity at 6 months. Secondary outcomes include distance visual acuity at 3 and 24 months, near visual acuity at 3, 6, and 24 months, contrast sensitivity at 6 months, reading speed at 6 months, anatomical closure of the macular hole at each time point (1, 3, 6, and 24 months, health related quality of life (HRQOL at six months, costs to the health service and the participant, incremental costs per quality adjusted life year (QALY and adverse events. Discussion FILMS will provide high quality evidence on the

Effects of accelerated degradation on metal supported thin film-based solid oxide fuel cell

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reolon, R. P.; Sanna, S.; Xu, Yu

2018-01-01

A thin film-based solid oxide fuel cell is deposited on a Ni-based metal porous support by pulsed laser deposition with a multi-scale-graded microstructure design. The fuel cell, around 1 μm in thickness, is composed of a stabilized-zirconia/doped-ceria bi-layered dense electrolyte and nanostruct......A thin film-based solid oxide fuel cell is deposited on a Ni-based metal porous support by pulsed laser deposition with a multi-scale-graded microstructure design. The fuel cell, around 1 μm in thickness, is composed of a stabilized-zirconia/doped-ceria bi-layered dense electrolyte......, electrochemical performances are steady, indicating the stability of the cell. Under electrical load, a progressive degradation is activated. Post-test analysis reveals both mechanical and chemical degradation of the cell. Cracks and delamination of the thin films promote a significant nickel diffusion and new...

Multifunctional thick-film structures based on spinel ceramics for environment sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vakiv, M; Hadzaman, I; Klym, H; Shpotyuk, O [Institute of Materials of SRC ' Carat' , 202 Stryjska str., Lviv, 79031 (Ukraine); Brunner, M, E-mail: shpotyuk@novas.lviv.ua, E-mail: klymha@yahoo.com [Fachhochschule Koeln/University of Applied Sciences, 2 Betzdorfer str., Koeln, 50679 (Germany)

2011-04-01

Temperature sensitive thick films based on spinel-type NiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4}-CuMn{sub 2}O{sub 4}-MnCo{sub 2}O{sub 4} manganites with p- and p{sup +}-types of electrical conductivity and their multilayer p{sup +}-p structures were studied. These thick-film elements possess good electrophysical characteristics before and after long-term ageing test at 170 deg. C. It is shown that degradation processes connected with diffusion of metallic Ag into film grain boundaries occur in one-layer p-and p{sup +}-conductive films. Some part of the p{sup +}-p structures were of high stability, the relative electrical drift being no more than 1 %.

Effects of copolymer composition, film thickness, and solvent vapor annealing time on dewetting of ultrathin block copolymer films.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Changchun; Wen, Gangyao; Li, Jingdan; Wu, Tao; Wang, Lina; Xue, Feifei; Li, Hongfei; Shi, Tongfei

2016-09-15

Effects of copolymer composition, film thickness, and solvent vapor annealing time on dewetting of spin-coated polystyrene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) films (dewetting of the films with different thicknesses occur via the spinodal dewetting and the nucleation and growth mechanisms, respectively. The PS-b-PMMA films rupture into droplets which first coalesce into large ones to reduce the surface free energy. Then the large droplets rupture into small ones to increase the contact area between PMMA blocks and acetone molecules resulting from ultimate migration of PMMA blocks to droplet surface, which is a novel dewetting process observed in spin-coated films for the first time. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Differential reflectometry of thin film metal oxides on copper, tungsten, molybdenum and chromium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Urban, F.K. III; Hummel, R.E.; Verink, E.D. Jr.

1982-01-01

A differential reflectometry study was undertaken to investigate the characteristics of thin oxide films on metal substrates. The oxides were produced by heating pure metals of copper, tungsten, molybdenum and chromium in dry oxygen. A new 'halfpolishing' technique was applied to obtain specimens with a step in oxide thickness in order to make them suitable for differential reflectometry. It was found that oxides formed this way yielded the same differential reflectograms as by electrochemical oxidation. A mathematical model involving the interaction of light with a thin corrosion product on metal substrates was applied to generate computer calculated differential reflectograms utilizing various optical constants and thicknesses of the assumed film. Three different thickness ranges have been identified. (a) For large film thicknesses, the differential reflectograms are distinguished by a sequence of interference peaks. (b) If the product of thickness and refraction index of the films is smaller than about 40 nm, no interference peaks are present. Any experimentally observed peaks in differential reflectograms of these films are caused entirely by electron interband transitions. (c) In an intermediate thickness range, superposition of interference and interband peaks are observed. (author)

Ceramic thick film humidity sensor based on MgTiO{sub 3} + LiF

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kassas, Ahmad, E-mail: a.kassas.mcema@ul.edu.lb [Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Veterinary Medicine, Laboratory of Materials, Catalysis, Environment and Analytical Methods (MCEMA), Faculty of Sciences and Doctoral School of Sciences and Technology (EDST), Lebanese University, Hariri Campus, Hadath, Beirut (Lebanon); Laboratoire Universitaire des Sciences Appliquées de Cherbourg (LUSAC), 50130 Cherbourg-Octeville (France); Bernard, Jérôme; Lelièvre, Céline; Besq, Anthony; Guhel, Yannick; Houivet, David; Boudart, Bertrand [Laboratoire Universitaire des Sciences Appliquées de Cherbourg (LUSAC), 50130 Cherbourg-Octeville (France); Lakiss, Hassan [Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Veterinary Medicine, Laboratory of Materials, Catalysis, Environment and Analytical Methods (MCEMA), Faculty of Sciences and Doctoral School of Sciences and Technology (EDST), Lebanese University, Hariri Campus, Hadath, Beirut (Lebanon); Faculty of Engineering, Section III, Hariri Campus, Hadath, Beirut (Lebanon); Hamieh, Tayssir [Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Veterinary Medicine, Laboratory of Materials, Catalysis, Environment and Analytical Methods (MCEMA), Faculty of Sciences and Doctoral School of Sciences and Technology (EDST), Lebanese University, Hariri Campus, Hadath, Beirut (Lebanon)

2013-10-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The fabricated sensor based on MgTiO{sub 3} + LiF materials used the spin coating technology. • The response time is 70 s to detect variation between 5 and 95% relative humidity. • The addition of Scleroglucan controls the viscosity and decreases the roughness of thick film surface. • This humidity sensor is a promising, low-cost, high-quality, reliable ceramic films, that is highly sensitive to humidity. - Abstract: The feasibility of humidity sensor, consisting of a thick layer of MgTiO{sub 3}/LiF materials on alumina substrate, was studied. The thermal analysis TGA-DTGA and dilatometric analysis worked out to confirm the sintering temperature. An experimental plan was applied to describe the effects of different parameters in the development of the thick film sensor. Structural and microstructural characterizations of the developed thick film were made. Rheological study with different amounts of a thickener (scleroglucan “sclg”), showing the behavior variation, as a function of sclg weight % was illustrated and rapprochement with the results of thickness variation as a function of angular velocity applied in the spin coater. The electrical and dielectric measurements confirmed the sensitivity of the elaborated thick film against moisture, along with low response time.

Screen printed thick film based pMUT arrays

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hedegaard, Tobias; Pedersen, T; Thomsen, Erik Vilain

2008-01-01

This article reports on the fabrication and characterization of lambda-pitched piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducer (pMUT) arrays fabricated using a unique process combining conventional silicon technology and low cost screen printing of thick film PZT. The pMUTs are designed as 8...

Self-Poling of BiFeO3 Thick Films.

Science.gov (United States)

Khomyakova, Evgeniya; Sadl, Matej; Ursic, Hana; Daniels, John; Malic, Barbara; Bencan, Andreja; Damjanovic, Dragan; Rojac, Tadej

2016-08-03

Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) is difficult to pole because of the combination of its high coercive field and high electrical conductivity. This problem is particularly pronounced in thick films. The poling, however, must be performed to achieve a large macroscopic piezoelectric response. This study presents evidence of a prominent and reproducible self-poling effect in few-tens-of-micrometer-thick BiFeO3 films. Direct and converse piezoelectric measurements confirmed that the as-sintered BiFeO3 thick films yield d33 values of up to ∼20 pC/N. It was observed that a significant self-poling effect only appears in cases when the films are heated and cooled through the ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition (Curie temperature TC ∼ 820 °C). These self-poled films exhibit a microstructure with randomly oriented columnar grains. The presence of a compressive strain gradient across the film thickness cooled from above the TC was experimentally confirmed and is suggested to be responsible for the self-poling effect. Finally, the macroscopic d33 response of the self-poled BiFeO3 film was characterized as a function of the driving-field frequency and amplitude.

Nanomechanical investigation of thin-film electroceramic/metal-organic framework multilayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Best, James P., E-mail: james.best@empa.ch, E-mail: engelbert.redel@kit.edu, E-mail: christof.woell@kit.edu; Michler, Johann; Maeder, Xavier [Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Laboratory for Mechanics of Materials and Nanostructures, Feuerwerkerstrasse 39, CH-3602 Thun (Switzerland); Liu, Jianxi; Wang, Zhengbang; Tsotsalas, Manuel; Liu, Jinxuan; Gliemann, Hartmut; Weidler, Peter G.; Redel, Engelbert, E-mail: james.best@empa.ch, E-mail: engelbert.redel@kit.edu, E-mail: christof.woell@kit.edu; Wöll, Christof, E-mail: james.best@empa.ch, E-mail: engelbert.redel@kit.edu, E-mail: christof.woell@kit.edu [Institute of Functional Interfaces (IFG), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Röse, Silvana [Preparative Macromolecular Chemistry, Institute for Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry (ICTP), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Engesserstrasse 18, 76128 Karlsruhe (Germany); Institute for Biological Interfaces (IBG), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Herrmann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Oberst, Vanessa [Institute of Applied Materials (IAM), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Walheim, Stefan [Institute of Nanotechnology (INT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany)

2015-09-07

Thin-film multilayer stacks of mechanically hard magnetron sputtered indium tin oxide (ITO) and mechanically soft highly porous surface anchored metal-organic framework (SURMOF) HKUST-1 were studied using nanoindentation. Crystalline, continuous, and monolithic surface anchored MOF thin films were fabricated using a liquid-phase epitaxial growth method. Control over respective fabrication processes allowed for tuning of the thickness of the thin film systems with a high degree of precision. It was found that the mechanical indentation of such thin films is significantly affected by the substrate properties; however, elastic parameters were able to be decoupled for constituent thin-film materials (E{sub ITO} ≈ 96.7 GPa, E{sub HKUST−1} ≈ 22.0 GPa). For indentation of multilayer stacks, it was found that as the layer thicknesses were increased, while holding the relative thickness of ITO and HKUST-1 constant, the resistance to deformation was significantly altered. Such an observation is likely due to small, albeit significant, changes in film texture, interfacial roughness, size effects, and controlling deformation mechanism as a result of increasing material deposition during processing. Such effects may have consequences regarding the rational mechanical design and utilization of MOF-based hybrid thin-film devices.

Nanomechanical investigation of thin-film electroceramic/metal-organic framework multilayers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Best, James P.; Michler, Johann; Maeder, Xavier; Liu, Jianxi; Wang, Zhengbang; Tsotsalas, Manuel; Liu, Jinxuan; Gliemann, Hartmut; Weidler, Peter G.; Redel, Engelbert; Wöll, Christof; Röse, Silvana; Oberst, Vanessa; Walheim, Stefan

2015-01-01

Thin-film multilayer stacks of mechanically hard magnetron sputtered indium tin oxide (ITO) and mechanically soft highly porous surface anchored metal-organic framework (SURMOF) HKUST-1 were studied using nanoindentation. Crystalline, continuous, and monolithic surface anchored MOF thin films were fabricated using a liquid-phase epitaxial growth method. Control over respective fabrication processes allowed for tuning of the thickness of the thin film systems with a high degree of precision. It was found that the mechanical indentation of such thin films is significantly affected by the substrate properties; however, elastic parameters were able to be decoupled for constituent thin-film materials (E ITO  ≈ 96.7 GPa, E HKUST−1  ≈ 22.0 GPa). For indentation of multilayer stacks, it was found that as the layer thicknesses were increased, while holding the relative thickness of ITO and HKUST-1 constant, the resistance to deformation was significantly altered. Such an observation is likely due to small, albeit significant, changes in film texture, interfacial roughness, size effects, and controlling deformation mechanism as a result of increasing material deposition during processing. Such effects may have consequences regarding the rational mechanical design and utilization of MOF-based hybrid thin-film devices

Electric field mapping inside metallized film capacitors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Dennis Achton; Popok, Vladimir; Pedersen, Kjeld

2015-01-01

(s) they suffered from accelerated testing. We have prepared film capacitors for analysis by micro-sectioning and verified the quality of the preparation procedure using optical and atomic force microscopy. The potential distribution in the layer structure (alternating 7 µm thick dielectric and 50-100 nm thick...... and durability and serves as verification that failure- and degradation mechanisms remain the same at different stress levels during accelerated testing. In this work we have used Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) to analyze metallized film capacitors with the purpose of determining the degradation mechanism...... metal) of a new capacitor was used as reference. KPFM measurements on the degraded capacitors showed a change in contact potential difference from -0.61V on the reference capacitor to 3.2V on the degraded ones, indicating that corrosion of the metallization had happened. Studies also showed that some...

Unexpected metal-insulator transition in thick Ca1-xSrxVO3 film on SrTiO3 (100) single crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Takayanagi, Makoto; Tsuchiya, Takashi; Namiki, Wataru; Ueda, Shigenori; Minohara, Makoto; Horiba, Koji; Kumigashira, Hiroshi; Terabe, Kazuya; Higuchi, Tohru

2018-03-01

Epitaxial Ca1-xSrxVO3 (0 ≦ x ≦ 1) thin films were grown on (100)-oriented SrTiO3 substrates by using the pulsed laser deposition technique. In contrast to the previous report that metal-insulator transition (MIT) in Ca1-xSrxVO3 (CSVO) was achieved only for extremely thin films (several nm thick), MIT was observed at 39, 72, and 113 K for films with a thickness of 50 nm. The electronic structure was investigated by hard and soft X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HX-PES and SX-PES). The difference between these PES results was significant due to the variation in an escape depth of photoelectrons of PES. While HX-PES showed that the V 2p3/2 spectra consisted of four peaks (V5+, V4+, V3+, and V2+/1+), SX-PES showed only three peaks (V5+, V4+, and V3+). This difference can be caused by a strain from the substrate, which leads to the chemical disorder (V5+, V4+, V3+, and V2+/1+). The thin film near the substrate is affected by the strain. The positive magnetoresistance is attributed to the effect of electron-electron interactions in the disorder system. Therefore, the emergence of MIT can be explained by the electron-electron interactions from the chemical disorder due to the strain.

CORROSION ANALYSIS OF METALLIZED FILMS AFTER PRINTING

OpenAIRE

Mr. Dhirender*1, Mr. Rajeev2 & Mr.Manoj3

2017-01-01

Print quality has always been a point of strong concern among printers and consumers. Metalized films have gain a wide spread popularity among printers because of its low cost and high usages in food packaging applications. But sometimes corrosion spoils the printed products causing huge financial loss to the printers or customers.This paper throws light on major causes of corrosion on metallized films and possible remedies for the same. The metallized films with polyester base were base coat...

Influence of Thickness on Ethanol Sensing Characteristics of Doctor-bladed Thick Film from Flame-made ZnO Nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sukon Phanichphant

2007-02-01

Full Text Available ZnO nanoparticles were produced by flame spray pyrolysis (FSP using zincnaphthenate as a precursor dissolved in toluene/acetonitrile (80/20 vol%. The particleproperties were analyzed by XRD, BET, and HR-TEM. The sensing films were produced bymixing the particles into an organic paste composed of terpineol and ethyl cellulose as avehicle binder and were fabricated by doctor-blade technique with various thicknesses (5,10, 15 μm. The morphology of the sensing films was analyzed by SEM and EDS analyses.The gas sensing characteristics to ethanol (25-250 ppm were evaluated as a function of filmthickness at 400°C in dry air. The relationship between thickness and ethanol sensingcharacteristics of ZnO thick film on Al2O3 substrate interdigitated with Au electrodes wereinvestigated. The effects of film thickness, as well as the cracking phenomenon, though,many cracks were observed for thicker sensing films. Crack widths increased withincreasing film thickness. The film thickness, cracking and ethanol concentration havesignificant effect on the sensing characteristics. The sensing characteristics with variousthicknesses were compared, showing the tendency of the sensitivity to ethanol decreasedwith increasing film thickness and response time. The relationship between gas sensingproperties and film thickness was discussed on the basis of diffusively and reactivity of thegases inside the oxide films. The thinnest sensing film (5 μm showed the highest sensitivityand the fastest response time (within seconds.

The effect of Cr buffer layer thickness on voltage generation of thin-film thermoelectric modules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mizoshiri, Mizue; Mikami, Masashi; Ozaki, Kimihiro

2013-01-01

The effect of Cr buffer layer thickness on the open-circuit voltage generated by thin-film thermoelectric modules of Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 (p-type) and Bi 2 Te 2.7 Se 0.3 (n-type) materials was investigated. A Cr buffer layer, whose thickness generally needs to be optimized to improve adhesion depending on the substrate surface condition, such as roughness, was deposited between thermoelectric thin films and glass substrates. When the Cr buffer layer was 1 nm thick, the Seebeck coefficients and electrical conductivity of 1 µm thermoelectric thin films with the buffer layers were approximately equal to those of the thermoelectric films without the buffer layers. When the thickness of the Cr buffer layer was 1 µm, the same as the thermoelectric films, the Seebeck coefficients of the bilayer films were reduced by an electrical current flowing inside the Cr buffer layer and the generation of Cr 2 Te 3 . The open-circuit voltage of the thin-film thermoelectric modules decreased with an increase in the thickness of the Cr buffer layer, which was primarily induced by the electrical current flow. The reduction caused by the Cr 2 Te 3 generation was less than 10% of the total voltage generation of the modules without the Cr buffer layers. The voltage generation of thin-film thermoelectric modules could be controlled by the Cr buffer layer thickness. (paper)

Surface Plasmon Waves on Thin Metal Films.

Science.gov (United States)

Craig, Alan Ellsworth

Surface-plasmon polaritons propagating on thin metal films bounded by dielectrics of nearly equal refractive indexes comprise two bound modes. Calculations indicate that, while the modes are degenerate on thick films, both the real and the imaginary components of the propagation constants for the modes split into two branches on successively thinner films. Considering these non-degenerate modes, the mode exhibiting a symmetric (antisymmetric) transverse profile of the longitudinally polarized electric field component, has propagation constant components both of which increase (decrease) with decreasing film thickness. Theoretical propagation constant eigenvalue (PCE) curves have been plotted which delineate this dependence of both propagation constant components on film thickness. By means of a retroreflecting, hemispherical glass coupler in an attenuated total reflection (ATR) configuration, light of wavelength 632.8 nm coupled to the modes of thin silver films deposited on polished glass substrates. Lorentzian lineshape dips in the plots of reflectance vs. angle of incidence indicate the presence of the plasmon modes. The real and imaginary components of the propagation constraints (i.e., the propagation constant and loss coefficient) were calculated from the angular positions and widths of the ATR resonances recorded. Films of several thicknesses were probed. Results which support the theoretically predicted curves were reported.

doped ZnO thick film resistors

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The characterization and ethanol gas sensing properties of pure and doped ZnO thick films were investigated. Thick films of pure zinc oxide were prepared by the screen printing technique. Pure zinc oxide was almost insensitive to ethanol. Thick films of Al2O3 (1 wt%) doped ZnO were observed to be highly sensitive to ...

Thick epitaxial CdTe films grown by close space sublimation on Ge substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Q; Haliday, D P; Tanner, B K; Brinkman, A W [Department of Physics, University of Durham. Science Site, Durham, DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Cantwell, B J; Mullins, J T; Basu, A [Durham Scientific Crystals Ltd., NetPark, Thomas Wright Way, Sedgefield, County Durham, TS21 3FD (United Kingdom)], E-mail: Q.Z.Jiang@durham.ac.uk

2009-01-07

This paper reports, for the first time, the successful growth of 200 {mu}m thick CdTe films on mis-oriented Ge(1 0 0) substrates by a cost-effective optimized close space sublimation method. It is found that, as the thickness increases to a few hundred micrometres, subgrains are formed probably as a result of the large density of dislocations and strain within the initial interfacial layers. The films are of high quality (x-ray rocking curve width {approx}100 arcsec) and high resistance ({approx}10{sup 9} {omega} cm), and are thus candidates for x-ray and {gamma}-ray detectors. (fast track communication)

Theoretical investigation of the thermodynamic properties of metallic thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hung, Vu Van; Phuong, Duong Dai; Hoa, Nguyen Thi; Hieu, Ho Khac

2015-01-01

The thermodynamic properties of metallic thin films with face-centered cubic structure at ambient conditions were investigated using the statistical moment method including the anharmonicity effects of thermal lattice vibrations. The analytical expressions of Helmholtz free energy, lattice parameter, linear thermal expansion coefficient, specific heats at the constant volume and constant pressure were derived in terms of the power moments of the atomic displacements. Numerical calculations of thermodynamic properties have been performed for Au and Al thin films and compared with those of bulk metals. This research proposes that thermodynamic quantities of thin films approach the values of bulk when the thickness of thin film is about 70 nm. - Highlights: • Thermodynamic properties of thin films were investigated using the moment method. • Expressions of Helmholtz energy, expansion coefficient, specific heats were derived. • Calculations for Au, Al thin films were performed and compared with those of bulks

Theoretical investigation of the thermodynamic properties of metallic thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hung, Vu Van [Vietnam Education Publishing House, 81 Tran Hung Dao, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Phuong, Duong Dai [Hanoi National University of Education, 136 Xuan Thuy, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Hoa, Nguyen Thi [University of Transport and Communications, Lang Thuong, Dong Da, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Hieu, Ho Khac, E-mail: hieuhk@duytan.edu.vn [Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, K7/25 Quang Trung, Danang (Viet Nam)

2015-05-29

The thermodynamic properties of metallic thin films with face-centered cubic structure at ambient conditions were investigated using the statistical moment method including the anharmonicity effects of thermal lattice vibrations. The analytical expressions of Helmholtz free energy, lattice parameter, linear thermal expansion coefficient, specific heats at the constant volume and constant pressure were derived in terms of the power moments of the atomic displacements. Numerical calculations of thermodynamic properties have been performed for Au and Al thin films and compared with those of bulk metals. This research proposes that thermodynamic quantities of thin films approach the values of bulk when the thickness of thin film is about 70 nm. - Highlights: • Thermodynamic properties of thin films were investigated using the moment method. • Expressions of Helmholtz energy, expansion coefficient, specific heats were derived. • Calculations for Au, Al thin films were performed and compared with those of bulks.

Influence of thickness on properties of plasticized oat starch films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melicia Cintia Galdeano

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of thickness (between 80 and 120 µm on apparent opacity, water vapor permeability and mechanical properties (tensile and puncture of oat starch films plasticized with glycerol, sorbitol, glycerol:sorbitol mixture, urea and sucrose. Films were stored under 11, 57, 76 and 90% relative humidity (RH to study the mechanical properties. It was observed that the higher the thickness, the higher was the opacity values. Films without the plasticizer were more opaque in comparison with the plasticized ones. Glycerol:sorbitol films presented increased elongation with increasing thickness at all RH. Puncture force showed a strong dependence on the film thickness, except for the films plasticized with sucrose. In general, thickness did not affect the water permeability.

Influence of cement film thickness on the retention of implant-retained crowns.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehl, Christian; Harder, Sönke; Steiner, Martin; Vollrath, Oliver; Kern, Matthias

2013-12-01

The main goal of this study was to establish a new, high precision procedure to evaluate the influence of cement film thickness on the retention of cemented implant-retained crowns. Ninety-six tapered titanium abutments (6° taper, 4.3 mm diameter, Camlog) were shortened to 4 mm. Computer-aided design was used to design the crowns, and selective laser sintering, using a cobalt-chromium alloy, was used to produce the crowns. This method used a focused high-energy laser beam to fuse a localized region of metal powder to build up the crowns gradually. Before cementing, preset cement film thicknesses of 15, 50, 80, or 110 μm were established. Glass ionomer, polycarboxylate, or resin cements were used for cementation. After 3 days storage in demineralized water, the retention of the crowns was measured in tension using a universal testing machine. The cement film thicknesses could be achieved with a high level of precision. Interactions between the factors cement and cement film thickness could be found (p ≤ 0.001). For all cements, crown retention decreased significantly between a cement film thickness of 15 and 50 μm (p ≤ 0.001). At 15 μm cement film thickness, the resin cement was the most retentive cement, followed by the polycarboxylate and then the glass ionomer cement (p ≤ 0.05). The results suggest that cement film thickness has an influence on the retentive strength of cemented implant-retained crowns. © 2013 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Indium-Nitrogen Codoped Zinc Oxide Thin Film Deposited by Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis on n-(111 Si Substrate: The Effect of Film Thickness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheng-Chang Yu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Indium-nitrogen codoped zinc oxide (INZO thin films were fabricated by spray pyrolysis deposition technique on n-(111 Si substrate with different film thicknesses at 450°C using a precursor containing zinc acetate, ammonium acetate, and indium nitrate with 1 : 3 : 0.05 at.% concentration. The morphology and structure studies were carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM and X-ray diffraction (XRD. The grain size of the films increased when increasing the film thickness. From XRD spectra, polycrystalline ZnO structure can be observed and the preferred orientation behavior varied from (002 to (101 as the film thickness increased. The concentration and mobility were investigated by Hall effect measurement. the p-type films with a hole mobility around 3 cm2V−1s−1 and hole concentration around 3×1019 cm−3 can be achieved with film thickness less than 385 nm. The n-type conduction with concentration 1×1020 cm−3 is observed for film with thickness 1089 nm. The defect states were characterized by photoluminescence. With temperature-dependent conductivity analysis, acceptor state with activation energy 0.139 eV dominate the p type conduction for thin INZO film. And the Zn-related shallow donors with activation energy 0.029 eV dominate the n-type conduction for the thick INZO film.

Temperature- and thickness-dependent elastic moduli of polymer thin films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ao Zhimin

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract The mechanical properties of polymer ultrathin films are usually different from those of their counterparts in bulk. Understanding the effect of thickness on the mechanical properties of these films is crucial for their applications. However, it is a great challenge to measure their elastic modulus experimentally with in situ heating. In this study, a thermodynamic model for temperature- (T and thickness (h-dependent elastic moduli of polymer thin films Ef(T,h is developed with verification by the reported experimental data on polystyrene (PS thin films. For the PS thin films on a passivated substrate, Ef(T,h decreases with the decreasing film thickness, when h is less than 60 nm at ambient temperature. However, the onset thickness (h*, at which thickness Ef(T,h deviates from the bulk value, can be modulated by T. h* becomes larger at higher T because of the depression of the quenching depth, which determines the thickness of the surface layer δ.

Radiation damage in nanostructured metallic films

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Kaiyuan

High energy neutron and charged particle radiation cause microstructural and mechanical degradation in structural metals and alloys, such as phase segregation, void swelling, embrittlement and creep. Radiation induced damages typically limit nuclear materials to a lifetime of about 40 years. Next generation nuclear reactors require materials that can sustain over 60 - 80 years. Therefore it is of great significance to explore new materials with better radiation resistance, to design metals with favorable microstructures and to investigate their response to radiation. The goals of this thesis are to study the radiation responses of several nanostructured metallic thin film systems, including Ag/Ni multilayers, nanotwinned Ag and nanocrystalline Fe. Such systems obtain high volume fraction of boundaries, which are considered sinks to radiation induced defects. From the viewpoint of nanomechanics, it is of interest to investigate the plastic deformation mechanisms of nanostructured films, which typically show strong size dependence. By controlling the feature size (layer thickness, twin spacing and grain size), it is applicable to picture a deformation mechanism map which also provides prerequisite information for subsequent radiation hardening study. And from the viewpoint of radiation effects, it is of interest to explore the fundamentals of radiation response, to examine the microstructural and mechanical variations of irradiated nanometals and to enrich the design database. More importantly, with the assistance of in situ techniques, it is appealing to examine the defect generation, evolution, annihilation, absorption and interaction with internal interfaces (layer interfaces, twin boundaries and grain boundaries). Moreover, well-designed nanostructures can also verify the speculation that radiation induced defect density and hardening show clear size dependence. The focus of this thesis lies in the radiation response of Ag/Ni multilayers and nanotwinned Ag

Microstructural Studies of Ni-P Thick Film Resistor Temperature Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barbara Holodnik

1986-01-01

Full Text Available Thick Ni-P films have been widely investigated at our Institute. This article tends to visualize by use of various microscopic methods how the growth and sintering of individual conducting grains, results in the formation of nickel dendrites responsible for the metallic character of electrical conduction.

Effect of nano-silver hydrogel coating film on deep partial thickness scald model of rabbit.

Science.gov (United States)

Xi, Peng; Li, Yan; Ge, Xiaojin; Liu, Dandan; Miao, Mingsan

2018-05-01

Observing the effect of nano-silver hydrogel coating film on deep partial thickness scald model of rabbit. We prepared boiling water scalded rabbits with deep II degree scald models and applied high, medium and low doses of nano-silver hydrogel coating film for different time and area. Then we compared the difference of burned paper weight before administration and after administration model burns, burn local skin irritation points infection, skin crusting and scabs from the time, and the impact of local skin tissue morphology. Rabbits deep II degree burn model successful modeling; on day 12, 18, high, medium and low doses of nano-silver hydrogel coating film significantly reduced skin irritation of rabbits infected with the integral value ( P  film group significantly decreased skin irritation, infection integral value ( P  film significantly reduced film rabbits' scalded skin crusting time ( P  film on the deep partial thickness burns has a significant therapeutic effect; external use has a significant role in wound healing.

Study of lead free ferroelectrics using overlay technique on thick film microstrip ring resonator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shridhar N. Mathad

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The lead free ferroelectrics, strontium barium niobates, were synthesized via the low cost solid state reaction method and their fritless thick films were fabricated by screen printing technique on alumina substrate. The X band response (complex permittivity at very high frequencies of Ag thick film microstrip ring resonator perturbed with strontium barium niobates (SrxBa1-xNb2O6 in form of bulk and thick film was measured. A new approach for determination of complex permittivity (ε′ and ε′′ in the frequency range 8–12 GHz, using perturbation of Ag thick film microstrip ring resonator (MSRR, was applied for both bulk and thick film of strontium barium niobates (SrxBa1-xNb2O6. The microwave conductivity of the bulk and thick film lie in the range from 1.779 S/cm to 2.874 S/cm and 1.364 S/cm to 2.296 S/cm, respectively. The penetration depth of microwave in strontium barium niobates is also reported.

Reliability assessment for metallized film pulse capacitors with accelerated degradation test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Jianyin; Liu Fang; Xi Wenjun; He Shaobo; Wei Xiaofeng

2011-01-01

The high energy density self-healing metallized film pulse capacitor has been applied to all kinds of laser facilities for their power conditioning systems, whose reliability is straightforward affected by the reliability level of capacitors. Reliability analysis of highly reliable devices, such as metallized film capacitors, is a challenge due to cost and time restriction. Accelerated degradation test provides a way to predict its life cost and time effectively. A model and analyses for accelerated degradation data of metallized film capacitors are described. Also described is a method for estimating the distribution of failure time. The estimation values of the unknown parameters in this model are 9.066 9 x 10 -8 and 0.022 1. Both the failure probability density function (PDF) and the cumulative distribution function (CDF) can be presented by this degradation failure model. Based on these estimation values and the PDF/CDF, the reliability model of the metallized film capacitors is obtained. According to the reliability model, the probability of the capacitors surviving to 20 000 shot is 0.972 4. (authors)

Black metal thin films by deposition on dielectric antireflective moth-eye nanostructures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Alexander Bruun; Caringal, Gideon Peter; Clausen, Jeppe Sandvik

2015-01-01

Although metals are commonly shiny and highly reflective, we here show that thin metal films appear black when deposited on a dielectric with antireflective moth-eye nanostructures. The nanostructures were tapered and close-packed, with heights in the range 300-600 nm, and a lateral, spatial...... frequency in the range 5-7 mu m(-1). A reflectance in the visible spectrum as low as 6%, and an absorbance of 90% was observed for an Al film of 100 nm thickness. Corresponding experiments on a planar film yielded 80% reflectance and 20% absorbance. The observed absorbance enhancement is attributed...... to a gradient effect causing the metal film to be antireflective, analogous to the mechanism in dielectrics and semiconductors. We find that the investigated nanostructures have too large spatial frequency to facilitate efficient coupling to the otherwise non-radiating surface plasmons. Applications...

Effect of thickness on structural and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garcés, F.A., E-mail: felipe.garces@santafe-conicet.gov.ar [Instituto de Física del Litoral (CONICET-UNL), Güemes 3450, Santa Fe S3000GLN (Argentina); Budini, N. [Instituto de Física del Litoral (CONICET-UNL), Güemes 3450, Santa Fe S3000GLN (Argentina); Arce, R.D.; Schmidt, J.A. [Instituto de Física del Litoral (CONICET-UNL), Güemes 3450, Santa Fe S3000GLN (Argentina); Facultad de Ingeniería Química, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santiago del Estero 2829, Santa Fe S3000AOM (Argentina)

2015-01-01

In this work, we have investigated the influence of thickness on structural and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO films. Transparent conducting oxide films were grown by the spray pyrolysis technique from precursors prepared via the sol–gel method. We determined the structural properties of the films by performing X-ray diffraction and mosaicity measurements, which evidenced an increase of disorder and inhomogeneity between crystalline domains as the films thickened. This behavior was contrasted with results obtained from electrical measurements and was attributed to plastic deformation of the films as their thickness increased. As a result, the carrier mobility, the optical gap and the activation energy are affected due to emerging grain boundaries and a higher degree of disorder. - Highlights: • Al-doped ZnO thin films on glass with different thicknesses • Film thickness affects the morphological and electrical properties. • Increasing time deposition allows modification of resistivity and Hall mobility. • Mosaicity between crystalline domains increases with film thickness.

Effect of thickness on structural and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcés, F.A.; Budini, N.; Arce, R.D.; Schmidt, J.A.

2015-01-01

In this work, we have investigated the influence of thickness on structural and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO films. Transparent conducting oxide films were grown by the spray pyrolysis technique from precursors prepared via the sol–gel method. We determined the structural properties of the films by performing X-ray diffraction and mosaicity measurements, which evidenced an increase of disorder and inhomogeneity between crystalline domains as the films thickened. This behavior was contrasted with results obtained from electrical measurements and was attributed to plastic deformation of the films as their thickness increased. As a result, the carrier mobility, the optical gap and the activation energy are affected due to emerging grain boundaries and a higher degree of disorder. - Highlights: • Al-doped ZnO thin films on glass with different thicknesses • Film thickness affects the morphological and electrical properties. • Increasing time deposition allows modification of resistivity and Hall mobility. • Mosaicity between crystalline domains increases with film thickness

Ferrimagnetic Tb-Fe Alloy Thin Films: Composition and Thickness Dependence of Magnetic Properties and All-Optical Switching

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Birgit eHebler

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Ferrimagnetic rare earth - transition metal Tb-Fe alloy thin films exhibit a variety of different magnetic properties, which depends strongly on composition and temperature. In this study, first the influence of the film thickness (5 - 85 nm on the sample magnetic properties was investigated in a wide composition range between 15 at.% and 38 at.% of Tb. From our results, we find that the compensation point, remanent magnetization, and magnetic anisotropy of the Tb-Fe films depend not only on the composition but also on the thickness of the magnetic film up to a critical thickness of about 20-30 nm. Beyond this critical thickness, only slight changes in magnetic properties are observed. This behavior can be attributed to a growth-induced modification of the microstructure of the amorphous films, which affects the short range order. As a result, a more collinear alignment of the distributed magnetic moments of Tb along the out-of-plane direction with film thickness is obtained. This increasing contribution of the Tb sublattice magnetization to the total sample magnetization is equivalent to a sample becoming richer in Tb and can be referred to as an effective composition. Furthermore, the possibility of all-optical switching, where the magnetization orientation of Tb-Fe can be reversed solely by circularly polarized laser pulses, was analyzed for a broad range of compositions and film thicknesses and correlated to the underlying magnetic properties.

One-step aerosol synthesis of nanoparticle agglomerate films: simulation of film porosity and thickness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maedler, Lutz; Lall, Anshuman A; Friedlander, Sheldon K

2006-01-01

A method is described for designing nanoparticle agglomerate films with desired film porosity and film thickness. Nanoparticle agglomerates generated in aerosol reactors can be directly deposited on substrates to form uniform porous films in one step, a significant advance over existing technologies. The effect of agglomerate morphology and deposition mechanism on film porosity and thickness are discussed. Film porosity was calculated for a given number and size of primary particles that compose the agglomerates, and fractal dimension. Agglomerate transport was described by the Langevin equation of motion. Deposition enhancing forces such as thermophoresis are incorporated in the model. The method was validated for single spherical particles using previous theoretical studies. An S-shape film porosity dependence on the particle Peclet number typical for spherical particles was also observed for agglomerates, but films formed from agglomerates had much higher porosities than films from spherical particles. Predicted film porosities compared well with measurements reported in the literature. Film porosities increased with the number of primary particles that compose an agglomerate and higher fractal dimension agglomerates resulted in denser films. Film thickness as a function of agglomerate deposition time was calculated from the agglomerate deposition flux in the presence of thermophoresis. The calculated film thickness was in good agreement with measured literature values. Thermophoresis can be used to reduce deposition time without affecting the film porosity

Thickness evaluation using a new relationship between film density and penetrated thickness in radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sung Sik; Kim, Young H.

2005-01-01

In order to improve the accuracies in the thickness evaluation using radiography, a new relationship between film density and penetrated thickness has been proposed, and experimental verification of the proposed relationship was carried out by using the X- and γ-ray radiographs of two carbon steel step wedges. A new parameter, the logarithmic gradient of film density, was defined in order to express the characteristics of the radiographic film for wider range of film density. A new relationship between the film density and the penetrated thickness were formulated using the logarithmic gradient of the film density. In experiment, the logarithmic gradient of the film density was independent on both the exposure and the film density and measured for the radiographic film used in the present work from the slope of the fitting lines for the same penetrated thickness. Experimental results verifies the accuracy of the proposed relationship between film density and the penetrated thickness for the range of film density from 1.0 to 3.5. The thickness can be more accurately determined by using the proposed relationship and the parameters determined by experiment. It is also found that the γ-ray having simple energy spectrum is more appropriate radiation source for the evaluation of the thickness from the film density of the radiograph

The effect of substrate orientation on the kinetics and thermodynamics of initial oxide-film growth on metals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reichel, Friederike

2007-11-19

This thesis addresses the effect of the parent metal-substrate orientation on the thermodynamics and kinetics of ultra-thin oxide-film growth on bare metals upon their exposure to oxygen gas at low temperatures (up to 650 K). A model description has been developed to predict the thermodynamically stable microstructure of a thin oxide film grown on its bare metal substrate as function of the oxidation conditions and the substrate orientation. For Mg and Ni, the critical oxide-film thickness is less than 1 oxide monolayer and therefore the initial development of an amorphous oxide phase on these metal substrates is unlikely. Finally, for Cu and densely packed Cr and Fe metal surfaces, oxide overgrowth is predicted to proceed by the direct formation and growth of a crystalline oxide phase. Further, polished Al single-crystals with {l_brace}111{r_brace}, {l_brace}100{r_brace} and {l_brace}110{r_brace} surface orientations were introduced in an ultra-high vacuum system for specimen processing and analysis. After surface cleaning and annealing, the bare Al substrates have been oxidized by exposure to pure oxygen gas. During the oxidation, the oxide-film growth kinetics has been established by real-time in-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry. After the oxidation, the oxide-film microstructures were investigated by angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and low energy electron diffraction. Finally, high-resolution transmission electron microscopic analysis was applied to study the microstructure and morphology of the grown oxide films on an atomic scale. (orig.)

Fatigue crack closure in submicron-thick freestanding copper films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondo, Toshiyuki; Ishii, Takaki; Hirakata, Hiroyuki; Minoshima, Kohji

2015-01-01

The fatigue crack closure in approximately 500-nm-thick freestanding copper films were investigated by in situ field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) observations of the fatigue crack opening/closing behavior at three stress ratios of R=0.1, 0.5, and 0.8 in the low–K max (maximum stress intensity factor) region of K max <4.5 MPam 1/2 . The direct observation of fatigue cracks clarified that crack closure occurred at R=0.1 and 0.5, while the fatigue crack was always open at R=0.8. Changes in the gage distance across the fatigue crack during a fatigue cycle were measured from the FESEM images, and the crack opening stress intensity factor K op was evaluated on the basis of the stress intensity factor K vs. the gage distance relationship. The effective stress intensity factor range ΔK eff =K max −K op was then evaluated. The R-dependence of the da/dN vs. ΔK eff relationship was smaller than that of the da/dN vs. ΔK relationship. This suggests that ΔK eff is a dominating parameter rather than ΔK in the fatigue crack propagation in the films. This paper is the first report on the presence of the fatigue crack closure in submicron-thick freestanding metallic films

Thick-film analysis: literature search and bibliography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gehman, R.W.

1981-09-01

A literature search was conducted to support development of in-house diagnostic testing of thick film materials for hybrid microcircuits. A background literature review covered thick film formulation, processing, structure, and performance. Important material properties and tests were identified and several test procedures were obtained. Several tests were selected for thick film diagnosis at Bendix Kansas City. 126 references

Sensor for thickness measurement of a liquid metal film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanc, R.

1984-04-01

Description, calibration and measuring method of a sensor for the measure of thin liquid metal depths in a temperature range of 0-500 0 C and for shift frequencies from 0 to 100 Hz; these sensors are based on the principle of induction-coil impedance variation, as a function of the thickness of an electrical conductor matter placed in the coil magnetic field [fr

Thickness dependent ferromagnetism in thermally decomposed NiO thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ravikumar, Patta; Kisan, Bhagaban; Perumal, Alagarsamy, E-mail: perumal@iitg.ernet.in

2016-11-15

We report the effects of film thickness, annealing temperature and annealing environments on thermal decomposition behavior and resulting magnetic properties of NiO (t=50–300 nm) thin films. All the NiO films were prepared directly on thermally oxidized Si at ambient temperature using magnetron sputtering technique and post annealed at different temperatures (T{sub A}) under vacuum and oxygen atmospheres. As-deposited films exhibit face centered cubic structure with large lattice constant due to strain induced during sputtering process. With increasing T{sub A}, the lattice constant decreases due to the release of strain and thickness dependent thermal decomposition reaction of NiO into Ni has been observed for the NiO films annealed at 500 °C under vacuum condition. As a result, the antiferromagnetic nature of the as-deposited NiO films transforms into ferromagnetic one with dominant thickness dependent ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature. In addition, the existence of both Ni and NiO phases in the annealed NiO films shows noticeable exchange bias under field cooling condition. The behavior of thermal decomposition was not observed for the NiO films annealed under oxygen condition which results in no detectable change in the magnetic properties. The observed results are discussed on the basis of thickness dependent thermal decomposition in NiO films with increasing T{sub A} and changing annealing conditions. - Highlights: • Preparation of highly strained single layer NiO films with different thicknesses. • Study the effects of annealing under different environments on crystal structure. • Understanding the origin of thickness dependent thermal decomposition reaction. • Investigate the role of thermal decomposition reaction on the magnetic properties. • Study the interaction between NiO and Ni phases on the exchange bias mechanism.

Effect of thickness on electrical properties of SILAR deposited SnS thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Akaltun, Yunus; Astam, Aykut; Cerhan, Asena; ćayir, Tuba

2016-03-01

Tin sulfide (SnS) thin films of different thickness were prepared on glass substrates by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method at room temperature using tin (II) chloride and sodium sulfide aqueous solutions. The thicknesses of the films were determined using spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements and found to be 47.2, 65.8, 111.0, and 128.7nm for 20, 25, 30 and 35 deposition cycles respectively. The electrical properties of the films were investigated using d.c. two-point probe method at room temperature and the results showed that the resistivity was found to decrease with increasing film thickness.

Nanopatterned Metallic Films for Use As Transparent Conductive Electrodes in Optoelectronic Devices

KAUST Repository

Catrysse, Peter B.

2010-08-11

We investigate the use of nanopatterned metallic films as transparent conductive electrodes in optoelectronic devices. We find that the physics of nanopatterned electrodes, which are often optically thin metallic films, differs from that of optically thick metallic films. We analyze the optical properties when performing a geometrical transformation that maintains the electrical properties. For one-dimensional patterns of metallic wires, the analysis favors tall and narrow wires. Our design principles remain valid for oblique incidence and readily carry over to two-dimensional patterns. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

TXRF analysis of trace metals in thin silicon nitride films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vereecke, G.; Arnauts, S.; Verstraeten, K.; Schaekers, M.; Heyrts, M.M.

2000-01-01

As critical dimensions of integrated circuits continue to decrease, high dielectric constant materials such as silicon nitride are being considered to replace silicon dioxide in capacitors and transistors. The achievement of low levels of metal contamination in these layers is critical for high performance and reliability. Existing methods of quantitative analysis of trace metals in silicon nitride require high amounts of sample (from about 0.1 to 1 g, compared to a mass of 0.2 mg for a 2 nm thick film on a 8'' silicon wafer), and involve digestion steps not applicable to films on wafers or non-standard techniques such as neutron activation analysis. A novel approach has recently been developed to analyze trace metals in thin films with analytical techniques currently used in the semiconductor industry. Sample preparation consists of three steps: (1) decomposition of the silicon nitride matrix by moist HF condensed at the wafer surface to form ammonium fluosilicate. (2) vaporization of the fluosilicate by a short heat treatment at 300 o C. (3) collection of contaminants by scanning the wafer surface with a solution droplet (VPD-DSC procedure). The determination of trace metals is performed by drying the droplet on the wafer and by analyzing the residue by TXRF, as it offers the advantages of multi-elemental analysis with no dilution of the sample. The lower limits of detection for metals in 2 nm thick films on 8'' silicon wafers range from about 10 to 200 ng/g. The present study will focus on the matrix effects and the possible loss of analyte associated with the evaporation of the fluosilicate salt, in relation with the accuracy and the reproducibility of the method. The benefits of using an internal standard will be assessed. Results will be presented from both model samples (ammonium fluoride contaminated with metallic salts) and real samples (silicon nitride films from a production tool). (author)

Application of X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF): thickness and chemical composition determination of thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scapin, Valdirene de Oliveira.

2004-01-01

In this work a procedure is described for thickness and quantitative chemical composition of thin films by wavelength dispersion X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) using Fundamental Parameters method. This method was validated according to quality assurance standard and applied sample Al, Cr, TiO2, Ni, ZrO2 (single thickness) and Ni/Cr (double thickness) on glass; Ni on steel and metallic zinc and TiO2 on metallic iron (single thickness), all the sample were prepared for physical deposition of vapor (PVD). The thickness had been compared with Absorption (FRX-A) and Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) methods; the result showed good efficiency of the fundamental parameters method. Sample structural characteristics analyzed by X ray diffraction (XRD) showed any influence in the thickness determinations. (author)

Advanced engineering materials and thick film hybrid circuit technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faisal, S.; Aslam, M.; Mehmood, K.

2006-01-01

The use of Thick Film hybrid Technology to manufacture electronic circuits and passive components continues to grow at rapid rate. Thick Film Technology can be viewed as a means of packaging active devices, spanning the gap between monolithic integrated circuit chips and printed circuit boards with attached active and passive components. An advancement in engineering materials has moved from a formulating art to a base of greater understanding of relationship of material chemistry to the details of electrical and mechanical performance. This amazing advancement in the field of engineering materials has brought us up to a magnificent standard that we are able to manufacture small size, low cost and sophisticated electronic circuits of Military, Satellite systems, Robotics, Medical and Telecommunications. (author)

Effect of film thickness, type of buffer layer, and substrate temperature on the morphology of dicyanovinyl-substituted sexithiophene films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Levin, Alexandr A., E-mail: alexander.levin@iapp.de [Institut fuer Angewandte Photophysik, Technische Universitaet Dresden, 01062 Dresden (Germany); Levichkova, Marieta [Institut fuer Angewandte Photophysik, Technische Universitaet Dresden, 01062 Dresden (Germany); Heliatek GmbH, 01187 Dresden (Germany); Hildebrandt, Dirk; Klisch, Marina; Weiss, Andre [Heliatek GmbH, 01187 Dresden (Germany); Wynands, David; Elschner, Chris [Institut fuer Angewandte Photophysik, Technische Universitaet Dresden, 01062 Dresden (Germany); Pfeiffer, Martin [Heliatek GmbH, 01187 Dresden (Germany); Leo, Karl; Riede, Moritz [Institut fuer Angewandte Photophysik, Technische Universitaet Dresden, 01062 Dresden (Germany)

2012-01-31

The influence of film thickness, type of buffer underlayer, and deposition substrate temperature on the crystal structure, microstructure, and morphology of the films of dicyanovinyl-substituted sexithiophene with four butyl-chains (DCV6T-Bu{sub 4}) is investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray reflectivity methods. A neat Si wafer or a Si wafer covered by a 15 nm buffer underlayer of fullerene C{sub 60} or 9,9-Bis[4-(N,N-bis-biphenyl-4-yl-amino)phenyl]-9H-fluorene (BPAPF) is used as a substrate. The crystalline nature and ordered molecular arrangement of the films are recorded down to 6 nm film thickness. By using substrates heated up to 90 Degree-Sign C during the film deposition, the size of the DCV6T-Bu{sub 4} crystallites in direction perpendicular to the film surface increases up to value of the film thickness. With increasing deposition substrate temperature or film thickness, the DCV6T-Bu{sub 4} film relaxes, resulting in reducing the interplane distances closer to the bulk values. For the films of the same thickness deposited at the same substrate temperature, the DCV6T-Bu{sub 4} film relaxes for growth on Si to BPAPF to C{sub 60}. Thicker films grown at heated substrates are characterized by smaller density, higher roughness and crystallinity and better molecular ordering. A thin (up to about 6 nm-thick) intermediate layer with linear density-gradient is formed at the C{sub 60}/DCV6T-Bu{sub 4} interface for the films with buffer C{sub 60} layer. The XRD pattern of the DCV6T-Bu{sub 4} powder is indexed using triclinic unit cell parameters.

Influence of processing parameters on PZT thick films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Oliver; Bandyopadhyay, Amit; Bose, Susmita

2005-01-01

We have studied influence of processing parameters on the microstructure and ferroelectric properties of lead zirconate titanate (PZT)-based thick films in the range of 5-25 μm. PZT and 2% La-doped PZT thick films were processed using a modified sol-gel process. In this process, PZT- and La-doped PZT powders were first prepared via sol-gel. These powders were calcined and then used with respective sols to form a slurry. Slurry composition was optimized to spin-coat thick films on platinized Si substrate (Si/SiO 2 /Ti/Pt). Spinning rate, acceleration and slurry deposition techniques were optimized to form thick films with uniform thickness and without any cracking. Increasing solids loading was found to enhance the surface smoothness of the film and decrease porosity. Films were tested for their electrical properties and ferroelectric fatigue response. The maximum polarization obtained was 40 μC/cm 2 at 250 kV/cm for PZT thick film and 30 μC/cm 2 at 450 kV/cm for La-doped PZT thick film. After 10 9 cycles of fatiguing at 35 kHz, La-doped PZT showed better resistance for ferroelectric fatigue compared with un-doped PZT films

Analytical approximate equations for the resistivity and its temperature coefficient in thin polycrystalline metallic films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tellier, C.R.; Tosser, A.J.

1977-01-01

In the usual thickness range of sputtered metallic films, analytical linearized approximate expressions of polycrystalline film resistivity and its t.c.r. are deduced from the Mayadas-Shatzkes theoretical equations. A good experimental fit is observed for Al rf sputtered metal films. (orig.) [de

Simple Methods for Production of Nanoscale Metal Oxide Films from Household Sources

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Dean J.; Baliss, Michelle S.; Hinman, Jordan J.; Ziegenhorn, John W.; Andrews, Mark J.; Stevenson, Keith J.

2013-01-01

Production of thin metal oxide films was recently explored as part of an outreach program with a goal of producing nanoscale structures with household items. Household items coated with various metals or titanium compounds can be heated to produce colorful films with nanoscale thicknesses. As part of a materials chemistry laboratory experiment…

Effect of the thickness reduction on the structural, surface and magnetic properties of α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aragón, Fermin F.H., E-mail: fherrera@fis.unb.br [Núcleo de Física Aplicada, Instituto de Física, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF 70910-900 (Brazil); Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear, CDTN, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Ardisson, José D. [Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear, CDTN, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Aquino, Juan C.R. [Núcleo de Física Aplicada, Instituto de Física, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF 70910-900 (Brazil); Gonzalez, Ismael; Macedo, Waldemar A.A. [Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear, CDTN, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Coaquira, José A.H.; Mantilla, John; Silva, Sebastião W. da; Morais, Paulo C. [Núcleo de Física Aplicada, Instituto de Física, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF 70910-900 (Brazil)

2016-05-31

Hematite (α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}) polycrystalline thin films of different thicknesses were produced by thermal oxidation in air atmosphere from Fe metallic thin-films deposited by radio frequency (RF) sputtering technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirm the formation of hematite phase in all samples and indicate that the mean grain size decreases as the film thickness becomes thinner. Conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS) spectra at room temperature show magnetic splitting (six line patterns). It is determined that the resonance peaks become broader and asymmetric as the film thickness decreases. This finding was associated with the structural disorder introduced by the thickness reduction. Magnetization as a function of the magnetic field curve obtained at 300 K shows the presence of a weak-ferromagnetic contribution, which was assigned to the large density of decompensated spins at the films surface. From the magnetization vs. temperature curves it has been determined that the Morin transition temperature (T{sub M}) is shifted from ~ 240 K to ~ 196 K, meanwhile it becomes more broadened as the film thickness decreases. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements show the presence of Fe{sup 2+} ions coexisting with Fe{sup 3+} ions whose population increases as the film becomes thinner. The density of chemisorbed oxygen increases as the film thickness is reduced in agreement with the results obtained from the other measurements in this work. - Highlights: • Hematite thin films with different thickness were deposited by RF sputtering technique. • X-ray diffraction patterns confirm the formation of hematite phase in all samples. • Hysteresis curve at 300 K shows the presence of a weak-ferromagnetic phase. • XPS show the presence of Fe{sup 2+} ions coexisting with Fe{sup 3+} ions.

The Thickness Dependence of Optical Constants of Ultrathin Iron Films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Shang; Lian Jie; Wang Xiao; Li Ping; Sun Xiao-Fen; Li Qing-Hao

2013-01-01

Ultrathin iron films with different thicknesses from 7.1 to 51.7 nm are deposited by magnetron sputtering and covered by tantalum layers protecting them from being oxidized. These ultrathin iron films are studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry and transmittance measurement. An extra tantalum film is deposited under the same sputtering conditions and its optical constants and film thickness are obtained by a combination of ellipsometry and transmission measurement. After introducing these obtained optical constants and film thickness into the tantalum-iron film, the optical constants and film thicknesses of ultrathin iron films with different thicknesses are obtained. The results show that combining ellipsometry and transmission measurement improves the uniqueness of the obtained film thickness. The optical constants of ultrathin iron films depend strongly on film thicknesses. There is a broad absorption peak at about 370 nm and it shifts to 410 nm with film thickness decreasing

Thickness dependent structural, magnetic and magneto-transport properties of epitaxial Nd{sub 0.50}Sr{sub 0.50}MnO{sub 3} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, Pawan, E-mail: p.kumar@krmangalam.edu.in [School of Basic and Applied Sciences, K. R. Mangalam University, Sohna Road, Gurgaon, Haryana 122103 (India); Singh, Hari Krishna, E-mail: hks65@nplindia.org [CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K. S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi 110012 (India)

2016-05-06

We report the thickness-dependent structural, magnetic and magneto-transport properties in epitaxial Nd{sub 0.50}Sr{sub 0.50}MnO{sub 3} thin films (10 to 300nm) prepared by DC magnetron sputtering technique on single crystalline (001) oriented substrate LaAlO{sub 3}. X-ray diffraction pattern reveals the epitaxial growth of all the films and the out-of-plane lattice parameter of films were found to increase with thickness. As thickness of the film increases the paramagnetic insulator (PMI) to ferromagnetic metal (FMM) transition temperature (T{sub C}), charge ordered transition temperature (T{sub CO}) and magnetic moment were found to increase with a strong bifurcation in ZFC-FC magnetization. The asymmetry in the coercivity seen in field dependent magnetization loops (M-H loops) suggests the presence of exchange bias (EB) effect. While temperature dependent resistivity of films show the semiconducting nature for thickness 10-200nm in temperature range from 5-300K, the film of thickness 300nm shows the insulator to metal transition with transition temperature (T{sub IM}) at 175K. Temperature dependent low field magnetoresistance (LFMR) measured at 4kOe found to decrease with thickness and for high field magnetoresistance (HFMR) at 40kOe and 60kOe also show similar dependence and a crossover at intermediate temperature range in the magnitude of MR between 10nm and 200nm films at constant field. Colossal increase in magnetoresistance observed for 10nm film at low temperature.

Enhanced off-resonance magnetoelectric response in laser annealed PZT thick film grown on magnetostrictive amorphous metal substrate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palneedi, Haribabu [Materials Interface Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of); Functional Ceramics Group, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon 641-831 (Korea, Republic of); Maurya, Deepam; Priya, Shashank [Bio-inspired Materials and Devices Laboratory (BMDL), Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems (CEHMS), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 (United States); Kim, Gi-Yeop; Choi, Si-Young, E-mail: youngchoi@kims.re.kr [Materials Modeling and Characterization Department, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon 641-831 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Suk-Joong L. [Materials Interface Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Kwang-Ho [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 609-735 (Korea, Republic of); Ryu, Jungho, E-mail: jhryu@kims.re.kr [Functional Ceramics Group, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon 641-831 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-07-06

A highly dense, 4 μm-thick Pb(Zr,Ti)O{sub 3} (PZT) film is deposited on amorphous magnetostrictive Metglas foil (FeBSi) by granule spray in vacuum process at room temperature, followed by its localized annealing with a continuous-wave 560 nm ytterbium fiber laser radiation. This longer-wavelength laser radiation is able to anneal the whole of thick PZT film layer without any deteriorative effects, such as chemical reaction and/or atomic diffusion, at the interface and crystallization of amorphous Metglas substrate. Greatly enhanced dielectric and ferroelectric properties of the annealed PZT are attributed to its better crystallinity and grain growth induced by laser irradiation. As a result, a colossal off-resonance magnetoelectric (ME) voltage coefficient that is two orders of magnitude larger than previously reported output from PZT/Metglas film-composites is achieved. The present work addresses the problems involved in the fabrication of PZT/Metglas film-composites and opens up emerging possibilities in employing piezoelectric materials with low thermal budget substrates (suitable for integrated electronics) and designing laminate composites for ME based devices.

Influence of film thickness on structural, optical, and electrical properties of spray deposited antimony doped SnO{sub 2} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yadav, Abhijit A., E-mail: aay_physics@yahoo.co.in

2015-09-30

Transparent conducting antimony doped SnO{sub 2} thin films with varying thickness were deposited by chemical spray pyrolysis technique from non-aqueous solvent Propan-2-ol. The effect of film thickness on the properties of antimony doped SnO{sub 2} thin films have been studied. X-ray diffraction measurements showed tetragonal crystal structure of as-deposited antimony doped SnO{sub 2} films irrespective of film thickness. The surface morphology of antimony doped SnO{sub 2} thin film is spherical with the continuous distribution of grains. Electrical and optical properties were investigated by Hall Effect and optical measurements. The average optical transmittance of films decreased from 89% to 73% within the visible range (350–850 nm) with increase in film thickness. The minimum value of sheet resistance observed is 4.81 Ω/cm{sup 2}. The lowest resistivity found is 3.76 × 10{sup −4} Ω cm at 660 nm film thickness. - Highlights: • Effect of film thickness on the properties of antimony doped SnO{sub 2} thin films • Crystalline size in the range of 34–37 nm • Average transmittance decreased from 89% to 73% in the visible region. • Minimum sheet resistance of 4.81 Ω/cm{sup 2} • Lowest resistivity is found to be 3.76 × 10{sup −4} Ω cm at 660 nm film thickness.

Thickness dependence of Hall mobility of HWE grown PbTe films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaya, P.R.; Majhi, J.; Gopalam, B.S.V.; Dattatreyan, C.

1985-01-01

Thin epitaxial n-PbTe films of various thicknesses are grown on KCl substrates by hot wall epitaxy (HWE) technique. The X-ray, SEM and TEM studies of these films revealed their single crystalline nature. The Hall mobility (μ/sub H/) of these films is measured by Van der Pauw technique and compared with the numerically calculated values of PbTe. It is observed that μ/sub H/ very strongly depends on thickness for thin films but becomes independent of film thickness beyond 5 μm approaching its bulk value. The constant value of Hall coefficient in the temperature range 77 to 300 K show the extrinsic nature of these films. It is also noticed that the rate of increase of mobility with decreasing temperature becomes higher with film thickness. The diffused scattering mobility due to the size effect is calculated and compared with experimental data. A large discrepancy observed between these two is explained on the basis of the residual mobility contribution. The residual mobility is attributed to overall scattering due to grain boundaries, dislocations, defects, cleavage steps, and other surface effects. (author)

A study on the evolution of dielectric function of ZnO thin films with decreasing film thickness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, X. D.; Chen, T. P.; Liu, P.; Liu, Y.; Liu, Z.; Leong, K. C.

2014-01-01

Dielectric function, band gap, and exciton binding energies of ultrathin ZnO films as a function of film thickness have been obtained with spectroscopic ellipsometry. As the film thickness decreases, both real (ε 1 ) and imaginary (ε 2 ) parts of the dielectric function decrease significantly, and ε 2 shows a blue shift. The film thickness dependence of the dielectric function is shown related to the changes in the interband absorption, discrete-exciton absorption, and continuum-exciton absorption, which can be attributed to the quantum confinement effect on both the band gap and exciton binding energies

A study of using femtosecond LIBS in analyzing metallic thin film-semiconductor interface

Science.gov (United States)

Galmed, A. H.; Kassem, A. K.; von Bergmann, H.; Harith, M. A.

2011-01-01

Metals and metal alloys are usually employed as interconnections to guide electrical signals between components into the very large scale integrated (VLSI) devices. These devices demand higher complexity, better performance and lower cost. Thin film is a common geometry for these metallic applications, requiring a substrate for rigidity. Accurate depth profile analysis of coatings is becoming increasingly important with expanding industrial use in technological fields. A number of articles devoted to LIBS applications for depth-resolved analysis have been published in recent years. In the present work, we are studying the ability of femtosecond LIBS to make depth profiling for a Ti thin film of thickness 213 nm deposited onto a silicon (100) substrate before and after thermal annealing. The measurements revealed that an average ablation rates of 15 nm per pulse have been achieved. The thin film was examined using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), while the formation of the interface was examined using Rutherford Back Scattering (RBS) before and after annealing. To verify the depth profiling results, a theoretical simulation model is presented that gave a very good agreement with the experimental results.

Synthesis of metal-organic framework films by pore diffusion method

Science.gov (United States)

Murayama, Naohiro; Nishimura, Yuki; Kajiro, Hiroshi; Kishida, Satoru; Kinoshita, Kentaro; Tottori Univ Team; Nippon Steel; Sumitomo Metal Co. Collaboration; Tottori Integrated Frontier Resaerch Center (Tifrec) Collaboration; Tottori University Electronic Display Resaerch Center (Tedrec) Collaboration

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) presents high controllability in designing the nano-scale pore, and this enable molecular storages, catalysts, gas sensors, gas separation membranes, and electronic devices for next-generation. Therefore, a simple method for film synthesis of MOFs compared with conventional methods [1] is strongly required. In this paper, we provide pore diffusion method, in which a substrate containing constituent metals of MOF is inserted in solution that includes only linker molecules of MOF. As a result, 2D growth of MOF was effectively enhanced, and the formation of flat and dense MOF films was attained. The growth time, t, dependence of film thickness, d, can be expressed by the relation of d = Aln(t + 1) + B, where A and B are constants. It means that ionized coppers diffuse through the pores of MOFs and the synthesis reaction proceeds at the MOF/solvent interface. We demonstrated the fabrication of a HKUST-1/Cu-TPA hetero structure by synthesizing a Cu-TPA film continuously after the growth of a HKUST-1 film on the CuOx substrate.

Film-thickness and composition dependence of epitaxial thin-film PZT-based

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nguyen, Duc Minh; Dekkers, Jan M.; Vu, Hung Ngoc; Rijnders, Augustinus J.H.M.

2013-01-01

The transverse piezoelectric coefficient e31,f and mass-sensitivity were measured on piezoelectric cantilevers based on epitaxial PZT thin-films with film-thicknesses ranging from 100 to 2000 nm. The highest values of e31,f and mass-sensitivity were observed at a film thickness of 500–750 nm, while

Thickness Dependence of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction in Co2 FeAl Ultrathin Films: Effects of Annealing Temperature and Heavy-Metal Material

Science.gov (United States)

Belmeguenai, M.; Roussigné, Y.; Bouloussa, H.; Chérif, S. M.; Stashkevich, A.; Nasui, M.; Gabor, M. S.; Mora-Hernández, A.; Nicholson, B.; Inyang, O.-O.; Hindmarch, A. T.; Bouchenoire, L.

2018-04-01

The interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (IDMI) is investigated in Co2FeAl (CFA) ultrathin films of various thicknesses (0.8 nm ≤tCFA≤2 nm ) grown by sputtering on Si substrates, using Pt, W, Ir, and MgO buffer or/and capping layers. Vibrating sample magnetometry reveals that the magnetization at saturation (Ms ) for the Pt- and Ir-buffered films is higher than the usual Ms of CFA due to the proximity-induced magnetization (PIM) in Ir and Pt estimated to be 19% and 27%, respectively. The presence of PIM in these materials is confirmed using x-ray resonant magnetic reflectivity. Moreover, while no PIM is induced in W, higher PIM is obtained with Pt when it is used as a buffer layer rather than a capping layer. Brillouin light scattering in the Damon-Eshbach geometry is used to investigate the thickness dependences of the IDMI constants from the spin-wave nonreciprocity and the perpendicular anisotropy field versus the annealing temperature. The IDMI sign is found to be negative for Pt /CFA and Ir /CFA , while it is positive for W /CFA . The thickness dependence of the effective IDMI constant for stacks involving Pt and W shows the existence of two regimes similar to that of the perpendicular anisotropy constant due to the degradation of the interfaces as the CFA thickness approaches a critical thickness. The surface IDMI and anisotropy constants of each stack are determined for the thickest samples where a linear thickness dependence of the effective IDMI constant and the effective magnetization are observed. The interface anisotropy and IDMI constants investigated for the Pt /CFA /MgO system show different trends with the annealing temperature. The decrease of the IDMI constant with increasing annealing temperature is probably due to the electronic structure changes at the interfaces, while the increase of the interface anisotropy constant is coherent with the interface quality and disorder enhancement.

Mechanical properties of ultra thin metallic films revealed by synchrotron techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gruber, Patric Alfons

2007-07-20

A prerequisite for the study of the scaling behavior of mechanical properties of ultra thin films is a suitable testing technique. Therefore synchrotron-based in situ testing techniques were developed and optimized in order to characterize the stress evolution in ultra thin metallic films on compliant polymer substrates during isothermal tensile tests. Experimental procedures for polycrystalline as well as single crystalline films were established. These techniques were used to systematically investigate the influence of microstructure, film thickness (20 to 1000 nm) and temperature (-150 to 200 C) on the mechanical properties. Passivated and unpassivated Au and Cu films as well as single crystalline Au films on polyimide substrates were tested. Special care was also dedicated to the microstructural characterization of the samples which was very important for the correct interpretation of the results of the mechanical tests. Down to a film thickness of about 100 to 200 nm the yield strength increased for all film systems (passivated and unpassivated) and microstructures (polycrystalline and singlecrystalline). The influence of different interfaces was smaller than expected. This could be explained by a dislocation source model based on the nucleation of perfect dislocations. For polycrystalline films the film thickness as well as the grain size distribution had to be considered. For smaller film thicknesses the increase in flow stress was weaker and the deformation behavior changed because the nucleation of perfect dislocations became unfavorable. Instead, the film materials used alternative mechanisms to relieve the high stresses. For regular and homogeneous deformation the total strain was accommodated by the nucleation and motion of partial dislocations. If the deformation was localized due to initial cracks in a brittle interlayer or local delamination, dislocation plasticity was not effective enough to relieve the stress concentration and the films showed

Effect of thickness on the structural and optical properties of CuO thin films grown by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akaltun, Yunus

2015-01-01

CuO thin films were synthesised on glass substrates at room temperature using successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The effect of film thickness on characteristic parameters such as the structural, morphological and optical properties of the films was investigated. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies showed that all of the films exhibited polycrystalline structure with monoclinic phases and covered the glass substrates well. The crystalline and morphology of the films improved with increasing film thickness. The optical band gap decreased from 2.03 to 1.79 eV depending on the film thickness. The refractive index (n), electron effective mass (m_e"⁎/m_o) and static and frequency dielectric constants (ε_o, ε_∞) were determined using the energy band gap values. - Highlights: • CuO thin films were deposited using SILAR method. • The electron effective mass, refractive index, dielectric constant values were calculated. • Characterisation of the films has been performed using XRD, SEM, Raman and optical measurements. • The d values of the planes of with thickness show no variation.

Effect of the thickness and hydrogen treatment on the properties of Ga-doped ZnO transparent conductive films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Min-Jung; Lim, Jinhyong; Bang, Jungsik; Lee, Woong; Myoung, Jae-Min

2008-01-01

Combined effects of the thickness and hydrogen post-annealing treatment on the structural, electrical, and optical properties of Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) films were investigated as a potential substitute for indium tin oxide transparent conductive oxide. In the as-deposited films, microstructural evolution initially improved the crystallinity up to the thickness of 160 nm accompanying enhanced electrical and optical properties, but further thickness increase resulted in the deterioration of these properties attributable to the development of ZnGa 2 O 4 and Ga 2 O 3 phases originating from the excessive amount of the Ga dopant. Post-annealing treatment of the GZO films in a hydrogen atmosphere improved the electrical and optical properties substantially through possible reduction of the oxide phases and passivation of the surfaces and grain boundaries. In this case, electrical and optical properties remained almost similar for the thickness above 160 nm indicating that there exists a certain optimal film thickness.

Enhanced electron emission from coated metal targets: Effect of surface thickness on performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saibabu Madas

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In this work, we establish an analytical formalism to address the temperature dependent electron emission from a metallic target with thin coating, operating at a finite temperature. Taking into account three dimensional parabolic energy dispersion for the target (base material and suitable thickness dependent energy dispersion for the coating layer, Fermi Dirac statistics of electron energy distribution and Fowler’s mechanism of the electron emission, we discuss the dependence of the emission flux on the physical properties such as the Fermi level, work function, thickness of the coating material, and operating temperature. Our systematic estimation of how the thickness of coating affects the emission current demonstrates superior emission characteristics for thin coating layer at high temperature (above 1000 K, whereas in low temperature regime, a better response is expected from thicker coating layer. This underlying fundamental behavior appears to be essentially identical for all configurations when work function of the coating layer is lower than that of the bulk target work function. The analysis and predictions could be useful in designing new coated materials with suitable thickness for applications in the field of thin film devices and field emitters.

Enhanced electron emission from coated metal targets: Effect of surface thickness on performance

Science.gov (United States)

Madas, Saibabu; Mishra, S. K.; Upadhyay Kahaly, Mousumi

2018-03-01

In this work, we establish an analytical formalism to address the temperature dependent electron emission from a metallic target with thin coating, operating at a finite temperature. Taking into account three dimensional parabolic energy dispersion for the target (base) material and suitable thickness dependent energy dispersion for the coating layer, Fermi Dirac statistics of electron energy distribution and Fowler's mechanism of the electron emission, we discuss the dependence of the emission flux on the physical properties such as the Fermi level, work function, thickness of the coating material, and operating temperature. Our systematic estimation of how the thickness of coating affects the emission current demonstrates superior emission characteristics for thin coating layer at high temperature (above 1000 K), whereas in low temperature regime, a better response is expected from thicker coating layer. This underlying fundamental behavior appears to be essentially identical for all configurations when work function of the coating layer is lower than that of the bulk target work function. The analysis and predictions could be useful in designing new coated materials with suitable thickness for applications in the field of thin film devices and field emitters.

Thickness effect on the structure, grain size, and local piezoresponse of self-polarized lead lanthanum zirconate titanate thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Melo, M.; Araújo, E. B., E-mail: eudes@dfq.feis.unesp.br [Departamento de Física e Química, Faculdade de Engenharia de Ilha Solteira, UNESP—Univ. Estadual Paulista, 15385-000 Ilha Solteira, SP (Brazil); Shvartsman, V. V. [Institute for Materials Science, University Duisburg-Essen, 45141 Essen (Germany); Shur, V. Ya. [Institute of Natural Sciences, Ural Federal University, 620000 Ekaterinburg (Russian Federation); Kholkin, A. L. [Institute of Natural Sciences, Ural Federal University, 620000 Ekaterinburg (Russian Federation); Department of Physics and CICECO—Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal)

2016-08-07

Polycrystalline lanthanum lead zirconate titanate (PLZT) thin films were deposited on Pt/TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2}/Si substrates to study the effects of the thickness and grain size on their structural and piezoresponse properties at nanoscale. Thinner PLZT films show a slight (100)-orientation tendency that tends to random orientation for the thicker film, while microstrain and crystallite size increases almost linearly with increasing thickness. Piezoresponse force microscopy and autocorrelation function technique were used to demonstrate the existence of local self-polarization effect and to study the thickness dependence of correlation length. The obtained results ruled out the bulk mechanisms and suggest that Schottky barriers near the film-substrate are likely responsible for a build-in electric field in the films. Larger correlation length evidence that this build-in field increases the number of coexisting polarization directions in larger grains leading to an alignment of macrodomains in thinner films.

A highly efficient surface plasmon polaritons excitation achieved with a metal-coupled metal-insulator-metal waveguide

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongyan Yang

2014-12-01

Full Text Available We propose a novel metal-coupled metal-insulator-metal (MC-MIM waveguide which can achieve a highly efficient surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs excitation. The MC-MIM waveguide is formed by inserting a thin metal film in the insulator of an MIM. The introduction of the metal film, functioning as an SPPs coupler, provides a space for the interaction between SPPs and a confined electromagnetic field of the intermediate metal surface, which makes energy change and phase transfer in the metal-dielectric interface, due to the joint action of incomplete electrostatic shielding effect and SPPs coupling. Impacts of the metal film with different materials and various thickness on SPPs excitation are investigated. It is shown that the highest efficient SPPs excitation is obtained when the gold film thickness is 60 nm. The effect of refractive index of upper and lower symmetric dielectric layer on SPPs excitation is also discussed. The result shows that the decay value of refractive index is 0.3. Our results indicate that this proposed MC-MIM waveguide may offer great potential in designing a new SPPs source.

The effect of the film thickness and doping content of SnO2:F thin films prepared by the ultrasonic spray method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahal Achour; Benramache Said; Benhaoua Boubaker

2013-01-01

This paper reports on the effects of film thickness and doping content on the optical and electrical properties of fluorine-doped tin oxide. Tin (II) chloride dehydrate, ammonium fluoride dehydrate, ethanol and HCl were used as the starting materials, dopant source, solvent and stabilizer, respectively. The doped films were deposited on a glass substrate at different concentrations varying between 0 and 5 wt% using an ultrasonic spray technique. The SnO 2 :F thin films were deposited at a 350 °C pending time (5, 15, 60 and 90 s). The average transmission was about 80%, and the films were thus transparent in the visible region. The optical energy gap of the doped films with 2.5 wt% F was found to increase from 3.47 to 3.89 eV with increasing film thickness, and increased after doping at 5 wt%. The decrease in the Urbach energy of the SnO 2 :F thin films indicated a decrease in the defects. The increase in the electrical conductivity of the films reached maximum values of 278.9 and 281.9 (Ω·cm) −1 for 2.5 and 5 wt% F, respectively, indicating that the films exhibited an n-type semiconducting nature. A systematic study on the influence of film thickness and doping content on the properties of SnO 2 :F thin films deposited by ultrasonic spray was reported. (semiconductor materials)

Effect of thickness on structure, microstructure, residual stress and soft magnetic properties of DC sputtered Fe65Co35 soft magnetic thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prasanna Kumari, T.; Manivel Raja, M.; Kumar, Atul; Srinath, S.; Kamat, S.V.

2014-01-01

The effect of film thickness on structure, microstructure, residual stress and soft magnetic properties of Fe 65 Co 35 thin films deposited on Si(001) and MgO(001) substrates was investigated by varying film thickness from 30 to 600 nm. X-ray diffraction studies showed that the FeCo films are polycrystalline in the as-deposited condition irrespective of deposition on Si or MgO substrate. The microstructure of films consisted of spherical grains for 30 nm film thickness and columnar grains for all other film thicknesses. The grain size for the films was found to increase from 15 to 50 nm with increasing film thickness. The sputtered films also exhibited tensile residual stresses with the magnitude of stress decreasing with increasing film thickness. The Fe 65 Co 35 films deposited on both substrates also exhibited very good in-plane soft magnetic properties with a saturation magnetization 4πM s of ∼23.6–23.8 kG and coercivity of ∼27–30 Oe without any under-layer only for films with thickness of 30 nm. For all other thicknesses, these films exhibited a significantly higher coercivity. The observed variations in soft magnetic properties with film thickness were explained in terms of residual stress and microstructure of the films. - Highlights: • Spherical grain morphology transformed to columnar above 30 nm film thickness. • Sputtered films exhibited tensile residual stresses decreasing with film thickness. • An in-plane coercivity of ∼27–30 Oe was achieved without any under-layer

The Coupled Photothermal Reaction and Transport in a Laser Additive Metal Nanolayer Simultaneous Synthesis and Pattering for Flexible Electronics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Song-Ling Tsai

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The Laser Direct Synthesis and Patterning (LDSP technology has advantages in terms of processing time and cost compared to nanomaterials-based laser additive microfabrication processes. In LDSP, a scanning laser on the substrate surface induces chemical reactions in the reactive liquid solution and selectively deposits target material in a preselected pattern on the substrate. In this study, we experimentally investigated the effect of the processing parameters and type and concentration of the additive solvent on the properties and growth rate of the resulting metal film fabricated by this LDSP technology. It was shown that reactive metal ion solutions with substantial viscosity yield metal films with superior physical properties. A numerical analysis was also carried out the first time to investigate the coupled opto-thermo-fluidic transport phenomena and the effects on the metal film growth rate. To complete the simulation, the optical properties of the LDSP deposited metal film with a variety of thicknesses were measured. The characteristics of the temperature field and the thermally induced flow associated with the moving heat source are discussed. It was shown that the processing temperature range of the LDSP is from 330 to 390 K. A semi-empirical model for estimating the metal film growth rate using this process was developed based on these results. From the experimental and numerical results, it is seen that, owing to the increased reflectivity of the silver film as its thickness increases, the growth rate decreases gradually from about 40 nm at initial to 10 nm per laser scan after ten scans. This self-controlling effect of LDSP process controls the thickness and improves the uniformity of the fabricated metal film. The growth rate and resulting thickness of the metal film can also be regulated by adjustment of the processing parameters, and thus can be utilized for controllable additive nano/microfabrication.

Aluminum oxide film thickness and emittance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, J.K.; Ondrejcin, R.S.

1991-11-01

Aluminum reactor components which are not actively cooled could be subjected to high temperatures due to gamma heating after the core coolant level dropped during the ECS phase of a hypothetical LOCA event. Radiative heat transfer is the dominant heat transfer process in this scenario and therefore the emittance of these components is of interest. Of particular interest are the safety rod thimbles and Mark 60B blanket assemblies; for the K Reactor, these components have been exposed to low temperature (< 55 degrees C) moderator for about a year. The average moderator temperature was assumed to be 30 degrees C. The Al oxide film thickness at this temperature, after one year of exposure, is predicted to be 6.4 μm ± 10%; insensitive to exposure time. Dehydration of the film during the gamma heating accident would result in a film thickness of 6.0 μm ± 11%. Total hemispherical emittance is predicted to be 0.69 at 96 degrees C, decreasing to 0.45 at 600 degrees C. Some phenomena which would tend to yield thicker oxide films in the reactor environment relative to those obtained under experimental conditions were neglected and the predicted film thickness values are therefore conservative. The emittance values predicted for a given film thickness are also conservative. The conservativisms inherent in the predicted emittance are particularly relevant for uncertainty analysis of temperatures generated using these values

A microfabricated nickel-hydrogen battery using thick film printing techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Tam, Waiping G.; Wainright, Jesse S.

To utilize the distinctive cycle life and safety characteristics of the nickel-hydrogen chemistry while eliminating the high pressure limitations of conventional nickel-hydrogen cells, a microfabricated nickel-hydrogen battery using a low-pressure metal hydride for hydrogen storage is being developed for powering micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) devices and for biomedical applications where the battery would be implanted within the body. Thick film printing techniques which are simple and low cost were used to fabricate this battery. Inks were developed for each of the different battery components, including the electrodes, current collectors and separator. SEM images on these printed components showed the desired characteristics for each. Positive electrode cycling tests were performed on the printed positive electrodes while cyclic voltammetry was used to characterize the printed negative electrodes. Consistent charge and discharge performance was observed during positive electrode cycling. Full cells with printed positive and negative assemblies were assembled and tested.

A microfabricated nickel-hydrogen battery using thick film printing techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tam, Waiping G.; Wainright, Jesse S. [Department of Chemical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106 (United States)

2007-02-25

To utilize the distinctive cycle life and safety characteristics of the nickel-hydrogen chemistry while eliminating the high pressure limitations of conventional nickel-hydrogen cells, a microfabricated nickel-hydrogen battery using a low-pressure metal hydride for hydrogen storage is being developed for powering micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) devices and for biomedical applications where the battery would be implanted within the body. Thick film printing techniques which are simple and low cost were used to fabricate this battery. Inks were developed for each of the different battery components, including the electrodes, current collectors and separator. SEM images on these printed components showed the desired characteristics for each. Positive electrode cycling tests were performed on the printed positive electrodes while cyclic voltammetry was used to characterize the printed negative electrodes. Consistent charge and discharge performance was observed during positive electrode cycling. Full cells with printed positive and negative assemblies were assembled and tested. (author)

Effect of Ag film thickness on the optical and the electrical properties in CuAlO2/Ag/CuAlO2 multilayer films grown on glass substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, Dohyun; No, Young Soo; Kim, Su Youn; Cho, Woon Jo; Kwack, Kae Dal; Kim, Tae Whan

2011-01-01

Research highlights: The CuAlO 2 /Ag/CuAlO 2 multilayer films were grown on glass substrates using radio-frequency magnetron sputtering at room temperature. Effects of Ag film thickness on the optical and the electrical properties in CuAlO 2 /Ag/CuAlO 2 multilayer films grown on glass substrates were investigated. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the phase of the CuAlO 2 layer was amorphous. Atomic force microscopy images showed that Ag films with a thickness of a few nanometers had island structures. The morphology Ag films with a thickness of 8 nm was uniform. The morphology of the Ag films inserted in the CuAlO 2 films significantly affected the optical transmittance and the resistivity of the CuAlO 2 films deposited on glass substrates. The maximum transmittance of the CuAlO 2 /Ag/CuAlO 2 multilayer films with a thickness of 8 nm was 89.16%. The resistivity of the CuAlO 2 /Ag/CuAlO 2 multilayer films with an Ag film thickness of 18 nm was as small as about 2.8 x 10 -5 Ω cm. The resistivity of the CuAlO 2 /Ag/CuAlO 2 multilayer films was decreased as a result of the thermal annealing treatment. These results indicate that CuAlO 2 /Ag/CuAlO 2 multilayer films grown on glass substrates hold promise for potential applications as TCO films in solar cells. - Abstract: Effects of Ag film thickness on the optical and the electrical properties in CuAlO 2 /Ag/CuAlO 2 multilayer films grown on glass substrates were investigated. Atomic force microscopy images showed that Ag films with a thickness of a few nanometers had island structures. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the phase of the CuAlO 2 layer was amorphous. The resistivity of the 40 nm-CuAlO 2 /18 nm-Ag/40 nm-CuAlO 2 multilayer films was 2.8 x 10 -5 Ω cm, and the transmittance of the multilayer films with an Ag film thickness of 8 nm was approximately 89.16%. These results indicate that CuAlO 2 /Ag/CuAlO 2 multilayer films grown on glass substrates hold promise for potential applications as

Evaluation of space environmental effects on metals and optical thin films on EOIM-3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vaughn, J.A.; Linton, R.C.; Finckenor, M.M.; Kamenetzky, R.R.

1995-02-01

Metals and optical thin films exposed to the space environment on the Third Flight of the Evaluation of Oxygen Interactions with Materials (EOIM-3) payload, onboard Space Shuttle mission STS-46 were evaluated. The materials effects described in this paper include the effects of space exposure on various pure metals, optical thin films, and optical thin film metals. The changes induced by exposure to the space environment in the material properties were evaluated using bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF), specular reflectance (250 nm to 2500 nm), ESCA, VUV reflectance (120 nm to 200 nm), ellipsometry, FTIR and optical properties. Using these analysis techniques gold optically thin film metal mirrors with nickel undercoats were observed to darken due to nickel diffusion through the gold to the surface. Also, thin film nickel mirrors formed nickel oxide due to exposure to both the atmosphere and space.

Evaluation of space environmental effects on metals and optical thin films on EOIM-3

Science.gov (United States)

Vaughn, Jason A.; Linton, Roger C.; Finckenor, Miria M.; Kamenetzky, Rachel R.

1995-01-01

Metals and optical thin films exposed to the space environment on the Third Flight of the Evaluation of Oxygen Interactions with Materials (EOIM-3) payload, onboard Space Shuttle mission STS-46 were evaluated. The materials effects described in this paper include the effects of space exposure on various pure metals, optical thin films, and optical thin film metals. The changes induced by exposure to the space environment in the material properties were evaluated using bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF), specular reflectance (250 nm to 2500 nm), ESCA, VUV reflectance (120 nm to 200 nm), ellipsometry, FTIR and optical properties. Using these analysis techniques gold optically thin film metal mirrors with nickel undercoats were observed to darken due to nickel diffusion through the gold to the surface. Also, thin film nickel mirrors formed nickel oxide due to exposure to both the atmosphere and space.

Effect of thickness on the structural and optical properties of CuO thin films grown by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Akaltun, Yunus, E-mail: yakaltun@erzincan.edu.tr

2015-11-02

CuO thin films were synthesised on glass substrates at room temperature using successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The effect of film thickness on characteristic parameters such as the structural, morphological and optical properties of the films was investigated. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies showed that all of the films exhibited polycrystalline structure with monoclinic phases and covered the glass substrates well. The crystalline and morphology of the films improved with increasing film thickness. The optical band gap decreased from 2.03 to 1.79 eV depending on the film thickness. The refractive index (n), electron effective mass (m{sub e}{sup ⁎}/m{sub o}) and static and frequency dielectric constants (ε{sub o}, ε{sub ∞}) were determined using the energy band gap values. - Highlights: • CuO thin films were deposited using SILAR method. • The electron effective mass, refractive index, dielectric constant values were calculated. • Characterisation of the films has been performed using XRD, SEM, Raman and optical measurements. • The d values of the planes of with thickness show no variation.

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopic Analysis of RuO2 Based Thick Film pH Sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manjakkal, Libu; Djurdjic, Elvira; Cvejin, Katarina; Kulawik, Jan; Zaraska, Krzysztof; Szwagierczak, Dorota

2015-01-01

The conductimetric interdigitated thick film pH sensors based on RuO 2 were fabricated and their electrochemical reactions with solutions of different pH values were studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique. The microstructural properties and composition of the sensitive films were examined by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The EIS analysis of the sensor was carried out in the frequency range 10 mHz–2 MHz for pH values of test solutions 2–12. The electrical parameters of the sensor were found to vary with changing pH. The conductance and capacitance of the film were distinctly dependent on pH in the low frequency range. The Nyquist and Bode plots derived from the impedance data for the metal oxide thick film pH sensor provided information about the underlying electrochemical reactions

Study of metal/ZnO based thin film ultraviolet photodetectors: The effect of induced charges on the dynamics of photoconductivity relaxation

Science.gov (United States)

Yadav, Harish Kumar; Sreenivas, K.; Gupta, Vinay

2010-02-01

Ultraviolet photoconductivity relaxation in ZnO thin films deposited by rf magnetron sputtering are investigated. Effect of oxygen partial pressure in the reactive gas mixture and film thickness on the photoconductivity transients is studied. A different photodetector configuration comprising ZnO thin film with an ultrathin overlayer of metals like Cu, Al, Sn, Au, Cr, and Te was designed and tested. Photoresponse signal were found to be stronger (four to seven times) in these configurations than the pure ZnO thin films. Sn(30 nm)/ZnO sample exhibits highest responsivity of ˜8.57 kV/W whereas Te(20 nm)/ZnO structure presents highest sensitivity of ˜31.3×103 compared to unloaded ZnO thin film. Enhancement in the photoresponse of ZnO thin films is attributed to the change in surface conductivity due to induced charge carriers at the interface because of the difference in work function and oxygen affinity values of metal overlayer with the underlying semiconducting layer. Charge carrier transfer from the metal layer to ZnO creates a surplus of electrons at the interface; a fraction of which are captured by the defect centers (traps) at the surface whereas the remaining one represents free carriers in the conduction band and are responsible for the enhanced photoconductivity.

NdFeB thick films prepared by tape casting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pawlowski, B.; Schwarzer, S.; Rahmig, A.; Toepfer, J.

2003-01-01

NdFeB films of thickness between 100 and 800 μm were prepared by tape casting of a slurry containing 84-95 wt% of commercial NdFeB powder (MQP-B, -Q and -S). After curing the flexible green tapes at 120 deg. C non-porous magnetic films are obtained. The remanence of the films is in the range of 350-450 mT and the coercivity is between 300 and 800 kA/m depending on the type of MQP powder used. The magnetic properties of the films are discussed in relation to film composition and type of magnetic material. For MEMS applications the thick films are magnetized with a multi-pole stripe pattern with 1 mm pole pitch. The induction at the surface of the films was measured with a Hall probe and compared to theoretical calculations. The results indicate that the films are completely magnetized regardless of the film thickness. Tape-casted NdFeB thick films are promising candidates for applications in micro-systems or actuators. Miniaturization of the magnet components is one of the key issues in the development of electromagnetic micro-systems, thus creating a need for replacement of small sintered magnets by magnetic thick film components. Other applications include encoders

Metal-on-metal hip joint tribology.

Science.gov (United States)

Dowson, D; Jin, Z M

2006-02-01

The basic tribological features of metal-on-metal total hip replacements have been reviewed to facilitate an understanding of the engineering science underpinning the renaissance of these hard-on-hard joints. Metal-on-polymer hip replacements operate in the boundary lubrication regime, thus leading to the design guidance to reduce the femoral head diameter as much as is feasible to minimize frictional torque and volumetric wear. This explains why the gold-standard implant of this form from the past half-century had a diameter of only 22.225 mm (7/8 in). Metal-on-metal implants can operate in the mild mixed lubrication regime in which much of the applied load is supported by elastohydrodynamic films. Correct tribological design leads to remarkably low steady state wear rates. Promotion of the most effective elastohydrodynamic films calls for the largest possible head diameters and the smallest clearances that can reasonably be adopted, consistent with fine surface finishes, good sphericity and minimal structural elastic deformation of the cup on its foundations. This guidance, which is opposite in form to that developed for metal-on-polymer joints, is equally valid for solid (monolithic) metallic heads on metallic femoral stems and surface replacement femoral shells. Laboratory measurements of friction and wear in metal-on-metal joints have confirmed their potential to achieve a very mild form of mixed lubrication. The key lies in the generation of effective elastohydrodynamic lubricating films of adequate thickness compared with the composite roughness of the head and cup. The calculation of the film thickness is by no means easy, but the full procedure is outlined and the use of an empirical formula that displays good agreement with calculations based upon the full numerical solutions is explained. The representation of the lambda ratio, lambda, embracing both film thickness and composite roughness, is described.

Hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy of transition-metal oxide thin films and interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wadati, H.; Fujimori, A.

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Photoemission spectroscopy is a powerful technique to study the electronic structures of transition-metal oxides. •Hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HXPES) is a new type of photoemission spectroscopy which can probe bulk states. •HXPES is very suitable for studying oxide thin films such as the composition dependence and the film thickness dependence. -- Abstract: Photoemission spectroscopy is a powerful experimental technique to study the electronic structures of solids, especially of transition-metal oxides. Recently, hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HXPES) has emerged as a more relevant experimental technique to obtain clear information about bulk states. Here, we describe how HXPES can be conveniently applied to study the interesting subjects on oxide thin films such as the composition dependence and the film thickness dependence of the electronic structures and the interfacial electronic structure of multilayers

Micro-layers of polystyrene film preventing metal oxidation: implications in cultural heritage conservation

Science.gov (United States)

Giambi, Francesca; Carretti, Emiliano; Dei, Luigi; Baglioni, Piero

2014-12-01

Protection of surfaces directly exposed to the detrimental action of degradative agents (i.e. oxygen, air pollutants and bacteria) is one of the most important challenges in the field of conservation of works of art. Metallic objects are subjected to specific surface corrosion phenomena that, over the years, make mandatory the research of innovative materials that should avoid the direct contact between the metal surface and the weathering agents. In this paper, the set-up, characterisation and application of a new reversible material for preserving metal artefacts are reported. Micro-layers constituted of low-adhesive polystyrene (PS) films obtained from recycling waste packaging materials made of expanded PS were studied. The morphology and thickness of PS films were characterised by optical, atomic force and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A further check on thickness was carried out by means of visible spectrophotometry doping the films with a hydrophobic dye. Thermal properties of the PS micro-layers were studied by means of differential scanning calorimetry coupled with optical microscopy. Permeability of the PS films to water vapour was also determined. The potential of the low-adhesive PS films, that enabled an easy removal in case of film deterioration, for preventing metal oxidation was investigated on brass specimens by simulating standard artificial corrosion programmes. Morphological and chemical (coupling the energy-dispersive X-rays spectrometry to SEM measurements) analyses carried out on these metal samples showed promising results in terms of surface protection against corrosion.

A comparison of surface properties of metallic thin film photocathodes

CERN Document Server

Mistry, Sonal; Valizadeh, Reza; Jones, L.B; Middleman, Keith; Hannah, Adrian; Militsyn, B.L; Noakes, Tim

2017-01-01

In this work the preparation of metal photocathodes by physical vapour deposition magnetron sputtering has been employed to deposit metallic thin films onto Cu, Mo and Si substrates. The use of metallic cathodes offers several advantages: (i) metal photocathodes present a fast response time and a relative insensitivity to the vacuum environment (ii) metallic thin films when prepared and transferred in vacuum can offer smoother and cleaner emitting surfaces. The photocathodes developed here will ultimately be used in S-band Normal Conducting RF (NCRF) guns such as that used in VELA (Versatile Electron Linear Accelerator) and the proposed CLARA (Compact Linear Accelerator for Research and Applications) Free Electron Laser test facility. The samples grown on Si substrates were used to investigate the morphology and thickness of the film. The samples grown onto Cu and Mo substrates were analysed and tested as photocathodes in a surface characterisation chamber, where X-Ray Photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was emp...

Advantages of PZT thick film for MEMS sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hindrichsen, Christian Carstensen; Lou-Moller, R.; Hansen, K.

2010-01-01

For all MEMS devices a high coupling between the mechanical and electrical domain is desired. Figures of merit describing the coupling are important for comparing different piezoelectric materials. The existing figures of merit are discussed and a new figure of merit is introduced for a fair comp....... Improved figure of merit is reached in the piezoelectric PZT thick film, TF2100CIP, by using cold isostatic pressure in the PZT preparation process. The porosity of TF2100 is decreased 38%, hence, allowing an increase of charge sensitivity for MEMS sensors of 59%....... thin film and PZT thick film. It is shown that MEMS sensors with the PZT thick film TF2100 from InSensor A/S have potential for significant higher voltage sensitivities compared to PZT thin film base MEMS sensors when the total thickness of the MEMS cantilever, beam, bridge or membrane is high...

Investigations of metal contacts to amorphous evaporated Ge films and amorphous sputtered Si films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hafiz, M.; Mgbenu, E.; Tove, P.A.; Norde, H.; Petersson, S.

1976-02-01

Amorphous Ge or Si films have been used as ohmic contacts to high-resistivity n-silicon radiation detectors. One interesting property of this contact is that it does not inject minority carriers even when the depletion region extends up to the contact thus generating an extracting field there. The function of this contact is not yet fully explored. One part problem is the role of the metal films used as external contacts to the amorphous film. In this report the function of different contacting metals, such as Au, Al, Cr are investigated by measuring the I-V-characteristics of sandwich structures with two metals on both sides of the amorphous evaporated (Ge) and sputtered (Si) film (of typical thickness 1000 A). It was found that while the symmetric structures Au-αGe-Au and Cr-αGe-Cr were low-resistive (leading to resistivity values of approximately 10 5 Ωcm for the αGe film), Al-αGe-Al structures showed much higher resistance and were also polarity dependent. The former feature was found also for unsymmetric structures, i.e. Cr-αGe-Au, Cr-αGe-Al. (Auth.)

Nearly zero transmission through periodically modulated ultrathin metal films

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xiao, Sanshui; Zhang, Jingjing; Peng, Liang

2010-01-01

Transmission of light through an optically ultrathin metal film with a thickness comparable to its skin depth is significant. We demonstrate experimentally nearly-zero transmission of light through a film periodically modulated by a one-dimensional array of subwavelength slits. The suppressed...... optical transmission is due to the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons and the zero-transmission phenomenon is strongly dependent on the polarization of the incident wave....

Zirconium titanate thin film prepared by surface sol-gel process and effects of thickness on dielectric property

CERN Document Server

Kim, C H

2002-01-01

Single phase of multicomponent oxide ZrTiO sub 4 film could be prepared through surface sol-gel route simply by coating the mixture of 100mM zirconium butoxide and titanium butoxide on Pt/Ti/SiO sub 2 /Si(100) substrate, following pyrolysis at 450 .deg. C, and annealing it at 770 .deg. C. The dielectric constant of the film was reduced as the film thickness decreased due to of the interfacial effects caused by layer/electrode and a few voids inside the multilayer. However, the dielectric property was independent of applied dc bias sweeps voltage (-2 to +2 V). The dielectric constant of bulk film, 31.9, estimated using series-connected capacitor model was independent of film thickness and frequency in the measurement range, but theoretical interfacial thickness, t sub i , was dependent on the frequency. It reached a saturated t sub i value, 6.9 A, at high frequency by extraction of some capacitance component formed at low frequency range. The dielectric constant of bulk ZrTiO sub 4 pellet-shaped material was 3...

ALD grown nanostructured ZnO thin films: Effect of substrate temperature on thickness and energy band gap

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javed Iqbal

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Nanostructured ZnO thin films with high transparency have been grown on glass substrate by atomic layer deposition at various temperatures ranging from 100 °C to 300 °C. Efforts have been made to observe the effect of substrate temperature on the thickness of the deposited thin films and its consequences on the energy band gap. A remarkably high growth rate of 0.56 nm per cycle at a substrate temperature of 200 °C for ZnO thin films have been achieved. This is the maximum growth rate for ALD deposited ZnO thin films ever reported so far to the best of our knowledge. The studies of field emission scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry patterns confirm the deposition of uniform and high quality nanosturtured ZnO thin films which have a polycrystalline nature with preferential orientation along (100 plane. The thickness of the films deposited at different substrate temperatures was measured by ellipsometry and surface profiling system while the UV–visible and photoluminescence spectroscopy studies have been used to evaluate the optical properties of the respective thin films. It has been observed that the thickness of the thin film depends on the substrate temperatures which ultimately affect the optical and structural parameters of the thin films.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Metal Type and Thickness Effects on the Impact Resistance of Fiber Metal Laminates

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sadighi, M.; Pärnänen, T.; Alderliesten, R.C.; Sayeaftabi, M.; Benedictus, R.

2012-01-01

The impact response of fiber metal laminates (FMLs), has been investigated with experiments and numerical simulations, which is reported in this article. Low-velocity impacts were carried out to study the effects of metal type and thickness within FMLs. Glare5-3/2 laminates with two aluminum layer

Properties of conductive thick-film inks

Science.gov (United States)

Holtze, R. F.

1972-01-01

Ten different conductive inks used in the fabrication of thick-film circuits were evaluated for their physical and handling properties. Viscosity, solid contents, and spectrographic analysis of the unfired inks were determined. Inks were screened on ceramic substrates and fired for varying times at specified temperatures. Selected substrates were given additional firings to simulate the heat exposure received if thick-film resistors were to be added to the same substrate. Data are presented covering the (1) printing characteristics, (2) solderability using Sn-63 and also a 4 percent silver solder, (3) leach resistance, (4) solder adhesion, and (5) wire bonding properties. Results obtained using different firing schedules were compared. A comparison was made between the various inks showing general results obtained for each ink. The changes in firing time or the application of a simulated resistor firing had little effect on the properties of most inks.

Flexoelectricity induced increase of critical thickness in epitaxial ferroelectric thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Hao; Hong Jiawang; Zhang Yihui; Li Faxin; Pei Yongmao; Fang Daining

2012-01-01

Flexoelectricity describes the coupling between polarization and strain/stress gradients in insulating crystals. In this paper, using the Landau-Ginsburg-Devonshire phenomenological approach, we found that flexoelectricity could increase the theoretical critical thickness in epitaxial BaTiO 3 thin films, below which the switchable spontaneous polarization vanishes. This increase is remarkable in tensile films while trivial in compressive films due to the electrostriction caused decrease of potential barrier, which can be easily destroyed by the flexoelectricity, between the ferroelectric state and the paraelectric state in tensile films. In addition, the films are still in a uni-polar state even below the critical thickness due to the flexoelectric effect.

Flexoelectricity induced increase of critical thickness in epitaxial ferroelectric thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou Hao [State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Hong Jiawang; Zhang Yihui [Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Li Faxin [State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Pei Yongmao, E-mail: peiym@pku.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Fang Daining, E-mail: fangdn@pku.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

2012-09-01

Flexoelectricity describes the coupling between polarization and strain/stress gradients in insulating crystals. In this paper, using the Landau-Ginsburg-Devonshire phenomenological approach, we found that flexoelectricity could increase the theoretical critical thickness in epitaxial BaTiO{sub 3} thin films, below which the switchable spontaneous polarization vanishes. This increase is remarkable in tensile films while trivial in compressive films due to the electrostriction caused decrease of potential barrier, which can be easily destroyed by the flexoelectricity, between the ferroelectric state and the paraelectric state in tensile films. In addition, the films are still in a uni-polar state even below the critical thickness due to the flexoelectric effect.

Surface functionalization by fine ultraviolet-patterning of nanometer-thick liquid lubricant films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Renguo; Zhang, Hedong; Komada, Suguru; Mitsuya, Yasunaga; Fukuzawa, Kenji; Itoh, Shintaro

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We present fine UV-patterning of nm-thick liquid films for surface functionalization. • The patterned films exhibit both a morphological pattern and a functional pattern of different surface properties. • The finest pattern linewidth was 0.5 μm. • Fine patterning is crucial for improving surface and tribological properties. - Abstract: For micro/nanoscale devices, surface functionalization is essential to achieve function and performance superior to those that originate from the inherent bulk material properties. As a method of surface functionalization, we dip-coated nanometer-thick liquid lubricant films onto solid surfaces and then patterned the lubricant films with ultraviolet (UV) irradiation through a photomask. Surface topography, adhesion, and friction measurements demonstrated that the patterned films feature a concave–convex thickness distribution with thicker lubricant in the irradiated regions and a functional distribution with lower adhesion and friction in the irradiated convex regions. The pattern linewidth ranged from 100 to as fine as 0.5 μm. The surface functionalization effect of UV-patterning was investigated by measuring the water contact angles, surface energies, friction forces, and depletion of the patterned, as-dipped, and full UV-irradiated lubricant films. The full UV-irradiated lubricant film was hydrophobic with a water contact angle of 102.1°, and had lower surface energy, friction, and depletion than the as-dipped film, which was hydrophilic with a water contact angle of 80.7°. This demonstrates that UV irradiation substantially improves the surface and tribological properties of the nanometer-thick liquid lubricant films. The UV-patterned lubricant films exhibited superior surface and tribological properties than the as-dipped film. The water contact angle increased and the surface energy, friction, and depletion decreased as the pattern linewidth decreased. In particular, the 0.5-μm patterned lubricant

Multiple High Voltage Pulse Stressing of Polymer Thick Film Resistors

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Busi Rambabu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to study high voltage interactions in polymer thick film resistors, namely, polyvinyl chloride- (PVC- graphite thick film resistors, and their applications in universal trimming of these resistors. High voltages in the form of impulses for various pulse durations and with different amplitudes have been applied to polymer thick film resistors and we observed the variation of resistance of these resistors with high voltages. It has been found that the resistance of polymer thick film resistors decreases in the case of higher resistivity materials and the resistance of polymer thick film resistor increases in the case of lower resistivity materials when high voltage impulses are applied to them. It has been also found that multiple high voltage pulse (MHVP stressing can be used to trim the polymer thick film resistors either upwards or downwards.

Evolution of optical constants of silicon dioxide on silicon from ultrathin films to thick films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cai Qingyuan; Zheng Yuxiang; Mao Penghui; Zhang Rongjun; Zhang Dongxu; Liu Minghui; Chen Liangyao, E-mail: yxzheng@fudan.edu.c [Key Laboratory of Micro and Nano Photonic Structures, Ministry of Education, Department of Optical Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China)

2010-11-10

A series of SiO{sub 2} films with thickness range 1-600 nm have been deposited on crystal silicon (c-Si) substrates by electron beam evaporation (EBE) method. Variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) in combination with a two-film model (ambient-oxide-interlayer substrate) was used to determine the optical constants and thicknesses of the investigated films. The refractive indices of SiO{sub 2} films thicker than 60 nm are close to those of bulk SiO{sub 2}. For the thin films deposited at the rate of {approx}1.0 nm s{sup -1}, the refractive indices increase with decreasing thickness from {approx}60 to {approx}10 nm and then drop sharply with decreasing thickness below {approx}10 nm. However, for thin films deposited at the rates of {approx}0.4 and {approx}0.2 nm s{sup -1}, the refractive indices monotonically increase with decreasing thickness below 60 nm. The optical constants of the ultrathin film depend on the morphology of the film, the stress exerted on the film, as well as the stoichiometry of the oxide film.

Evolution of optical constants of silicon dioxide on silicon from ultrathin films to thick films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai Qingyuan; Zheng Yuxiang; Mao Penghui; Zhang Rongjun; Zhang Dongxu; Liu Minghui; Chen Liangyao

2010-01-01

A series of SiO 2 films with thickness range 1-600 nm have been deposited on crystal silicon (c-Si) substrates by electron beam evaporation (EBE) method. Variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) in combination with a two-film model (ambient-oxide-interlayer substrate) was used to determine the optical constants and thicknesses of the investigated films. The refractive indices of SiO 2 films thicker than 60 nm are close to those of bulk SiO 2 . For the thin films deposited at the rate of ∼1.0 nm s -1 , the refractive indices increase with decreasing thickness from ∼60 to ∼10 nm and then drop sharply with decreasing thickness below ∼10 nm. However, for thin films deposited at the rates of ∼0.4 and ∼0.2 nm s -1 , the refractive indices monotonically increase with decreasing thickness below 60 nm. The optical constants of the ultrathin film depend on the morphology of the film, the stress exerted on the film, as well as the stoichiometry of the oxide film.

Correlation of Gear Surface Fatigue Lives to Lambda Ratio (Specific Film Thickness)

Science.gov (United States)

Krantz, Timothy Lewis

2013-01-01

The effect of the lubrication regime on gear performance has been recognized, qualitatively, for decades. Often the lubrication regime is characterized by the specific film thickness being the ratio of lubricant film thickness to the composite surface roughness. Three studies done at NASA to investigate gearing pitting life are revisited in this work. All tests were done at a common load. In one study, ground gears were tested using a variety of lubricants that included a range of viscosities, and therefore the gears operated with differing film thicknesses. In a second and third study, the performance of gears with ground teeth and superfinished teeth were assessed. Thicker oil films provided longer lives as did improved surface finish. These datasets were combined into a common dataset using the concept of specific film thickness. This unique dataset of more 258 tests provides gear designers with some qualitative information to make gear design decisions.

Fabrication and Characterization of PZT Thick Films for Sensing and Actuation

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Kuo-Ching Kuo

2007-04-01

Full Text Available Lead Zirconate Titanate oxide (PZT thick films with thicknesses of up to 10 μmwere developed using a modified sol-gel technique. Usually, the film thickness is less than1 μm by conventional sol-gel processing, while the electrical charge accumulation whichreveals the direct effect of piezoelectricity is proportional to the film thickness and thereforerestricted. Two approaches were adopted to conventional sol-gel processing – precursorconcentration modulation and rapid thermal annealing. A 10 μm thick film was successfullyfabricated by coating 16 times via this technique. The thickness of each coating layer wasabout 0.6 μm and the morphology of the film was dense with a crack-free area as large as 16mm2. In addition, the structure, surface morphology and physical properties werecharacterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM and atomicforce microscopy (AFM and electrical performance. The dielectric constant and hysteresisloops were measured as electric characteristics. This study investigates the actuation andsensing performance of the vibrating structures with the piezoelectric thick film. Theactuation tests demonstrated that a 4 mm x 4 mm x 6.5 μm PZT film drove a 40 mm x 7 mmx 0.5 mm silicon beam as an actuator. Additionally, it generated an electrical signal of 60mVpp as a sensor, while vibration was input by a shaker. The frequencies of the first twomodes of the beam were compared with the theoretical values obtained by Euler-Bernoullibeam theory. The linearity of the actuation and sensing tests were also examined.

Measurement of thickness of film deposited on the plasma-facing wall in the QUEST tokamak by colorimetry.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Z; Hanada, K; Yoshida, N; Shimoji, T; Miyamoto, M; Oya, Y; Zushi, H; Idei, H; Nakamura, K; Fujisawa, A; Nagashima, Y; Hasegawa, M; Kawasaki, S; Higashijima, A; Nakashima, H; Nagata, T; Kawaguchi, A; Fujiwara, T; Araki, K; Mitarai, O; Fukuyama, A; Takase, Y; Matsumoto, K

2017-09-01

After several experimental campaigns in the Kyushu University Experiment with Steady-state Spherical Tokamak (QUEST), the originally stainless steel plasma-facing wall (PFW) becomes completely covered with a deposited film composed of mixture materials, such as iron, chromium, carbon, and tungsten. In this work, an innovative colorimetry-based method was developed to measure the thickness of the deposited film on the actual QUEST wall. Because the optical constants of the deposited film on the PFW were position-dependent and the extinction coefficient k 1 was about 1.0-2.0, which made the probing light not penetrate through some thick deposited films, the colorimetry method developed can only provide a rough value range of thickness of the metal-containing film deposited on the actual PFW in QUEST. However, the use of colorimetry is of great benefit to large-area inspections and to radioactive materials in future fusion devices that will be strictly prohibited from being taken out of the limited area.

Effect of nano-silver hydrogel coating film on deep partial thickness scald model of rabbit

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Peng Xi

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Objective: Observing the effect of nano-silver hydrogel coating film on deep partial thickness scald model of rabbit. Method: We prepared boiling water scalded rabbits with deep II degree scald models and applied high, medium and low doses of nano-silver hydrogel coating film for different time and area. Then we compared the difference of burned paper weight before administration and after administration model burns, burn local skin irritation points infection, skin crusting and scabs from the time, and the impact of local skin tissue morphology. Result: Rabbits deep II degree burn model successful modeling; on day 12, 18, high, medium and low doses of nano-silver hydrogel coating film significantly reduced skin irritation of rabbits infected with the integral value (P < 0.01, P < 0.05; high, medium and low doses of nano-silver hydrogel coating film group significantly decreased skin irritation, infection integral value (P < 0.01, P < 0.05; high, medium and low doses of nano-silver hydrogel coating film significantly reduced film rabbits’ scalded skin crusting time (P < 0.01, significantly shortened the rabbit skin burns from the scab time (P < 0.01, and significantly improved the treatment of skin diseases in rabbits scald model change (P < 0.01, P < 0.05. Conclusion: The nano-silver hydrogel coating film on the deep partial thickness burns has a significant therapeutic effect; external use has a significant role in wound healing. Keywords: Nano-silver hydrogel coating film, Deep degree burns, Topical, Rabbits

Effect of thickness and temperature of copper phthalocyanine films on their properties

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Alieva Kh. S.

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The research has shown that copper phthalocyanine films, having a set of unique properties, can be successfully used as gas-sensitive coating of resistive structures. The thickness of the film, in contrast to its temperature, is not the determining factor for high sensitivity. Low operating temperature of structures with copper phthalocyanine films allows to exploit them in economy mode.

Texture change through film thickness and off-axis accommodation of (0 0 2) planes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shetty, A.R.; Karimi, A.

2011-01-01

We present our recent experimental results on the formation of off-axis texture and crystallographic tilting of crystallites that take place in thin film of transition metal nitrides. For this purpose, the microstructural development of TiAlN film was studied, specially the change in texture with film thickness. Fiber texture was measured using θ-2θ and pole figure X-ray diffraction (XRD), while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to observe the microstructure and changes in texture with thickness. The sin 2 ψ method was applied to determine the stresses on (1 1 1) and (0 0 2) plane. With deposition parameters chosen, the growth texture mechanism is discussed in three different stages of film growth. Surface energy minimization at low thickness leads to the development of (0 0 2) orientation. On the other hand, the competitive growth promotes the growth of (1 1 1) planes parallel to film surface at higher thickness. However, contrary to the prediction of growth models, the (0 0 2) grains are not completely overlapped by (1 1 1) grains at higher thickness. Rather the (0 0 2) grains still constitute the surface, but are tilted away from the substrate normal showing substantial in-plane alignment to allow the (1 1 1) planes remain parallel to film surface. Intrinsic stress along (1 1 1) and (0 0 2) shows a strong dependence with preferred orientation. The stress level in (0 0 2) grains which was compressive at low thickness changes to tensile at higher thickness. This change in the nature of stress allows the (0 0 2) planes to tilt away in order to promote the growth of 〈1 1 1〉 parallel to film normal and to minimize the overall energy of system due to high compressive stress stored in the (1 1 1) grains. The change in surface morphology with thickness was observed using SEM. An increase in surface roughness with film thickness was observed which indicates the development of (1 1 1) texture parallel to film

Effects of film thickness and preferred orientation on the dielectric properties of (Bi1.5Zn0.5)(Zn0.5Nb1.5)O7 films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao, L Z; Fu, W Y; Wang, S F; Wang, Q; Sun, Z H; Yang, H; Cheng, B L; Wang, H; Zhou, Y L

2007-01-01

(Bi 1.5 Zn 0.5 )(Zn 0.5 Nb 1.5 )O 7 (BZN) films with different thicknesses and preferred orientations have been fabricated on Nb doped SrTiO 3 substrates by pulsed laser deposition. As the thickness increases, the permittivity increases, and the dielectric loss decreases, while the tunability only has a little variation. The asymmetric behaviour of the electric field dependent permittivity reduces gradually with the increasing thickness, which should be attributed to the decrease in the effect of the interfacial layer between the dielectric film and substrate (electrode). Furthermore, compared with the (1 0 0) oriented BZN film, BZN film with (1 1 1) preferred orientation exhibits high dielectric loss

Thickness-dependence of optical constants for Ta2O5 ultrathin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Dong-Xu; Zheng, Yu-Xiang; Cai, Qing-Yuan; Lin, Wei; Wu, Kang-Ning; Mao, Peng-Hui; Zhang, Rong-Jun; Zhao, Hai-bin; Chen, Liang-Yao

2012-01-01

An effective method for determining the optical constants of Ta 2 O 5 thin films deposited on crystal silicon (c-Si) using spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) measurement with a two-film model (ambient-oxide-interlayer-substrate) was presented. Ta 2 O 5 thin films with thickness range of 1-400 nm have been prepared by the electron beam evaporation (EBE) method. We find that the refractive indices of Ta 2 O 5 ultrathin films less than 40 nm drop with the decreasing thickness, while the other ones are close to those of bulk Ta 2 O 5 . This phenomenon was due to the existence of an interfacial oxide region and the surface roughness of the film, which was confirmed by the measurement of atomic force microscopy (AFM). Optical properties of ultrathin film varying with the thickness are useful for the design and manufacture of nano-scaled thin-film devices. (orig.)

Thickness-dependence of optical constants for Ta2O5 ultrathin films

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Dong-Xu; Zheng, Yu-Xiang; Cai, Qing-Yuan; Lin, Wei; Wu, Kang-Ning; Mao, Peng-Hui; Zhang, Rong-Jun; Zhao, Hai-bin; Chen, Liang-Yao

2012-09-01

An effective method for determining the optical constants of Ta2O5 thin films deposited on crystal silicon (c-Si) using spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) measurement with a two-film model (ambient-oxide-interlayer-substrate) was presented. Ta2O5 thin films with thickness range of 1-400 nm have been prepared by the electron beam evaporation (EBE) method. We find that the refractive indices of Ta2O5 ultrathin films less than 40 nm drop with the decreasing thickness, while the other ones are close to those of bulk Ta2O5. This phenomenon was due to the existence of an interfacial oxide region and the surface roughness of the film, which was confirmed by the measurement of atomic force microscopy (AFM). Optical properties of ultrathin film varying with the thickness are useful for the design and manufacture of nano-scaled thin-film devices.

The spatial thickness distribution of metal films produced by large area pulsed laser deposition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pryds, Nini; Schou, Jørgen; Linderoth, Søren

2007-01-01

Thin films of metals have been deposited in the large-area Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) Facility at Riso National Laboratory. Thin films of Ag and Ni were deposited with laser pulses from an excimer laser at 248 nm with a rectangular beam spot at a fluence of 10 J/cm(2) on glass substrates of 127...

Study of metal/ZnO based thin film ultraviolet photodetectors: The effect of induced charges on the dynamics of photoconductivity relaxation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yadav, Harish Kumar; Sreenivas, K.; Gupta, Vinay

2010-01-01

Ultraviolet photoconductivity relaxation in ZnO thin films deposited by rf magnetron sputtering are investigated. Effect of oxygen partial pressure in the reactive gas mixture and film thickness on the photoconductivity transients is studied. A different photodetector configuration comprising ZnO thin film with an ultrathin overlayer of metals like Cu, Al, Sn, Au, Cr, and Te was designed and tested. Photoresponse signal were found to be stronger (four to seven times) in these configurations than the pure ZnO thin films. Sn(30 nm)/ZnO sample exhibits highest responsivity of ∼8.57 kV/W whereas Te(20 nm)/ZnO structure presents highest sensitivity of ∼31.3x10 3 compared to unloaded ZnO thin film. Enhancement in the photoresponse of ZnO thin films is attributed to the change in surface conductivity due to induced charge carriers at the interface because of the difference in work function and oxygen affinity values of metal overlayer with the underlying semiconducting layer. Charge carrier transfer from the metal layer to ZnO creates a surplus of electrons at the interface; a fraction of which are captured by the defect centers (traps) at the surface whereas the remaining one represents free carriers in the conduction band and are responsible for the enhanced photoconductivity.

Barium titanate thick films prepared by screen printing technique

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Mirjana M. Vijatović

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The barium titanate (BaTiO3 thick films were prepared by screen printing technique using powders obtained by soft chemical route, modified Pechini process. Three different barium titanate powders were prepared: i pure, ii doped with lanthanum and iii doped with antimony. Pastes for screen printing were prepared using previously obtained powders. The thick films were deposited onto Al2O3 substrates and fired at 850°C together with electrode material (silver/palladium in the moving belt furnace in the air atmosphere. Measurements of thickness and roughness of barium titanate thick films were performed. The electrical properties of thick films such as dielectric constant, dielectric losses, Curie temperature, hysteresis loop were reported. The influence of different factors on electrical properties values was analyzed.

Film thickness measurement based on nonlinear phase analysis using a Linnik microscopic white-light spectral interferometer.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Tong; Chen, Zhuo; Li, Minghui; Wu, Juhong; Fu, Xing; Hu, Xiaotang

2018-04-20

Based on white-light spectral interferometry and the Linnik microscopic interference configuration, the nonlinear phase components of the spectral interferometric signal were analyzed for film thickness measurement. The spectral interferometric signal was obtained using a Linnik microscopic white-light spectral interferometer, which includes the nonlinear phase components associated with the effective thickness, the nonlinear phase error caused by the double-objective lens, and the nonlinear phase of the thin film itself. To determine the influence of the effective thickness, a wavelength-correction method was proposed that converts the effective thickness into a constant value; the nonlinear phase caused by the effective thickness can then be determined and subtracted from the total nonlinear phase. A method for the extraction of the nonlinear phase error caused by the double-objective lens was also proposed. Accurate thickness measurement of a thin film can be achieved by fitting the nonlinear phase of the thin film after removal of the nonlinear phase caused by the effective thickness and by the nonlinear phase error caused by the double-objective lens. The experimental results demonstrated that both the wavelength-correction method and the extraction method for the nonlinear phase error caused by the double-objective lens improve the accuracy of film thickness measurements.

Thickness-dependent spontaneous dewetting morphology of ultrathin Ag films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krishna, H; Favazza, C [Department of Physics, Washington University in St Louis, MO 63130 (United States); Sachan, R; Strader, J; Kalyanaraman, R [Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 (United States); Khenner, M, E-mail: ramki@utk.edu [Department of Mathematics, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 42101 (United States)

2010-04-16

We show here that the morphological pathway of spontaneous dewetting of ultrathin Ag films on SiO{sub 2} under nanosecond laser melting is dependent on film thickness. For films with thickness h of 2 nm {<=} h {<=} 9.5 nm, the morphology during the intermediate stages of dewetting consisted of bicontinuous structures. For films with 11.5 nm {<=} h {<=} 20 nm, the intermediate stages consisted of regularly sized holes. Measurement of the characteristic length scales for different stages of dewetting as a function of film thickness showed a systematic increase, which is consistent with the spinodal dewetting instability over the entire thickness range investigated. This change in morphology with thickness is consistent with observations made previously for polymer films (Sharma and Khanna 1998 Phys. Rev. Lett. 81 3463-6; Seemann et al 2001 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 13 4925-38). Based on the behavior of free energy curvature that incorporates intermolecular forces, we have estimated the morphological transition thickness for the intermolecular forces for Ag on SiO{sub 2}. The theory predictions agree well with observations for Ag. These results show that it is possible to form a variety of complex Ag nanomorphologies in a consistent manner, which could be useful in optical applications of Ag surfaces, such as in surface enhanced Raman sensing.

A new attempt of measurement film thickness by x-ray diffractometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kosaka, Masao; Kobayashi, Hideo

1987-01-01

In order to make film thickness measurements independent from the property or the structure of the film materials or the substrate, it is needed to adopt instead of directly utilizing the X-ray diffraction intensity, or attenuation information obtained from the substrate or film material, other new methods for measurement. Among the information obtained by X-ray diffraction, if intensity is excluded, others are F.W.H.M. and diffraction angle, only. If it is possible to investigate the film thickness dependency of the diffraction angle, it should be possible to measure the film thickness by diffraction angle. However, since diffraction angle has no film thickness dependency, it cannot be used directly for measurement. However, if we consider the principle of the X-ray diffractometer method, although it may be very slight, the substrate will be eccentric from the revolving center of the goniometer on account of the thickness of the film. If eccentricity occurs, this will cause changes in the diffraction angle. If we set the radius of the goniometer as R, diffraction angle θ, and the eccentricity from the revolving center of the specimen surface X, the deflection angle Δ2θ of 2θ may be expressed by Δ2θ = -2X · COSθ/R Thus, if X is caused by the film thickness, and by measuring the Δ2θ, it will be possible to measure the film thickness. As a result of the experiment, it was found that X-ray diffraction method can be used for the measurement of the film thickness of a few microns or above by utilizing the eccentricity caused by the film thickness. Especially it has the advantage of being able to measure thick films that X-rays will not penetrate, without being influenced by the chemical structure of the film or the substrates. (author)

A wrinkling-based method for investigating glassy polymer film relaxation as a function of film thickness and temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Chung, Jun Young; Douglas, Jack F; Stafford, Christopher M

2017-10-21

We investigate the relaxation dynamics of thin polymer films at temperatures below the bulk glass transition T g by first compressing polystyrene films supported on a polydimethylsiloxane substrate to create wrinkling patterns and then observing the slow relaxation of the wrinkled films back to their final equilibrium flat state by small angle light scattering. As with recent relaxation measurements on thin glassy films reported by Fakhraai and co-workers, we find the relaxation time of our wrinkled films to be strongly dependent on film thickness below an onset thickness on the order of 100 nm. By varying the temperature between room temperature and T g (≈100 °C), we find that the relaxation time follows an Arrhenius-type temperature dependence to a good approximation at all film thicknesses investigated, where both the activation energy and the relaxation time pre-factor depend appreciably on film thickness. The wrinkling relaxation curves tend to cross at a common temperature somewhat below T g , indicating an entropy-enthalpy compensation relation between the activation free energy parameters. This compensation effect has also been observed recently in simulated supported polymer films in the high temperature Arrhenius relaxation regime rather than the glassy state. In addition, we find that the film stress relaxation function, as well as the height of the wrinkle ridges, follows a stretched exponential time dependence and the short-time effective Young's modulus derived from our modeling decreases sigmoidally with increasing temperature-both characteristic features of glassy materials. The relatively facile nature of the wrinkling-based measurements in comparison to other film relaxation measurements makes our method attractive for practical materials development, as well as fundamental studies of glass formation.

Film thickness determining method of the silicon isotope superlattices by SIMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takano, Akio; Shimizu, Yasuo; Itoh, Kohei M.

2008-01-01

It is becoming important to evaluate silicon self-diffusion with progress of a silicon semiconductor industry. In order to evaluate the self-diffusion of silicon, silicon isotope superlattices (SLs) is the only marker. For this reason, it is important to correctly evaluate a film thickness and a depth distribution of isotope SLs by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). As for film thickness, it is difficult to estimate the thicknesses correctly if the cycles of SLs are short. In this work, first, we report the determination of the film thickness for short-period SLs using mixing roughness-information (MRI) analysis to SIMS profile. Next, the uncertainty of the conventional method to determine the film thicknesses of SLs is determined. It was found that the conventional methods cannot correctly determine film thickness of short-period-isotope SLs where film thickness differs for every layer

BaF2 POST-DEPOSITION REACTION PROCESS FOR THICK YBCO FILMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

SUENAGA, M.; SOLOVYOV, V.F.; WU, L.; WIESMANN, H.J.; ZHU, Y.

2001-01-01

The basic processes of the so-called BaF 2 process for the formation of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 , YBCO, films as well as its advantages over the in situ formation processes are discussed in the previous chapter. The process and the properties of YBCO films by this process were also nicely described in earlier articles by R. Feenstra, (et al.) Here, we will discuss two pertinent subjects related to fabrication of technologically viable YBCO conductors using this process. These are (1) the growth of thick (>> 1 microm) c-axis-oriented YBCO films and (2) their growth rates. Before the detail discussions of these subjects are given, we first briefly discuss what geometrical structure a YBCO-coated conductor should be. Then, we will provide examples of simple arguments for how thick the YBCO films and how fast their growth rates need to be. Then, the discussions in the following two sections are devoted to: (1) the present understanding of the nucleation and the growth process for YBCO, and why it is so difficult to grow thick c-axis-oriented films (> 3 microm), and (2) our present understanding of the YBCO growth-limiting mechanism and methods to increase the growth rates. The values of critical-current densities J c in these films are of primary importance for the applications,. and the above two subjects are intimately related to the control of J c of the films. In general, the lower the temperatures of the YBCO formation are the higher the values of J c of the films. Thus, the present discussion is limited to those films which are reacted at ∼735 C. This is the lowest temperature at which c-axis-oriented YBCO films (1-3 microm thick) are comfortably grown. It is also well known that the non-c-axis oriented YBCO platelets are extremely detrimental to the values of J c such that their effects on J c dwarf essentially all of other microstructural effects which control J c . Hence, the discussion given below is mainly focused on how to avoid the growth of these crystallites

Effect of Firing Temperature on Humidity Sensing Properties of SnO2 Thick Film Resistor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Y. Borse

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Thick films of SnO2 were prepared using standard screen printing technique. The films were dried and fired at different temperatures. Tin-oxide is an n-type wide band gap semiconductor, whose resistance is described as a function of relative humidity. An increasing firing temperature on SnO2 film increases the sensitivity to humidity. The parameters such as sensitivity, response times and hysteresis of the SnO2 film sensors have been evaluated. The thick films were characterized by XRD, SEM and EDAX and grain size, composition of elements, relative phases are obtained.

Thickness-controlled direct growth of nanographene and nanographite film on non-catalytic substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Lei; Yang, Liu; Hu, Zhiting; Zhang, Jiazhen; Huang, Chunlai; Sun, Liaoxin; Wang, Lin; Wei, Dacheng; Chen, Gang; Lu, Wei

2018-05-01

Metal-catalyzed chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has been broadly employed for large-scale production of high-quality graphene. However, a following transfer process to targeted substrates is needed, which is incompatible with current silicon technology. We here report a new CVD approach to form nanographene and nanographite films with accurate thickness control directly on non-catalytic substrates such as silicon dioxide and quartz at 800 °C. The growth time is as short as a few seconds. The approach includes using 9-bis(diethylamino)silylanthracene as the carbon source and an atomic layer deposition (ALD) controlling system. The structure of the formed nanographene and nanographite films were characterized using atomic force microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, Raman scattering, and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. The nanographite film exhibits a transmittance higher than 80% at 550 nm and a sheet electrical resistance of 2000 ohms per square at room temperature. A negative temperature-dependence of the resistance of the nanographite film is also observed. Moreover, the thickness of the films can be precisely controlled via the deposition cycles using an ALD system, which promotes great application potential for optoelectronic and thermoelectronic-devices.

Thickness dependence of electrical properties in (0 0 1) oriented lead zirconate titanate films by laser ablation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, T.J.; Lu, L.; Lai, M.O.; Soh, A.K.

2007-01-01

Highly (0 0 1)-oriented Pb(Zr 0.52 Ti 0.48 )O 3 (PZT) thin films with LaNiO 3 (LNO) bottom electrodes have been fabricated on amorphous TiN buffered Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The polarization-electric field (P-E) hysteresis of the deposited PZT films with different thickness ranging from 25 to 850 nm was measured. Results showed that the coercive field increases with the film thickness scaling down. No P-E loops could be obtained for the film of thickness of 25 nm. The deterioration of ferroelectric property in the thinnest film was attributed to extrinsic effect other than intrinsic size effect. Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics measurement showed the increase in leakage current of the PZT films with the decrease in the thickness of the films under the same bias voltage. At a high field regime, the leakage current of the PZT films of 25 nm thickness remained unchanged with increasing applied voltage. A totally depleted back-to-back Shottky barrier model was used to explain the effect of electrode interfaces on leakage current in the PZT films. It is believed that ferroelectric/electrode interfaces play an important role in the electrical properties of ferroelectric thin films with thickness at nanometer level

The influence of nanoscale morphology on the resistivity of cluster-assembled nanostructured metallic thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barborini, E; Bertolini, G; Repetto, P; Leccardi, M; Vinati, S; Corbelli, G; Milani, P

2010-01-01

We have studied in situ the evolution of the electrical resistivity of Fe, Pd, Nb, W and Mo cluster-assembled films during their growth by supersonic cluster beam deposition. We observed resistivity of cluster-assembled films several orders of magnitude larger than the bulk, as well as an increase in resistivity by increasing the film thickness in contrast to what was observed for atom-assembled metallic films. This suggests that the nanoscale morphological features typical of ballistic films growth, such as the minimal cluster-cluster interconnection and the evolution of surface roughness with thickness, are responsible for the observed behaviour.

Preventing bacterial growth on implanted device with an interfacial metallic film and penetrating X-rays.

Science.gov (United States)

An, Jincui; Sun, An; Qiao, Yong; Zhang, Peipei; Su, Ming

2015-02-01

Device-related infections have been a big problem for a long time. This paper describes a new method to inhibit bacterial growth on implanted device with tissue-penetrating X-ray radiation, where a thin metallic film deposited on the device is used as a radio-sensitizing film for bacterial inhibition. At a given dose of X-ray, the bacterial viability decreases as the thickness of metal film (bismuth) increases. The bacterial viability decreases with X-ray dose increases. At X-ray dose of 2.5 Gy, 98% of bacteria on 10 nm thick bismuth film are killed; while it is only 25% of bacteria are killed on the bare petri dish. The same dose of X-ray kills 8% fibroblast cells that are within a short distance from bismuth film (4 mm). These results suggest that penetrating X-rays can kill bacteria on bismuth thin film deposited on surface of implant device efficiently.

Hydroxyapatite screen-printed thick films: optical and electrical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, C.C.; Rocha, H.H.B.; Freire, F.N.A.; Santos, M.R.P.; Saboia, K.D.A.; Goes, J.C.; Sombra, A.S.B.

2005-01-01

In this paper, we did a study on the structural and electrical properties of bioceramic hydroxiapatite (HA) thick films. The films were prepared in two layers using the screen-printing technique on Al 2 O 3 substrates. Mechanical alloying has been used successfully to produce nanocrystalline powders of hydroxyapatite to be used in the films. We also look for the effect of the grain size of the HA in the final properties of the film. The samples were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), infrared and Raman scattering spectroscopy and electrical measurements. We did a study of the dielectric permittivity and the loss of the films in the radio-frequency of the spectra. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the films indicate that all the peaks associated to HA phase is present in the films. One can notice that, for all the films there is a decrease of the DC (dielectric constant) with the increase of the frequency. The values of the dielectric constant of the films are in between 4 and 9 (at 1 kHz), as a function of the flux concentration. The loss is decreasing as we increase the frequency for all the films. These results strongly suggest that the screen-printing HA thick films are good candidates for applications in biocompatible coatings of implant materials

Hydroxyapatite screen-printed thick films: optical and electrical properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, C.C. [Laboratorio de Telecomunicaco-tilde es e Ciencia e Engenharia de Materiais (LOCEM), Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Ceara, Campus do Pici, Caixa Postal 6030, 60455-760 Fortaleza, Ceara (Brazil); Rocha, H.H.B. [Laboratorio de Telecomunicaco-tilde es e Ciencia e Engenharia de Materiais (LOCEM), Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Ceara, Campus do Pici, Caixa Postal 6030, 60455-760 Fortaleza, Ceara (Brazil); Freire, F.N.A. [Departamento de Quimica Orga-circumflex nica e Inorga-circumflex nica-UFC, Caixa Postal 6030, CEP 60455-760, Fortaleza, Ceara (Brazil); Santos, M.R.P. [Laboratorio de Telecomunicaco-tilde es e Ciencia e Engenharia de Materiais (LOCEM), Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Ceara, Campus do Pici, Caixa Postal 6030, 60455-760 Fortaleza, Ceara (Brazil); Saboia, K.D.A. [Laboratorio de Telecomunicaco-tilde es e Ciencia e Engenharia de Materiais (LOCEM), Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Ceara, Campus do Pici, Caixa Postal 6030, 60455-760 Fortaleza, Ceara (Brazil); Goes, J.C. [Laboratorio de Telecomunicaco-tilde es e Ciencia e Engenharia de Materiais (LOCEM), Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Ceara, Campus do Pici, Caixa Postal 6030, 60455-760 Fortaleza, Ceara (Brazil); Sombra, A.S.B. [Laboratorio de Telecomunicaco-tilde es e Ciencia e Engenharia de Materiais (LOCEM), Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Ceara, Campus do Pici, Caixa Postal 6030, 60455-760 Fortaleza, Ceara (Brazil)]. E-mail: sombra@fisica.ufc.br

2005-07-15

In this paper, we did a study on the structural and electrical properties of bioceramic hydroxiapatite (HA) thick films. The films were prepared in two layers using the screen-printing technique on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} substrates. Mechanical alloying has been used successfully to produce nanocrystalline powders of hydroxyapatite to be used in the films. We also look for the effect of the grain size of the HA in the final properties of the film. The samples were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), infrared and Raman scattering spectroscopy and electrical measurements. We did a study of the dielectric permittivity and the loss of the films in the radio-frequency of the spectra. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the films indicate that all the peaks associated to HA phase is present in the films. One can notice that, for all the films there is a decrease of the DC (dielectric constant) with the increase of the frequency. The values of the dielectric constant of the films are in between 4 and 9 (at 1 kHz), as a function of the flux concentration. The loss is decreasing as we increase the frequency for all the films. These results strongly suggest that the screen-printing HA thick films are good candidates for applications in biocompatible coatings of implant materials.

Electroplated thick-film cobalt platinum permanent magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oniku, Ololade D.; Qi, Bin; Arnold, David P.

2016-01-01

The material and magnetic properties of multi-micron-thick (up to 6 μm) L1 0 CoPt magnetic films electroplated onto silicon substrates are investigated as candidate materials for integration in silicon-based microsystems. The influence of various process conditions on the structure and magnetic properties of electroplated CoPt thick-films is studied in order to better understand the complex process/structure/property relationships associated with the electroplated films. Process variables studied here include different seed layers, electroplating current densities (ranging from 25–200 mA/cm 2 ), deposition times (up to 60 min), and post-deposition annealing times and temperatures. Analyses include film morphology, film thickness, composition, surface roughness, grain size, phase volume fractions, and L1 0 ordering parameter. Key correlations are found relating process and structure variations to the extrinsic magnetic properties (remanence, coercivity, squareness, and energy product). Strong hard magnetic properties (B r ~0.8 T, H ci ~800 kA/m, squareness close to 0.9, and BH max of 100 kJ/m 3 ) are obtained for films deposited on Si/TiN/Ti/Cu at current densities of 100 mA/cm 2 , pH of 7, and subsequently annealed at 675 °C for 30 min. - Highlights: • CoPt films plated up to 6 μm thick on silicon substrates. • A1 to L1 0 phase transformation by annealing in forming gas. • Various process–structure–property relationships explored. • Key results: B r ~0.8 T, H ci ~800 kA/m, squareness 0.9, and BH max ~100 kJ/m 3 .

High quality Y-type hexaferrite thick films for microwave applications by an economical and environmentally benign crystal growth technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, Bolin; Chen, Yajie, E-mail: y.chen@neu.edu; Gillette, Scott; Su, Zhijuan; Harris, Vincent G. [Center for Microwave Magnetic Materials and Integrated Circuits and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 (United States); Wolf, Jason; McHenry, Michael E. [Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213 (United States)

2014-02-17

Thick barium hexaferrite Ba{sub 2}Zn{sub 2}Fe{sub 12}O{sub 22} (i.e., Zn{sub 2}Y) films having thicknesses of ∼100 μm were epitaxially grown on MgO (111) substrates using an environmentally benign ferrite-salt mixture by vaporizing the salt. X-ray diffraction pole figure analyses showed (00l) crystallographic alignment with little in plane dispersion confirming epitaxial growth. Saturation magnetization, 4πM{sub s}, was measured for as-grown films to be 2.51 ± 0.1 kG with an out of plane magnetic anisotropy field H{sub A} of 8.9 ± 0.1 kOe. Ferromagnetic resonance linewidth, as the peak-to-peak power absorption derivative at 9.6 GHz, was measured to be 62 Oe. These properties demonstrate a rapid, convenient, cost-effective, and nontoxic method of growing high quality thick crystalline ferrite films which could be used widely for microwave device applications.

High-throughput measurement of polymer film thickness using optical dyes

Science.gov (United States)

Grunlan, Jaime C.; Mehrabi, Ali R.; Ly, Tien

2005-01-01

Optical dyes were added to polymer solutions in an effort to create a technique for high-throughput screening of dry polymer film thickness. Arrays of polystyrene films, cast from a toluene solution, containing methyl red or solvent green were used to demonstrate the feasibility of this technique. Measurements of the peak visible absorbance of each film were converted to thickness using the Beer-Lambert relationship. These absorbance-based thickness calculations agreed within 10% of thickness measured using a micrometer for polystyrene films that were 10-50 µm. At these thicknesses it is believed that the absorbance values are actually more accurate. At least for this solvent-based system, thickness was shown to be accurately measured in a high-throughput manner that could potentially be applied to other equivalent systems. Similar water-based films made with poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) dyed with malachite green oxalate or congo red did not show the same level of agreement with the micrometer measurements. Extensive phase separation between polymer and dye resulted in inflated absorbance values and calculated thickness that was often more than 25% greater than that measured with the micrometer. Only at thicknesses below 15 µm could reasonable accuracy be achieved for the water-based films.

Room Temperature Thin Film Ba(x)Sr(1-x)TiO3 Ku-Band Coupled MicrostripPhase Shifters: Effects of Film Thickness, Doping, Annealing and Substrate Choice

Science.gov (United States)

VanKeuls, F. W.; Mueller, C. H.; Miranda, F. A.; Romanofsky, R. R.; Canedy, C. L.; Aggarwal, S.; Venkatesan, T.; Ramesh, R.; Horwitz, S.; Chang, W.

1999-01-01

We report on measurements taken on over twenty Ku-band coupled microstrip phase shifters (CMPS) using thin ferroelectric films of Ba(x)Sr(1-x)TiO3. This CMPS design is a recent innovation designed to take advantage of the high tunability and tolerate the high dielectric constant of ferroelectric films at Ku- and K-band frequencies. These devices are envisioned as a component in low-cost steerable beam phased area antennas, Comparisons are made between devices with differing film thickness, annealed vs unannealed, Mn-doped vs. undoped, and also substrates of LaAlO3 and MgO. A comparison between the CMPS structure and a CPW phase shifter was also made oil the same ferroelectric film.

Optical properties of gold island films-a spectroscopic ellipsometry study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loncaric, Martin, E-mail: mloncaric@irb.hr; Sancho-Parramon, Jordi; Zorc, Hrvoje

2011-02-28

Metal island films of noble metals are obtained by deposition on glass substrates during the first stage of evaporation process when supported metal nanoparticles are formed. These films show unique optical properties, owing to the localized surface plasmon resonance of free electrons in metal nanoparticles. In the present work we study the optical properties of gold metal island films deposited on glass substrates with different mass thicknesses at different substrate temperatures. The optical characterization is performed by spectroscopic ellipsometry at different angles of incidence and transmittance measurements at normal incidence in the same point of the sample. Fitting of the ellipsometric data allows determining the effective optical constants and thickness of the island film. A multiple oscillator approach was used to successfully represent the dispersion of the effective optical constants of the films.

Towards a new thickness-independent gamma radiation plastic film dosimeter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vieira, Marli Barbosa; Araujo, Patricia L.; Araujo, Elma S.

2013-01-01

A 100% national single-use gamma radiation plastic film dosimeter is presented in this work. A new approach for the development of this material allowed a step forward in the performance of poly (methyl metacrylate) films (PMMA) colored with bromothymol blue (BTB) acid-base indicator. We manage to improve dosimeter performance by introducing a gamma radiation insensitive dye to compensate film thickness variations. By doing so, we were able to obtain consistent dose-response correlations within a set of samples presenting 46 to 110 micrometers in thickness. Hence, our PMMA/BTB-P film dosimeter is suitable to measure absorbed dose in the 2-100kGy range even when film thickness undergoes more than 100% of variation. In addition, dose response data remain practically unaltered for four months after the exposure, when dosimeter films are kept in dark conditions and under refrigeration. The radiation effects on the optical properties were evaluated for Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometric analysis. Data of characteristic dose-response correlation in terms of changes in the maximum UV-Vis absorption due to radiation, and stability in time are also described. This potential new product is a promising tool for industrial radiation facilities, especially in gamma sterilization of medical supplies. (author)

Film-thickness dependence of structure formation in ultra-thin polymer blend films

CERN Document Server

Gutmann, J S; Stamm, M

2002-01-01

We investigated the film-thickness dependence of structure formation in ultra-thin polymer blend films prepared from solution. As a model system we used binary blends of statistical poly(styrene-co-p-bromostyrene) copolymers of different degrees of bromination. Ultra-thin-film samples differing in miscibility and film thickness were prepared via spin coating of common toluene solutions onto silicon (100) substrates. The resulting morphologies were investigated with scanning force microscopy, reflectometry and grazing-incidence scattering techniques using both X-rays and neutrons in order to obtain a picture of the sample structure at and below the sample surface. (orig.)

Film Thickness Formation in Nanoscale due to Effects of Elastohydrodynamic, Electrostatic and Surface force of Solvation and Van der Waals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.F. Abd Al-Samieh

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The mechanism of oil film with a thickness in the nanoscale is discussed in this paper. A polar lubricant of propylene carbonate is used as the intervening liquid between contiguous bodies in concentrated contacts. A pressure caused by the hydrodynamic viscous action in addition to double layer electrostatic force, Van der Waals inter-molecular forces, and solvation pressure due to inter-surface forces is considered in calculating the ultrathin lubricating films. The numerical solution has been carried out, using the Newton-Raphson iteration technique, applied for the convergence of the hydrodynamic pressure. The results show that, at separations beyond about five molecular diameters of the intervening liquid, the formation of a lubricant film thickness is governed by combined effects of viscous action and surface force of an attractive Van der Waals force and a repulsive double layer force. At smaller separations below about five molecular diameters of the intervening liquid, the effect of solvation force is dominant in determining the oil film thickness

Control of thickness uniformity and grain size in graphene films for transparent conductive electrodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Wei; Yu Qingkai; Pei, Shin-Shem; Peng Peng; Bao Jiming; Liu Zhihong

2012-01-01

Large-scale and transferable graphene films grown on metal substrates by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) still hold great promise for future nanotechnology. To realize the promise, one of the key issues is to further improve the quality of graphene, e.g., uniform thickness, large grain size, and low defects. Here we grow graphene films on Cu foils by CVD at ambient pressure, and study the graphene nucleation and growth processes under different concentrations of carbon precursor. On the basis of the results, we develop a two-step ambient pressure CVD process to synthesize continuous single-layer graphene films with large grain size (up to hundreds of square micrometers). Scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy characterizations confirm the film thickness and uniformity. The transferred graphene films on cover glass slips show high electrical conductivity and high optical transmittance that make them suitable as transparent conductive electrodes. The growth mechanism of CVD graphene on Cu is also discussed, and a growth model has been proposed. Our results provide important guidance toward the synthesis of high quality uniform graphene films, and could offer a great driving force for graphene based applications. (paper)

Thickness-dependent spontaneous dewetting morphology of ultrathin Ag films.

Science.gov (United States)

Krishna, H; Sachan, R; Strader, J; Favazza, C; Khenner, M; Kalyanaraman, R

2010-04-16

We show here that the morphological pathway of spontaneous dewetting of ultrathin Ag films on SiO2 under nanosecond laser melting is dependent on film thickness. For films with thickness h of 2 nm < or = h < or = 9.5 nm, the morphology during the intermediate stages of dewetting consisted of bicontinuous structures. For films with 11.5 nm < or = h < or = 20 nm, the intermediate stages consisted of regularly sized holes. Measurement of the characteristic length scales for different stages of dewetting as a function of film thickness showed a systematic increase, which is consistent with the spinodal dewetting instability over the entire thickness range investigated. This change in morphology with thickness is consistent with observations made previously for polymer films (Sharma and Khanna 1998 Phys. Rev. Lett. 81 3463-6; Seemann et al 2001 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 13 4925-38). Based on the behavior of free energy curvature that incorporates intermolecular forces, we have estimated the morphological transition thickness for the intermolecular forces for Ag on SiO2. The theory predictions agree well with observations for Ag. These results show that it is possible to form a variety of complex Ag nanomorphologies in a consistent manner, which could be useful in optical applications of Ag surfaces, such as in surface enhanced Raman sensing.

Structure, surface morphology and electrical properties of evaporated Ni thin films: Effect of substrates, thickness and Cu underlayer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hemmous, M.; Layadi, A.; Guittoum, A.; Souami, N.; Mebarki, M.; Menni, N.

2014-01-01

Series of Ni thin films have been deposited by thermal evaporation onto glass, Si(111), Cu, mica and Al 2 O 3 substrates with and without a Cu underlayer. The Ni thicknesses, t, are in the 4 to 163 nm range. The Cu underlayer has also been evaporated with a Cu thickness equal to 27, 52 and 90 nm. The effects of substrate, the Ni thickness and the Cu underlayer on the structural and electrical properties of Ni are investigated. Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy was used to probe the Ni/Substrate and Ni–Cu underlayer interfaces and to measure both Ni and Cu thicknesses. The texture, the strain and the grain size values were derived from X-ray diffraction experiments. The surface morphology is studied by means of a Scanning Electron Microscope. The electrical resistivity is measured by the four point probe. The Ni films grow with the <111> texture on all substrates. The Ni grain sizes D increase with increasing thickness for the glass, Si and mica substrates and decrease for the Cu one. The strain ε is positive for low thickness, decreases in magnitude and becomes negative as t increases. With the Cu underlayer, the growth mode goes through two phases: first, the stress (grain size) increases (decreases) up to a critical thickness t Cr , then stress is relieved and grain size increases. All these results will be discussed and correlated. - Highlights: • The structural and electrical properties of evaporated Ni thin films are studied. • The effect of thickness, substrates and Cu underlayer is investigated. • Texture, grain size, strain and surface morphology are discussed. • Growth modes are described as a function of Ni thickness

Effect of Ga2O3 buffer layer thickness on the properties of Cu/ITO thin films deposited on flexible substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhuang Huihui; Yan Jinliang; Xu Chengyang; Meng Delan

2014-01-01

Cu and Cu/ITO films were prepared on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates with a Ga 2 O 3 buffer layer using radio frequency (RF) and direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering. The effect of Cu layer thickness on the optical and electrical properties of the Cu film deposited on a PET substrate with a Ga 2 O 3 buffer layer was studied, and an appropriate Cu layer thickness of 4.2 nm was obtained. Changes in the optoelectrical properties of Cu(4.2 nm)/ITO(30 nm) films were investigated with respect to the Ga 2 O 3 buffer layer thickness. The optical and electrical properties of the Cu/ITO films were significantly influenced by the thickness of the Ga 2 O 3 buffer layer. A maximum transmission of 86%, sheet resistance of 45 Ω/□ and figure of merit of 3.96 × 10 −3 Ω −1 were achieved for Cu(4.2 nm)/ITO(30 nm) films with a Ga 2 O 3 layer thickness of 15 nm. (semiconductor materials)

Development of CIGS2 solar cells with lower absorber thickness

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vasekar, Parag S.; Dhere, Neelkanth G. [Florida Solar Energy Center, University of Central Florida, 1679 Clearlake Rd., Cocoa, FL 32922 (United States); Moutinho, Helio [National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1617 Cole Blvd. Golden, CO 80401 (United States)

2009-09-15

The availability and cost of materials, especially of indium can be a limiting factor as chalcopyrite based thin-film solar cells advance in their commercialization. The required amounts of metals can be lowered by using thinner films. When the thickness of the film decreases, there is possibility of remaining only in the small grain region because the coalescence of grains does not have an opportunity to enhance the grain size to the maximum. Solar cell performance in smaller grain chalcopyrite absorber deteriorates due to larger fraction of grain boundaries. Efforts are being made to reduce the thickness while maintaining the comparable performance. This work presents a study of preparation, morphology and other material properties of CIGS2 absorber layers with decreasing thicknesses up to 1.2 {mu}m and its correlation with the device performance. Encouraging results were obtained demonstrating that reasonable solar cell efficiencies (>10%) can be achieved even for thinner CIGS2 thin-film solar cells. (author)

The annealing effects on the micro-structure and properties of RuMoC films as seedless barrier for advanced Cu metallization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zou, Jianxiong; Liu, Bo, E-mail: liubo2009@scu.edu.cn, E-mail: gh.jiao@siat.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Radiation Physics and Technology of Ministry of Education, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064 (China); Jiao, Guohua, E-mail: liubo2009@scu.edu.cn, E-mail: gh.jiao@siat.ac.cn; Lu, Yuanfu; Dong, Yuming [Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055 (China); The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (China); Li, Qiran [Institut d' Electronique Fondamentale, CNRS-Université Paris Sud UMR 8622, 91405 Orsay (France)

2016-09-07

100 nm thick RuMoC films and 5 nm thick RuMoC films with Cu capping have been deposited on Si(111) by magnetron co-sputtering with Ru and MoC confocal targets. The samples were subsequently annealed at temperatures ranging from 450 to 650 °C in vacuum at a pressure of 3 × 10{sup −4} Pa to study the annealing effects on the microstructures and properties of RuMoC films for advanced seedless Cu metallization applications. The sheet resistances, residual oxygen contents, and microstructures of the RuMoC films have close correlation with the doping contents of Mo and C, which can be easily controlled by the deposition power ratio of MoC versus Ru targets (DPR). When DPR was 0.5, amorphous RuMoC film (marked as RuMoC II) with low sheet resistances and residual oxygen contents was obtained. The fundamental relationship between the annealing temperatures with the microstructures and properties of the RuMoC films was investigated, and a critical temperature point was revealed at about 550 °C where the components and microstructures of the RuMoC II films changed obviously. Results indicated that below 550 °C, the RuMoC II films remained amorphous due to the well-preserved C-Ru and C-Mo bonds. However, above 550 °C, the microstructures of RuMoC II films transformed from amorphous to nano-composite structure due to the breakage of Ru-C bonds, while the supersaturated solid solution MoC segregated out along the grain boundaries of Ru, thus hindering the diffusion of Cu and O atoms. This is the main mechanism of the excellent thermal stability of the RuMoC films after annealing at high temperatures. The results indicated great prospects of amorphous RuMoC films in advanced seedless Cu metallization applications.

Electron confinement in thin metal films. Structure, morphology and interactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dil, J.H.

2006-05-15

This thesis investigates the interplay between reduced dimensionality, electronic structure, and interface effects in ultrathin metal layers (Pb, In, Al) on a variety of substrates (Si, Cu, graphite). These layers can be grown with such a perfection that electron confinement in the direction normal to the film leads to the occurrence of quantum well states in their valence bands. These quantum well states are studied in detail, and their behaviour with film thickness, on different substrates, and other parameters of growth are used here to characterise a variety of physical properties of such nanoscale systems. The sections of the thesis deal with a determination of quantum well state energies for a large data set on different systems, the interplay between film morphology and electronic structure, and the influence of substrate electronic structure on their band shape; finally, new ground is broken by demonstrating electron localization and correlation effects, and the possibility to measure the influence of electron-phonon coupling in bulk bands. (orig.)

Effect of cell thickness on the electrical and optical properties of thin film silicon solar cell

Science.gov (United States)

Zaki, A. A.; El-Amin, A. A.

2017-12-01

In this work Electrical and optical properties of silicon thin films with different thickness were measured. The thickness of the Si films varied from 100 to 800 μm. The optical properties of the cell were studied at different thickness. A maximum achievable current density (MACD) generated by a planar solar cell, was measured for different values of the cell thickness which was performed by using photovoltaic (PV) optics method. It was found that reducing the values of the cell thickness improves the open-circuit voltage (VOC) and the fill factor (FF) of the solar cell. The optical properties were measured for thin film Si (TF-Si) at different thickness by using the double beam UV-vis-NIR spectrophotometer in the wavelength range of 300-2000 nm. Some of optical parameters such as refractive index with dispersion relation, the dispersion energy, the oscillator energy, optical band gap energy were calculated by using the spectra for the TF-Si with different thickness.

Through-thickness thermal conductivity enhancement of graphite film/epoxy composite via short duration acidizing modification

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Han; Wang, Shaokai; Lu, Weibang; Li, Min; Gu, Yizhou; Zhang, Yongyi; Zhang, Zuoguang

2018-06-01

Graphite films have excellent in-plane thermal conductivity but extremely low through-thickness thermal conductivity because of their intrinsic inter-layer spaces. To improve the inter-layer heat transfer of graphite films, we developed a simple interfacial modification with a short duration mixed-acid treatment. The effects of the mixture ratio of sulfuric and nitric acids and treatment time on the through-thickness thermal properties of graphite films were studied. The modification increased the through-thickness thermal conductivity by 27% and 42% for the graphite film and its composite, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy results indicated that the acidification process had two competing effects: the positive contribution made by the enhanced interaction between the graphite layers induced by the functional groups and the negative effect from the destruction of the graphite layers. As a result, an optimal acidification method was found to be sulfuric/nitric acid treatment with a mixture ratio of 3:1 for 15 min. The resultant through-thickness thermal conductivity of the graphite film could be improved to 0.674 W/mK, and the corresponding graphite/epoxy composite shows a through-thickness thermal conductivity of 0.587 W/mK. This method can be directly used for graphite films and their composite fabrication to improve through-thickness thermal conductivity.

Electroplated thick-film cobalt platinum permanent magnets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oniku, Ololade D.; Qi, Bin; Arnold, David P., E-mail: darnold@ufl.edu

2016-10-15

The material and magnetic properties of multi-micron-thick (up to 6 μm) L1{sub 0} CoPt magnetic films electroplated onto silicon substrates are investigated as candidate materials for integration in silicon-based microsystems. The influence of various process conditions on the structure and magnetic properties of electroplated CoPt thick-films is studied in order to better understand the complex process/structure/property relationships associated with the electroplated films. Process variables studied here include different seed layers, electroplating current densities (ranging from 25–200 mA/cm{sup 2}), deposition times (up to 60 min), and post-deposition annealing times and temperatures. Analyses include film morphology, film thickness, composition, surface roughness, grain size, phase volume fractions, and L1{sub 0} ordering parameter. Key correlations are found relating process and structure variations to the extrinsic magnetic properties (remanence, coercivity, squareness, and energy product). Strong hard magnetic properties (B{sub r} ~0.8 T, H{sub ci} ~800 kA/m, squareness close to 0.9, and BH{sub max} of 100 kJ/m{sup 3}) are obtained for films deposited on Si/TiN/Ti/Cu at current densities of 100 mA/cm{sup 2}, pH of 7, and subsequently annealed at 675 °C for 30 min. - Highlights: • CoPt films plated up to 6 μm thick on silicon substrates. • A1 to L1{sub 0} phase transformation by annealing in forming gas. • Various process–structure–property relationships explored. • Key results: B{sub r} ~0.8 T, H{sub ci} ~800 kA/m, squareness 0.9, and BH{sub max} ~100 kJ/m{sup 3}.

Kinetics of sub-spinodal dewetting of thin films of thickness dependent viscosity.

Science.gov (United States)

Kotni, Tirumala Rao; Khanna, Rajesh; Sarkar, Jayati

2017-05-04

An alternative explanation of the time varying and very low growth exponents in dewetting of polymer films like polystyrene films is presented based on non-linear simulations. The kinetics of these films is explored within the framework of experimentally observed thickness dependent viscosity. These films exhibit sub-spinodal dewetting via formation of satellite holes in between primary dewetted holes under favorable conditions of excess intermolecular forces and film thicknesses. We find that conditions responsible for sub-spinodal dewetting concurrently lead to remarkable changes in the kinetics of dewetting of even primary holes. For example, the radius of the hole grows in time with a power-law growth exponent sequence of [Formula: see text], in contrast to the usual  ∼4/5. This is due to the cumulative effect of reduced rim mobility due to thickness dependent viscosity and hindrance created by satellite holes.

The effect of the gas-liquid density ratio on the liquid film thickness in vertical upward annular flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mori, Shoji; Okuyama, Kunito

2010-01-01

Annular two phase flow is encountered in many industrial equipments, including flow near nuclear fuel rods in boiling water reactor (BWR). Especially, disturbance waves play important roles in the pressure drop, the generation of entrainments, and the dryout of the liquid film. Therefore, it is important to clarify the behavior of disturbance waves and base film. However, most of the previous studies have been performed under atmospheric pressure conditions that provide the properties of liquid and gas which are significantly different from those of a BWR. Therefore, the effect of properties in gas and liquid on liquid film characteristics should be clarified. In this paper we focus on the effect of gas-liquid density ratio on liquid film thickness characteristics. The experiments have been conducted at four density ratio conditions (ρ L /ρ G =763, 451, 231, and 31). As a result, it was found that liquid film thickness characteristics including the effect of liquid/gas density ratios were well correlated with a gas Weber number and the liquid Reynolds number in the wide range of experimental conditions (ρ L /ρ G : 31-763, We: 10-1800, Re L : 500-2200). (author)

Measurement of the thickness of thin films by backscattered protons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samaniego, L.E.Q.

1976-07-01

The method of backscattered protons has been used to measure the thickness of thin films. A monoenergetic beam of protons is directed on the film to be measured and the backscattered protons are detected with a particle detector. The film thickness is calculated from the energy spectrum of the protons. In the case of films consisting of several layers of elements with well separated atomic masses, it is possible to separate the spectra of protons scattered from the different elements, permitting a measurement of the thicknesses of the different layers. The method consists of calculating the energy loss of the protons throughout their trajectory, from the point of incidence on the film to the final detection. Thicknesses were measured for the following film combinations: gold on mylar, chromium on mylar, gold on chromium on mylar, and pure mylar. (Author) [pt

Electrostatically assisted fabrication of silver-dielectric core/shell nanoparticles thin film capacitor with uniform metal nanoparticle distribution and controlled spacing.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xue; Niitsoo, Olivia; Couzis, Alexander

2016-03-01

An electrostatically-assisted strategy for fabrication of thin film composite capacitors with controllable dielectric constant (k) has been developed. The capacitor is composed of metal-dielectric core/shell nanoparticle (silver/silica, Ag@SiO2) multilayer films, and a backfilling polymer. Compared with the simple metal particle-polymer mixtures where the metal nanoparticles (NP) are randomly dispersed in the polymer matrix, the metal volume fraction in our capacitor was significantly increased, owing to the densely packed NP multilayers formed by the electrostatically assisted assembly process. Moreover, the insulating layer of silica shell provides a potential barrier that reduces the tunneling current between neighboring Ag cores, endowing the core/shell nanocomposites with a stable and relatively high dielectric constant (k) and low dielectric loss (D). Our work also shows that the thickness of the SiO2 shell plays a dominant role in controlling the dielectric properties of the nanocomposites. Control over metal NP separation distance was realized not only by variation the shell thickness of the core/shell NPs but also by introducing a high k nanoparticle, barium strontium titanate (BST) of relatively smaller size (∼8nm) compared to 80-160nm of the core/shell Ag@SiO2 NPs. The BST assemble between the Ag@SiO2 and fill the void space between the closely packed core/shell NPs leading to significant enhancement of the dielectric constant. This electrostatically assisted assembly method is promising for generating multilayer films of a large variety of NPs over large areas at low cost. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High-throughput characterization of film thickness in thin film materials libraries by digital holographic microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lai Yiuwai; Hofmann, Martin R; Ludwig, Alfred; Krause, Michael; Savan, Alan; Thienhaus, Sigurd; Koukourakis, Nektarios

2011-01-01

A high-throughput characterization technique based on digital holography for mapping film thickness in thin-film materials libraries was developed. Digital holographic microscopy is used for fully automatic measurements of the thickness of patterned films with nanometer resolution. The method has several significant advantages over conventional stylus profilometry: it is contactless and fast, substrate bending is compensated, and the experimental setup is simple. Patterned films prepared by different combinatorial thin-film approaches were characterized to investigate and demonstrate this method. The results show that this technique is valuable for the quick, reliable and high-throughput determination of the film thickness distribution in combinatorial materials research. Importantly, it can also be applied to thin films that have been structured by shadow masking.

High-throughput characterization of film thickness in thin film materials libraries by digital holographic microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Yiu Wai; Krause, Michael; Savan, Alan; Thienhaus, Sigurd; Koukourakis, Nektarios; Hofmann, Martin R; Ludwig, Alfred

2011-10-01

A high-throughput characterization technique based on digital holography for mapping film thickness in thin-film materials libraries was developed. Digital holographic microscopy is used for fully automatic measurements of the thickness of patterned films with nanometer resolution. The method has several significant advantages over conventional stylus profilometry: it is contactless and fast, substrate bending is compensated, and the experimental setup is simple. Patterned films prepared by different combinatorial thin-film approaches were characterized to investigate and demonstrate this method. The results show that this technique is valuable for the quick, reliable and high-throughput determination of the film thickness distribution in combinatorial materials research. Importantly, it can also be applied to thin films that have been structured by shadow masking.

Effect of nano-silver hydrogel coating film on deep partial thickness scald model of rabbit

OpenAIRE

Peng Xi; Yan Li; Xiaojin Ge; Dandan Liu; Mingsan Miao

2018-01-01

Objective: Observing the effect of nano-silver hydrogel coating film on deep partial thickness scald model of rabbit. Method: We prepared boiling water scalded rabbits with deep II degree scald models and applied high, medium and low doses of nano-silver hydrogel coating film for different time and area. Then we compared the difference of burned paper weight before administration and after administration model burns, burn local skin irritation points infection, skin crusting and scabs from th...

Influence of substrate and film thickness on polymer LIPSS formation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cui, Jing; Nogales, Aurora; Ezquerra, Tiberio A. [Instituto de Estructura de la Materia (IEM-CSIC), Serrano 121, Madrid 28006 (Spain); Rebollar, Esther, E-mail: e.rebollar@csic.es [Instituto de Química Física Rocasolano (IQFR-CSIC), Serrano 119, Madrid 28006 (Spain)

2017-02-01

Highlights: • The estimation of temperature upon pulse accumulation shows that a small positive offset is caused by each individual pulse. • Number of pulses needed for LIPSS formation in PS thin films depends on polymer thickness. • Thermal conductivity and diffusivity of supporting substrate influence the onset for LIPSS formation and their quality. • Quality of LIPSS is affected by the substrate optical properties. - Abstract: Here we focus on the influence of both, substrate and film thickness on polymer Laser Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS) formation in polymer films. For this aim a morphological description of ripples structures generated on spin-coated polystyrene (PS) films by a linearly polarized laser beam with a wavelength of 266 nm is presented. The influence of different parameters on the quality and characteristics of the formed laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) was investigated. We found that well-ordered LIPSS are formed either on PS films thinner than 200 nm or thicker than 400 nm supported on silicon substrates as well as on thicker free standing films. However less-ordered ripples are formed on silicon supported films with intermediate thicknesses in the range of 200–380 nm. The effect of the thermal and optical properties of the substrate on the quality of LIPSS was analyzed. Differences observed in the fluence and number of pulses needed for the onset of surface morphological modifications is explained considering two main effects which are: (1) The temperature increase on polymer surface induced by the action of cumulative laser irradiation and (2) The differences in thermal conductivity between the polymer and the substrate which strongly affect the heat dissipation generated by irradiation.

Highly transparent front electrodes with metal fingers for p-i-n thin-film silicon solar cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moulin Etienne

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The optical and electrical properties of transparent conductive oxides (TCOs, traditionally used in thin-film silicon (TF-Si solar cells as front-electrode materials, are interlinked, such that an increase in TCO transparency is generally achieved at the cost of reduced lateral conductance. Combining a highly transparent TCO front electrode of moderate conductance with metal fingers to support charge collection is a well-established technique in wafer-based technologies or for TF-Si solar cells in the substrate (n-i-p configuration. Here, we extend this concept to TF-Si solar cells in the superstrate (p-i-n configuration. The metal fingers are used in conjunction with a millimeter-scale textured foil, attached to the glass superstrate, which provides an antireflective and retroreflective effect; the latter effect mitigates the shadowing losses induced by the metal fingers. As a result, a substantial increase in power conversion efficiency, from 8.7% to 9.1%, is achieved for 1-μm-thick microcrystalline silicon solar cells deposited on a highly transparent thermally treated aluminum-doped zinc oxide layer combined with silver fingers, compared to cells deposited on a state-of-the-art zinc oxide layer.

Subtractive fabrication of ferroelectric thin films with precisely controlled thickness

Science.gov (United States)

Ievlev, Anton V.; Chyasnavichyus, Marius; Leonard, Donovan N.; Agar, Joshua C.; Velarde, Gabriel A.; Martin, Lane W.; Kalinin, Sergei V.; Maksymovych, Petro; Ovchinnikova, Olga S.

2018-04-01

The ability to control thin-film growth has led to advances in our understanding of fundamental physics as well as to the emergence of novel technologies. However, common thin-film growth techniques introduce a number of limitations related to the concentration of defects on film interfaces and surfaces that limit the scope of systems that can be produced and studied experimentally. Here, we developed an ion-beam based subtractive fabrication process that enables creation and modification of thin films with pre-defined thicknesses. To accomplish this we transformed a multimodal imaging platform that combines time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry with atomic force microscopy to a unique fabrication tool that allows for precise sputtering of the nanometer-thin layers of material. To demonstrate fabrication of thin-films with in situ feedback and control on film thickness and functionality we systematically studied thickness dependence of ferroelectric switching of lead-zirconate-titanate, within a single epitaxial film. Our results demonstrate that through a subtractive film fabrication process we can control the piezoelectric response as a function of film thickness as well as improve on the overall piezoelectric response versus an untreated film.

Quantifying Local Thickness and Composition in Thin Films of Organic Photovoltaic Blends by Raman Scattering

KAUST Repository

Rodríguez-Martínez, Xabier

2017-07-06

We report a methodology based on Raman spectroscopy that enables the non-invasive and fast quantitative determination of local thickness and composition in thin films (from few monolayers to hundreds of nm) of one or more components. We apply our methodology to blends of organic conjugated materials relevant in the field of organic photovoltaics. As a first step, we exploit the transfer-matrix formalism to describe the Raman process in thin films including reabsorption and interference effects of the incoming and scattered electric fields. This allows determining the effective solid-state Raman cross-section of each material by studying the dependence of the Raman intensity on film thickness. These effective cross sections are then used to estimate the local thickness and composition in a series of polymer:fullerene blends. We find that the model is accurate within ±10 nm in thickness and ±5 vol% in composition provided that (i) the film thickness is kept below the thickness corresponding to the first maximum of the calculated Raman intensity oscillation; (ii) the materials making up the blend show close enough effective Raman cross-sections; and (iii) the degree of order attained by the conjugated polymer in the blend is similar to that achieved when cast alone. Our methodology opens the possibility to make quantitative maps of composition and thickness over large areas (from microns to centimetres squared) with diffraction-limited resolution and in any multi-component system based thin film technology.

The Effects of Film Thickness and Evaporation Rate on Si-Cu Thin Films for Lithium Ion Batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Polat, B Deniz; Keles, Ozgul

2015-12-01

The reversible cyclability of Si based composite anodes is greatly improved by optimizing the atomic ratio of Si/Cu, the thickness and the evaporation rates of films fabricated by electron beam deposition method. The galvanostatic test results show that 500 nm thick flim, having 10%at. Cu-90%at. Si, deposited with a moderate evaporation rate (10 and 0.9 Å/s for Si and Cu respectively) delivers 2642.37 mAh g(-1) as the first discharge capacity with 76% Coulombic efficiency. 99% of its initial capacity is retained after 20 cycles. The electron conductive pathway and high mechanical tolerance induced by Cu atoms, the low electrical resistivity of the film due to Cu3Si particles, and the homogeneously distributed nano-sized/amorphous particles in the composite thin film could explain this outstanding electrochemical performance of the anode.

Use of fluorescent-metal intensifying screens with RT-type films for X-ray radiography using pulse devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morgovskij, L.Ya.; Khakim'yanov, R.R.

1985-01-01

A study was made on characteristics of combination of fluorescent-metal Kyokko SMP-308 (Japan) and RCF (Agfa-Gevert) screens with domestic X-ray RT-1, RT-2, RT-5 films. Pulse X-ray MIRA-3D and NORA devices at 200 kV voltage amplitude in X-ray tube were used as radiation source. Testing was conducted for steel samples of 5-40 mm thickness. Comparative exposures for various film combinations with fluorescent-metal screens, fluorescent VP-2 screens and lead foils of 27 μm thickness were determined at that. It is shown that fluorescent-metal screens can be successfully applied with domestic X-ray technical films. They enable to decrease exposure by one order with insignificant deterioration of sensitivity. It is important for testing of pipeline welds

Intrinsic flux pinning mechanisms in different thickness MgB2 films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Yang

2017-03-01

Full Text Available MgB2 films in four thickness (60 nm, 200nm, 600nm and 1μm have been fabricated by hybrid physical–chemical vapor deposition technique (HPCVD. By measuring the magnetization hysteresis loops and the resistivity, we have obtained the transport and magnetic properties of the four films. After that, the pinning mechanisms in them were discussed. Comparing the pinning behaviors in these ultrathin films, thin films and thick films, it was found that there exist different pinning types in MgB2 films of different thickness. In combination with the study of the surface morphology, cross-section and XRD results, we concluded that MgB2 films had different growth modes in different growth stages. For thin films, films grew along c axis, and grain boundaries acted as surface pinning. While for thick films, films grew along c axis at first, and then changed to a-b axis growth. As a result, the a-b axis grains acted as strong volume pinning.

Investigation of the effect of different carbon film thickness on the exhaust valve

Science.gov (United States)

Karamangil, M. I.; Avci, A.; Bilal, H.

2008-03-01

Valves working under different loads and temperatures are the mostly forced engine elements. In an internal combustion engine, pressures and temperatures affecting on the valves vary with fuel type and the combustion characteristics of the fuel. Consequently, valves are exposed to different dynamic and thermal stress. In this study, stress distributions and temperature profiles on exhaust valve are obtained depending on different carbon film thickness. It is concluded that heat losses and valve temperatures decrease and valve surfaces are exposed to less thermal shocks with increasing carbon film thickness.

Biomedical sensor for transcutaneous oxygen measurements using thick film technology

OpenAIRE

Lam, Yu-Zhi (Liza)

2003-01-01

The measurement of the partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood is essential for the analysis of a patient's respiratory condition. There are several commercially available methods and systems to measure this parameter transcutaneously. However, they tend to be cumbersome and costly. To overcome the disadvantages presented, a new type of sensor for transcutaneous blood gas measurement was investigated, employing thick film technology, which is an excellent technique to produce sensors in ...

Thickness-dependent appearance of ferromagnetism in Pd(100) ultrathin films

Science.gov (United States)

Sakuragi, S.; Sakai, T.; Urata, S.; Aihara, S.; Shinto, A.; Kageshima, H.; Sawada, M.; Namatame, H.; Taniguchi, M.; Sato, T.

2014-08-01

We report the appearance of ferromagnetism in thin films of Pd(100), which depends on film thickness in the range of 3-5 nm on SrTiO3(100) substrates. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurement shows the intrinsic nature of ferromagnetism in Pd(100) films. The spontaneous magnetization in Pd(100) films, corresponding to is 0.61μB/atom, is comparable to Ni, and it changes in an oscillatory manner depending on film thickness, where the period quantitatively agrees with the theoretical prediction based on the two-dimensional quantum well in the film. This indicates that the discrete electronic states in the quantum well shift to Fermi energy to satisfy the condition for ferromagnetism (Stoner criterion) at a specific film thickness.

Block Copolymer-Templated Approach to Nanopatterned Metal-Organic Framework Films.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Meimei; Wu, Yi-Nan; Wu, Baozhen; Yin, Xianpeng; Gao, Ning; Li, Fengting; Li, Guangtao

2017-08-17

The fabrication of patterned metal-organic framework (MOF) films with precisely controlled nanoscale resolution has been a fundamental challenge in nanoscience and nanotechnology. In this study, nanopatterned MOF films were fabricated using a layer-by-layer (LBL) growth method on functional templates (such as a bicontinuous nanoporous membrane or a structure with highly long-range-ordered nanoscopic channels parallel to the underlying substrate) generated by the microphase separation of polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) block copolymers. HKUST-1 can be directly deposited on the templates without any chemical modification because the pyridine groups in P2VP interact with metal ions via metal-BCP complexes. As a result, nanopatterned HKUST-1 films with feature sizes below 50 nm and controllable thicknesses can be fabricated by controlling the number of LBL growth cycles. The proposed fabrication method further extends the applications of MOFs in various fields. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Influence of colorant and film thickness on thermal aging characteristics of oxo-biodegradable plastic bags

Science.gov (United States)

Leuterio, Giselle Lou D.; Pajarito, Bryan B.; Domingo, Carla Marie C.; Lim, Anna Patricia G.

2016-05-01

Functional, lightweight, strong and cheap plastic bags incorporated with pro-oxidants undergo accelerated degradation under exposure to heat and oxygen. This work investigated the effect of colorant and film thickness on thermal aging characteristics of commercial oxo-biodegradable plastic bag films at 70 °C. Degradation is monitored through changes in infrared absorption, weight, and tensile properties of thermally aged films. The presence of carbonyl band in infrared spectrum after 672 h of thermal aging supports the degradation behavior of exposed films. Results show that incorporation of colorant and increasing thickness exhibit low maximum weight uptake. Titanium dioxide as white colorant in films lowers the susceptibility of films to oxygen uptake but enhances physical degradation. Higher amount of pro-oxidant loading also contributes to faster degradation. Opaque films are characterized by low tensile strength and high elastic modulus. Decreasing the thickness contributes to lower tensile strength of films. Thermally aged films with colorant and low thickness promote enhanced degradation.

A „Hybrid“ Thin-Film pH Sensor with Integrated Thick-Film Reference

OpenAIRE

Simonis, Anette; Krings, Thomas; Lüth, Hans; Wang, Joseph; Schöning, Michael J.

2001-01-01

A reference electrode fabricated by means of thick-film technique is deposited onto a silicon substrate and combined with a thin-film pH sensor to a “hybrid†chip system. To evaluate the suitability of this combination, first investigations were carried out. The characteristics of the thin-film pH sensor were studied towards the thick-film Ag/AgCl reference electrode. Measurements were performed in the capacitance/voltage (C/V) and constant capacitance (Concap) mode for different pH ...

Adherence of diamond films on refractory metal substrates for thermionic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsao, B.H.; Ramalingam, M.L.; Adams, S.F.; Cloyd, J.S.

1991-01-01

Diamond films are currently being considered as electrical insulation material for application in the thermionic fuel element of a power producing nuclear reactor system. The function of the diamond insulator in this application is to electrically isolate the collector of each cell in the TFE from the coolant and outer sheath. Deposition of diamond films on plane surfaces of Si/SiO 2 have already been demonstrated to be quite effective. However, the diamond films on refractory metal surfaces tend to spall off in the process of deposition revealing an inefficient adherence characteristic between the film and the substrate. This paper is geared towards explaining this deficiency by way of selected experimentation and the use of analytical tools to predict uncertainties such as the mismatch in coefficient of expansion, micrographic study of the interface between the film and the substrate and X-ray diffraction spectra. The investigation of the adherence characteristics of several diamond films on Mo and Nb substrates revealed that there was an allowable stress that resulted in the formation of the critical thickness for the diamond film

Thin film pc-Si by aluminium induced crystallization on metallic substrate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cayron C.

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Thin film polycrystalline silicon (pc-Si on flexible metallic substrates is promising for low cost production of photovoltaic solar cells. One of the attractive methods to produce pc-Si solar cells consists in thickening a large-grained seed layer by epitaxy. In this work, the deposited seed layer is made by aluminium induced crystallization (AIC of an amorphous silicon (a-Si thin film on metallic substrates (Ni/Fe alloy initially coated with a tantalum nitride (TaN conductive diffusion barrier layer. Effect of the thermal budget on the AIC grown pc-Si seed layer was investigated in order to optimize the process (i.e. the quality of the pc-Si thin film. Structural and optical characterizations were carried out using optical microscopy, μ-Raman and Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD. At optimal thermal annealing conditions, the continuous AIC grown pc-Si thin film showed an average grain size around 15 μm. The grains were preferably (001 oriented which is favorable for its epitaxial thickening. This work proves the feasibility of the AIC method to grow large grains pc-Si seed layer on TaN coated metal substrates. These results are, in terms of grains size, the finest obtained by AIC on metallic substrates.

Effect of film thickness on morphological evolution in dewetting and crystallization of polystyrene/poly(ε-caprolactone) blend films.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Meng; He, Zhoukun; Yang, Jinghui; Chen, Feng; Wang, Ke; Zhang, Qin; Deng, Hua; Fu, Qiang

2011-11-01

In this Article, the morphological evolution in the blend thin film of polystyrene (PS)/poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) was investigated via mainly AFM. It was found that an enriched two-layer structure with PS at the upper layer and PCL at the bottom layer was formed during spinning coating. By changing the solution concentration, different kinds of crystal morphologies, such as finger-like, dendritic, and spherulitic-like, could be obtained at the bottom PCL layer. These different initial states led to the morphological evolution processes to be quite different from each other, so the phase separation, dewetting, and crystalline morphology of PS/PCL blend films as a function of time were studied. It was interesting to find that the morphological evolution of PS at the upper layer was largely dependent on the film thickness. For the ultrathin (15 nm) blend film, a liquid-solid/liquid-liquid dewetting-wetting process was observed, forming ribbons that rupture into discrete circular PS islands on voronoi finger-like PCL crystal. For the thick (30 nm) blend film, the liquid-liquid dewetting of the upper PS layer from the underlying adsorbed PCL layer was found, forming interconnected rim structures that rupture into discrete circular PS islands embedded in the single lamellar PCL dendritic crystal due to Rayleigh instability. For the thicker (60 nm) blend film, a two-step liquid-liquid dewetting process with regular holes decorated with dendritic PCL crystal at early annealing stage and small holes decorated with spherulite-like PCL crystal among the early dewetting holes at later annealing stage was observed. The mechanism of this unusual morphological evolution process was discussed on the basis of the entropy effect and annealing-induced phase separation.

Effects of Thickness, Pulse Duration, and Size of Strip Electrode on Ferroelectric Electron Emission of Lead Zirconate Titanate Films

Science.gov (United States)

Yaseen, Muhammad; Ren, Wei; Chen, Xiaofeng; Feng, Yujun; Shi, Peng; Wu, Xiaoqing

2018-02-01

Sol-gel-derived lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin-film emitters with thickness up to 9.8 μm have been prepared on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si wafer via chemical solution deposition with/without polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) modification, and the relationship between the film thickness and electron emission investigated. Notable electron emission was observed on application of a trigger voltage of 120 V for PZT film with thickness of 1.1 μm. Increasing the film thickness decreased the threshold field to initiate electron emission for non-PVP-modified films. In contrast, the electron emission behavior of PVP-modified films did not show significant dependence on film thickness, probably due to their porous structure. The emission current increased with decreasing strip width and space between strips. Furthermore, it was observed that increasing the duration of the applied pulse increased the magnitude of the emission current. The stray field on the PZT film thickness was also calculated and found to increase with increasing ferroelectric sample thickness. The PZT emitters were found to be fatigue free up to 105 emission cycles. Saturated emission current of around 25 mA to 30 mA was achieved for the electrode pattern used in this work.

New method of synthesis and physical properties of thick superconducting Er-123 films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muralidhar, M.; Sakai, N.; Machi, T.; Miyajiri, T.; Hirabayashi, I.; Tanaka, S.

2008-01-01

We have developed a low-cost, short time manufacturing process using a novel method, starting from a mixture of Er 2 BaO 4 , BaCuO 2 , and CuO, with an excess of Er at expense of Ba. Several micrometers thick films were prepared by the screen-printing technique, spreading the mixture paste on silver substrates, processed then in Ar-1% O 2 atmosphere. Using a double-step annealing process, we obtained good quality Er-123 thick films on silver substrates, with T c (onset) 92 K. Formation of large flat grains was observed by scanning electron microscope. According to XRD analysis, the films were preferentially c-axis oriented. The magnetic (induced), self-field J c measured at 77 K was above 32 kA/cm 2 . We observed a strong dependence of the transport current, I c , on the grain size. The maximum I c at 77 K as high as 10 A was observed in the sample with the average grain size around 40 μm. The present results indicate that our technology, enabling preparation of large-area superconducting thick films on Ag-based substrates in short processing times, is relatively cheap and appropriate for utilization in long-length RE-123 silver sheath wire production for commercial applications

Effects of high voltage pulse trimming on structural properties of thick-film resistors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanimirović Zdravko

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, compact and reliable electronic devices including up-to-date ceramic micro-electro-mechanical systems require thick-film resistors with significantly reduced dimensions and stable and precise resistance values. For that reason, instead of standard laser trimming method, high voltage pulse trimming of thick-film resistors is being introduced. This method allows controlled and reliable resistance adjustment regardless of resistor position or dimensions and without the presence of cuts. However, it causes irreversible structural changes in the pseudorandom network formed during sintering causing the changes in conducting mechanisms. In this paper results of the experimental investigation of high voltage pulse trimming of thick-film resistors are presented. Obtained results are analyzed and correlations between resistance and low-frequency noise changes and changes in conducting mechanisms in resistors due to high voltage pulse trimming are observed. Sources of measured fluctuations are identified and it is shown that this type of trimming is a valid alternative trimming method to the dominant laser trimming. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. III44003 and III45007

Effects of surface roughness and film thickness on the adhesion of a bioinspired nanofilm

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Z. L.; Chen, S. H.

2011-05-01

Inspired by the gecko's climbing ability, adhesion between an elastic nanofilm with finite length and a rough substrate with sinusoidal roughness is studied in the present paper, considering the effects of substrate roughness and film thickness. It demonstrates that the normal adhesion force of the nanofilm on a rough substrate depends significantly on the geometrical parameters of the substrate. When the film length is larger than the wavelength of the sinusoidal roughness of the substrate, the normal adhesion force decreases with increasing surface roughness, while the normal adhesion force initially decreases then increases if the wavelength of roughness is larger than the film length. This finding is qualitatively consistent with a previously interesting experimental observation in which the adhesion force of the gecko spatula is found to reduce significantly at an intermediate roughness. Furthermore, it is inferred that the gecko may achieve an optimal spatula thickness not only to follow rough surfaces, but also to saturate the adhesion force. The results in this paper may be helpful for understanding how geckos overcome the influence of natural surface roughness and possess such adhesion to support their weights.

Effects of substrate temperature and Cu underlayer thickness on the formation of SmCo5(0001) epitaxial thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohtake, Mitsuru; Nukaga, Yuri; Futamoto, Masaaki; Kirino, Fumiyoshi

2010-01-01

SmCo 5 (0001) epitaxial thin films were prepared on Cu(111) underlayers heteroepitaxially grown on Al 2 O 3 (0001) single-crystal substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The effects of substrate temperature and Cu underlayer thickness on the crystallographic properties of SmCo 5 (0001) epitaxial films were investigated. The Cu atoms of underlayer diffuse into the SmCo 5 film and substitute the Co sites in SmCo 5 structure forming an alloy compound of Sm(Co,Cu) 5 . The ordered phase formation is enhanced with increasing the substrate temperature and with increasing the Cu underlayer thickness. The Cu atom diffusion into the SmCo 5 film is assisting the formation of Sm(Co,Cu) 5 ordered phase.

Engineering of nearly strain-free ZnO films on Si(1 1 1) by tuning AlN buffer thickness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venkatachalapathy, Vishnukanthan; Galeckas, Augustinas; Lee, In-Hwan; Kuznetsov, Andrej Yu.

2012-01-01

ZnO properties were investigated as a function of AlN buffer layer thickness (0–100 nm) in ZnO/AlN/Si(1 1 1) structures grown by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy. A significant improvement of ZnO film crystallinity by tuning AlN buffer thickness was confirmed by x-ray diffraction, topography and photoluminescence measurements. An optimal AlN buffer layer thickness of 50 nm is defined, which allows for growth of nearly strain-free ZnO films. The presence of free excitons at 10 K suggests high crystal quality for all ZnO samples grown on AlN/Si(1 1 1) templates. The intensities of neutral and ionized donor bound exciton lines are found to correlate with the in-plane and out-of-plane strain in the films, respectively.

Engineering of nearly strain-free ZnO films on Si(1 1 1) by tuning AlN buffer thickness

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Venkatachalapathy, Vishnukanthan, E-mail: vishnukanthan.venkatachalapathy@smn.uio.no [Department of Physics/Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1048 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo (Norway); Galeckas, Augustinas [Department of Physics/Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1048 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo (Norway); Lee, In-Hwan [School of Advanced Materials Engineering, Research Centre for Advanced Materials Development (RCAMD), Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-756 (Korea, Republic of); Kuznetsov, Andrej Yu. [Department of Physics/Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1048 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo (Norway)

2012-05-15

ZnO properties were investigated as a function of AlN buffer layer thickness (0-100 nm) in ZnO/AlN/Si(1 1 1) structures grown by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy. A significant improvement of ZnO film crystallinity by tuning AlN buffer thickness was confirmed by x-ray diffraction, topography and photoluminescence measurements. An optimal AlN buffer layer thickness of 50 nm is defined, which allows for growth of nearly strain-free ZnO films. The presence of free excitons at 10 K suggests high crystal quality for all ZnO samples grown on AlN/Si(1 1 1) templates. The intensities of neutral and ionized donor bound exciton lines are found to correlate with the in-plane and out-of-plane strain in the films, respectively.

Order in nanometer thick intergranular films at Au-sapphire interfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baram, Mor [Department of Materials Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000 (Israel); Garofalini, Stephen H. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8065 (United States); Kaplan, Wayne D., E-mail: kaplan@tx.technion.ac.il [Department of Materials Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000 (Israel)

2011-08-15

Highlights: {yields} Au particles were equilibrated on (0 0 0 1) sapphire in the presence of anorthite. {yields} 1.2 nm thick equilibrium films (complexions) were formed at the Au-sapphire interfaces. {yields} Quantitative HRTEM was used to study the atomistic structure of the films. {yields} Structural order was observed in the 1.2 nm thick films adjacent to the sapphire crystal. {yields} This demonstrates that ordering is an intrinsic part of equilibrium intergranular films. - Abstract: In recent years extensive studies on interfaces have shown that {approx}1 nm thick intergranular films (IGF) exist at interfaces in different material systems, and that IGF can significantly affect the materials' properties. However, there is great deal of uncertainty whether such films are amorphous or partially ordered. In this study specimens were prepared from Au particles that were equilibrated on sapphire substrates in the presence of anorthite glass, leading to the formation of 1.2 nm thick IGF at the Au-sapphire interfaces. Site-specific cross-section samples were characterized using quantitative high resolution transmission electron microscopy to study the atomistic structure of the films. Order was observed in the 1.2 nm thick films adjacent to the sapphire crystal in the form of 'Ca cages', experimentally demonstrating that ordering is an intrinsic part of IGF, as predicted from molecular dynamics and diffuse interface theory.

Perpendicular Structure Formation of Block Copolymer Thin Films during Thermal Solvent Vapor Annealing: Solvent and Thickness Effects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiuyan Yang

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Solvent vapor annealing of block copolymer (BCP thin films can produce a range of interesting morphologies, especially when the perpendicular orientation of micro-domains with respect to the substrate plays a role. This, for instance, allows BCP thin films to serve as useful templates for nanolithography and hybrid materials preparation. However, precise control of the arising morphologies is essential, but in most cases difficult to achieve. In this work, we investigated the solvent and thickness effects on the morphology of poly(styrene-b-2 vinyl pyridine (PS-b-P2VP thin films with a film thickness range from 0.4 L0 up to 0.8 L0. Ordered perpendicular structures were achieved. One of the main merits of our work is that the phase behavior of the ultra-high molecular weight BCP thin films, which hold a 100-nm sized domain distance, can be easily monitored via current available techniques, such as scanning electron microscope (SEM, atomic force microscope (AFM, and transmission electron microscope (TEM. Systematic monitoring of the self-assembly behavior during solvent vapor annealing can thus provide an experimental guideline for the optimization of processing conditions of related BCP films systems.

Superconductor-Metal-Insulator transition in two dimensional Ta thin Films

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Sun-Gyu; Kim, Eunseong

2013-03-01

Superconductor-insulator transition has been induced by tuning film thickness or magnetic field. Recent electrical transport measurements of MoGe, Bi, Ta thin films revealed an interesting intermediate metallic phase which intervened superconducting and insulating phases at certain range of magnetic field. Especially, Ta thin films show the characteristic IV behavior at each phase and the disorder tuned intermediate metallic phase [Y. Li, C. L. Vicente, and J. Yoon, Physical Review B 81, 020505 (2010)]. This unexpected metallic phase can be interpreted as a consequence of vortex motion or contribution of fermionic quasiparticles. In this presentation, we report the scaling behavior during the transitions in Ta thin film as well as the transport measurements in various phases. Critical exponents v and z are obtained in samples with wide ranges of disorder. These results reveal new universality class appears when disorder exceeds a critical value. Dynamical exponent z of Superconducting sample is found to be 1, which is consistent with theoretical prediction of unity. z in a metallic sample is suddenly increased to be approximately 2.5. This critical exponent is much larger than the value found in other system and theoretical prediction. We gratefully acknowledge the financial support by the National Research Foundation of Korea through the Creative Research Initiatives.

Dependences of microstructure and critical current density on the thickness of YBa2Cu3O7-x film prepared by pulsed laser deposition on buffered Ni–W tape

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Da; Wang, Ying; Liu, Linfei; Li, Yijie

2013-01-01

YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7−x (YBCO) films with different thicknesses were fabricated on buffered Ni–W tapes by pulsed laser deposition. The thickness dependences of microstructure and critical current density (J c ) of YBCO film were systematically investigated. The microstructure and surface morphology of YBCO film were characterized by X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. And the critical current (I c ) of YBCO film was measured by the conventional four-probe method. We found that the full width at half maximum values of both omega and phi scan rocking curves, the content of a-axis oriented grain, and surface roughness of YBCO film all increased with augmenting the thickness of YBCO film. It was also found that with increasing the thickness of YBCO film from 0.3 μm to 1.5 μm, the I c of YBCO film increased from 72 A/cm to 248 A/cm and yet J c of YBCO film decreased from 2.1 × 10 6 A/cm 2 to 1.6 × 10 6 A/cm 2 . Our results indicated that the microstructure and J c of YBCO film were largely dependent on the thickness of YBCO film under the optimized deposition condition of substrate temperature. - Highlights: ► YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7−x (YBCO) films with different thicknesses were grown on metallic tapes. ► The texture and critical current were dependent on the thickness of YBCO film. ► Thickness effect was weakened by fabricating YBCO film layer by layer

A method to measure the mean thickness and non-uniformity of non-uniform thin film by alpha-ray thickness gauge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyahara, Hiroshi; Yoshida, Makoto; Watanabe, Tamaki

1977-01-01

The α-ray thickness gauge is used to measure non-destructively the thicknesses of thin films, and up to the present day, a thin film with uniform thickness is only taken up as the object of α-ray thickness gauge. When the thickness is determined from the displacement between the absorption curves in the presence and absence of thin film, the absorption curve must be displaced in parallel. When many uniform particles were dispersed as sample, the shape of the absorption curve was calculated as the sum of many absorption curves corresponding to the thin films with different thicknesses. By the comparison of the calculated and measured absorption curves, the number of particles, or the mean superficial density can be determined. This means the extension of thickness measurement from uniform to non-uniform films. Furthermore, these particle models being applied to non-uniform thin film, the possibility of measuring the mean thickness and non-uniformity was discussed. As the result, if the maximum difference of the thickness was more than 0.2 mg/cm 2 , the nonuniformity was considered to distinguish by the usual equipment. In this paper, an α-ray thickness gauge using the absorption curve method was treated, but one can apply this easily to an α-ray thickness gauge using α-ray energy spectra before and after the penetration of thin film. (auth.)

Ultrafast demagnetisation dependence on film thickness: A TDDFT calculation

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, N.; Sharma, S.

2018-04-01

Ferromagnetic materials when subjected to intense laser pulses leads to reduction of their magnetisation on an ultrafast scale. Here, we perform an ab-initio calculation to study the behavior of ultrafast demagnetisation as a function of film thickness for Nickel as compared to the bulk of the material. In thin films surface formation results in amplification of demagnetisation with the percentage of demagnetisation depending upon the film thickness.

Quantum confinement effect in Bi anti-dot thin films with tailored pore wall widths and thicknesses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Y.; Hirose, Y.; Fukumura, T.; Hasegawa, T.; Nakao, S.; Xu, J.

2014-01-01

We investigated quantum confinement effects in Bi anti-dot thin films grown on anodized aluminium oxide templates. The pore wall widths (w Bi ) and thickness (t) of the films were tailored to have values longer or shorter than Fermi wavelength of Bi (λ F  = ∼40 nm). Magnetoresistance measurements revealed a well-defined weak antilocalization effect below 10 K. Coherence lengths (L ϕ ) as functions of temperature were derived from the magnetoresistance vs field curves by assuming the Hikami-Larkin-Nagaoka model. The anti-dot thin film with w Bi and t smaller than λ F showed low dimensional electronic behavior at low temperatures where L ϕ (T) exceed w Bi or t

Structural, magnetic and transport properties of Co2FeAl Heusler films with varying thickness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Xiaotian; Li, Yueqing; Du, Yin; Dai, Xuefang; Liu, Guodong; Liu, Enke; Liu, Zhongyuan; Wang, Wenhong; Wu, Guangheng

2014-01-01

We report on a systematic study of the structural, magnetic properties and the anomalous Hall effect, in the Heusler alloy Co 2 FeAl (CFA) epitaxial films on MgO (001), as a function of film thickness. It was found that the epitaxial CFA films show a highly ordered B2 structure with an in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. The electrical transport properties reveal that the lattice and magnon scattering contributions to the longitudinal resistivity. Independent on the thickness of films, the anomalous Hall resistivity of CFA films is found to be dominated by skew scattering only. Moreover, the anomalous Hall resistivity shows weakly temperature dependent behavior, and its absolute value increases as the thickness decreases. We attribute this temperature insensitivity in the anomalous Hall resistivity to the weak temperature dependent of tunneling spin-polarization in the CFA films, while the thickness dependence behavior is likely due to the increasing significance of interface or free surface electronic states. - Highlights: ●Highly ordered CFA films with various thicknesses were prepared on MgO substrates. ●The magnon scattering contributions to the longitudinal resistivity in the CFA films. ●The anomalous Hall resistivity of the CFA films shows weakly temperature dependent. ●The CFA films show weak temperature dependent of tunneling spin-polarization

Microstructure and thermoelectric properties of screen-printed thick-films of misfit-layered cobalt oxides with Ag addition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Van Nong, Ngo; Samson, Alfred Junio; Pryds, Nini

2012-01-01

Thermoelectric properties of thick (~60 μm) films prepared by a screen-printing technique using p-type misfit-layered cobalt oxide Ca3Co4O9+δ with Ag addition have been studied. The screen-printed films were sintered in air at various temperatures ranging from 973 K to 1223 K. After each sintering...... process, crystal and microstructure analyses were carried out to determine the optimal sintering condition. The results show that the thermoelectric properties of pure Ca3Co4O9+δ thick film are comparable to those of cold isostatic pressing (CIP) samples. We found that the maximum power factor...... was improved by about 67% (to 0.3 mW/m K2) for film with proper silver (Ag) metallic inclusions as compared with 0.18 mW/m K2 for pure Ca3Co4O9+δ film under the same sintering condition of 1223 K for 2 h in air....

Effect of thickness and cold substrate on transport properties of thermally evaporated CdTe thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Mongy, A.Abd; Hashem, H.M.; Ramadan, A.A.

2005-01-01

The correlation between the structural characteristics (stoichiometry and crystallite size) of CdTe films and their electronic transport properties were the aims of the present study to bring attention to the dual importance of grain size and conversion of the semiconductivity type with changing film thickness. Two main parameters were considered: the substrate temperature and film thickness. Transport properties were influenced by grain boundaries as well as by native doping. Optical measurements showed two main direct transitions at energies: E 1 ∼1.55 eV (fundamental gap) and E 2 ∼2.49 eV (due to valence band splitting). Both transitions were found to be thickness dependent with a marked change at a film thickness of about 300 nm. In the case of low substrate temperature, the scaling relation between resistivity and grain size showed a deviation from linear behavior at a size of 20 nm and the transmission coefficient is reduced. Also, the deposition on cold substrate enhanced both dark and photoconductivity for films of thickness ≥300 nm. It is also proved that the carrier transport was affected by the transmission coef-ficient for carriers to pass a single grain boundary as well as the number of grain boundaries per mean free path. (copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Effect of thickness and cold substrate on transport properties of thermally evaporated CdTe thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

El-Mongy, A.Abd; Hashem, H.M.; Ramadan, A.A. [Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Helwan, Cairo (Egypt)

2005-08-01

The correlation between the structural characteristics (stoichiometry and crystallite size) of CdTe films and their electronic transport properties were the aims of the present study to bring attention to the dual importance of grain size and conversion of the semiconductivity type with changing film thickness. Two main parameters were considered: the substrate temperature and film thickness. Transport properties were influenced by grain boundaries as well as by native doping. Optical measurements showed two main direct transitions at energies: E{sub 1} {approx}1.55 eV (fundamental gap) and E{sub 2}{approx}2.49 eV (due to valence band splitting). Both transitions were found to be thickness dependent with a marked change at a film thickness of about 300 nm. In the case of low substrate temperature, the scaling relation between resistivity and grain size showed a deviation from linear behavior at a size of 20 nm and the transmission coefficient is reduced. Also, the deposition on cold substrate enhanced both dark and photoconductivity for films of thickness {>=}300 nm. It is also proved that the carrier transport was affected by the transmission coef-ficient for carriers to pass a single grain boundary as well as the number of grain boundaries per mean free path. (copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Effects of the thickness of gold deposited on a source backing film in the 4πβ-counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyahara, Hiroshi; Yoshida, Makoto; Watanabe, Tamaki

1976-01-01

A gold deposited VYNS film as a source backing in the 4πβ-counting has generally been used for reducing the absorption of β-rays. The thickness of the film with the gold is usually a few times thicker than the VYNS film itself. However, Because the appropriate thickness of gold has not yet been determined, the effects of gold thickness on electrical resistivity, plateau characteristics and β-ray counting efficiency were studied. 198 Au (960 keV), 60 Co(315 keV), 59 Fe(273 keV) and 95 Nb(160 keV), which were prepared as sources by the aluminium chloride treatment method, were used. Gold was evaporated under a deposition rate of 1 - 5 μg/cm 2 /min at a pressure less than 1 x 10 -5 Torr. Results show that the gold deposition on the side opposite the source after source preparation is essential. In this case, a maximum counting efficiency is obtained at the mean thickness of 2 μg/cm 2 . When gold is deposited only on the same side as the source, a maximum counting efficiency, which is less than that in the former case, is obtained at the mean thickness of 20 μg/cm 2 . (Evans, J.)

Electrical four-point probing of spherical metallic thin films coated onto micron sized polymer particles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pettersen, Sigurd R., E-mail: sigurd.r.pettersen@ntnu.no, E-mail: jianying.he@ntnu.no; Stokkeland, August Emil; Zhang, Zhiliang; He, Jianying, E-mail: sigurd.r.pettersen@ntnu.no, E-mail: jianying.he@ntnu.no [NTNU Nanomechanical Lab, Department of Structural Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), NO-7491 Trondheim (Norway); Kristiansen, Helge [NTNU Nanomechanical Lab, Department of Structural Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), NO-7491 Trondheim (Norway); Conpart AS, Dragonveien 54, NO-2013 Skjetten (Norway); Njagi, John; Goia, Dan V. [Center for Advanced Materials Processing, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York 13699-5814 (United States); Redford, Keith [Conpart AS, Dragonveien 54, NO-2013 Skjetten (Norway)

2016-07-25

Micron-sized metal-coated polymer spheres are frequently used as filler particles in conductive composites for electronic interconnects. However, the intrinsic electrical resistivity of the spherical thin films has not been attainable due to deficiency in methods that eliminate the effect of contact resistance. In this work, a four-point probing method using vacuum compatible piezo-actuated micro robots was developed to directly investigate the electric properties of individual silver-coated spheres under real-time observation in a scanning electron microscope. Poly(methyl methacrylate) spheres with a diameter of 30 μm and four different film thicknesses (270 nm, 150 nm, 100 nm, and 60 nm) were investigated. By multiplying the experimental results with geometrical correction factors obtained using finite element models, the resistivities of the thin films were estimated for the four thicknesses. These were higher than the resistivity of bulk silver.

High-Performance Flexible Thin-Film Transistors Based on Single-Crystal-like Silicon Epitaxially Grown on Metal Tape by Roll-to-Roll Continuous Deposition Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Ying; Asadirad, Mojtaba; Yao, Yao; Dutta, Pavel; Galstyan, Eduard; Shervin, Shahab; Lee, Keon-Hwa; Pouladi, Sara; Sun, Sicong; Li, Yongkuan; Rathi, Monika; Ryou, Jae-Hyun; Selvamanickam, Venkat

2016-11-02

Single-crystal-like silicon (Si) thin films on bendable and scalable substrates via direct deposition are a promising material platform for high-performance and cost-effective devices of flexible electronics. However, due to the thick and unintentionally highly doped semiconductor layer, the operation of transistors has been hampered. We report the first demonstration of high-performance flexible thin-film transistors (TFTs) using single-crystal-like Si thin films with a field-effect mobility of ∼200 cm 2 /V·s and saturation current, I/l W > 50 μA/μm, which are orders-of-magnitude higher than the device characteristics of conventional flexible TFTs. The Si thin films with a (001) plane grown on a metal tape by a "seed and epitaxy" technique show nearly single-crystalline properties characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, reflection high-energy electron diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The realization of flexible and high-performance Si TFTs can establish a new pathway for extended applications of flexible electronics such as amplification and digital circuits, more than currently dominant display switches.

Study of metal specific interaction, F-LUMO and VL shift to understand interface of CuPc thin films and noble metal surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sinha, Sumona; Mukherjee, M., E-mail: manabendra.mukherjee@saha.ac.in

2015-10-30

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • F-LUMO, a hybridized state near E{sub F} confirms partial charge transfer. • Non-significant role of partial charge transfer in VL shift over push back effect. • Pyrrole sites affected for partial charge transfer from Cu and Ag substrates. • Negligible effect on pyrrole cites for Pt and Au substrates. - Abstract: The performances of organic electronic devices are significantly associated with their energy level alignment at organic semiconductor/metal–electrode interfaces. The electronic character of an organic semiconducting molecular over-layer on a metal surface can vary from semiconducting to metallic, depending on the nature of the molecular orbitals with respect to the Fermi level of the electrode. The general tendency of extrapolating established models for single crystal substrates to ‘real’ device substrates is highly misleading. Hence, the importance of metal specific interaction, former lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (F-LUMO) and vacuum level (VL) shift have been investigated as a function of thickness of the deposited films by means of photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS and UPS) to understand the interface between CuPc and Cu, Ag, Pt and Au foils sequentially. The XPS data provides the signature of affectability of pyrrole sites of CuPc molecules for partial charge transfer from Cu and Ag substrates while a negligible effect on pyrrole cites resulted for Pt and Au substrates. Furthermore, the appearance of F-LUMO, a hybridized state close to the Fermi level gives confirmatory information about partial charge transfer. Contrary to the general belief that vacuum level shift caused by charge transfer can partially or totally cancel that for push back effect, our observation indicates that the partial charge transfer does not play significant role in the shift of vacuum level. The entire thickness dependent electronic energy level alignment of CuPc films on all noble metal substrates is explained in terms

Study of metal specific interaction, F-LUMO and VL shift to understand interface of CuPc thin films and noble metal surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sinha, Sumona; Mukherjee, M.

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • F-LUMO, a hybridized state near E_F confirms partial charge transfer. • Non-significant role of partial charge transfer in VL shift over push back effect. • Pyrrole sites affected for partial charge transfer from Cu and Ag substrates. • Negligible effect on pyrrole cites for Pt and Au substrates. - Abstract: The performances of organic electronic devices are significantly associated with their energy level alignment at organic semiconductor/metal–electrode interfaces. The electronic character of an organic semiconducting molecular over-layer on a metal surface can vary from semiconducting to metallic, depending on the nature of the molecular orbitals with respect to the Fermi level of the electrode. The general tendency of extrapolating established models for single crystal substrates to ‘real’ device substrates is highly misleading. Hence, the importance of metal specific interaction, former lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (F-LUMO) and vacuum level (VL) shift have been investigated as a function of thickness of the deposited films by means of photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS and UPS) to understand the interface between CuPc and Cu, Ag, Pt and Au foils sequentially. The XPS data provides the signature of affectability of pyrrole sites of CuPc molecules for partial charge transfer from Cu and Ag substrates while a negligible effect on pyrrole cites resulted for Pt and Au substrates. Furthermore, the appearance of F-LUMO, a hybridized state close to the Fermi level gives confirmatory information about partial charge transfer. Contrary to the general belief that vacuum level shift caused by charge transfer can partially or totally cancel that for push back effect, our observation indicates that the partial charge transfer does not play significant role in the shift of vacuum level. The entire thickness dependent electronic energy level alignment of CuPc films on all noble metal substrates is explained in terms of a

The effect of different thickness alumina capping layers on the final morphology of dewet thin Ni films

Science.gov (United States)

White, Benjamin C.; Behbahanian, Amir; Stoker, T. McKay; Fowlkes, Jason D.; Hartnett, Chris; Rack, Phillip D.; Roberts, Nicholas A.

2018-03-01

Nanoparticles on a substrate have numerous applications in nanotechnology, from enhancements to solar cell efficiency to improvements in carbon nanotube growth. Producing nanoparticles in a cost effective fashion with control over size and spacing is desired, but difficult to do. This work presents a scalable method for altering the radius and pitch distributions of nickel nanoparticles. The introduction of alumina capping layers to thin nickel films during a pulsed laser-induced dewetting process has yielded reductions in the mean and standard deviation of radii and pitch for dewet nanoparticles with no noticeable difference in final morphology with increased capping layer thickness. The differences in carbon nanotube mats grown, on the uncapped sample and one of the capped samples, is also presented here, with a more dense mat being present for the capped case.

Thickness dependence of J_c (0) in MgB_2 films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Yiling; Yang, Can; Jia, Chunyan; Feng, Qingrong; Gan, Zizhao

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A serial of MgB_2 superconducting films from 10 nm to 8 µm have been prepared. • T_c and J_c (5 K, 0 T) of films are high. • J_c (5 K, 0 T) reaches its maximum 2.3 × 10"8 A cm"−"2 for 100 nm films. • The relationship between thickness and J_c has been discussed in detail. - Abstract: MgB_2 superconducting films, whose thicknesses range from 10 nm to 8 µm, have been fabricated on SiC substrates by hybrid physical–chemical vapor deposition (HPCVD) method. It is the first time that the T_c and the J_c of MgB_2 films are studied on such a large scale. It is found that with the increasing of thickness, T_c elevates first and then keeps roughly stable except for some slight fluctuations, while J_c (5 K, 0 T) experiences a sharp increase followed by a relatively slow fall. The maximum J_c (5 K, 0 T) = 2.3 × 10"8 A cm"−"2 is obtained for 100 nm films, which is the experimental evidence for preparing high-quality MgB_2 films by HPCVD method. Thus, this work may provide guidance on choosing the suitable thickness for applications. Meanwhile, the films prepared by us cover ultrathin films, thin films and thick films, so the study on them will bring a comprehensive understanding of MgB_2 films.

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.

Composite materials obtained by the ion-plasma sputtering of metal compound coatings on polymer films

Science.gov (United States)

Khlebnikov, Nikolai; Polyakov, Evgenii; Borisov, Sergei; Barashev, Nikolai; Biramov, Emir; Maltceva, Anastasia; Vereshchagin, Artem; Khartov, Stas; Voronin, Anton

2016-01-01

In this article, the principle and examples composite materials obtained by deposition of metal compound coatings on polymer film substrates by the ion-plasma sputtering method are presented. A synergistic effect is to obtain the materials with structural properties of the polymer substrate and the surface properties of the metal deposited coatings. The technology of sputtering of TiN coatings of various thicknesses on polyethylene terephthalate films is discussed. The obtained composites are characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is shown. The examples of application of this method, such as receiving nanocomposite track membranes and flexible transparent electrodes, are considered.

Calculation of the magnetic anisotropy energy and finite-temperature magnetic properties of transition-metal films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garibay-Alonso, R; Villasenor-Gonzalez, P; Dorantes-Davila, J; Pastor, G M

2004-01-01

The magnetic anisotropy energy at the interface (IMAE) of Co films deposited on the Pd(111) surface are determined in the framework of a self-consistent, real-space tight-binding method at zero temperature. Significant spin moments are induced at the Pd atoms at the interface which have an important influence on the observed reorientation transitions as a function of Co film thickness. Film-substrate hybridizations are therefore crucial for the magneto-anisotropic behaviour of thin transition-metal films deposited on metallic non-magnetic substrates. Furthermore, using a real-space recursive expansion of the local Green function and within the virtual-crystal approximation we calculate the magnetization curves and the Curie temperature T C for free-standing Fe films

Dielectric response of fully and partially depleted ferroelectric thin films and inversion of the thickness effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Misirlioglu, I B; Yildiz, M

2013-01-01

We study the effect of full and partial depletion on the dielectric response characteristics of ferroelectric thin films with impurities via a computational approach. Using a thermodynamic approach along with the fundamental equations for semiconductors, we show that films with partial depletion display unique features and an enhanced dielectric response compared with those fully depleted. We find that the capacitance peak at switching can be significantly suppressed in the case of high impurity densities (>10 25 m −3 ) with relatively low ionization energy, of the order of 0.5 eV. For conserved number of species in films, electromigration of ionized impurities at room temperature is negligible and has nearly no effect on the dielectric response. In films with high impurity density, the dielectric response at zero bias is enhanced with respect to charge-free films or those with relatively low impurity density ( 24 m −3 ). We demonstrate that partially depleted films should be expected to exhibit peculiar capacitance–voltage characteristics at low and high bias and that the thickness effect probed in experiments in ferroelectric thin films could be entirely inverted in thin films with depletion charges where a higher dielectric response can be measured in thicker films. Therefore, depletion charge densities in ferroelectric thin films should be estimated before size-effect-related studies. Finally, we noted that these findings are in good qualitative agreement with dielectric measurements carried out on PbZr x Ti 1−x O 3 . (paper)

Quantum transition and decoherence of levitating polaron on helium film thickness under an electromagnetic field

Science.gov (United States)

Kenfack, S. C.; Fotue, A. J.; Fobasso, M. F. C.; Djomou, J.-R. D.; Tiotsop, M.; Ngouana, K. S. L.; Fai, L. C.

2017-12-01

We have studied the transition probability and decoherence time of levitating polaron in helium film thickness. By using a variational method of Pekar type, the ground and the first excited states of polaron are calculated above the liquid-helium film placed on the polar substrate. It is shown that the polaron transits from the ground to the excited state in the presence of an external electromagnetic field in the plane. We have seen that, in the helium film, the effects of the magnetic and electric fields on the polaron are opposite. It is also shown that the energy, transition probability and decoherence time of the polaron depend sensitively on the helium film thickness. We found that decoherence time decreases as a function of increasing electron-phonon coupling strength and the helium film thickness. It is seen that the film thickness can be considered as a new confinement in our system and can be adjusted in order to reduce decoherence.

Effects of thickness on the statistical properties of the Barkhausen noise in amorphous films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santi, L.; Bohn, F.; Viegas, A.D.C.; Durin, G.; Magni, A.; Bonin, R.; Zapperi, S.; Sommer, R.L.

2006-01-01

The statistical properties of the Barkhausen noise (BN) in thin amorphous films are studied as a function of both the nominal composition and the thickness. BN was observed in single films with nominal compositions Fe 73.5 Cu 1 Nb 3 Si 22.5-x B x (with x=4 and 9) in the thickness range 20nm-5μm. The distributions of Barkhausen jump sizes and duration times were obtained and fitted to power laws with critical exponents τ=1.25+/-0.05 and α=1.60+/-0.05, respectively

FEM Modeling of In-Plane Stress Distribution in Thick Brittle Coatings/Films on Ductile Substrates Subjected to Tensile Stress to Determine Interfacial Strength

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaishi Wang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The ceramic-metal interface is present in various material structures and devices that are vulnerable to failures, like cracking, which are typically due to their incompatible properties, e.g., thermal expansion mismatch. In failure of these multilayer systems, interfacial shear strength is a good measure of the robustness of interfaces, especially for planar films. There is a widely-used shear lag model and method by Agrawal and Raj to analyse and measure the interfacial shear strength of thin brittle film on ductile substrates. The use of this classical model for a type of polymer derived ceramic coatings (thickness ~18 μm on steel substrate leads to high values of interfacial shear strength. Here, we present finite element simulations for such a coating system when it is subjected to in-plane tension. Results show that the in-plane stresses in the coating are non-uniform, i.e., varying across the thickness of the film. Therefore, they do not meet one of the basic assumptions of the classical model: uniform in-plane stress. Furthermore, effects of three significant parameters, film thickness, crack spacing, and Young’s modulus, on the in-plane stress distribution have also been investigated. ‘Thickness-averaged In-plane Stress’ (TIS, a new failure criterion, is proposed for estimating the interfacial shear strength, which leads to a more realistic estimation of the tensile strength and interfacial shear strength of thick brittle films/coatings on ductile substrates.

FEM Modeling of In-Plane Stress Distribution in Thick Brittle Coatings/Films on Ductile Substrates Subjected to Tensile Stress to Determine Interfacial Strength.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Kaishi; Zhang, Fangzhou; Bordia, Rajendra K

2018-03-27

The ceramic-metal interface is present in various material structures and devices that are vulnerable to failures, like cracking, which are typically due to their incompatible properties, e.g., thermal expansion mismatch. In failure of these multilayer systems, interfacial shear strength is a good measure of the robustness of interfaces, especially for planar films. There is a widely-used shear lag model and method by Agrawal and Raj to analyse and measure the interfacial shear strength of thin brittle film on ductile substrates. The use of this classical model for a type of polymer derived ceramic coatings (thickness ~18 μm) on steel substrate leads to high values of interfacial shear strength. Here, we present finite element simulations for such a coating system when it is subjected to in-plane tension. Results show that the in-plane stresses in the coating are non-uniform, i.e., varying across the thickness of the film. Therefore, they do not meet one of the basic assumptions of the classical model: uniform in-plane stress. Furthermore, effects of three significant parameters, film thickness, crack spacing, and Young's modulus, on the in-plane stress distribution have also been investigated. 'Thickness-averaged In-plane Stress' (TIS), a new failure criterion, is proposed for estimating the interfacial shear strength, which leads to a more realistic estimation of the tensile strength and interfacial shear strength of thick brittle films/coatings on ductile substrates.

A Study on the Thickness Measurement of Thin Film by Ultrasonic Wave

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Eung Kyo; Lee, Jae Joon; Kim, Jae Yeol

1988-01-01

Recently, it is gradually raised necessity that thickness of thin film is measured accurately and managed in industrial circles and medical world. In this study, regarding to the thickness of film which is in opaque object and is beyond distance resolution capacity, thickness measurement was done by MEM-cepstrum analysis of received ultrasonic wave. In measurement results, film thickness which is beyond distance resolution capacity was measured accurately. And within thickness range that don't exist interference, thickness measurement by MEM-ceptrum analysis was impossible

Hexaferrite multiferroics: from bulk to thick films

Science.gov (United States)

Koutzarova, T.; Ghelev, Ch; Peneva, P.; Georgieva, B.; Kolev, S.; Vertruyen, B.; Closset, R.

2018-03-01

We report studies of the structural and microstructural properties of Sr3Co2Fe24O41 in bulk form and as thick films. The precursor powders for the bulk form were prepared following the sol-gel auto-combustion method. The prepared pellets were synthesized at 1200 °C to produce Sr3Co2Fe24O41. The XRD spectra of the bulks showed the characteristic peaks corresponding to the Z-type hexaferrite structure as a main phase and second phases of CoFe2O4 and Sr3Fe2O7-x. The microstructure analysis of the cross-section of the bulk pellets revealed a hexagonal sheet structure. Large areas were observed of packages of hexagonal sheets where the separate hexagonal particles were ordered along the c axis. Sr3Co2Fe24O41 thick films were deposited from a suspension containing the Sr3Co2Fe24O41 powder. The microstructural analysis of the thick films showed that the particles had the perfect hexagonal shape typical for hexaferrites.

Quantum confinement effect in Bi anti-dot thin films with tailored pore wall widths and thicknesses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Y., E-mail: youngok@chem.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp [Department of Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Hirose, Y.; Fukumura, T.; Hasegawa, T. [Department of Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); CREST, JST, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Nakao, S. [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); CREST, JST, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Xu, J. [School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912 (United States)

2014-01-13

We investigated quantum confinement effects in Bi anti-dot thin films grown on anodized aluminium oxide templates. The pore wall widths (w{sub Bi}) and thickness (t) of the films were tailored to have values longer or shorter than Fermi wavelength of Bi (λ{sub F} = ∼40 nm). Magnetoresistance measurements revealed a well-defined weak antilocalization effect below 10 K. Coherence lengths (L{sub ϕ}) as functions of temperature were derived from the magnetoresistance vs field curves by assuming the Hikami-Larkin-Nagaoka model. The anti-dot thin film with w{sub Bi} and t smaller than λ{sub F} showed low dimensional electronic behavior at low temperatures where L{sub ϕ}(T) exceed w{sub Bi} or t.

Thickness dependence of magnetic properties and giant magneto-impedance effect in amorphous Co{sub 73}Si{sub 12}B{sub 15} thin films prepared by Dual-Ion beam assisted deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Yu [School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China); BISSE/BUAA-SPNEE joint Laboratory Magnetism and Sperconducting technology on Spacecraft, Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China); Wang, San-sheng, E-mail: wangssh@buaa.edu.cn [School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China); BISSE/BUAA-SPNEE joint Laboratory Magnetism and Sperconducting technology on Spacecraft, Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China); Hu, Teng [School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China); He, Tong-fu [School of Instrumentation Science and Opto-electronics Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China); Chen, Zi-yu [School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China); Yi, Zhong; Meng, Li-Fei [Science and Technology on Reliability and Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Beijing Institute of Spacecraft Environment Engineering, Beijing 100094 (China); BISSE/BUAA-SPNEE joint Laboratory Magnetism and Sperconducting technology on Spacecraft, Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China)

2017-03-15

Dual-Ion Beam Assisted Deposition is a suitable method for the preparation of giant magneto-impedance (GMI) materials. In this paper, Co{sub 73}Si{sub 12}B{sub 15} thin films with different thicknesses were prepared by Dual-Ion Beam Assisted Deposition, and the influences of film thickness on magnetic properties and GMI effect were investigated. It was found that the asymmetric magnetic hysteresis loop in the prepared Co{sub 73}Si{sub 12}B{sub 15} thin films occurs at ambient temperature, and the shift behavior of hysteresis loop associated with film thickness. With the film thickness increasing, the values of shift field and coercive field and other parameters such as remanence and shift ratio appeared complex variation. At a certain frequency, the large GMI effect is only observed in some films, which have good magnetic properties including low coercivity, low remanence ratio and high shift ratio. The results indicated that the thickness dependence of magnetic properties nonlinearly determined the GMI effect in Co{sub 73}Si{sub 12}B{sub 15} thin films. - Highlights: • The relationship between film thickness and ΔZ/Z, ΔR/R, ΔX/X ratio of CoSiB film exhibits a complex behavior as the film thickness increases from 1.33 to 7.34 µm. The maximum value of GMI ratio is observed when the film thickness was 1.56, 2.48, 3.81 or 7.34 µm. • With the increase of film thickness, the peak frequency shifts to lower frequency, but does not decrease following the t-power law. • The above thickness phenomenon is due to the different magnetic properties of thin films. • The Dual-Ion Beam Assisted Deposition is introduced to prepare the GMI materials.

The effect of zinc thickness on corrosion film breakdown of Colombian galvanized steel

Science.gov (United States)

Sandoval-Amador, A.; E Torres Ramirez, J.; Cabrales-Villamizar, P. A.; Laverde Cataño, D.; Y Peña-Ballesteros, D.

2017-12-01

This work studies the corrosion behaviour of Colombian galvanized steel in solutions of chloride and sulphate ions. The effect of the thickness and exposure time on the film’s breakdown susceptibility and protectiveness of the corrosion products were studied using potentiodynamic polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The corrosion products were analysed using SEM-EDS and XRD. The samples with a higher thickness level in the zinc film (Z180) have the lowest corrosion rate. In this case, one of the products that was formed by the chemical reactions that occurred was Zinc hydroxide, which exhibits a passive behaviour as observed in the Pourbaix curves of the obtained potentials and in how the different Ph levels of the solutions worked. The sheets with the highest thickness (Z180) had the best performance, since at the end of the study they showed the least amount of damage on the surface of the zinc layer. This is because the thickness of the zinc layer favours the formation of simonkolleite, which is the corrosion product that protects the material under the conditions of the study.

Magnetic properties of permalloy films with different thicknesses deposited onto obliquely sputtered Cu underlayers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Xiaoyu; Sun, Xiaojun; Wang, Jianbo; Liu, Qingfang

2015-01-01

In this work, the influence of obliquely sputtered Cu underlayer of 10 nm on the magnetic properties of normally sputtered Permalloy thin films with different thicknesses from 10 nm to 150 nm has been investigated. It has been found that the samples with the Permalloy layer thickness ranging from 10 nm to 70 nm exhibit a good in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, and the increase of the film thickness leads to a decrease of the anisotropy field and the natural resonance frequency. The critical Permalloy layer thickness for stripe domain initiation of these films is about 80 nm, which is thinner than that of obliquely sputtered Permalloy thin films without an underlayer. The characteristic shapes of hysteresis loops which can be called ''transcritical'' are observed above the critical thickness. The condition and mechanism of appearing stripe domain structure were discussed and it has been found that the frequency response of permeability of the anisotropic films shows the characteristics of multi-peak resonance. - Highlights: • Py films were fabricated on obliquely sputtered Cu underlayers by RF magnetron sputtering. • Effects of Py layer thickness on anisotropy, ferromagnetic resonance frequency have been studied. • Samples with Py layer (<70 nm) show a good in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. • Samples with Py layer (>80 nm) show stripe domains and multi-peaks in permeability spectra

Investigation of structure, adhesion strength, wear performance and corrosion behavior of platinum/ruthenium/nitrogen doped diamond-like carbon thin films with respect to film thickness

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.sg [School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798 (Singapore)

2011-03-15

Research highlights: {yields} Sputtered PtRuN-DLC thin films were fabricated with different film thicknesses. {yields} The graphitization of the films increased with increased film thickness. {yields} The wear resistance of the films increased though their adhesion strength decreased. {yields} The corrosion potentials of the films shifted to more negative values. {yields} However, the corrosion currents of the films decreased. - Abstract: In this study, the corrosion performance of platinum/ruthenium/nitrogen doped diamond-like carbon (PtRuN-DLC) thin films deposited on p-Si substrates using a DC magnetron sputtering deposition system in a 0.1 M NaCl solution was investigated using potentiodynamic polarization test in terms of film thickness. The effect of the film thickness on the chemical composition, bonding structure, surface morphology, adhesion strength and wear resistance of the PtRuN-DLC films was studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), micro-Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), micro-scratch test and ball-on-disc tribotest, respectively. It was found that the wear resistance of the PtRuN-DLC films apparently increased with increased film thickness though the adhesion strength of the films decreased. The corrosion results revealed that the increased concentration of sp{sup 2} bonds in the PtRuN-DLC films with increased film thickness shifted the corrosion potentials of the films to more negative values but the decreased porosity density in the films significantly decreased the corrosion currents of the films.

Investigation of structure, adhesion strength, wear performance and corrosion behavior of platinum/ruthenium/nitrogen doped diamond-like carbon thin films with respect to film thickness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khun, N.W.; Liu, E.

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → Sputtered PtRuN-DLC thin films were fabricated with different film thicknesses. → The graphitization of the films increased with increased film thickness. → The wear resistance of the films increased though their adhesion strength decreased. → The corrosion potentials of the films shifted to more negative values. → However, the corrosion currents of the films decreased. - Abstract: In this study, the corrosion performance of platinum/ruthenium/nitrogen doped diamond-like carbon (PtRuN-DLC) thin films deposited on p-Si substrates using a DC magnetron sputtering deposition system in a 0.1 M NaCl solution was investigated using potentiodynamic polarization test in terms of film thickness. The effect of the film thickness on the chemical composition, bonding structure, surface morphology, adhesion strength and wear resistance of the PtRuN-DLC films was studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), micro-Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), micro-scratch test and ball-on-disc tribotest, respectively. It was found that the wear resistance of the PtRuN-DLC films apparently increased with increased film thickness though the adhesion strength of the films decreased. The corrosion results revealed that the increased concentration of sp 2 bonds in the PtRuN-DLC films with increased film thickness shifted the corrosion potentials of the films to more negative values but the decreased porosity density in the films significantly decreased the corrosion currents of the films.

Electrochemical and Antimicrobial Properties of Diamondlike Carbon-Metal Composite Films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

MORRISON, M. L.; BUCHANAN, R. A.; LIAW, P. K.; BERRY, C. J.; BRIGMON, R.; RIESTER, L.; JIN, C.; NARAYAN, R. J.

2005-05-11

Implants containing antimicrobial metals may reduce morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs associated with medical device-related infections. We have deposited diamondlike carbon-silver (DLC-Ag), diamondlike carbon-platinum (DLC-Pt), and diamondlike carbon-silver-platinum (DLC-AgPt) thin films using a multicomponent target pulsed laser deposition process. Transmission electron microscopy of the DLC-silver and DLC-platinum composite films revealed that the silver and platinum self-assemble into nanoparticle arrays within the diamondlike carbon matrix. The diamondlike carbon-silver film possesses hardness and Young's modulus values of 37 GPa and 331 GPa, respectively. The diamondlike carbon-metal composite films exhibited passive behavior at open-circuit potentials. Low corrosion rates were observed during testing in a phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) electrolyte. In addition, the diamondlike carbon-metal composite films were found to be immune to localized corrosion below 1000 mV (SCE). DLC-silver-platinum films demonstrated exceptional antimicrobial properties against Staphylococcus bacteria. It is believed that a galvanic couple forms between platinum and silver, which accelerates silver ion release and provides more robust antimicrobial activity. Diamondlike carbon-silver-platinum films may provide unique biological functionalities and improved lifetimes for cardiovascular, orthopaedic, biosensor, and implantable microelectromechanical systems.

Thickness dependence of magnetization reversal mechanism in perpendicularly magnetized L1{sub 0} FePt films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bi, Mei; Wang, Xin, E-mail: xinwang@uestc.edu.cn; Lu, Haipeng; Zhang, Li; Deng, Longjiang; Xie, Jianliang

2017-04-15

We have studied the magnetic switching behavior of L1{sub 0}-ordered FePt films with varying thickness. It was found that coercivity is strongly dependent on the film thickness. The obvious variations of the coercivity in the thin films are confirmed by the measurements of structural and magnetic properties. With increasing thickness, the degree of L1{sub 0} chemical ordering increased, while the magnetization reversal process transforms from a pinned two-steps magnetization reversal to a comparatively smooth domain wall motion behavior. Although considering anisotropy, exchange interaction and applied magnetic field, the switching behavior in films is quite complex, the main features of the magnetization reversal mechanism can be understood by performing detailed investigation on the effect of the deposition temperature and the angle of magnetic field. - Highlights: • Series of FePt films with L1{sub 0} phase have been prepared. • We focused on the magnetization reversal mechanism with varying thicknesses. • The angle-dependence of switching process is revealed in the FePt films. • Different switching mechanisms were found by increasing the film thickness.

Effect of metal ions on the formation and properties of monolayers and nanosized Langmuir-Blodgett films based on diphilic aminomethylated calix[4]resorcinarenes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neveshkin, A.A.; Rusanova, T.Yu.; Rumyantseva, S.S.; Serdobintsev, A.A.; Podkosov, K.V.; Shtykov, S.N.; Klimov, B.N.; Gorin, D.A.; Ryzhkina, I.S.

2008-01-01

The behavior of the monolayers of three diphilic aminomethylated calix[4]resorcinarene (CRA) derivatives on the surface of a pure aqueous subphase and subphase containing copper(II), nickel(II), europium(III), terbium(III), and lanthanum(III) ions was investigated. The monolayer transfer to the quartz and single-crystal silicon substrates was accomplished by the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique. The films were studied by ellipsometry and mass-spectrometry. Metal ions were found to exert effect on the limit area per one CRA molecule in the monolayer, on the surface collapse pressure and transfer coefficient of monolayer, and on the thickness and refractive index of the CRA-based LB films [ru

Invariance of the magnetic behavior and AMI in ferromagnetic biphase films with distinct non-magnetic metallic spacers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, E.F. [Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 59078-900 Natal, RN (Brazil); Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 50670-901 Recife, PE (Brazil); Gamino, M. [Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 50670-901 Recife, PE (Brazil); Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande de Sul, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil); Andrade, A.M.H. de [Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande de Sul, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil); Vázquez, M. [Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Correa, M.A. [Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 59078-900 Natal, RN (Brazil); Bohn, F., E-mail: felipebohn@fisica.ufrn.br [Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 59078-900 Natal, RN (Brazil)

2017-02-01

We investigate the quasi-static magnetic, magnetotransport, and dynamic magnetic properties in ferromagnetic biphase films with distinct non-magnetic metallic spacer layers. We observe that the nature of the non-magnetic metallic spacer material does not have significant influence on the overall biphase magnetic behavior, and, consequently, on the magnetotransport and dynamic magnetic responses. We focus on the magnetoimpedance effect and verify that the films present asymmetric magnetoimpedance effect. Moreover, we explore the possibility of tuning the linear region of the magnetoimpedance curves around zero magnetic field by varying the probe current frequency in order to achieve higher sensitivity values. The invariance of the magnetic behavior and the asymmetric magnetoimpedance effect in ferromagnetic biphase films with distinct non-magnetic metallic spacers place them as promising candidates for probe element and open possibilities to the development of lower-cost high sensitivity linear magnetic field sensor devices.

Electrical properties and conduction mechanisms of Ru-based thick-film (cermet) resistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pike, G.E.; Seager, C.H.

1977-01-01

This paper presents an experimental study of the electrical conduction mechanisms in thick-film (cermet) resistor. The resistors were made from one custom and three commercially formulated inks with sheet resistivities ranging from 10 2 to 10 6 Ω/D 7 Alembertian in decade increments. Their microstructure and composition have been examined using optical and scanning electron microscopy, electron microprobe analysis, x-ray diffraction, and various chemical analyses. This portion of our study shows that the resistors are heterogeneous mixtures of metallic metal oxide particles (approx.4 x 10 -5 cm in diameter) and a lead silicate glass. The metal oxide particles are ruthenium containing pyrochlores, and are joined to form a continuous three-dimensional network of chain segments. The principal experimental work reported here is an extensive study of the electrical transport properties of the resistors. The temperature dependence of conductance has been measured from 1.2 to 400 K, and two features common to all resistors are found. There is a pronounced decrease in conductance at low temperatures and a shallow maximum at several hundred Kelvin. Within the same range of temperatures the reversible conductance as a function of electric field from 0 to 28 kV/cm has been studied. The resistors are non-Ohmic at all temperatures, but particularly at cryogenic temperatures for low fields. At higher fields the conductance shows a linear variation with electric field. The thick-film resistors are found to have a small dielectric constant and a (nearly) frequency-independent conductance from dc to 50 MHz. The magnetoresistance to 100 kG, the Hall mobility, and the Seebeck coefficient of most of the resistors have been measured and discovered to be quite small. Many of the electrical transport properties have also been determined for the metal oxide particles which were extracted from the fired resistors

Film thickness dependence of phase separation and dewetting behaviors in PMMA/SAN blend films.

Science.gov (United States)

You, Jichun; Liao, Yonggui; Men, Yongfeng; Shi, Tongfei; An, Lijia

2010-09-21

Film thickness dependence of complex behaviors coupled by phase separation and dewetting in blend [poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(styrene-ran-acrylonitrile) (SAN)] films on silicon oxide substrate at 175 °C was investigated by grazing incidence ultrasmall-angle X-ray scattering (GIUSAX) and in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was found that the dewetting pathway was under the control of the parameter U(q0)/E, which described the initial amplitude of the surface undulation and original thickness of film, respectively. Furthermore, our results showed that interplay between phase separation and dewetting depended crucially on film thickness. Three mechanisms including dewetting-phase separation/wetting, dewetting/wetting-phase separation, and phase separation/wetting-pseudodewetting were discussed in detail. In conclusion, it is relative rates of phase separation and dewetting that dominate the interplay between them.

Effect of substrates and thickness on optical properties in atomic layer deposition grown ZnO thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Pal, Dipayan; Singhal, Jaya; Mathur, Aakash; Singh, Ajaib; Dutta, Surjendu; Zollner, Stefan; Chattopadhyay, Sudeshna

2017-11-01

Atomic Layer Deposition technique was used to grow high quality, very low roughness, crystalline, Zinc Oxide (ZnO) thin films on silicon (Si) and fused quartz (SiO2) substrates to study the optical properties. Spectroscopic ellipsometry results of ZnO/Si system, staggered type-II quantum well, demonstrate that there is a significant drop in the magnitudes of both the real and imaginary parts of complex dielectric constants and in near-band gap absorption along with a blue shift of the absorption edge with decreasing film thickness at and below ∼20 nm. Conversely, UV-vis absorption spectroscopy of ZnO/SiO2, thin type-I quantum well, consisting of a narrower-band gap semiconductor grown on a wider-band gap (insulator) substrate, shows the similar thickness dependent blue-shift of the absorption edge but with an increase in the magnitude of near-band gap absorption with decreasing film thickness. Thickness dependent blue shift, energy vs. 1/d2, in two different systems, ZnO/Si and ZnO/SiO2, show a difference in their slopes. The observed phenomena can be consistently explained by the corresponding exciton (or carrier/s) deconfinement and confinement effects at the ZnO/Si and ZnO/SiO2 interface respectively, where Tanguy-Elliott amplitude pre-factor plays the key role through the electron-hole overlap factor at the interface.

Novel method for the measurement of liquid film thickness during fuel spray impingement on surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Henkel, S; Beyrau, F; Hardalupas, Y; Taylor, A M K P

2016-02-08

This paper describes the development and application of a novel optical technique for the measurement of liquid film thickness formed on surfaces during the impingement of automotive fuel sprays. The technique makes use of the change of the light scattering characteristics of a metal surface with known roughness, when liquid is deposited. Important advantages of the technique over previously established methods are the ability to measure the time-dependent spatial distribution of the liquid film without a need to add a fluorescent tracer to the liquid, while the measurement principle is not influenced by changes of the pressure and temperature of the liquid or the surrounding gas phase. Also, there is no need for non-fluorescing surrogate fuels. However, an in situ calibration of the dependence of signal intensity on liquid film thickness is required. The developed method can be applied to measure the time-dependent and two-dimensional distribution of the liquid fuel film thickness on the piston or the liner of gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines. The applicability of this technique was evaluated with impinging sprays of several linear alkanes and alcohols with different thermo-physical properties. The surface temperature of the impingement plate was controlled to simulate the range of piston surface temperatures inside a GDI engine. Two sets of liquid film thickness measurements were obtained. During the first set, the surface temperature of the plate was kept constant, while the spray of different fuels interacted with the surface. In the second set, the plate temperature was adjusted to match the boiling temperature of each fuel. In this way, the influence of the surface temperature on the liquid film created by the spray of different fuels and their evaporation characteristics could be demonstrated.

Relaxation in Thin Polymer Films Mapped across the Film Thickness by Astigmatic Single-Molecule Imaging

KAUST Repository

Oba, Tatsuya

2012-06-19

We have studied relaxation processes in thin supported films of poly(methyl acrylate) at the temperature corresponding to 13 K above the glass transition by monitoring the reorientation of single perylenediimide molecules doped into the films. The axial position of the dye molecules across the thickness of the film was determined with a resolution of 12 nm by analyzing astigmatic fluorescence images. The average relaxation times of the rotating molecules do not depend on the overall thickness of the film between 20 and 110 nm. The relaxation times also do not show any dependence on the axial position within the films for the film thickness between 70 and 110 nm. In addition to the rotating molecules we observed a fraction of spatially diffusing molecules and completely immobile molecules. These molecules indicate the presence of thin (<5 nm) high-mobility surface layer and low-mobility layer at the interface with the substrate. (Figure presented) © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Oxygen effect on the work function of electropositive metal films adsorbed on 4d and 5d-transition metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kultashev, O.K.; Makarov, A.P.; Rozhkov, S.E.

1976-01-01

The thermionic emission method was used to study the effect of oxygen upon the work function of films of electropositive metals, Sc, Y, La and Ba on some monocrystal and polycrystalline specimens of 4d- and 5d-transition metals of groups 4-8 of the Periodic system. It was revealed that when the supports were polycrystalline and monocrystalline specimens of transition metals of Group 5 (niobium and tantalum), the work function phi of films of electropositive adsorbates dropped substantially as compared, e.g., to the phi values on the same faces of tungsten. When the concentration of the electropositive adsorbate exceeds the optimum value (in the absence of oxygen), oxygen exerts an appreciably activating action upon the work function phi of films of electropositive adsorbates on transition metals of the Groups 7 and 8. The activating action of oxygen is assumed to be due to a possibility of formation of surface interstitial structures

Structural, magnetic and transport properties of Co{sub 2}FeAl Heusler films with varying thickness

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Xiaotian [School of Material Sciences and Engineering, Hebei University Technology, Tianjin 300130 (China); Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Li, Yueqing [Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); State Key Laboratory of Metastable Material Sciences and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Du, Yin [Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Dai, Xuefang; Liu, Guodong [School of Material Sciences and Engineering, Hebei University Technology, Tianjin 300130 (China); Liu, Enke [Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Liu, Zhongyuan [State Key Laboratory of Metastable Material Sciences and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Wang, Wenhong, E-mail: wenhong.wang@iphy.ac.cn [Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Wu, Guangheng [Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China)

2014-08-01

We report on a systematic study of the structural, magnetic properties and the anomalous Hall effect, in the Heusler alloy Co{sub 2}FeAl (CFA) epitaxial films on MgO (001), as a function of film thickness. It was found that the epitaxial CFA films show a highly ordered B2 structure with an in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. The electrical transport properties reveal that the lattice and magnon scattering contributions to the longitudinal resistivity. Independent on the thickness of films, the anomalous Hall resistivity of CFA films is found to be dominated by skew scattering only. Moreover, the anomalous Hall resistivity shows weakly temperature dependent behavior, and its absolute value increases as the thickness decreases. We attribute this temperature insensitivity in the anomalous Hall resistivity to the weak temperature dependent of tunneling spin-polarization in the CFA films, while the thickness dependence behavior is likely due to the increasing significance of interface or free surface electronic states. - Highlights: ●Highly ordered CFA films with various thicknesses were prepared on MgO substrates. ●The magnon scattering contributions to the longitudinal resistivity in the CFA films. ●The anomalous Hall resistivity of the CFA films shows weakly temperature dependent. ●The CFA films show weak temperature dependent of tunneling spin-polarization.

MEMS-based thick film PZT vibrational energy harvester

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lei, Anders; Xu, Ruichao; Thyssen, Anders

2011-01-01

We present a MEMS-based unimorph silicon/PZT thick film vibrational energy harvester with an integrated proof mass. We have developed a process that allows fabrication of high performance silicon based energy harvesters with a yield higher than 90%. The process comprises a KOH etch using a mechan......We present a MEMS-based unimorph silicon/PZT thick film vibrational energy harvester with an integrated proof mass. We have developed a process that allows fabrication of high performance silicon based energy harvesters with a yield higher than 90%. The process comprises a KOH etch using...... a mechanical front side protection of an SOI wafer with screen printed PZT thick film. The fabricated harvester device produces 14.0 μW with an optimal resistive load of 100 kΩ from 1g (g=9.81 m s-2) input acceleration at its resonant frequency of 235 Hz....

Investigation of top electrode for PZT thick films based MEMS sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hindrichsen, Christian Carstensen; Pedersen, Thomas; Kristiansen, Paw T.

2010-01-01

In this work processing of screen printed piezoelectric PZT thick films on silicon substrates is investigated for use in future MEMS devices. E-beam evaporated Al and Pt are patterned on PZT as a top electrode using a lift-off process with a line width down to 3 mu m. Three test structures are used...... to investigate the optimal thickness of the top electrode, the degradation of the piezoelectric properties of the PZT film in absence of a diffusion barrier layer and finally how to fabricate electrical interconnects down the edge of the PZT thick film. The roughness of the PZT is found to have a strong...... influence on the conductance of the top electrode influencing the optimal top electrode thickness. A 100 nm thick top electrode on the PZT thick film with a surface roughness of 273 nm has a 4.5 times higher resistance compared to a similar wire on a planar SiO2 surface which has a surface roughness of less...

InAs film grown on Si(111) by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caroff, P; Jeppsson, M; Mandl, B; Wernersson, L-E; Wheeler, D; Seabaugh, A; Keplinger, M; Stangl, J; Bauer, G

2008-01-01

We report the successful growth of high quality InAs films directly on Si(111) by Metal Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxy. A nearly mirror-like and uniform InAs film is obtained at 580 0 C for a thickness of 2 μm. We measured a high value of the electron mobility of 5100 cm 2 /Vs at room temperature. The growth is performed using a standard two-step procedure. The influence of the nucleation layer, group V flow rate, and layer thickness on the electrical and morphological properties of the InAs film have been investigated. We present results of our studies by Atomic Force Microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, electrical Hall/van der Pauw and structural X-Ray Diffraction characterization

Observation of feature ripening inversion effect at the percolation threshold for the growth of thin silver films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nehm, Frederik, E-mail: frederik.nehm@iapp.de; Schubert, Sylvio; Müller-Meskamp, Lars; Leo, Karl

2014-04-01

The growth behavior of thin silver films on organic layers is investigated during deposition by means of simultaneous in-situ monitoring of sheet resistance and transmittance. Thermally evaporated films up to 11 nm show a distinct percolation behavior with strong resistance drop at the percolation thickness. Additionally, evaporations are divided into a sequence of one nanometer steps. In the deposition breaks, the films exhibit a ripening effect with an inversion at the percolation thickness, by changing from an increasing to decreasing sheet resistance over time. Scanning electron micrographs suggest same ripening mechanisms for islands below the percolation thickness as for holes above. - Highlights: • Fundamental understanding of metal thin film growth is presented. • Optical and electrical in-situ measurements used for optimizing transparent electrodes • Stepwise Ag deposition reveals extraordinary ripening effects. • Feature ripening inversion is discovered at the percolation threshold.

Observation of feature ripening inversion effect at the percolation threshold for the growth of thin silver films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nehm, Frederik; Schubert, Sylvio; Müller-Meskamp, Lars; Leo, Karl

2014-01-01

The growth behavior of thin silver films on organic layers is investigated during deposition by means of simultaneous in-situ monitoring of sheet resistance and transmittance. Thermally evaporated films up to 11 nm show a distinct percolation behavior with strong resistance drop at the percolation thickness. Additionally, evaporations are divided into a sequence of one nanometer steps. In the deposition breaks, the films exhibit a ripening effect with an inversion at the percolation thickness, by changing from an increasing to decreasing sheet resistance over time. Scanning electron micrographs suggest same ripening mechanisms for islands below the percolation thickness as for holes above. - Highlights: • Fundamental understanding of metal thin film growth is presented. • Optical and electrical in-situ measurements used for optimizing transparent electrodes • Stepwise Ag deposition reveals extraordinary ripening effects. • Feature ripening inversion is discovered at the percolation threshold

The effect of sputter-deposition conditions on the coercive force in amorphous rare-earth - transition-metal thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davies, C.F.; Somekh, R.E.; Evetts, J.E.; Storey, P.A.

1988-01-01

The origins of the coercive force in amorphous rare earth - transition metal films have been investigated, the results being discussed in terms of how the growth conditions of the sputter-deposited films determine the pinning features which cause the coercive force. The authors have studied the variation of coercive force with film thickness and developed a model which enables a local pinning force per unit area to be deduced. This suggests that it should be possible to increase the coercive force by breaking up the microstructure with a multi-layered structure. An increase in coercive force obtained by making such structures with tungsten is described. They also report on the reduction in coercive force obtained when the films are deposited in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field

Effects of thickness on the statistical properties of the Barkhausen noise in amorphous films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santi, L. [Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 97105-900, Santa Maria, RS (Brazil); Bohn, F. [Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 97105-900, Santa Maria, RS (Brazil); Viegas, A.D.C. [Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 97105-900, Santa Maria, RS (Brazil); Durin, G. [Istituto Elettrotecnico Nazionale Galileo Ferraris, Turin (Italy); Magni, A. [Istituto Elettrotecnico Nazionale Galileo Ferraris, Turin (Italy); Bonin, R. [Istituto Elettrotecnico Nazionale Galileo Ferraris, Turin (Italy); Zapperi, S. [Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi-CNR, Roma (Italy); Sommer, R.L. [Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas, 22290-180, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)]. E-mail: sommer@cbpf.br

2006-10-01

The statistical properties of the Barkhausen noise (BN) in thin amorphous films are studied as a function of both the nominal composition and the thickness. BN was observed in single films with nominal compositions Fe{sub 73.5}Cu{sub 1}Nb{sub 3}Si{sub 22.5-x}B{sub x} (with x=4 and 9) in the thickness range 20nm-5{mu}m. The distributions of Barkhausen jump sizes and duration times were obtained and fitted to power laws with critical exponents {tau}=1.25+/-0.05 and {alpha}=1.60+/-0.05, respectively.

Effect of thermal processing on silver thin films of varying thickness deposited on zinc oxide and indium tin oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sivaramakrishnan, K.; Ngo, A. T.; Alford, T. L.; Iyer, S.

2009-01-01

Silver films of varying thicknesses (25, 45, and 60 nm) were deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) on silicon and zinc oxide (ZnO) on silicon. The films were annealed in vacuum for 1 h at different temperatures (300-650 deg. C). Four-point-probe measurements were used to determine the resistivity of the films. All films showed an abrupt change in resistivity beyond an onset temperature that varied with thickness. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry measurements revealed agglomeration of the Ag films upon annealing as being responsible for the resistivity change. X-ray pole figure analysis determined that the annealed films took on a preferential texturing; however, the degree of texturing was significantly higher in Ag/ZnO/Si than in Ag/ITO/Si samples. This observation was accounted for by interface energy minimization. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements revealed an increasing surface roughness of the annealed films with temperature. The resistivity behavior was explained by the counterbalancing effects of increasing crystallinity and surface roughness. Average surface roughness obtained from the AFM measurements were also used to model the agglomeration of Ag based on Ostwald ripening theory

Imaging and thickness measurement of amorphous intergranular films using TEM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacLaren, I.

2004-01-01

Fresnel fringe analysis is shown to be unreliable for grain boundaries in yttrium-doped alumina: the determined thicknesses do not agree well with those measured from high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), the asymmetry between under- and overfocus is very large, and Fresnel fringes are sometimes shown at boundaries which contain no amorphous film. An alternative approach to the analysis of HRTEM images of grain boundary films is demonstrated: Fourier filtering is used to remove the lattice fringes from the image thereby significantly enhancing the visibility of the intergranular films. The apparent film thickness shows a discrepancy between measurements from the original HRTEM image and the filtered image. It was shown that fringe delocalisation and diffuseness of the amorphous/crystalline interfaces will lead to a significant underestimate of the thickness in unprocessed HRTEM images. In contrast to this, the average thickness can be much more accurately measured from the Fourier-filtered image, provided the boundary is oriented accurately edge-on

Thickness dependent structural, optical and electrical properties of Se85In12Bi3 nanochalcogenide thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Tripathi, Ravi P.; Zulfequar, M.; Khan, Shamshad A.

2018-04-01

Our aim is to study the thickness dependent effects on structure, electrical and optical properties of Se85In12Bi3 nanochalcogenide thin films. Bulk alloy of Se85In12Bi3 was synthesized by melt-quenching technique. The amorphous as well as glassy nature of Se85In12Bi3 chalcogenide was confirmed by non-isothermal Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) measurements. The nanochalcogenide thin films of thickness 30, 60 and 90 nm were prepared on glass/Si wafer substrate using Physical Vapour Condensation Technique (PVCT). From XRD studies it was found that thin films have amorphous texture. The surface morphology and particle size of films were studied by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM). From optical studies, different optical parameters were estimated for Se85In12Bi3 thin films at different thickness. It was found that the absorption coefficient (α) and extinction coefficient (k) increases with photon energy and decreases with film thickness. The optical absorption process followed the rule of indirect transitions and optical band gap were found to be increase with film thickness. The value of Urbach energy (Et) and steepness parameter (σ) were also calculated for different film thickness. For electrical studies, dc-conductivity measurement was done at different temperature and activation energy (ΔEc) were determined and found to be increase with film thickness.

Effect of thickness on structural, corrosion and mechanical properties of a thin ZrN film deposited by medium frequency (MF) reactive sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kavitha, Ayyalu; Kannan, Raman [Anna Univ., Dindigul (India). Dept. of Physics; Loganathan, Subramani [Titan Industries, Hosur, Tamilnadu (India). Ion Plating Dept.

2016-07-01

Zirconium nitride (ZrN) thin films were prepared on stainless steel (SS) substrates by medium frequency (MF) reactive sputtering with gas ion source (GIS) by varying the deposition time and obtained thickness (t{sub ZrN}) in the range of 1.25 to 3.24 μm. The effect of thickness on the structural and microstructural properties was studied using XRD and AFM. XRD characterization revealed that the texture of the ZrN thin films changes as a function of thickness. Both, the (111) and (200) peak, appear initially and (111) becomes more intense with increasing t{sub ZrN}. AFM imaging revealed that the ZrN thin film coated with t{sub ZrN} ∼ 3.24 μm shows larger grains that are uniformly distributed over the surface. An average hardness value of 19.79 GPa was observed for ZrN thin films having t{sub ZrN} ∼ 3.24 μm. The ZrN thin films having t{sub ZrN} ∼ 3.24 μm exhibits better adhesion strength up to 20 N. The electrochemical polarization studies indicated that the ZrN thin film having larger thickness shows improved corrosion resistance compared to SS in 3.5 % NaCl solution.

Nanoscale strengthening mechanisms in metallic thin film systems

Science.gov (United States)

Schoeppner, Rachel Lynn

Nano-scale strengthening mechanisms for thin films were investigated for systems governed by two different strengthening techniques: nano-laminate strengthening and oxide dispersion strengthening. Films were tested under elevated temperature conditions to investigate changes in deformation mechanisms at different operating temperatures, and the structural stability. Both systems exhibit remarkable stability after annealing and thus long-term reliability. Nano-scale metallic multilayers with smaller layer thicknesses show a greater relative resistance to decreasing strength at higher temperature testing conditions than those with larger layer thicknesses. This is seen in both Cu/Ni/Nb multilayers as well as a similar tri-component bi-layer system (Cu-Ni/Nb), which removed the coherent interface from the film. Both nanoindentation and micro-pillar compression tests investigated the strain-hardening ability of these two systems to determine what role the coherent interface plays in this mechanism. Tri-layer films showed a higher strain-hardening ability as the layer thickness decreased and a higher strain-hardening exponent than the bi-layer system: verifying the presence of a coherent interface increases the strain-hardening ability of these multilayer systems. Both systems exhibited hardening of the room temperature strength after annealing, suggesting a change in microstructure has occurred, unlike that seen in other multilayer systems. Oxide dispersion strengthened Au films showed a marked increase in hardness and wear resistance with the addition of ZnO particles. The threshold for stress-induced grain-refinement as opposed to grain growth is seen at concentrations of at least 0.5 vol%. These systems exhibited stable microstructures during thermal cycling in films containing at least 1.0%ZnO. Nanoindentation experiments show the drop in hardness following annealing is almost completely attributed to the resulting grain growth. Four-point probe resistivity

Pulsed laser deposition of YBCO films on ISD MgO buffered metal tapes

CERN Document Server

Ma, B; Koritala, R E; Fisher, B L; Markowitz, A R; Erck, R A; Baurceanu, R; Dorris, S E; Miller, D J; Balachandran, U

2003-01-01

Biaxially textured magnesium oxide (MgO) films deposited by inclined-substrate deposition (ISD) are desirable for rapid production of high-quality template layers for YBCO-coated conductors. High-quality YBCO films were grown on ISD MgO buffered metallic substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Columnar grains with a roof-tile surface structure were observed in the ISD MgO films. X-ray pole figure analysis revealed that the (002) planes of the ISD MgO films are tilted at an angle from the substrate normal. A small full-width at half maximum (FWHM) of approx 9deg was observed in the phi-scan for ISD MgO films deposited at an inclination angle of 55deg . In-plane texture in the ISD MgO films developed in the first approx 0.5 mu m from the substrate surface, and then stabilized with further increases in film thickness. Yttria-stabilized zirconia and ceria buffer layers were deposited on the ISD MgO grown on metallic substrates prior to the deposition of YBCO by PLD. YBCO films with the c-axis parallel to the...

Effect of Thickness on Oxidation Behavior of Cr coated Zircaloy-4 using Arc Ion Plating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Eui Jung; Kim, Sun Jin [Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Park, Jung Hwan; Kim, Hyun Gil; Jung, Yang Il; Park, Dong Jun [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

Ever since the Fukushima accident, accident tolerant fuel (ATF) has been widely studied. To increase the life time and safety of nuclear claddings, there are increasing demands for protective coatings exhibiting excellent oxidation resistance. Many metal and oxide films are produced by using this method because of the high kinetic energy of the ions, ionization efficiency and deposition rate. Candidate materials for a protective layer have higher thermal neutron absorption cross sections than Zr. However, there is no systematic study of thickness effect on oxidation resistance of protective layer. In this study, Cr films with different thickness (from 1 μm to 50 μm) were deposited on the cladding surfaces by AIP. The high temperature oxidation resistance of Cr films with different thicknesses has been investigated. Uniform oxide layer with nanoporous structures have been fabricated on the surface of Zr-Nb-Sn alloy. Oxidation behavior of the pristine Zr-Nb-Sn alloy and the Zr-Nb-Sn alloy with nanostructured oxide layer evaluated by measuring weight gain (TGA).

Thickness-dependent radiative properties of Y-Ba-Cu-O thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phelan, P.E.; Chen, G.; Tien, C.L.

1991-01-01

Some applications of high-temperature superconductors where their thermal radiative behavior is important, such as bolometers, optically-triggered switches and gates, and space-cooled electronics, required the superconductor to be in the form of a very thin film whose radiative behavior cannot be adequately represented by a semi-infinite analysis. Two properties of particular importance are the film absorptance and the combined film/substrate absorptance, which are crucial to the operation of many devices. This paper reports on calculations of the absorptance of superconducting-state Y-Ba-Cu-O films on MgO substrates which suggest that for film thicknesses less than about 50 nm, a decrease in the film thickness leads to an increase in both the film absorptance and the film/substrate absorptance. Furthermore, the film absorptance is maximum at some optimal value of film thickness. Assuming the film to be a smooth, continuous slab with a refractive index equal to that of the bulk Y-Ba-Cu-O is verified, at least in the normal state and for films as thin as 35 nm, by room-temperature reflectance and transmittance measurements

Effect of thickness on structural, electrical, optical and magnetic properties of Co and Al doped ZnO films deposited by sol-gel route

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharma, Mamta [Department of Electronic Science, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi 110021 (India); Mehra, R.M. [Department of Electronic Science, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi 110021 (India)], E-mail: rammehra2003@yahoo.com

2008-12-30

This paper reports deposition and characterization of Zn{sub 0.94}Co{sub 0.05}Al{sub 0.01}O films of thickness ranging from 70 nm to 400 nm. These films were deposited on a glass (Corning, 7059) substrate using sol-gel route. The films have been characterized to study their structural, electrical, optical and magnetic properties. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to study the crystallinity and growth mode of the films. The films deposited up to a thickness of 200 nm showed improvement in crystallinity and preferential c-axis orientation. A transition in the growth mode from vertical (c-axis) to lateral (a and b-axis) was observed with further increase in the thickness of the film. The average transmittance of the films for thickness less than 200 nm was above 80% in the visible region which decreased at higher thickness of the film. The resistivity of the film was found to decrease with increase in thickness up to 200 nm. Ferromagnetism, at room temperature, was confirmed for 200 nm and 400 nm thick films.

Effect of thickness on structural, electrical, optical and magnetic properties of Co and Al doped ZnO films deposited by sol-gel route

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, Mamta; Mehra, R.M.

2008-01-01

This paper reports deposition and characterization of Zn 0.94 Co 0.05 Al 0.01 O films of thickness ranging from 70 nm to 400 nm. These films were deposited on a glass (Corning, 7059) substrate using sol-gel route. The films have been characterized to study their structural, electrical, optical and magnetic properties. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to study the crystallinity and growth mode of the films. The films deposited up to a thickness of 200 nm showed improvement in crystallinity and preferential c-axis orientation. A transition in the growth mode from vertical (c-axis) to lateral (a and b-axis) was observed with further increase in the thickness of the film. The average transmittance of the films for thickness less than 200 nm was above 80% in the visible region which decreased at higher thickness of the film. The resistivity of the film was found to decrease with increase in thickness up to 200 nm. Ferromagnetism, at room temperature, was confirmed for 200 nm and 400 nm thick films.

Estimating the Effects of Module Area on Thin-Film Photovoltaic System Costs: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Horowitz, Kelsey A [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Fu, Ran [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Silverman, Timothy J [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Woodhouse, Michael A [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Sun, Xingshu [Purdue University; Alam, Muhammad A [Purdue University

2018-03-29

We investigate the potential effects of module area on the cost and performance of photovoltaic systems. Applying a bottom-up methodology, we analyzed the costs associated with thin-film modules and systems as a function of module area. We calculate a potential for savings of up to 0.10 dollars/W and 0.13 dollars/W in module manufacturing costs for CdTe and CIGS respectively, with large area modules. We also find that an additional 0.04 dollars/W savings in balance-of-systems costs may be achieved. Sensitivity of the dollar/W cost savings to module efficiency, manufacturing yield, and other parameters is presented. Lifetime energy yield must also be maintained to realize reductions in the levelized cost of energy; the effects of module size on energy yield for monolithic thin-film modules are not yet well understood. Finally, we discuss possible non-cost barriers to adoption of large area modules.

Thickness dependent growth of low temperature atomic layer deposited zinc oxide films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montiel-González, Z.; Castelo-González, O.A.; Aguilar-Gama, M.T.; Ramírez-Morales, E.; Hu, H.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Polycrystalline columnar ZnO thin films deposited by ALD at low temperatures. • Higher deposition temperature leads to a greater surface roughness in the ALD ZnO films. • Higher temperature originates larger refractive index values of the ALD ZnO films. • ZnO thin films were denser as the numbers of ALD deposition cycles were larger. • XPS analysis revels mayor extent of the DEZ reaction during the ALD process. - Abstract: Zinc oxide films are promising to improve the performance of electronic devices, including those based on organic materials. However, the dependence of the ZnO properties on the preparation conditions represents a challenge to obtain homogeneous thin films that satisfy specific applications. Here, we prepared ZnO films of a wide range of thicknesses by atomic layer deposition (ALD) at relatively low temperatures, 150 and 175 °C. From the results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and Spectroscopic Ellipsometry it is concluded that the polycrystalline structure of the wurtzite is the main phase of the ALD samples, with OH groups on their surface. Ellipsometry revealed that the temperature and the deposition cycles have a strong effect on the films roughness. Scanning electron micrographs evidenced such effect, through the large pyramids developed at the surface of the films. It is concluded that crystalline ZnO thin films within a broad range of thickness and roughness can be obtained for optic or optoelectronic applications.

Humidity sensing properties of WO3 thick film resistor prepared by screen printing technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garde, Arun S

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Polycrystalline WO 3 Thick films are fabricated by screen printing technique. • Monoclinic phases were the majority in formation of films. • The peak at 1643 cm −1 shows stretching vibrations attributed to W-OH of adsorbed H 2 O. • Absorption peaks in the range 879–650 cm −1 are attributed to the stretching W-O-W bonds. • Increase in resistance with decrease in RH when exposed to 20–100% RH. - Abstract: Thick films of tungsten oxide based were prepared using standard screen printing technique. To study the effect of temperature on the thick films were fired at different temperature for 30 min in air atmosphere. The WO 3 thick films were characterized with X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and EDAX for elemental analysis. The formation of mixed phases of the film together with majority of monoclinic phase was observed. IR spectra confirm the peak at 1643 cm −1 clearly shows stretching vibrations attributed to the W-OH bending vibration mode of the adsorbed water molecules. The absorption peaks in the range 879–650 cm −1 are attributed to the stretching W-O-W bonds (i.e. ν [W-O inter -W]). The peak located at 983 cm −1 belong to W=O terminal of cluster boundaries. A change in the resistance was observed with respect to the relative humidity when the WO 3 thick films were exposed to a wide humidity range of 20–100%. An increasing firing temperature of WO 3 film increases with the sensitivity. The parameters such as sensitivity and hysteresis of the WO 3 film sensors have been evaluated

Effects of flexible substrate thickness on Al-induced crystallization of amorphous Ge thin films