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Sample records for tin oxide thin

  1. Demonstration of high-performance p-type tin oxide thin-film transistors using argon-plasma surface treatments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bae, Sang-Dae; Kwon, Soo-Hun; Jeong, Hwan-Seok; Kwon, Hyuck-In

    2017-07-01

    In this work, we investigated the effects of low-temperature argon (Ar)-plasma surface treatments on the physical and chemical structures of p-type tin oxide thin-films and the electrical performance of p-type tin oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs). From the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurement, we found that SnO was the dominant phase in the deposited tin oxide thin-film, and the Ar-plasma treatment partially transformed the tin oxide phase from SnO to SnO2 by oxidation. The resistivity of the tin oxide thin-film increased with the plasma-treatment time because of the reduced hole concentration. In addition, the root-mean-square roughness of the tin oxide thin-film decreased as the plasma-treatment time increased. The p-type oxide TFT with an Ar-plasma-treated tin oxide thin-film exhibited excellent electrical performance with a high current on-off ratio (5.2 × 106) and a low off-current (1.2 × 10-12 A), which demonstrates that the low-temperature Ar-plasma treatment is a simple and effective method for improving the electrical performance of p-type tin oxide TFTs.

  2. Combustion synthesized indium-tin-oxide (ITO) thin film for source/drain electrodes in all solution-processed oxide thin-film transistors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tue, Phan Trong; Inoue, Satoshi; Takamura, Yuzuru; Shimoda, Tatsuya

    2016-01-01

    We report combustion solution synthesized (SCS) indium-tin-oxide (ITO) thin film, which is a well-known transparent conductive oxide, for source/drain (S/D) electrodes in solution-processed amorphous zirconium-indium-zinc-oxide TFT. A redox-based combustion synthetic approach is applied to ITO thin film using acetylacetone as a fuel and metal nitrate as oxidizer. The structural and electrical properties of SCS-ITO precursor solution and thin films were systematically investigated with changes in tin concentration, indium metal precursors, and annealing conditions such as temperature, time, and ambient. It was found that at optimal conditions the SCS-ITO thin film exhibited high crystalline quality, atomically smooth surface (RMS ∝ 4.1 Aa), and low electrical resistivity (4.2 x 10 -4 Ω cm). The TFT using SCS-ITO film as the S/D electrodes showed excellent electrical properties with negligible hysteresis. The obtained ''on/off'' current ratio, subthreshold swing factor, subthreshold voltage, and field-effect mobility were 5 x 10 7 , 0.43 V/decade, 0.7 V, and 2.1 cm 2 /V s, respectively. The performance and stability of the SCS-ITO TFT are comparable to those of the sputtered-ITO TFT, emphasizing that the SCS-ITO film is a promising candidate for totally solution-processed oxide TFTs. (orig.)

  3. Combinatorial study of zinc tin oxide thin-film transistors

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDowell, M. G.; Sanderson, R. J.; Hill, I. G.

    2008-01-01

    Groups of thin-film transistors using a zinc tin oxide semiconductor layer have been fabricated via a combinatorial rf sputtering technique. The ZnO :SnO2 ratio of the film varies as a function of position on the sample, from pure ZnO to SnO2, allowing for a study of zinc tin oxide transistor performance as a function of channel stoichiometry. The devices were found to have mobilities ranging from 2to12cm2/Vs, with two peaks in mobility in devices at ZnO fractions of 0.80±0.03 and 0.25±0.05, and on/off ratios as high as 107. Transistors composed predominantly of SnO2 were found to exhibit light sensitivity which affected both the on/off ratios and threshold voltages of these devices.

  4. Impact of soft annealing on the performance of solution-processed amorphous zinc tin oxide thin-film transistors

    KAUST Repository

    Nayak, Pradipta K.

    2013-05-08

    It is demonstrated that soft annealing duration strongly affects the performance of solution-processed amorphous zinc tin oxide thin-film transistors. Prolonged soft annealing times are found to induce two important changes in the device: (i) a decrease in zinc tin oxide film thickness, and (ii) an increase in oxygen vacancy concentration. The devices prepared without soft annealing exhibited inferior transistor performances, in comparison to devices in which the active channel layer (zinc tin oxide) was subjected to soft annealing. The highest saturation field-effect mobility - 5.6 cm2 V-1 s-1 with a drain-to-source on-off current ratio (Ion/Ioff) of 2 × 108 - was achieved in the case of devices with 10-min soft-annealed zinc tin oxide thin films as the channel layer. The findings of this work identify soft annealing as a critical parameter for the processing of chemically derived thin-film transistors, and it correlates device performance to the changes in material structure induced by soft annealing. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

  5. Optimisation of chemical solution deposition of indium tin oxide thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sunde, Tor Olav Løveng; Einarsrud, Mari-Ann; Grande, Tor, E-mail: grande@ntnu.no

    2014-12-31

    An environmentally friendly aqueous sol–gel process has been optimised to deposit indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films, aiming to improve the film properties and reduce the deposition costs. It was demonstrated how parameters such as cation concentration and viscosity could be applied to modify the physical properties of the sol and thereby reduce the need for multiple coatings to yield films with sufficient conductivity. The conductivity of the thin films was enhanced by adjusting the heat treatment temperature and atmosphere. Both increasing the heat treatment temperature of the films from 530 to 800 °C and annealing in reducing atmosphere significantly improved the electrical conductivity, and conductivities close to the state of the art sputtered ITO films were obtained. A pronounced decreased conductivity was observed after exposing the thin films to air and the thermal reduction and ageing of the film was studied by in situ conductivity measurements. - Highlights: • Spin coating of indium tin oxide using an aqueous solution was optimised. • The conductivity was enhanced by thermal annealing in reducing atmosphere. • The conductivity of is comparable to the conductivity of sputtered films. • A relaxation process in the reduced thin film was observed after exposure in air.

  6. Thermally evaporated mechanically hard tin oxide thin films for opto-electronic apllications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tripathy, Sumanta K.; Rajeswari, V. P. [Centre for Nano Science and Technology, GVP College of Engineering (Autonomous), Visakhapatnam- 530048 (India)

    2014-01-28

    Tungsten doped tin oxide (WTO) and Molybdenum doped tin oxide (MoTO) thin film were deposited on corn glass by thermal evaporation method. The films were annealed at 350°C for one hour. Structural analysis using Xray diffraction data shows both the films are polycrystalline in nature with monoclinic structure of tin oxide, Sn{sub 3}O{sub 4}, corresponding to JCPDS card number 01-078-6064. SEM photograph showed that both the films have spherical grains with size in the range of 20–30 nm. Compositional analysis was carried out using EDS which reveals the presence of Sn, O and the dopant Mo/W only thereby indicating the absence of any secondary phase in the films. The films are found to contain nearly 6 wt% of Mo, 8 wt% of W as dopants respectively. The transmission pattern for both the films in the spectral range 200 – 2000 nm shows that W doping gives a transparency of nearly 80% from 380 nm onwards while Mo doping has less transparency of 39% at 380nm. Film hardness measurement using Triboscope shows a film hardness of about 9–10 GPa for both the films. It indicates that W or M doping in tin oxide provides the films the added advantage of withstanding the mechanical wear and tear due to environmental fluctuations By optimizing the optical and electrical properties, W/Mo doped tin oxide films may be explored as window layers in opto-electronic applications such as solar cells.

  7. Thermally evaporated mechanically hard tin oxide thin films for opto-electronic apllications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tripathy, Sumanta K.; Rajeswari, V. P.

    2014-01-01

    Tungsten doped tin oxide (WTO) and Molybdenum doped tin oxide (MoTO) thin film were deposited on corn glass by thermal evaporation method. The films were annealed at 350°C for one hour. Structural analysis using Xray diffraction data shows both the films are polycrystalline in nature with monoclinic structure of tin oxide, Sn 3 O 4 , corresponding to JCPDS card number 01-078-6064. SEM photograph showed that both the films have spherical grains with size in the range of 20–30 nm. Compositional analysis was carried out using EDS which reveals the presence of Sn, O and the dopant Mo/W only thereby indicating the absence of any secondary phase in the films. The films are found to contain nearly 6 wt% of Mo, 8 wt% of W as dopants respectively. The transmission pattern for both the films in the spectral range 200 – 2000 nm shows that W doping gives a transparency of nearly 80% from 380 nm onwards while Mo doping has less transparency of 39% at 380nm. Film hardness measurement using Triboscope shows a film hardness of about 9–10 GPa for both the films. It indicates that W or M doping in tin oxide provides the films the added advantage of withstanding the mechanical wear and tear due to environmental fluctuations By optimizing the optical and electrical properties, W/Mo doped tin oxide films may be explored as window layers in opto-electronic applications such as solar cells

  8. Sputtered tin oxide and titanium oxide thin films as alternative transparent conductive oxides

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boltz, Janika

    2011-12-12

    Alternative transparent conductive oxides to tin doped indium oxide have been investigated. In this work, antimony doped tin oxide and niobium doped titanium oxide have been studied with the aim to prepare transparent and conductive films. Antimony doped tin oxide and niobium doped titanium oxide belong to different groups of oxides; tin oxide is a soft oxide, while titanium oxide is a hard oxide. Both oxides are isolating materials, in case the stoichiometry is SnO{sub 2} and TiO{sub 2}. In order to achieve transparent and conductive films free carriers have to be generated by oxygen vacancies, by metal ions at interstitial positions in the crystal lattice or by cation doping with Sb or Nb, respectively. Antimony doped tin oxide and niobium doped titanium oxide films have been prepared by reactive direct current magnetron sputtering (dc MS) from metallic targets. The process parameters and the doping concentration in the films have been varied. The films have been electrically, optically and structurally analysed in order to analyse the influence of the process parameters and the doping concentration on the film properties. Post-deposition treatments of the films have been performed in order to improve the film properties. For the deposition of transparent and conductive tin oxide, the dominant parameter during the deposition is the oxygen content in the sputtering gas. The Sb incorporation as doping atoms has a minor influence on the electrical, optical and structural properties. Within a narrow oxygen content in the sputtering gas highly transparent and conductive tin oxide films have been prepared. In this study, the lowest resistivity in the as deposited state is 2.9 m{omega} cm for undoped tin oxide without any postdeposition treatment. The minimum resistivity is related to a transition to crystalline films with the stoichiometry of SnO{sub 2}. At higher oxygen content the films turn out to have a higher resistivity due to an oxygen excess. After post

  9. Indium Tin Oxide thin film gas sensors for detection of ethanol vapours

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vaishnav, V.S.; Patel, P.D.; Patel, N.G.

    2005-01-01

    Indium Tin Oxide (ITO: In 2 O 3 + 17% SnO 2 ) thin films grown on alumina substrate at 648 K temperatures using direct evaporation method with two gold pads deposited on the top for electrical contacts were exposed to ethanol vapours (200-2500 ppm). The operating temperature of the sensor was optimized. The sensitivity variation of films having different thickness was studied. The sensitivity of the films deposited on Si substrates was studied. The response of the film with MgO catalytic layer on sensitivity and selectivity was observed. A novel approach of depositing thin stimulating layer of various metals/oxides below the ITO film was tried and tested

  10. Low Temperature Synthesis of Fluorine-Doped Tin Oxide Transparent Conducting Thin Film by Spray Pyrolysis Deposition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ko, Eun-Byul; Choi, Jae-Seok; Jung, Hyunsung; Choi, Sung-Churl; Kim, Chang-Yeoul

    2016-02-01

    Transparent conducting oxide (TCO) is widely used for the application of flat panel display like liquid crystal displays and plasma display panel. It is also applied in the field of touch panel, solar cell electrode, low-emissivity glass, defrost window, and anti-static material. Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) thin films were fabricated by spray pyrolysis of ethanol-added FTO precursor solutions. FTO thin film by spray pyrolysis is very much investigated and normally formed at high temperature, about 500 degrees C. However, these days, flexible electronics draw many attentions in the field of IT industry and the research for flexible transparent conducting thin film is also required. In the industrial field, indium-tin oxide (ITO) film on polymer substrate is widely used for touch panel and displays. In this study, we investigated the possibility of FTO thin film formation at relatively low temperature of 250 degrees C. We found out that the control of volume of input precursor and exhaust gases could make it possible to form FTO thin film with a relatively low electrical resistance, less than 100 Ohm/sq and high optical transmittance about 88%.

  11. Low-temperature growth and electronic structures of ambipolar Yb-doped zinc tin oxide transparent thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oh, Seol Hee; Ferblantier, Gerald; Park, Young Sang; Schmerber, Guy; Dinia, Aziz; Slaoui, Abdelilah; Jo, William

    2018-05-01

    The compositional dependence of the crystal structure, optical transmittance, and surface electric properties of the zinc tin oxide (Zn-Sn-O, shortened ZTO) thin films were investigated. ZTO thin films with different compositional ratios were fabricated on glass and p-silicon wafers using radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The binding energy of amorphous ZTO thin films was examined by a X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The optical transmittance over 70% in the visible region for all the ZTO films was observed. The optical band gap of the ZTO films was changed as a result of the competition between the Burstein-Moss effect and renormalization. An electron concentration in the films and surface work function distribution were measured by a Hall measurement and Kelvin probe force microscopy, respectively. The mobility of the n- and p-type ZTO thin films have more than 130 cm2/V s and 15 cm2/V s, respectively. We finally constructed the band structure which contains band gap, work function, and band edges such as valence band maximum and conduction band minimum of ZTO thin films. The present study results suggest that the ZTO thin film is competitive compared with the indium tin oxide, which is a representative material of the transparent conducting oxides, regarding optoelectronic devices applications.

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ziad Y. Banyamin

    2014-10-01

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

  13. Low-temperature Synthesis of Tin(II) Oxide From Tin(II) ketoacidoximate Precursor

    KAUST Repository

    Alshankiti, Buthainah

    2015-01-01

    Sn (II) oxide finds numerous applications in different fields such as thin film transistors1, solar cells2 and sensors.3 In this study we present the fabrication of tin monoxide SnO by using Sn (II) ketoacid oximate complexes as precursors. Tin (II

  14. Fluorine-doped tin oxide surfaces modified by self-assembled alkanethiols for thin-film devices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alves, A.C.T.; Gomes, D.J.C.; Silva, J.R.; Silva, G.B., E-mail: george@cpd.ufmt.br

    2013-08-15

    In this work, we have investigated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) from alkanethiols on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) surfaces, which were used as an anode for thin-film devices prepared from the conductive copolymer so-called sulfonated poly(thiophene-3-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy) ethoxy]-2,5-diyl) (S-P3MEET). The assembled monolayers were characterized by using wetting contact angle, atomic force microscopy, and electrical measurements. The results indicated that dodecanethiol molecules, CH{sub 3}(CH{sub 2}){sub 11}SH, were well assembled on the FTO surfaces. In addition, it was found similar values of wetting contact angle for dodecanethiol assembled on both FTO and Au surfaces. Concerning the thin-film device, current–voltage analysis revealed a hysteresis. This behavior was associated to a charge-trapping effect and also to structural changes of the SAMs. Finally, charge injection capability of tin oxide electrodes can be improved by using SAMs and then this approach can plays an important role in molecular-scale electronic devices.

  15. Crack density and electrical resistance in indium-tin-oxide/polymer thin films under cyclic loading

    KAUST Repository

    Mora Cordova, Angel; Khan, Kamran; El Sayed, Tamer

    2014-01-01

    Here, we propose a damage model that describes the degradation of the material properties of indium-tin-oxide (ITO) thin films deposited on polymer substrates under cyclic loading. We base this model on our earlier tensile test model and show

  16. Hybrid composite thin films composed of tin oxide nanoparticles and cellulose

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahadeva, Suresha K; Nayak, Jyoti; Kim, Jaehwan

    2013-01-01

    This paper reports the preparation and characterization of hybrid thin films consisting of tin oxide (SnO 2 ) nanoparticles and cellulose. SnO 2 nanoparticle loaded cellulose hybrid thin films were fabricated by a solution blending technique, using sodium dodecyl sulfate as a dispersion agent. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy studies revealed uniform dispersion of the SnO 2 nanoparticles in the cellulose matrix. Reduction in the crystalline melting transition temperature and tensile properties of cellulose was observed due to the SnO 2 nanoparticle loading. Potential application of these hybrid thin films as low cost, flexible and biodegradable humidity sensors is examined in terms of the change in electrical resistivity of the material exposed to a wide range of humidity as well as its response–recovery behavior. (paper)

  17. Preparation of transparent conductive indium tin oxide thin films from nanocrystalline indium tin hydroxide by dip-coating method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koroesi, Laszlo; Papp, Szilvia; Dekany, Imre

    2011-01-01

    Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films with well-controlled layer thickness were produced by dip-coating method. The ITO was synthesized by a sol-gel technique involving the use of aqueous InCl 3 , SnCl 4 and NH 3 solutions. To obtain stable sols for thin film preparation, as-prepared Sn-doped indium hydroxide was dialyzed, aged, and dispersed in ethanol. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was applied to enhance the stability of the resulting ethanolic sols. The transparent, conductive ITO films on glass substrates were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The ITO layer thickness increased linearly during the dipping cycles, which permits excellent controllability of the film thickness in the range ∼ 40-1160 nm. After calcination at 550 o C, the initial indium tin hydroxide films were transformed completely to nanocrystalline ITO with cubic and rhombohedral structure. The effects of PVP on the optical, morphological and electrical properties of ITO are discussed.

  18. Transparent and Flexible Zinc Tin Oxide Thin Film Transistors and Inverters using Low-pressure Oxygen Annealing Process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Kimoon; Kim, Yong-Hoon; Kim, Jiwan; Oh, Min Suk

    2018-05-01

    We report on the transparent and flexible enhancement-load inverters which consist of zinc tin oxide (ZTO) thin film transistors (TFTs) fabricated at low process temperature. To control the electrical characteristics of oxide TFTs by oxygen vacancies, we applied low-pressure oxygen rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process to our devices. When we annealed the ZTO TFTs in oxygen ambient of 2 Torr, they showed better electrical characteristics than those of the devices annealed in the air ambient of 760 Torr. To realize oxide thin film transistor and simple inverter circuits on flexible substrate, we annealed the devices in O2 of 2 Torr at 150° C and could achieve the decent electrical properties. When we used transparent conductive oxide electrodes such as indium zinc oxide (IZO) and indium tin oxide (ITO), our transparent and flexible inverter showed the total transmittance of 68% in the visible range and the voltage gain of 5. And the transition voltage in voltage transfer curve was located well within the range of operation voltage.

  19. Compositional influence on the electrical performance of zinc indium tin oxide transparent thin-film transistors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marsal, A.; Carreras, P.; Puigdollers, J.; Voz, C.; Galindo, S.; Alcubilla, R.; Bertomeu, J.; Antony, A.

    2014-01-01

    In this work, zinc indium tin oxide layers with different compositions are used as the active layer of thin film transistors. This multicomponent transparent conductive oxide is gaining great interest due to its reduced content of the scarce indium element. Experimental data indicate that the incorporation of zinc promotes the creation of oxygen vacancies, which results in a higher free carrier density. In thin-film transistors this effect leads to a higher off current and threshold voltage values. The field-effect mobility is also strongly degraded, probably due to coulomb scattering by ionized defects. A post deposition annealing in air reduces the density of oxygen vacancies and improves the field-effect mobility by orders of magnitude. Finally, the electrical characteristics of the fabricated thin-film transistors have been analyzed to estimate the density of states in the gap of the active layers. These measurements reveal a clear peak located at 0.3 eV from the conduction band edge that could be attributed to oxygen vacancies. - Highlights: • Zinc promotes the creation of oxygen vacancies in zinc indium tin oxide transistors. • Post deposition annealing in air reduces the density of oxygen. • Density of states reveals a clear peak located at 0.3 eV from the conduction band

  20. Spectroscopic and luminescent properties of Co2+ doped tin oxide thin films by spray pyrolysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Durga Venkata Prasad

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The wide variety of electronic and chemical properties of metal oxides makes them exciting materials for basic research and for technological applications alike. Oxides span a wide range of electrical properties from wide band-gap insulators to metallic and superconducting. Tin oxide belongs to a class of materials called Transparent Conducting Oxides (TCO which constitutes an important component for optoelectronic applications. Co2+ doped tin oxide thin films were prepared by chemical spray pyrolysis synthesis and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, SEM, TEM, FT-IR, optical, EPR and PL techniques to collect the information about the crystal structure, coordination/local site symmetry of doped Co2+ ions in the host lattice and the luminescent properties of the prepared sample. Powder XRD data revealed that the crystal structure belongs to tetragonal rutile phase and its lattice cell parameters are evaluated. The average crystallite size was estimated to be 26 nm. The morphology of prepared sample was analyzed by using SEM and TEM studies. Functional groups of the prepared sample were observed in the FT-IR spectrum. Optical absorption and EPR studies have shown that on doping, Co2+ ions enter in the host lattice as octahedral site symmetry. PL studies of Co2+ doped SnO2 thin films exhibit blue and yellow emission bands. CIE chromaticity coordinates were also calculated from emission spectrum of Co2+ doped SnO2 thin films.

  1. High Mobility Thin Film Transistors Based on Amorphous Indium Zinc Tin Oxide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Imas Noviyana

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Top-contact bottom-gate thin film transistors (TFTs with zinc-rich indium zinc tin oxide (IZTO active layer were prepared at room temperature by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. Sintered ceramic target was prepared and used for deposition from oxide powder mixture having the molar ratio of In2O3:ZnO:SnO2 = 2:5:1. Annealing treatment was carried out for as-deposited films at various temperatures to investigate its effect on TFT performances. It was found that annealing treatment at 350 °C for 30 min in air atmosphere yielded the best result, with the high field effect mobility value of 34 cm2/Vs and the minimum subthreshold swing value of 0.12 V/dec. All IZTO thin films were amorphous, even after annealing treatment of up to 350 °C.

  2. Microscopically crumpled indium-tin-oxide thin films as compliant electrodes with tunable transmittance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ong, Hui-Yng; Shrestha, Milan; Lau, Gih-Keong

    2015-01-01

    Indium-tin-oxide (ITO) thin films are perceived to be stiff and brittle. This letter reports that crumpled ITO thin films on adhesive poly-acrylate dielectric elastomer can make compliant electrodes, sustaining compression of up to 25% × 25% equi-biaxial strain and unfolding. Its optical transmittance reduces with crumpling, but restored with unfolding. A dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) using the 14.2% × 14.2% initially crumpled ITO thin-film electrodes is electrically activated to produce a 37% areal strain. Such electric unfolding turns the translucent DEA to be transparent, with transmittance increased from 39.14% to 52.08%. This transmittance tunability promises to make a low-cost smart privacy window

  3. Microscopically crumpled indium-tin-oxide thin films as compliant electrodes with tunable transmittance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ong, Hui-Yng [School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798 (Singapore); School of Engineering, Nanyang Polytechnic, Singapore 569830 (Singapore); Shrestha, Milan; Lau, Gih-Keong, E-mail: mgklau@ntu.edu.sg [School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798 (Singapore)

    2015-09-28

    Indium-tin-oxide (ITO) thin films are perceived to be stiff and brittle. This letter reports that crumpled ITO thin films on adhesive poly-acrylate dielectric elastomer can make compliant electrodes, sustaining compression of up to 25% × 25% equi-biaxial strain and unfolding. Its optical transmittance reduces with crumpling, but restored with unfolding. A dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) using the 14.2% × 14.2% initially crumpled ITO thin-film electrodes is electrically activated to produce a 37% areal strain. Such electric unfolding turns the translucent DEA to be transparent, with transmittance increased from 39.14% to 52.08%. This transmittance tunability promises to make a low-cost smart privacy window.

  4. Impact of soft annealing on the performance of solution-processed amorphous zinc tin oxide thin-film transistors

    KAUST Repository

    Nayak, Pradipta K.; Hedhili, Mohamed N.; Cha, Dong Kyu; Alshareef, Husam N.

    2013-01-01

    It is demonstrated that soft annealing duration strongly affects the performance of solution-processed amorphous zinc tin oxide thin-film transistors. Prolonged soft annealing times are found to induce two important changes in the device: (i) a

  5. Deposition of indium tin oxide thin films by cathodic arc ion plating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, M.-H.; Wen, J.-C.; Chen, K.-L.; Chen, S.-Y.; Leu, M.-S.

    2005-01-01

    Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films have been deposited by cathodic arc ion plating (CAIP) using sintered oxide target as the source material. In an oxygen atmosphere of 200 deg. C, ITO films with a lowest resistivity of 2.2x10 -4 Ω-cm were obtained at a deposition rate higher than 450 nm/min. The carrier mobility of ITO shows a maximum at some medium pressures. Although morphologically ITO films with a very fine nanometer-sized structure were observed to possess the lowest resistivity, more detailed analyses based on X-ray diffraction are attempted to gain more insight into the factors that govern electron mobility in this investigation

  6. Improvement of transistor characteristics and stability for solution-processed ultra-thin high-valence niobium doped zinc-tin oxide thin film transistors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jeng, Jiann-Shing, E-mail: jsjeng@mail.nutn.edu.tw

    2016-08-15

    Nb-doped Zinc tin oxide (NZTO) channel materials have been prepared by solution process in combination with the spin-coating method. All NZTO thin film transistors (TFTs) are n-type enhancement-mode devices, either without or with Nb additives. High-valence niobium ion (ionic charge = +5) has a larger ionic potential and similar ionic radius to Zn{sup 2+} and Sn{sup 4+} ions. As compared with the pure ZTO device, introducing Nb{sup 5+} ions into the ZTO channel layers can improve the electrical properties and bias stability of TFTs because of the reduction of the oxygen vacancies. This study discusses the connection among the material properties of the NZTO films and the electrical performance and bias stability of NZTO TFTs and how they are influenced by the Nb/(Nb + Sn) molar ratios of NZTO films. - Highlights: • Ultra-thin high-valence niobium doped zinc-tin oxide (NZTO) thin films are prepared using a solution process. • Nb dopants in ZTO films reduce the oxygen vacancy and subgap adsorption of the ZTO films. • The Nb-doping concentration of the NZTO channel layer has a strong influence on the TFT performance.

  7. Investigation of the Optoelectronic Properties of Ti-doped Indium Tin Oxide Thin Film.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pu, Nen-Wen; Liu, Wei-Sheng; Cheng, Huai-Ming; Hu, Hung-Chun; Hsieh, Wei-Ting; Yu, Hau-Wei; Liang, Shih-Chang

    2015-09-21

    : In this study, direct-current magnetron sputtering was used to fabricate Ti-doped indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films. The sputtering power during the 350-nm-thick thin-film production process was fixed at 100 W with substrate temperatures increasing from room temperature to 500 °C. The Ti-doped ITO thin films exhibited superior thin-film resistivity (1.5 × 10 - ⁴ Ω/cm), carrier concentration (4.1 × 10 21 cm - ³), carrier mobility (10 cm²/Vs), and mean visible-light transmittance (90%) at wavelengths of 400-800 nm at a deposition temperature of 400 °C. The superior carrier concentration of the Ti-doped ITO alloys (>10 21 cm - ³) with a high figure of merit (81.1 × 10 - ³ Ω - ¹) demonstrate the pronounced contribution of Ti doping, indicating their high suitability for application in optoelectronic devices.

  8. Prediction of crack density and electrical resistance changes in indium tin oxide/polymer thin films under tensile loading

    KAUST Repository

    Mora Cordova, Angel; Khan, Kamran; El Sayed, Tamer

    2014-01-01

    We present unified predictions for the crack onset strain, evolution of crack density, and changes in electrical resistance in indium tin oxide/polymer thin films under tensile loading. We propose a damage mechanics model to quantify and predict

  9. Magnetoresistance and Microstructure of Magnetite Nanocrystals Dispersed in Indium−Tin Oxide Thin Films

    OpenAIRE

    Okada, Koichi; Kohiki, Shigemi; Mitome, Masanori; Tanaka, Hidekazu; Arai, Masao; Mito, Masaki; Deguchi, Hiroyuki

    2009-01-01

    Epitaxial indium−tin oxide (ITO) thin films were fabricated on a yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrate by pulsed-laser deposition using magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticle dispersed ITO powders as a target. Magnetoresistance of the film at a field of 1 T was 39% at 45 K, and it stayed at 3% above 225 K. The film demonstrated cooling hysteresis in the temperature dependence of direct-current magnetization. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that phase-separated Fe3O4 nanocrystals with w...

  10. Raman scattering, electrical and optical properties of fluorine-doped tin oxide thin films with (200) and (301) preferred orientation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Chang-Yeoul, E-mail: cykim15@kicet.re.kr [Nano-Convergence Intelligence Material Team, Korea Institute of Ceramic Eng. and Tech., Gasan-digtial-ro 10 Gil 77 Geumcheon-gu, 153-801 Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Riu, Doh-Hyung [Dept. of New Material Sci. and Eng., Seoul National University of Technology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-12-15

    (200) and (301) preferred oriented fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) thin films were fabricated by spray pyrolysis of ethanol-added and water-based FTO precursor solutions, respectively. (200) oriented FTO thin film from ethanol-added solution shows the lower electrical resistivity and visible light transmission than (301) preferred thin film from water-based solution. It is due to the higher carrier concentration and electron mobility in (200) oriented crystals, that is, the lower ionized impurity scattering. The higher electron concentration is related to the higher optical band gap energy, the lower visible light transmission, and the higher IR reflection. For (301) preferred FTO thin films from water-based solution, the lower carrier concentration and electron mobility make the higher electrical resistivity and visible light transmission. Raman scattering analysis shows that IR active modes prominent in (200) oriented FTO thin film are related with the lower electrical resistivity. - Highlights: • We coated fluorine-doped tin oxide thin films with preferred orientation of (200) and (301). • We examine changes in the level of electrical and optical properties with the orientation. • (200) preferred orientation showed lower electrical resistivity and optical transmittance. • (200) oriented thin films have higher electron concentrations that are related with IR active modes.

  11. Investigation of the Optoelectronic Properties of Ti-doped Indium Tin Oxide Thin Film

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nen-Wen Pu

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available : In this study, direct-current magnetron sputtering was used to fabricate Ti-doped indium tin oxide (ITO thin films. The sputtering power during the 350-nm-thick thin-film production process was fixed at 100 W with substrate temperatures increasing from room temperature to 500 °C. The Ti-doped ITO thin films exhibited superior thin-film resistivity (1.5 × 10−4 Ω/cm, carrier concentration (4.1 × 1021 cm−3, carrier mobility (10 cm2/Vs, and mean visible-light transmittance (90% at wavelengths of 400–800 nm at a deposition temperature of 400 °C. The superior carrier concentration of the Ti-doped ITO alloys (>1021 cm−3 with a high figure of merit (81.1 × 10−3 Ω−1 demonstrate the pronounced contribution of Ti doping, indicating their high suitability for application in optoelectronic devices.

  12. Metal-insulator transition in tin doped indium oxide (ITO) thin films: Quantum correction to the electrical conductivity

    OpenAIRE

    Deepak Kumar Kaushik; K. Uday Kumar; A. Subrahmanyam

    2017-01-01

    Tin doped indium oxide (ITO) thin films are being used extensively as transparent conductors in several applications. In the present communication, we report the electrical transport in DC magnetron sputtered ITO thin films (prepared at 300 K and subsequently annealed at 673 K in vacuum for 60 minutes) in low temperatures (25-300 K). The low temperature Hall effect and resistivity measurements reveal that the ITO thin films are moderately dis-ordered (kFl∼1; kF is the Fermi wave vector and l ...

  13. Structural, optical and electrical properties of tin oxide thin films for application as a wide band gap semiconductor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sethi, Riti; Ahmad, Shabir; Aziz, Anver; Siddiqui, Azher Majid, E-mail: amsiddiqui@jmi.ac.in [Department of Physics, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi-110025 (India)

    2015-08-28

    Tin oxide (SnO) thin films were synthesized using thermal evaporation technique. Ultra pure metallic tin was deposited on glass substrates using thermal evaporator under high vacuum. The thickness of the tin deposited films was kept at 100nm. Subsequently, the as-deposited tin films were annealed under oxygen environment for a period of 3hrs to obtain tin oxide films. To analyse the suitability of the synthesized tin oxide films as a wide band gap semiconductor, various properties were studied. Structural parameters were studied using XRD and SEM-EDX. The optical properties were studied using UV-Vis Spectrophotometry and the electrical parameters were calculated using the Hall-setup. XRD and SEM confirmed the formation of SnO phase. Uniform texture of the film can be seen through the SEM images. Presence of traces of unoxidised Sn has also been confirmed through the XRD spectra. The band gap calculated was around 3.6eV and the optical transparency around 50%. The higher value of band gap and lower value of optical transparency can be attributed to the presence of unoxidised Sn. The values of resistivity and mobility as measured by the Hall setup were 78Ωcm and 2.92cm{sup 2}/Vs respectively. The reasonable optical and electrical parameters make SnO a suitable candidate for optoelectronic and electronic device applications.

  14. Effect of Target Density on Microstructural, Electrical, and Optical Properties of Indium Tin Oxide Thin Films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Guisheng; Zhi, Li; Yang, Huijuan; Xu, Huarui; Yu, Aibing

    2012-09-01

    In this paper, indium tin oxide (ITO) targets with different densities were used to deposit ITO thin films. The thin films were deposited from these targets at room temperature and annealed at 750°C. Microstructural, electrical, and optical properties of the as-prepared films were studied. It was found that the target density had no effect on the properties or deposition rate of radiofrequency (RF)-sputtered ITO thin films, different from the findings for direct current (DC)-sputtered films. Therefore, when using RF sputtering, the target does not require a high density and may be reused.

  15. Growth Kinetics and Oxidation Mechanism of ALD TiN Thin Films Monitored by In Situ Spectroscopic Ellipsometry

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Hao, B.; Groenland, A.W.; Aarnink, Antonius A.I.; Wolters, Robertus A.M.; Schmitz, Jurriaan; Kovalgin, Alexeij Y.

    2011-01-01

    Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) was employed to investigate the growth of atomic layer deposited (ALD) TiN thin films from titanium chloride (TiCl4) and ammonia (NH3) and the followed oxidation in dry oxygen. Two regimes were found in the growth including a transient stage prior to a linear regime.

  16. Sputter-Deposited Indium–Tin Oxide Thin Films for Acetaldehyde Gas Sensing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Umut Cindemir

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Reactive dual-target DC magnetron sputtering was used to prepare In–Sn oxide thin films with a wide range of compositions. The films were subjected to annealing post-treatment at 400 °C or 500 °C for different periods of time. Compositional and structural characterizations were performed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering and scanning electron microscopy. Films were investigated for gas sensing at 200 °C by measuring their resistance response upon exposure to acetaldehyde mixed with synthetic air. We found that the relative indium-to-tin content was very important and that measurable sensor responses could be recorded at acetaldehyde concentrations down to 200 ppb, with small resistance drift between repeated exposures, for both crystalline SnO2-like films and for amorphous films consisting of about equal amounts of In and Sn. We also demonstrated that it is not possible to prepare crystalline sensors with intermediate indium-to-tin compositions by sputter deposition and post-annealing up to 500 °C.

  17. Structural and optical studies of 100 MeV Au irradiated thin films of tin oxide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaiswal, Manoj Kumar; Kanjilal, D.; Kumar, Rajesh

    2013-11-01

    Thin films of tin(IV) oxide (SnO2) of 100 nm thickness were grown on silicon (1 0 0) matrices by electron beam evaporation deposition technique under high vacuum. The thicknesses of these films were monitored by piezo-sensor attached to the deposition chamber. Nanocrystallinity is achieved in these thin films by 100 MeV Au8+ using 1 pnA current at normal incidence with ion fluences varying from 1 × 1011 ions/cm2 to 5 × 1013 ions/cm2. Swift Heavy Ion beam irradiation was carried out by using 15 UD Pelletron Accelerator at IUAC, New Delhi, India. Optical studies of pristine and ion irradiated thin films were characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Prominent peak at 610 cm-1 in FTIR spectrum confirmed the O-Sn-O bonding of tin(IV) oxide. For Surface topographical studies and grain size calculations, these films were characterized by Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) using Nanoscope III-A. Crystallinity and phase transformation due to irradiation of pristine and irradiated films were characterized by Glancing Angle X-ray Diffraction (GAXRD) using Brucker-D8 advance model. GAXRD results show improvement in crystallinity and phase transformation due to swift heavy ion irradiation. Grain size distribution was verified by AFM and GAXRD results. Swift heavy ion induced modifications in thin films of SnO2 were confirmed by the presence of prominent peaks at 2θ values of 30.65°, 32.045°, 43.94°, 44.96° and 52.36° in GAXRD spectrum.

  18. Spray deposited gallium doped tin oxide thinfilm for acetone sensor application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Preethi, M. S.; Bharath, S. P.; Bangera, Kasturi V.

    2018-04-01

    Undoped and gallium doped (1 at.%, 2 at.% and 3 at.%) tin oxide thin films were prepared using spray pyrolysis technique by optimising the deposition conditions such as precursor concentration, substrate temperature and spraying rate. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed formation of tetragonally structured polycrystalline films. The SEM micrographs of Ga doped films showed microstructures. The electrical resistivity of the doped films was found to be more than that of the undoped films. The Ga-doped tin oxide thin films were characterised for gas sensors. 1 at.% Ga doped thin films were found to be better acetone gas sensor, showed 68% sensitivity at 350°C temperature.

  19. Enhancement of the electrical characteristics of thin-film transistors with indium-zinc-tin oxide/Ag/indium-zinc-tin oxide multilayer electrodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oh, Dohyun; Yun, Dong Yeol; Cho, Woon-Jo; Kim, Tae Whan

    2014-08-01

    Transparent indium-zinc-tin oxide (IZTO)-based thin-film transistors (TFTs) with IZTO/Ag/IZTO multilayer electrodes were fabricated on glass substrates using a tilted dual-target radio-frequency magnetron sputtering system. The IZTO TFTs with IZTO/Ag/IZTO multilayer electrodes exhibited a high optical transmittance in a visible region. The threshold voltage, the mobility, and the on/off-current ratio of the TFTs with IZTO/Ag/IZTO multilayer electrodes were enhanced in comparison with those of the TFTs with ITO electrodes. The source/drain contact resistance of the IZTO TFTs with IZTO/Ag/IZTO multilayer electrodes was smaller than that of the IZTO TFTs with ITO electrodes, resulting in enhancement of their electrical characteristics.

  20. Influence of thermal treatment in N{sub 2} atmosphere on chemical, microstructural and optical properties of indium tin oxide and nitrogen doped indium tin oxide rf-sputtered thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stroescu, H.; Anastasescu, M.; Preda, S.; Nicolescu, M.; Stoica, M. [Institute of Physical Chemistry “Ilie Murgulescu” of the Romanian Academy, Spl. Independentei 202, 060021 Bucharest (Romania); Stefan, N. [National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, Atomistilor 409, RO-77125, Bucharest-Magurele (Romania); Kampylafka, V.; Aperathitis, E. [FORTH-IESL, Crete (Greece); Modreanu, M. [Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, Cork (Ireland); Zaharescu, M. [Institute of Physical Chemistry “Ilie Murgulescu” of the Romanian Academy, Spl. Independentei 202, 060021 Bucharest (Romania); Gartner, M., E-mail: mgartner@icf.ro [Institute of Physical Chemistry “Ilie Murgulescu” of the Romanian Academy, Spl. Independentei 202, 060021 Bucharest (Romania)

    2013-08-31

    We report the influence of the normal thermal treatment (TT) and of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) on the microstructural, optical and electrical properties of indium tin oxide (ITO) and nitrogen doped indium tin oxide (ITO:N) thin films. The TT was carried out for 1 h at 400 °C and the RTA for 1 min up to 400 °C, both in N{sub 2} atmosphere. The ITO and ITO:N films were deposited by reactive sputtering in Argon, and respectively Nitrogen plasma, on Si with (100) and (111) orientation. The present study brings data about the microstructural and optical properties of ITO thin films with thicknesses around 300–400 nm. Atomic Force Microscopy analysis showed the formation of continuous and homogeneous films, fully covered by quasi-spherical shaped particles, with higher roughness values on Si(100) as compared to Si(111). Spectroscopic ellipsometry allowed the determination of film thickness, optical band gap as well as of the dispersion curves of n and k optical constants. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the presence of diffraction peaks corresponding to the same nominal bulk composition of ITO, but with different intensities and preferential orientation depending on the substrate, atmosphere of deposition and type of thermal treatment. - Highlights: ► Stability of the films can be monitored by experimental ellipsometric spectra. ► The refractive index of indium tin oxide film on 0.3–30 μm range is reported. ► Si(100) substrate induces rougher film surfaces than Si(111). ► Rapid thermal annealing and normal thermal treatment lead to stable conductive film. ► The samples have a higher preferential orientation after rapid thermal annealing.

  1. Textured indium tin oxide thin films by chemical solution deposition and rapid thermal processing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mottern, Matthew L.; Tyholdt, Frode; Ulyashin, Alexander; Helvoort, Antonius T.J. van; Verweij, Henk; Bredesen, Rune

    2007-01-01

    The microstructure of state-of-the-art chemical solution deposited indium tin oxide thin films typically consists of small randomly oriented grains, high porosity and poor homogeneity. The present study demonstrates how the thin film microstructure can be improved significantly by tailoring the precursor solutions and deposition conditions to be kinetically and thermodynamically favorable for generation of homogeneous textured thin films. This is explained by the occurrence of a single heterogeneous nucleation mechanism. The as-deposited thin films, crystallized at 800 deg. C, have a high apparent density, based on a refractive index of ∼ 1.98 determined by single wavelength ellipsometry at 633 nm. The microstructure of the films consists of columnar grains with preferred orientation as determined by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The resistivity, measured by the four point probe method, is ∼ 2 x 10 -3 Ω cm prior to post-deposition treatments

  2. High-performance a-IGZO thin-film transistor with conductive indium-tin-oxide buried layer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahn, Min-Ju; Cho, Won-Ju

    2017-10-01

    In this study, we fabricated top-contact top-gate (TCTG) structure of amorphous indium-gallium-zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) with a thin buried conductive indium-tin oxide (ITO) layer. The electrical performance of a-IGZO TFTs was improved by inserting an ITO buried layer under the IGZO channel. Also, the effect of the buried layer's length on the electrical characteristics of a-IGZO TFTs was investigated. The electrical performance of the transistors improved with increasing the buried layer's length: a large on/off current ratio of 1.1×107, a high field-effect mobility of 35.6 cm2/Vs, a small subthreshold slope of 116.1 mV/dec, and a low interface trap density of 4.2×1011 cm-2eV-1 were obtained. The buried layer a-IGZO TFTs exhibited enhanced transistor performance and excellent stability against the gate bias stress.

  3. Structural and optical studies of 100 MeV Au irradiated thin films of tin oxide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jaiswal, Manoj Kumar [University School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi 110 078 (India); Kanjilal, D. [Inter University Accelerator Centre, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067 (India); Kumar, Rajesh, E-mail: rajeshkumaripu@gmail.com [University School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi 110 078 (India)

    2013-11-01

    Thin films of tin(IV) oxide (SnO{sub 2}) of 100 nm thickness were grown on silicon (1 0 0) matrices by electron beam evaporation deposition technique under high vacuum. The thicknesses of these films were monitored by piezo-sensor attached to the deposition chamber. Nanocrystallinity is achieved in these thin films by 100 MeV Au{sup 8+} using 1 pnA current at normal incidence with ion fluences varying from 1 × 10{sup 11} ions/cm{sup 2} to 5 × 10{sup 13} ions/cm{sup 2}. Swift Heavy Ion beam irradiation was carried out by using 15 UD Pelletron Accelerator at IUAC, New Delhi, India. Optical studies of pristine and ion irradiated thin films were characterized by UV–Visible spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Prominent peak at 610 cm{sup −1} in FTIR spectrum confirmed the O–Sn–O bonding of tin(IV) oxide. For Surface topographical studies and grain size calculations, these films were characterized by Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) using Nanoscope III-A. Crystallinity and phase transformation due to irradiation of pristine and irradiated films were characterized by Glancing Angle X-ray Diffraction (GAXRD) using Brucker-D8 advance model. GAXRD results show improvement in crystallinity and phase transformation due to swift heavy ion irradiation. Grain size distribution was verified by AFM and GAXRD results. Swift heavy ion induced modifications in thin films of SnO{sub 2} were confirmed by the presence of prominent peaks at 2θ values of 30.65°, 32.045°, 43.94°, 44.96° and 52.36° in GAXRD spectrum.

  4. Indium-tin-oxide thin film deposited by a dual ion beam assisted e-beam evaporation system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bae, J.W.; Kim, J.S.; Yeom, G.Y.

    2001-01-01

    Indium-tin-oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited on polycarbonate (PC) substrates at low temperatures (<90 deg. C) by a dual ion beam assisted e-beam evaporation system, where one gun (gun 1) is facing ITO flux and the other gun (gun 2) is facing the substrate. In this experiment, effects of rf power and oxygen flow rate of ion gun 2 on the electrical and optical properties of depositing ITO thin films were investigated. At optimal deposition conditions, ITO thin films deposited on the PC substrates larger than 20 cmx20 cm showed the sheet resistance of less than 40 Ω/sq., the optical transmittance of above 90%, and the uniformity of about 5%

  5. Spray Pyrolyzed Polycrystalline Tin Oxide Thin Film as Hydrogen Sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ganesh E. Patil

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Polycrystalline tin oxide (SnO2 thin film was prepared by using simple and inexpensive spray pyrolysis technique (SPT. The film was characterized for their phase and morphology by X-ray diffraction (XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM, respectively. The crystallite size calculated from the XRD pattern is 84 nm. Conductance responses of the polycrystalline SnO2 were measured towards gases like hydrogen (H2, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG, ethanol vapors (C2H5OH, NH3, CO, CO2, Cl2 and O2. The gas sensing characteristics were obtained by measuring the sensor response as a function of various controlling factors like operating temperature, operating voltages (1 V, 5 V, 10 V 15 V, 20 V and 25 V and concentration of gases. The sensor response measurement showed that the SnO2 has maximum response to hydrogen. Furthermore; the SnO2 based sensor exhibited fast response and good recovery towards hydrogen at temperature 150 oC. The result of response towards H2 reveals that SnO2 thin film prepared by SPT would be a suitable material for the fabrication of the hydrogen sensor.

  6. Grain-size effect on the electrical properties of nanocrystalline indium tin oxide thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Jong Hoon [Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, 267 Gajeong-Ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon 305-340 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Young Heon, E-mail: young.h.kim@kriss.re.kr [Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, 267 Gajeong-Ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon 305-340 (Korea, Republic of); University of Science & Technology, 217 Gajeong-Ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon 305-350 (Korea, Republic of); Ahn, Sang Jung [Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, 267 Gajeong-Ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon 305-340 (Korea, Republic of); University of Science & Technology, 217 Gajeong-Ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon 305-350 (Korea, Republic of); Ha, Tae Hwan [University of Science & Technology, 217 Gajeong-Ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon 305-350 (Korea, Republic of); Future Biotechnology Research Division, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon 305-806 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hong Seung [Department of Nano Semiconductor Engineering, Korea Maritime and Ocean University, 727 Taejong-Ro, Busan 606-791 (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-09-15

    Highlights: • Nanometer-sized small grains were observed in the ITO thin films. • The grain size increased as the post-thermal annealing temperature increased. • The mobility of ITO thin films increased with increasing grain size. • The ITO film annealed at 300 °C was an amorphous phase, while the others were polycrystalline structure. - Abstract: In this paper, we demonstrate the electrical properties, depending on grain size, of nanocrystalline indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films prepared with a solution process. The size distributions of nanometer-sized ITO film grains increased as the post-annealing temperature increased after deposition; the grain sizes were comparable with the calculated electron mean free path. The mobility of ITO thin films increased with increasing grain size; this phenomenon was explained by adopting the charge-trapping model for grain boundary scattering. These findings suggest that it is possible to improve mobility by reducing the number of trapping sites at the grain boundary.

  7. Tin-antimony oxide oxidation catalysts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Berry, Frank J. [Open University, Department of Chemistry (United Kingdom)

    1998-12-15

    Tin-antimony oxide catalysts for the selective oxidation of hydrocarbons have been made by precipitation techniques. The dehydration of the amorphous dried precipitate by calcination at increasingly higher temperatures induces the crystallisation of a rutile-related tin dioxide-type phase and the segregation of antimony oxides which volatilise at elevated temperatures. The rutile-related tin dioxide-type phase contains antimony(V) in the bulk and antimony(III) in the surface. Specific catalytic activity for the oxidative dehydrogenation of butene to butadiene is associated with materials with large concentrations of antimony(III) in the surface.

  8. Growth and characterization of tin oxide thin films and fabrication of transparent p-SnO/n-ZnO p–n hetero junction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sanal, K.C., E-mail: sanalcusat@gmail.com [Nanophotonic and Optoelectronic Devices Laboratory, Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala 682 022 (India); Inter University Center for Nanomaterials and Devices (IUCND), Cochin University of Science and Technology (India); Jayaraj, M.K. [Nanophotonic and Optoelectronic Devices Laboratory, Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala 682 022 (India)

    2013-07-01

    Highlights: • Growth of p-type semiconducting SnO thin films by rf sputtering. • Varying the type of charge carriers with oxygen partial pressure. • Atomic percentage of SnO{sub x} thin films from the XPS analysis. • Demonstration of transparent p–n hetero junctions fabricated in the structure glass/ITO/n-ZnO/p-SnO. -- Abstract: p-Type and n-type tin oxide thin films were deposited by rf-magnetron sputtering of metal tin target by varying the oxygen pressure. Chemical composition of SnO thin film according to the intensity of the XPS peak is about 48.85% and 51.15% for tin and oxygen respectively. Nearest neighbor distance of the atoms calculated from SAED patterns is 2.9 Åand 2.7 Åfor SnO and SnO{sub 2} respectively. The Raman scattering spectrum obtained from SnO thin films showed two peaks, one at 113 cm{sup −1} and the other at 211 cm{sup −1}. Band gap of as-deposited SnO{sub x} thin films vary from 1.6 eV to 3.2 eV on varying the oxygen partial pressure from 3% to 30% which indicates the oxidization of metallic phase Sn to SnO and SnO{sub 2}. p-Type conductivity of SnO thin films and n-type conductivity of SnO{sub 2} thin films were confirmed through Hall coefficient measurement. Transparent p–n hetero junction fabricated in the structure glass/ITO/n-ZnO/p-SnO shows rectification with forward to reverse current ratio as 12 at 4.5 V.

  9. Organic photovoltaics using thin gold film as an alternative anode to indium tin oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haldar, Amrita; Yambem, Soniya D.; Liao, Kang-Shyang; Alley, Nigel J.; Dillon, Eoghan P.; Barron, Andrew R.; Curran, Seamus A.

    2011-01-01

    Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) is the most commonly used anode as a transparent electrode and more recently as an anode for organic photovoltaics (OPVs). However, there are significant drawbacks in using ITO which include high material costs, mechanical instability including brittleness and poor electrical properties which limit its use in low-cost flexible devices. We present initial results of poly(3-hexylthiophene): phenyl-C 61 -butyric acid methyl ester OPVs showing that an efficiency of 1.9% (short-circuit current 7.01 mA/cm 2 , open-circuit voltage 0.55 V, fill factor 0.49) can be attained using an ultra thin film of gold coated glass as the device anode. The initial I-V characteristics demonstrate that using high work function metals when the thin film is kept ultra thin can be used as a replacement to ITO due to their greater stability and better morphological control.

  10. Effects of process parameters on sheet resistance uniformity of fluorine-doped tin oxide thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hudaya, Chairul; Park, Ji Hun; Lee, Joong Kee

    2012-01-01

    An alternative indium-free material for transparent conducting oxides of fluorine-doped tin oxide [FTO] thin films deposited on polyethylene terephthalate [PET] was prepared by electron cyclotron resonance - metal organic chemical vapor deposition [ECR-MOCVD]. One of the essential issues regarding metal oxide film deposition is the sheet resistance uniformity of the film. Variations in process parameters, in this case, working and bubbler pressures of ECR-MOCVD, can lead to a change in resistance uniformity. Both the optical transmittance and electrical resistance uniformity of FTO film-coated PET were investigated. The result shows that sheet resistance uniformity and the transmittance of the film are affected significantly by the changes in bubbler pressure but are less influenced by the working pressure of the ECR-MOCVD system.

  11. The role of Ar plasma treatment in generating oxygen vacancies in indium tin oxide thin films prepared by the sol-gel process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hwang, Deuk-Kyu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722 (Korea, Republic of); Misra, Mirnmoy; Lee, Ye-Eun [Department of BioNano Technology, Gachon University, 1342 Seong-nam dae-ro, Seong-nam si, Gyeonggi-do, 13120 (Korea, Republic of); Baek, Sung-Doo [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722 (Korea, Republic of); Myoung, Jae-Min, E-mail: jmmyoung@yonsei.ac.kr [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Tae Il, E-mail: t2.lee77@gachon.ac.kr [Department of BioNano Technology, Gachon University, 1342 Seong-nam dae-ro, Seong-nam si, Gyeonggi-do, 13120 (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-05-31

    Highlights: • Indium tin oxide thin film with about 41 nm thickness was obtained by the sol-gel process. • Thin film exhibited low resistivity. • Sheet resistance of thin film decreases with Ar plasma treatment time. • Ar plasma treatment on thin film does not alter the crystal structure and optical properties of the ITO thin-film. • There is no significant change in oxygen vacancies after 20 min of plasma treatment. - Abstract: Argon (Ar) plasma treatment was carried out to reduce the sheet resistance of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films. The Ar plasma treatment did not cause any significant changes to the crystal structure, surface morphology, or optical properties of the ITO thin films. However, an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study confirmed that the concentration of oxygen vacancies in the film dramatically increased with the plasma treatment time. Thus, we concluded that the decrease in the sheet resistance was caused by the increase in the oxygen vacancy concentration in the film. Furthermore, to verify how the concentration of oxygen vacancies in the film increased with the Ar plasma treatment time, cumulative and continuous plasma treatments were conducted. The oxygen vacancies were found to be created by surface heating via the outward thermal diffusion of oxygen atoms from inside the film.

  12. Preparation of RF reactively sputtered indium-tin oxide thin films with optical properties suitable for heat mirrors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boyadzhiev, S; Dobrikov, G; Rassovska, M

    2008-01-01

    Technologies are discussed for preparing and characterizing indium-tin oxide (ITO) thin films with properties appropriate for usage as heat mirrors in solar thermal collectors. The samples were prepared by means of radio frequency (RF) reactive sputtering of indium-tin targets in oxygen. The technological parameters were optimized to obtain films with optimal properties for heat mirrors. The optical properties of the films were studied by visible and infra-red (IR) spectrophotometry and laser ellipsometry. The reflectance of the films in the thermal IR range was investigated by a Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectrophotometer. Heating of the substrates during the sputtering and their post deposition annealing in different environments were also studied. The ultimate purpose of the present research being the development of a technological process leading to low-cost ITO thin films with high transparency in the visible and near IR (0.3-2.4 μm) and high reflection in the thermal IR range (2.5-25 μm), we investigated the correlation of the ITO thin films structural and optical properties with the technological process parameters - target composition and heat treatment

  13. Crack density and electrical resistance in indium-tin-oxide/polymer thin films under cyclic loading

    KAUST Repository

    Mora Cordova, Angel

    2014-11-01

    Here, we propose a damage model that describes the degradation of the material properties of indium-tin-oxide (ITO) thin films deposited on polymer substrates under cyclic loading. We base this model on our earlier tensile test model and show that the new model is suitable for cyclic loading. After calibration with experimental data, we are able to capture the stress-strain behavior and changes in electrical resistance of ITO thin films. We are also able to predict the crack density using calibrations from our previous model. Finally, we demonstrate the capabilities of our model based on simulations using material properties reported in the literature. Our model is implemented in the commercially available finite element software ABAQUS using a user subroutine UMAT.[Figure not available: see fulltext.].

  14. Influences of Indium Tin Oxide Layer on the Properties of RF Magnetron-Sputtered (BaSr)TiO3 Thin Films on Indium Tin Oxide-Coated Glass Substrate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Tae Song; Oh, Myung Hwan; Kim, Chong Hee

    1993-06-01

    Nearly stoichiometric ((Ba+Sr)/Ti=1.08-1.09) and optically transparent (BaSr)TiO3 thin films were deposited on an indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrate by means of rf magnetron sputtering for their application to the insulating layer of an electroluminescent flat panel display. The influence of the ITO layer on the properties of (BaSr)TiO3 thin films deposited on the ITO-coated substrate was investigated. The ITO layer did not affect the crystallographic orientation of (BaSr)TiO3 thin film, but enhanced the grain growth. Another effect of the ITO layer on (BaSr)TiO3 thin films was the interdiffusion phenomenon, which was studied by means of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). As the substrate temperature increased, interdiffusion intensified at the interface not only between the grown film and ITO layer but also between the ITO layer and base glass substrate. The refractive index (nf) of (BaSr)TiO3 thin film deposited on a bare glass substrate was 2.138-2.286, as a function of substrate temperature.

  15. Wrinkle-free graphene electrodes in zinc tin oxide thin-film transistors for large area applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Se-Hee; Kim, Jae-Hee; Park, Byeong-Ju; Park, Jozeph; Kim, Hyun-Suk; Yoon, Soon-Gil

    2017-02-01

    Wrinkle-free graphene was used to form the source-drain electrodes in thin film transistors based on a zinc tin oxide (ZTO) semiconductor. A 10 nm thick titanium adhesion layer was applied prior to transferring a conductive graphene film on top of it by chemical detachment. The formation of an interlayer oxide between titanium and graphene allows the achievement of uniform surface roughness over the entire substrate area. The resulting devices were thermally treated in ambient air, and a substantial decrease in field effect mobility is observed with increasing annealing temperature. The increase in electrical resistivity of the graphene film at higher annealing temperatures may have some influence, however the growth of the oxide interlayer at the ZTO/Ti boundary is suggested to be most influential, thereby inducing relatively high contact resistance.

  16. Atomic layer epitaxy of hematite on indium tin oxide for application in solar energy conversion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinson, Alex B.; Riha, Shannon; Guo, Peijun; Emery, Jonathan D.

    2016-07-12

    A method to provide an article of manufacture of iron oxide on indium tin oxide for solar energy conversion. An atomic layer epitaxy method is used to deposit an uncommon bixbytite-phase iron (III) oxide (.beta.-Fe.sub.2O.sub.3) which is deposited at low temperatures to provide 99% phase pure .beta.-Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 thin films on indium tin oxide. Subsequent annealing produces pure .alpha.-Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 with well-defined epitaxy via a topotactic transition. These highly crystalline films in the ultra thin film limit enable high efficiency photoelectrochemical chemical water splitting.

  17. Influence of gaseous annealing environment on the properties of indium-tin-oxide thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, R.X.; Beling, C.D.; Fung, S.; Djurisic, A.B.; Ling, C.C.; Li, S.

    2005-01-01

    The influence of postannealing in different gaseous environments on the optical properties of indiu-tin-oxide (ITO) thin films deposited on glass substrates using e-beam evaporation has been systematically investigated. It is found that the annealing conditions affect the optical and electrical properties of the films. Atomic force microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) were employed to obtain information on the chemical state and crystallization of the films. These data suggest that the chemical states and surface morphology of the ITO film are strongly influenced by the gaseous environment during the annealing process. The XPS data indicate that the observed variations in the optical transmittance can be explained by oxygen incorporation into the film, decomposition of the indium oxide phases, as well as the removal of metallic In

  18. Nanostructured antistatic and antireflective thin films made of indium tin oxide and silica over-coat layer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Young-Sang; Hong, Jeong-Jin; Yang, Seung-Man; Choi, Chul-Jin

    2010-08-01

    Stable dispersion of colloidal indium tin oxide nanoparticles was prepared by using indium tin oxide nanopowder, organic solvent, and suitable dispersants through attrition process. Various comminution parameters during the attrition step were studied to optimize the process for the stable dispersion of indium tin oxide sol. The transparent and conductive films were fabricated on glass substrate using the indium tin oxide sol by spin coating process. To obtain antireflective function, partially hydrolyzed alkyl silicate was deposited as over-coat layer on the pre-fabricated indium tin oxide film by spin coating technique. This double-layered structure of the nanostructured film was characterized by measuring the surface resistance and reflectance spectrum in the visible wavelength region. The final film structure was enough to satisfy the TCO regulations for EMI shielding purposes.

  19. Effect of Source/Drain Electrodes on the Electrical Properties of Silicon–Tin Oxide Thin-Film Transistors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xianzhe Liu

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Ultra-high definition displays have become a trend for the current flat plane displays. In this study, the contact properties of amorphous silicon–tin oxide thin-film transistors (a-STO TFTs employed with source/drain (S/D electrodes were analyzed. Ohmic contact with a good device performance was achieved when a-STO was matched with indium-tin-oxide (ITO or Mo electrodes. The acceptor-like densities of trap states (DOS of a-STO TFTs were further investigated by using low-frequency capacitance–voltage (C–V characteristics to understand the impact of the electrode on the device performance. The reason of the distinct electrical performances of the devices with ITO and Mo contacts was attributed to different DOS caused by the generation of local defect states near the electrodes, which distorted the electric field distribution and formed an electrical potential barrier hindering the flow of electrons. It is of significant importance for circuit designers to design reliable integrated circuits with SnO2-based devices applied in flat panel displays.

  20. Chemical vapor deposition of tin oxide: fundamentals and applications

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mol, A.M.B. van; Chae, Y.; McDaniel, A.H.; Allendorf, M.D.

    2006-01-01

    Tin oxide thin layers have very beneficial properties such as a high transparency for visible light and electrical conductivity making these coatings suitable for a wide variety of applications, such as solar cells, and low-emissivity coatings for architectural glass windows. Each application

  1. Preparation and characterization of indium tin oxide thin films for their application as gas sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vaishnav, V.S.; Patel, P.D.; Patel, N.G.

    2005-01-01

    The structural and electrical properties of indium tin oxide (In 2 O 3 /SnO 2 ) thin films grown using direct evaporation technique on various substrates at different temperatures were studied. The effect of annealing, of films with different weight percent concentration of SnO 2 in In 2 O 3 and of different thickness on the structural and electrical properties were studied and optimized for use as gas sensor. The stability of the films against time and temperature variations was studied. The effect of the catalytic layers on the sensor microstructure and its performance towards the gas sensing application was observed

  2. Hydrolysis of bis(dimethylamido)tin to tin (II) oxyhydroxide and its selective transformation into tin (II) or tin (IV) oxide

    KAUST Repository

    Khanderi, Jayaprakash; Shi, Lei; Rothenberger, Alexander

    2015-01-01

    Sn6O4(OH)4, a hydrolysis product of Sn(NMe2)2, is transformed to tin (II) or tin (IV) oxide by solid and solution phase processing. Tin (II) oxide is formed by heating Sn6O4(OH)4 at ≤200 °C in air or under inert atmosphere. Tin (IV) oxide

  3. Highly conducting and transparent sprayed indium tin oxide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rami, M.; Benamar, E.; Messaoudi, C.; Sayah, D.; Ennaoui, A. (Faculte des Sciences, Rabat (Morocco). Lab. de Physique des Materiaux)

    1998-03-01

    Indium tin oxide (ITO) has a wide range of applications in solar cells (e.g. by controlling the resistivity, we can use low conductivity ITO as buffer layer and highly conducting ITO as front contact in thin films CuInS[sub 2] and CuInSe[sub 2] based solar cells) due to its wide band gap (sufficient to be transparent) in both visible and near infrared range, and high carrier concentrations with metallic conduction. A variety of deposition techniques such as reactive electron beam evaporation, DC magnetron sputtering, evaporation, reactive thermal deposition, and spray pyrolysis have been used for the preparation of undoped and tin doped indium oxide. This latter process which makes possible the preparation of large area coatings has attracted considerable attention due to its simplicity and large scale with low cost fabrication. It has been used here to deposit highly transparent and conducting films of tin doped indium oxide onto glass substrates. The electrical, optical and structural properties have been investigated as a function of various deposition parameters namely dopant concentrations, temperature and nature of substrates. X-ray diffraction patterns have shown that deposited films are polycrystalline without second phases and have preferred orientation [400]. INdium tin oxide layers with small resistivity value around 7.10[sup -5] [omega].cm and transmission coefficient in the visible and near IR range of about 85-90% have been easily obtained. (authors) 13 refs.

  4. The role of Tin Oxide Concentration on The X-ray Diffraction, Morphology and Optical Properties of In2O3:SnO2 Thin Films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasan, Bushra A.; Abdallah, Rusul M.

    2018-05-01

    Alloys were performed from In2O3 doped SnO2 with different doping ratio by quenching from the melt technique. Pulsed Laser Deposition PLD was used to deposit thin films of different doping ratio In2O3 : SnO2 (0, 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 % wt.) on glass substrate at ambient temperature under vacuum of 10-3 bar thickness of ∼100nm. The structural type,grain size and morphology of the prepared alloys compounds and thin films were examined using X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. The results showed that all alloys have polycrystalline structures and the peaks belonged to the preferred plane for crystal growth were identical with the ITO (Indium – TinOxide) standard cards also another peaks were observed belonged to SnO2 phase. The structures of thin films was also polycrystalline, and the predominate peaks are identical with standard cards ITO. On the other side the prepared thin films declared decrease a reduction of degree of crystallinity with the increase of doping ratio. Atomic Force Microscopy AFM measurements showed the average grain size and average surface roughness exhibit to change in systematic manner with the increase of doping ratio with tin oxide. The optical measurements show that the In2O3:SnO2 thin films have a direct energy gap Eg opt in the first stage decreases with the increase of doping ratio and then get to increase with further increase of doping ration, whereas reverse to that the optical constants such as refractive index (n), extinction coefficient (k) and dielectric constant (εr, εi) have a regular increase with the doping ratio by tin oxide and then decreases.

  5. Induced nano-scale self-formed metal-oxide interlayer in amorphous silicon tin oxide thin film transistors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xianzhe; Xu, Hua; Ning, Honglong; Lu, Kuankuan; Zhang, Hongke; Zhang, Xiaochen; Yao, Rihui; Fang, Zhiqiang; Lu, Xubing; Peng, Junbiao

    2018-03-07

    Amorphous Silicon-Tin-Oxide thin film transistors (a-STO TFTs) with Mo source/drain electrodes were fabricated. The introduction of a ~8 nm MoO x interlayer between Mo electrodes and a-STO improved the electron injection in a-STO TFT. Mo adjacent to the a-STO semiconductor mainly gets oxygen atoms from the oxygen-rich surface of a-STO film to form MoO x interlayer. The self-formed MoO x interlayer acting as an efficient interface modification layer could conduce to the stepwise internal transport barrier formation while blocking Mo atoms diffuse into a-STO layer, which would contribute to the formation of ohmic contact between Mo and a-STO film. It can effectively improve device performance, reduce cost and save energy for the realization of large-area display with high resolution in future.

  6. Preparation of high quality spray-deposited fluorine-doped tin oxide thin films using dilute di(n-butyl)tin(iv) diacetate precursor solutions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Premalal, E.V.A., E-mail: vikum777@gmail.com [Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu (Japan); Dematage, N. [Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu (Japan); Kaneko, S. [SPD Laboratory Inc, Hi-Cube 3-1-7, Wajiyama, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu (Japan); Konno, A. [Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu (Japan)

    2012-09-01

    Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) thin films were prepared, at different substrate temperatures, using dilute precursor solutions of di(n-butyl)tin(iv) diacetate (0.1 M DBTDA) by varying the F{sup -} concentration in the solution. It is noticed that conductivity of FTO film is increasing by increasing the fluorine amount in the solution. Morphology of SEM image reveals that grain size and its distribution are totally affected by the substrate temperature in which conductivity is altered. Among these FTO films, the best film obtained gives an electronic conductivity of 31.85 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 2} {Omega}{sup -1} cm{sup -1}, sheet resistance of 4.4 {Omega}/{open_square} ({rho} = 3.14 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} {Omega} cm) with over 80% average normal transmittance between the 400 and 800 nm wavelength range. The best FTO film consists of a large distribution of grain sizes from 50 nm to 400 nm range and the optimum conditions used are 0.1 M DBTDA, 0.3 M ammonium fluoride, in a mixture of propan-2-ol and water, at 470 Degree-Sign C substrate temperature. The large distribution of grain sizes can be easily obtained using low DBTDA concentration ({approx} 0.1 M or less) and moderate substrate temperature (470 Degree-Sign C). - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer F-doped SnO{sub 2} (FTO) thin films prepared using di(n-butyl)tin(iv) diacetate (DBTDA). Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Substrate temperature and DBTDA concentration affect grain size and distribution. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Large distribution of grain sizes can optimize the conductivity of FTO film. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer 0.1 M DBTDA, substrate temperature of 470 Degree-Sign C allows a large grain size distribution.

  7. Characterization and Gas Sensing Properties of Copper-doped Tin Oxide Thin Films Deposited by Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhaoxia ZHAI

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Tin oxide-based thin films are deposited by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technology, in which Cu addition is introduced to enhance the gas sensing performance by H2S detection. The thin films are porous and comprise nano-sized crystallites. One of the Cu-containing thin film sensors demonstrates a fast and significant response to H2S gas. The values of power law exponent n are calculated to discuss the sensitivity of the sensors, which is significantly promoted by Cu additive. The sensitivity of Cu-doped SnO2 gas sensors is determined by two mechanisms. One is the normal gas sensing mechanism of SnO2 grains, and the other is the promoted mechanism caused by the transformation between CuO and CuS in the H2S detection. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.22.2.12917

  8. Thin copolymer-cased light-emitting display made with fluorine-foped tin oxide substrates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lessmann Rudolf

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Seven-segment displays are used to show numerical quantities in electronic equipment, being present in most of the low-end electronics. In this work we describe a novel organic light emitting display made with poly(1,10 decanedioxy 2 methoxy - 1,2 phenylene - 1,2 ethenylene - 3,6 dimethoxy - 1,4 phenylene - 1,2 ethenylene 3 methoxy - 1,4 - phenylene (OPPVDBC, tris(8-hydroxyquinolinealuminum salt (Alq3 and a hole injection layer (PEDOT:PSS: poly(3,4 - ethylenedioxythiophene : poly(styrenesulfonate. The general device structure is FTO/PEDOT:PSS/OPPVDBC/Ca/Al or FTO/PEDOT:PSS/OPPVDBC/Alq3/Ca/Al. The FTO (fluorine-doped tin oxide thin films are transparent (transmittance > 80 % in the visible region of the spectrum, conductive (< 15 omega/º for 200 nm thick films, and present high chemical stability.

  9. Influence of annealing temperature and environment on the properties of indium tin oxide thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, R X; Beling, C D; Fung, S; Djurisic, A B; Ling, C C; Kwong, C; Li, S

    2005-01-01

    Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates using the e-beam evaporating technique. The influence of deposition rate and post-deposition annealing on the optical properties of the films was investigated in detail. It is found that the deposition rate and annealing conditions strongly affect the optical properties of the films. The transmittance of films greatly increases with increasing annealing temperature below 300 deg. C but drastically drops at 400 deg. C when they are annealed in forming gas (mixed N 2 and H 2 gas). An interesting phenomenon observed is that the transmittance of the darkened film can recover under further 400 deg. C annealing in air. Atomic force microscopy, x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy were employed to obtain information on the chemical state and crystallization of the films. Analysis of these data suggests that the loss and re-incorporating of oxygen are responsible for the reversible behaviour of the ITO thin films

  10. Influence of indium doping on the properties of zinc tin oxide films and its application to transparent thin film transistors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choi, Mu Hee; Ma, Tae Young, E-mail: tyma@gnu.ac.kr

    2014-01-01

    In this study, the effects of indium (In) doping on the properties of zinc tin oxide (ZTO) films are reported. ZTO films were prepared by RF magnetron sputtering followed by In layer deposition, for use as the diffusion source. In order to protect the In layer from peeling, a second ZTO film was deposited on the In film. The annealing at 400 °C for 30 min was carried out to diffuse In atoms into the ZTO films. The structural, optical, and elemental properties of the annealed ZTO/In/ZTO films were investigated by X-ray diffraction, UV/vis spectrophotometry, and X-ray photoluminescence spectroscopy, respectively. The ZTO transparent thin film transistors employing the ZTO/In/ZTO films as the source/drain were prepared, and the effects of the In doped source/drain on the threshold voltage and mobility were characterized and analyzed. - Highlights: • We successfully doped zinc tin oxide (ZTO) films using In as a diffusion source. • Indium (In) was diffused in both directions with the diffusion coefficient of ∼ 4.3 × 10{sup −16} cm{sup 2}/s. • The mobility of ZTO thin film transistor was increased 1.6-times by adopting the In-diffused source/drain.

  11. Process for Making a Noble Metal on Tin Oxide Catalyst

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Patricia; Miller, Irvin; Upchurch, Billy

    2010-01-01

    To produce a noble metal-on-metal oxide catalyst on an inert, high-surface-area support material (that functions as a catalyst at approximately room temperature using chloride-free reagents), for use in a carbon dioxide laser, requires two steps: First, a commercially available, inert, high-surface-area support material (silica spheres) is coated with a thin layer of metal oxide, a monolayer equivalent. Very beneficial results have been obtained using nitric acid as an oxidizing agent because it leaves no residue. It is also helpful if the spheres are first deaerated by boiling in water to allow the entire surface to be coated. A metal, such as tin, is then dissolved in the oxidizing agent/support material mixture to yield, in the case of tin, metastannic acid. Although tin has proven especially beneficial for use in a closed-cycle CO2 laser, in general any metal with two valence states, such as most transition metals and antimony, may be used. The metastannic acid will be adsorbed onto the high-surface-area spheres, coating them. Any excess oxidizing agent is then evaporated, and the resulting metastannic acid-coated spheres are dried and calcined, whereby the metastannic acid becomes tin(IV) oxide. The second step is accomplished by preparing an aqueous mixture of the tin(IV) oxide-coated spheres, and a soluble, chloride-free salt of at least one catalyst metal. The catalyst metal may be selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, ruthenium, gold, and rhodium, or other platinum group metals. Extremely beneficial results have been obtained using chloride-free salts of platinum, palladium, or a combination thereof, such as tetraammineplatinum (II) hydroxide ([Pt(NH3)4] (OH)2), or tetraammine palladium nitrate ([Pd(NH3)4](NO3)2).

  12. Excitation of epsilon-near-zero resonance in ultra-thin indium tin oxide shell embedded nanostructured optical fiber.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minn, Khant; Anopchenko, Aleksei; Yang, Jingyi; Lee, Ho Wai Howard

    2018-02-05

    We report a novel optical waveguide design of a hollow step index fiber modified with a thin layer of indium tin oxide (ITO). We show an excitation of highly confined waveguide mode in the proposed fiber near the wavelength where permittivity of ITO approaches zero. Due to the high field confinement within thin ITO shell inside the fiber, the epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) mode can be characterized by a peak in modal loss of the hybrid waveguide. Our results show that such in-fiber excitation of ENZ mode is due to the coupling of the guided core mode to the thin-film ENZ mode. We also show that the phase matching wavelength, where the coupling takes place, varies depending on the refractive index of the constituents inside the central bore of the fiber. These ENZ nanostructured optical fibers have many potential applications, for example, in ENZ nonlinear and magneto-optics, as in-fiber wavelength-dependent filters, and as subwavelength fluid channel for optical and bio-photonic sensing.

  13. Metal-insulator transition in tin doped indium oxide (ITO thin films: Quantum correction to the electrical conductivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deepak Kumar Kaushik

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Tin doped indium oxide (ITO thin films are being used extensively as transparent conductors in several applications. In the present communication, we report the electrical transport in DC magnetron sputtered ITO thin films (prepared at 300 K and subsequently annealed at 673 K in vacuum for 60 minutes in low temperatures (25-300 K. The low temperature Hall effect and resistivity measurements reveal that the ITO thin films are moderately dis-ordered (kFl∼1; kF is the Fermi wave vector and l is the electron mean free path and degenerate semiconductors. The transport of charge carriers (electrons in these disordered ITO thin films takes place via the de-localized states. The disorder effects lead to the well-known ‘metal-insulator transition’ (MIT which is observed at 110 K in these ITO thin films. The MIT in ITO thin films is explained by the quantum correction to the conductivity (QCC; this approach is based on the inclusion of quantum-mechanical interference effects in Boltzmann’s expression of the conductivity of the disordered systems. The insulating behaviour observed in ITO thin films below the MIT temperature is attributed to the combined effect of the weak localization and the electron-electron interactions.

  14. Metal-insulator transition in tin doped indium oxide (ITO) thin films: Quantum correction to the electrical conductivity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaushik, Deepak Kumar; Kumar, K. Uday; Subrahmanyam, A.

    2017-01-01

    Tin doped indium oxide (ITO) thin films are being used extensively as transparent conductors in several applications. In the present communication, we report the electrical transport in DC magnetron sputtered ITO thin films (prepared at 300 K and subsequently annealed at 673 K in vacuum for 60 minutes) in low temperatures (25-300 K). The low temperature Hall effect and resistivity measurements reveal that the ITO thin films are moderately dis-ordered (kFl˜1; kF is the Fermi wave vector and l is the electron mean free path) and degenerate semiconductors. The transport of charge carriers (electrons) in these disordered ITO thin films takes place via the de-localized states. The disorder effects lead to the well-known `metal-insulator transition' (MIT) which is observed at 110 K in these ITO thin films. The MIT in ITO thin films is explained by the quantum correction to the conductivity (QCC); this approach is based on the inclusion of quantum-mechanical interference effects in Boltzmann's expression of the conductivity of the disordered systems. The insulating behaviour observed in ITO thin films below the MIT temperature is attributed to the combined effect of the weak localization and the electron-electron interactions.

  15. Direct imprinting of indium-tin-oxide precursor gel and simultaneous formation of channel and source/drain in thin-film transistor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haga, Ken-ichi; Kamiya, Yuusuke; Tokumitsu, Eisuke

    2018-02-01

    We report on a new fabrication process for thin-film transistors (TFTs) with a new structure and a new operation principle. In this process, both the channel and electrode (source/drain) are formed simultaneously, using the same oxide material, using a single nano-rheology printing (n-RP) process, without any conventional lithography process. N-RP is a direct thermal imprint technique and deforms oxide precursor gel. To reduce the source/drain resistance, the material common to the channel and electrode is conductive indium-tin-oxide (ITO). The gate insulator is made of a ferroelectric material, whose high charge density can deplete the channel of the thin ITO film, which realizes the proposed operation principle. First, we have examined the n-RP conditions required for the channel and source/drain patterning, and found that the patterning properties are strongly affected by the cooling rate before separating the mold. Second, we have fabricated the TFTs as proposed and confirmed their TFT operation.

  16. Functionalization of indium-tin-oxide electrodes by laser-nanostructured gold thin films for biosensing applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grochowska, Katarzyna, E-mail: kgrochowska@imp.gda.pl [Centre for Plasma and Laser Engineering, The Szewalski Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, 14 Fiszera St, 80-231 Gdańsk (Poland); Siuzdak, Katarzyna [Centre for Plasma and Laser Engineering, The Szewalski Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, 14 Fiszera St, 80-231 Gdańsk (Poland); Karczewski, Jakub [Solid State Physics Department, Faculty of Applied Physics and Mathematics, Gdańsk University of Technology, 11/12 Narutowicza St, 80-233, Gdańsk (Poland); Śliwiński, Gerard [Centre for Plasma and Laser Engineering, The Szewalski Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, 14 Fiszera St, 80-231 Gdańsk (Poland)

    2015-12-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • ITO electrodes modified by NP arrays prepared by laser dewetting of thin Au films. • Enhanced activity, linear response and high sensitivity towards glucose. • Promising biosensor material AuNP-modified ITO of improved performance. - Abstract: The production and properties of the indium-tin-oxide (ITO) electrodes functionalized by Au nanoparticle (NP) arrays of a relatively large area formed by pulsed laser nanostructuring of thin gold films are reported and discussed. The SEM inspection of modified electrodes reveals the presence of the nearly spherical and disc-shaped particles of dimensions in the range of 40–120 nm. The NP-array geometry can be controlled by selection of the laser processing conditions. It is shown that particle size and packing density of the array are important factors which determine the electrode performance. In the case of NP-modified electrodes the peak current corresponding to the glucose direct oxidation process shows rise with increasing glucose concentration markedly higher comparing to the reference Au disc electrode. The detection limit reaches 12 μM and linear response of the sensor is observed from 0.1 to 47 mM that covers the normal physiological range of the blood sugar detection.

  17. Investigation of TiN thin film oxidation depending on the substrate temperature at vacuum break

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Piallat, Fabien, E-mail: fabien.piallat@gmail.com [STMicroelectronics, 850 rue Jean Monnet, 38920 Crolles (France); CEA, LETI, Campus Minatec, F-38054 Grenoble (France); LTM-CNRS, 17 rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble (France); Gassilloud, Remy [CEA, LETI, Campus Minatec, F-38054 Grenoble (France); Caubet, Pierre [STMicroelectronics, 850 rue Jean Monnet, 38920 Crolles (France); Vallée, Christophe [LTM-CNRS, 17 rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble (France)

    2016-09-15

    Due to the reduction of the thickness of the layers used in the advanced technology nodes, there is a growing importance of the surface phenomena in the definition of the general properties of the materials. One of the least controlled and understood phenomenon is the oxidation of metals after deposition, at the vacuum break. In this study, the influence of the sample temperature at vacuum break on the oxidation level of TiN deposited by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition is investigated. TiN resistivity appears to be lower for samples which underwent vacuum break at high temperature. Using X-ray photoelectron spectrometry analysis, this change is correlated to the higher oxidation of the TiN layer. Moreover, angle resolved XPS analysis reveals that higher is the temperature at the vacuum break, higher is the surface oxidation of the sample. This surface oxidation is in turn limiting the diffusion of oxygen in the volume of the layer. Additionally, evolution of TiN layers resistivity was monitored in time and it shows that resistivity increases until a plateau is reached after about 10 days, with the lowest temperature at vacuum break resulting in the highest increase, i.e., the resistivity of the sample released to atmosphere at high temperature increased by a factor 1.7 whereas the resistivity of the sample cooled down under vacuum temperature increased by a factor 2.7.

  18. Characterization of tin oxide nanoparticles synthesized via oxidation from metal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abruzzi, R.C.; Dedavid, B.A.; Pires, M.J.R.; Streicher, M.

    2014-01-01

    The tin oxide (SnO_2) is a promising material with great potential for applications such as gas sensors and catalysts. This oxide nanostructures show higher activation efficiency due to its larger effective surface. This paper presents the synthesis and characterization of the tin oxide in different conditions, via oxidation of pure tin with nitric acid. Results obtained from the characterization of SnO_2 powder by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDX), Particle size by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated that the conditions were suitable for the synthesis to obtain manometric tin oxide granules with crystalline structure of rutile. (author)

  19. Post-deposition annealing effects in RF reactive magnetron sputtered indium tin oxide thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martinez, M A; Herrero, J; Gutierrez, M T [Inst. de Energias Renovables (CIEMAT), Madrid (Spain)

    1992-05-01

    Indium tin oxide films have been grown by RF reactive magnetron sputtering. The influence of the deposition parameters on the properties of the films has been investigated and optimized, obtaining a value for the figure of merit of 6700 ({Omega} cm){sup -1}. As-grown indium tin oxide films were annealed in vacuum and O{sub 2} atmosphere. After these heat treatments the electro-optical properties were improved, with values for the resistivity of 1.9x10{sup -4} {Omega} cm and the figure of merit of 26700 ({Omega} cm){sup -1}. (orig.).

  20. Ultraviolet laser ablation of fluorine-doped tin oxide thin films for dye-sensitized back-contact solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, Huan [Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074 (China); Fu, Dongchuan [ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Department of Materials Engineering and School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton Victoria, 3800 (Australia); Jiang, Ming [Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074 (China); Duan, Jun, E-mail: duans@hust.edu.cn [Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074 (China); Zhang, Fei; Zeng, Xiaoyan [Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074 (China); Bach, Udo [ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Department of Materials Engineering and School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton Victoria, 3800 (Australia)

    2013-03-01

    In this study, laser ablation of a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) thin film on a glass substrate was conducted using a 355 nm Nd:YVO{sub 4} ultraviolet (UV) laser to obtain a 4 × 4 mm microstructure. The microstructure contains a symmetric set of interdigitated FTO finger electrodes of a monolithic back-contact dye-sensitized solar cell (BC-DSC) on a common substrate. The effects of UV laser ablation parameters (such as laser fluence, repetition frequency, and scanning speed) on the size precision and quality of the microstructure were investigated using a 4 × 4 orthogonal design and an assistant experimental design. The incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency and the current–voltage characteristics of the BC-DSC base of the interdigitated FTO finger electrodes were also determined. The experimental results show that an FTO film microstructure with high precision and good quality can be produced on a glass substrate via laser ablation with high scanning speed, high repetition frequency, and appropriate laser fluence. - Highlights: ► The ablation width and depth generally depend on the laser fluence. ► The scanning speed and the repetition frequency must match each other. ► Slight ablation of the glass substrate can completely remove F-doped tin oxide.

  1. Thin porous indium tin oxide nanoparticle films: effects of annealing in vacuum and air

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ederth, J.; Hultaaker, A.; Niklasson, G.A.; Granqvist, C.G.; Heszler, P.; Doorn, A.R. van; Jongerius, M.J.; Burgard, D.

    2005-01-01

    Electrical and optical properties were investigated in porous thin films consisting of In 2 O 3 :Sn (indium tin oxide; ITO) nanoparticles. The temperature-dependent resistivity was successfully described by a fluctuation-induced tunneling model, indicating a sample morphology dominated by clusters of ITO nanoparticles separated by insulating barriers. An effective-medium model, including the effect of ionized impurity scattering, was successfully fitted to measured reflectance and transmittance. Post-deposition treatments were carried out at 773 K for 2 h in both air and vacuum. It is shown that vacuum annealing increases either the barrier width or the area between two conducting clusters in the samples and, furthermore, an extra optical absorption occurs close to the band gap. A subsequent air annealing then reduces the effect of the barriers on the electrical properties and diminishes the absorption close to the band gap. (orig.)

  2. Growth and characterization of indium tin oxide thin films deposited on PET substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Jaehyeong; Jung, Hakkee; Lee, Jongin; Lim, Donggun; Yang, Keajoon; Yi, Junsin; Song, Woo-Chang

    2008-01-01

    Transparent and conductive indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited onto polyethylene terephthalate (PET) by d.c. magnetron sputtering as the front and back electrical contact for applications in flexible displays and optoelectronic devices. In addition, ITO powder was used for sputter target in order to reduce the cost and time of the film formation processes. As the sputtering power and pressure increased, the electrical conductivity of ITO films decreased. The films were increasingly dark gray colored as the sputtering power increased, resulting in the loss of transmittance of the films. When the pressure during deposition was higher, however, the optical transmittance improved at visible region of light. ITO films deposited onto PET have shown similar optical transmittance and electrical resistivity, in comparison with films onto glass substrate. High quality films with resistivity as low as 2.5 x 10 -3 Ω cm and transmittance over 80% have been obtained on to PET substrate by suitably controlling the deposition parameters

  3. Study of optical characteristics of tin oxide thin film prepared by sol ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    wear-resistant coating on glass containers (Nakagawa et al. 1997), Infrared reflectors for ... Tin oxide is a tetragonal n-type semiconductor having high bandgap energy ... (IV) chloride due to the cost factor and availability. The main purpose of ...

  4. Optimization of nanoparticulate indium tin oxide slurries for the manufacture of ultra-thin indium tin oxide coatings with the slot-die coating process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wegener, M.; Riess, K.; Roosen, A.

    2016-01-01

    This paper deals with the optimization of colloidal processing to achieve suitable nanoparticulate indium tin oxide (ITO) slurries for the production of sub-μm-thin ITO coatings with the slot die coating process. For application in printed electronics these ITO coatings, which are composite films consisting of nanoparticulate ITO and a polymeric binder, should offer high flexibility, transparency and electrical conductivity. To preserve their flexibility, the composite films are not subject to any heat treatment, instead they are used as deposited and dried. To achieve very good transparency and electrical conductivity at the same time, the slurries must exhibit excellent dispersivity to result in a dense particle packing during film formation and drying. To reduce materials costs, films with thicknesses of several 100 nm are of interest. Therefore, the slot-die technique was applied as a fast, pre-dosing technique to produce sub-μm-thin ITO/binder composite films. The resulting ITO/binder films were characterized with regard to their key properties such as total transmission and specific electrical resistance. With the colloidal optimization of ethanol- and water-based nanoparticulate ITO slurries using PVP and PVB as binders, it was possible to achieve films of 250 nm in thickness exhibiting high total transmission of ∝ 93 % and a low specific electrical resistance of ∝ 10 Ω.cm.

  5. Optimization of nanoparticulate indium tin oxide slurries for the manufacture of ultra-thin indium tin oxide coatings with the slot-die coating process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wegener, M.; Riess, K.; Roosen, A. [Erlangen-Nuremberg Univ., Erlangen (Germany). Dept. of Materials Science, Glass and Ceramics

    2016-07-01

    This paper deals with the optimization of colloidal processing to achieve suitable nanoparticulate indium tin oxide (ITO) slurries for the production of sub-μm-thin ITO coatings with the slot die coating process. For application in printed electronics these ITO coatings, which are composite films consisting of nanoparticulate ITO and a polymeric binder, should offer high flexibility, transparency and electrical conductivity. To preserve their flexibility, the composite films are not subject to any heat treatment, instead they are used as deposited and dried. To achieve very good transparency and electrical conductivity at the same time, the slurries must exhibit excellent dispersivity to result in a dense particle packing during film formation and drying. To reduce materials costs, films with thicknesses of several 100 nm are of interest. Therefore, the slot-die technique was applied as a fast, pre-dosing technique to produce sub-μm-thin ITO/binder composite films. The resulting ITO/binder films were characterized with regard to their key properties such as total transmission and specific electrical resistance. With the colloidal optimization of ethanol- and water-based nanoparticulate ITO slurries using PVP and PVB as binders, it was possible to achieve films of 250 nm in thickness exhibiting high total transmission of ∝ 93 % and a low specific electrical resistance of ∝ 10 Ω.cm.

  6. Improved Long-Term Stability of Transparent Conducting Electrodes Based on Double-Laminated Electrosprayed Antimony Tin Oxides and Ag Nanowires

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Koo B.-R.

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available We fabricated double-laminated antimony tin oxide/Ag nanowire electrodes by spin-coating and electrospraying. Compared to pure Ag nanowire electrodes and single-laminated antimony tin oxide/Ag nanowire electrodes, the double-laminated antimony tin oxide/Ag nanowire electrodes had superior transparent conducting electrode performances with sheet resistance ~19.8 Ω/□ and optical transmittance ~81.9%; this was due to uniform distribution of the connected Ag nanowires because of double lamination of the metallic Ag nanowires without Ag aggregation despite subsequent microwave heating at 250°C. They also exhibited excellent and superior long-term chemical and thermal stabilities and adhesion to substrate because double-laminated antimony tin oxide thin films act as the protective layers between Ag nanowires, blocking Ag atoms penetration.

  7. F2-laser patterning of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin film on glass substrate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, M.Y.; Li, J.; Herman, P.R.; Lilge, L.D.

    2006-01-01

    This paper reports the controlled micromachining of 100 nm thick indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films on glass substrates with a vacuum-ultraviolet 157 nm F 2 laser. Partial to complete film removal was observed over a wide fluence window from 0.49 J/cm 2 to an optimized single pulse fluence of 4.5 J/cm 2 for complete film removal. Optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis show little substrate or collateral damage by the laser pulse which conserved the stoichiometry, optical transparency and electrical conductivity of ITO coating adjacent to the trenches. At higher fluence, a parallel micron sized channel can be etched in the glass substrate. The high photon energy and top-hat beam homogenized optical system of the F 2 laser opens new means for direct structuring of electrodes and microchannels in biological microfluidic systems or in optoelectronics. (orig.)

  8. Hydrogen ion sensors based on indium tin oxide thin film using radio frequency sputtering system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chiang, Jung-Lung; Jhan, Syun-Sheng; Hsieh, Shu-Chen; Huang, An-Li

    2009-01-01

    Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited onto Si and SiO 2 /Si substrates using a radio frequency sputtering system with a grain size of 30-50 nm and thickness of 270-280 nm. ITO/Si and ITO/SiO 2 /Si sensing structures were achieved and connected to a standard metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) as an ITO pH extended-gate field-effect transistor (ITO pH-EGFET). The semiconductor parameter analysis measurement (Keithley 4200) was utilized to measure the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics curves and study the sensing properties of the ITO pH-EGFET. The linear pH voltage sensitivities were about 41.43 and 43.04 mV/pH for the ITO/Si and ITO/SiO 2 /Si sensing structures, respectively. At the same time, both pH current sensitivities were about 49.86 and 51.73 μA/pH, respectively. Consequently, both sensing structures can be applied as extended-gate sensing heads. The separative structure is suitable for application as a disposable pH sensor.

  9. Surface morphology modelling for the resistivity analysis of low temperature sputtered indium tin oxide thin films on polymer substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yin Xuesong; Tang Wu; Weng Xiaolong; Deng Longjiang

    2009-01-01

    Amorphous or weakly crystalline indium tin oxide (ITO) thin film samples have been prepared on polymethylmethacrylate and polyethylene terephthalate substrates by RF-magnetron sputtering at a low substrate temperature. The surface morphological and electrical properties of the ITO layers were measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and a standard four-point probe measurement. The effect of surface morphology on the resistivity of ITO thin films was studied, which presented some different variations from crystalline films. Then, a simplified film system model, including the substrate, continuous ITO layer and ITO surface grain, was proposed to deal with these correlations. Based on this thin film model and the AFM images, a quadratic potential was introduced to simulate the characteristics of the ITO surface morphology, and the classical Kronig-Penney model, the semiconductor electrical theory and the modified Neugebauer-Webb model were used to expound the detailed experimental results. The modelling equation was highly in accord with the experimental variations of the resistivity on the characteristics of the surface morphology.

  10. A direct method to measure the fracture toughness of indium tin oxide thin films on flexible polymer substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, Rwei-Ching; Tsai, Fa-Ta; Tu, Chin-Hsiang

    2013-01-01

    This work presents a straightforward method to measure the fracture toughness of thin films deposited on flexible substrates. A 200 nm thick indium tin oxide (ITO) thin film is deposited on a 188 μm thick terephthalate (PET) substrate by a radio frequency magnetron sputtering machine. Using nanoindentation to induce brittle fracture on the ITO thin films, the energy release is calculated from integrating the resulting load–depth curve. An approach that directly measures the fracture toughness of thin films deposited on flexible substrates is proposed. A comparison shows that the results of the proposed method agree well with those of other reports. Furthermore, in order to improve the toughness of the ITO thin films, a copper interlayer is added between the ITO thin film and PET substrate. It shows that the fracture toughness of the ITO thin film deposited on the copper interlayer is higher than that of the one without the interlayer, which agrees well with the critical load tested by micro scratch. Further observations on optical and electric performances are also discussed in this work. - Highlights: • A straightforward method to measure the film's toughness • Directly using the load-depth curve of nanoindentation • The toughness is consistent with the critical load tested by micro scratch. • Interlayers can improve the film's toughness. • Optical and electric performances are also discussed

  11. Seed-mediated electrochemical growth of gold nanostructures on indium tin oxide thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Praig, Vera G.; Piret, Gaelle; Manesse, Mael; Castel, Xavier; Boukherroub, Rabah; Szunerits, Sabine

    2008-01-01

    Two-dimensional gold nanostructures (Au NSs) were fabricated on amine-terminated indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films using constant potential electrolysis. By controlling the deposition time and by choosing the appropriate ITO surface, Au NSs with different shapes were generated. When Au NSs were formed directly on aminosilane-modified ITO, the surface roughness of the interface was largely enhanced. Modification of such Au NSs with n-tetradecanethiol resulted in a highly hydrophobic interface with a water contact angle of 144 deg. Aminosilane-modified ITO films further modified with colloidal Au seeds before electrochemical Au NSs formation demonstrated interesting optical properties. Depending on the deposition time, surface colors ranging from pale pink to beatgold-like were observed. The optical properties and the chemical stability of the interfaces were characterized using UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. Well-defined localized surface plasmon resonance signals were recorded on Au-seeded interfaces with λ max = 675 ± 2 nm (deposition time 180 s). The prepared interfaces exhibited long-term stability in various solvents and responded linearly to changes in the corresponding refractive indices

  12. Seed-mediated electrochemical growth of gold nanostructures on indium tin oxide thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Praig, Vera G.; Szunerits, Sabine [Laboratoire d' Electrochimie et de Physicochimie des Materiaux et des Interfaces (LEPMI), CNRS-INPG-UJF, 1130 rue de la piscine, BP 75, 38402 St. Martin d' Heres Cedex (France); Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire (IRI), USR CNRS 3078 and Institut d' Electronique, de Microelectronique et de Nanotechnologie (IEMN),UMR CNRS-8520, Cite Scientifique, Avenue Poincare, BP 60069, 59652 Villeneuve d' Ascq (France); Piret, Gaelle; Boukherroub, Rabah [Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire (IRI), USR CNRS 3078 and Institut d' Electronique, de Microelectronique et de Nanotechnologie (IEMN),UMR CNRS-8520, Cite Scientifique, Avenue Poincare, BP 60069, 59652 Villeneuve d' Ascq (France); Manesse, Mael [Laboratoire d' Electrochimie et de Physicochimie des Materiaux et des Interfaces (LEPMI), CNRS-INPG-UJF, 1130 rue de la piscine, BP 75, 38402 St. Martin d' Heres Cedex (France); Castel, Xavier [Institut d' Electronique et de Telecommunications de Rennes (IETR), UMR CNRS 6164, 18 rue H. Wallon, BP 406, 22004 Saint-Brieuc Cedex 1 (France)

    2008-11-15

    Two-dimensional gold nanostructures (Au NSs) were fabricated on amine-terminated indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films using constant potential electrolysis. By controlling the deposition time and by choosing the appropriate ITO surface, Au NSs with different shapes were generated. When Au NSs were formed directly on aminosilane-modified ITO, the surface roughness of the interface was largely enhanced. Modification of such Au NSs with n-tetradecanethiol resulted in a highly hydrophobic interface with a water contact angle of 144 . Aminosilane-modified ITO films further modified with colloidal Au seeds before electrochemical Au NSs formation demonstrated interesting optical properties. Depending on the deposition time, surface colors ranging from pale pink to beatgold-like were observed. The optical properties and the chemical stability of the interfaces were characterized using UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. Well-defined localized surface plasmon resonance signals were recorded on Au-seeded interfaces with {lambda}{sub max}=675{+-} 2 nm (deposition time 180 s). The prepared interfaces exhibited long-term stability in various solvents and responded linearly to changes in the corresponding refractive indices. (author)

  13. Controlling plasmonic properties of epitaxial thin films of indium tin oxide in the near-infrared region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamakura, R.; Fujita, K.; Murai, S.; Tanaka, K.

    2015-06-01

    Epitaxial thin films of indium tin oxide (ITO) were grown on yttria-stabilized zirconia single-crystal substrates by using a pulsed laser deposition to examine their plasmonic properties. The dielectric function of ITO was characterized by spectroscopic ellipsometry. Through the concentration of SnO2 in the target, the carrier concentration in the films was modified, which directly leads to the tuning of the dielectric function in the near-infrared region. Variable-angle reflectance spectroscopy in the Kretschmann geometry shows the dip in the reflection spectrum of p-polarized light corresponding to the excitation of surface plasmon polaritions (SPPs) in the near-infrared region. The excitation wavelength of the SPPs was shifted with changing the dielectric functions of ITO, which is reproduced by the calculation using transfer matrix method.

  14. On the electrochemistry of tin oxide coated tin electrodes in lithium-ion batteries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Böhme, Solveig; Edström, Kristina; Nyholm, Leif

    2015-01-01

    As tin based electrodes are of significant interest in the development of improved lithium-ion batteries it is important to understand the associated electrochemical reactions. In this work it is shown that the electrochemical behavior of SnO_2 coated tin electrodes can be described based on the SnO_2 and SnO conversion reactions, the lithium tin alloy formation and the oxidation of tin generating SnF_2. The CV, XPS and SEM data, obtained for electrodeposited tin crystals on gold substrates, demonstrates that the capacity loss often observed for SnO_2 is caused by the reformed SnO_2 layer serving as a passivating layer protecting the remaining tin. Capacities corresponding up to about 80 % of the initial SnO_2 capacity could, however, be obtained by cycling to 3.5 V vs. Li"+/Li. It is also shown that the oxidation of the lithium tin alloy is hindered by the rate of the diffusion of lithium through a layer of tin with increasing thickness and that the irreversible oxidation of tin to SnF_2 at potentials larger than 2.8 V vs. Li"+/Li is due to the fact that SnF_2 is formed below the SnO_2 layer. This improved electrochemical understanding of the SnO_2/Sn system should be valuable in the development of tin based electrodes for lithium-ion batteries.

  15. Electrochemical Characterization of Nanoporous Nickel Oxide Thin Films Spray-Deposited onto Indium-Doped Tin Oxide for Solar Conversion Scopes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Awais

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Nonstoichiometric nickel oxide (NiOx has been deposited as thin film utilizing indium-doped tin oxide as transparent and electrically conductive substrate. Spray deposition of a suspension of NiOx nanoparticles in alcoholic medium allowed the preparation of uniform NiOx coatings. Sintering of the coatings was conducted at temperatures below 500°C for few minutes. This scalable procedure allowed the attainment of NiOx films with mesoporous morphology and reticulated structure. The electrochemical characterization showed that NiOx electrodes possess large surface area (about 1000 times larger than their geometrical area. Due to the openness of the NiOx morphology, the underlying conductive substrate can be contacted by the electrolyte and undergo redox processes within the potential range in which NiOx is electroactive. This requires careful control of the conditions of polarization in order to prevent the simultaneous occurrence of reduction/oxidation processes in both components of the multilayered electrode. The combination of the open structure with optical transparency and elevated electroactivity in organic electrolytes motivated us to analyze the potential of the spray-deposited NiOx films as semiconducting cathodes of dye-sensitized solar cells of p-type when erythrosine B was the sensitizer.

  16. Synthesising highly reactive tin oxide using Tin(II2- ethylhexanoate polynucleation as precursor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alejandra Montenegro Hernández

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Tin oxide is a widely used compound in technological applications, particularity as a catalyst, gas sensor and in making varistors, transparent conductors, electrocatalytic electrodes and photovoltaic cells. An ethylhexanoate tin salt, a carboxylic acid and poly-esterification were used for synthesising highly reactive tin oxide in the present study. Synthesis was controlled by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR spectroscopy and recording changes in viscosity. The tin oxide characteristics so obtained were determined using FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM. The SnO2 dust synthesised and heat-treated at 550°C yielded high density aggregates, having greater than 50 μm particle size. This result demonstrates the high reactivity of the ceramic powders synthesised here.

  17. On the deposition parameters of indium oxide (IO) and tin oxide (TO) by reactive evaporation technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hassan, F.; Abdullah, A.H.; Salam, R.

    1990-01-01

    Thin films of tin oxide (TO) and indium oxide (IO) are prepared by the reactive evaporation technique, where indium or tin sources are evaporated and made to react with oxygen gas injected close to the substrate. In both depositions a substrate temperature of 380 0 C and a chamber pressure of 2x10 -5 mbar are utilized, but however different oxygen flow rates has been maintained. For TO, the deposition rate is found to be constant up to about 55 minutes of deposition time with a deposition rate of about 0.10 A/s, but for longer deposition time the deposition rate increases rapidly up to about 0.30 A/s. The IO displays a higher deposition rate of about 0.80 A/s over a deposition time 30 minutes, beyond which the deposition rate increases gradually

  18. Electronegativity-dependent tin etching from thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pachecka, M., E-mail: m.pachecka@utwente.nl; Sturm, J. M.; Kruijs, R. W. E. van de; Lee, C. J.; Bijkerk, F. [Industrial Focus Group XUV Optics, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, Drienerlolaan 5, Enschede (Netherlands)

    2016-07-15

    The influence of a thin film substrate material on the etching of a thin layer of deposited tin (Sn) by hydrogen radicals was studied. The amount of remaining Sn was quantified for materials that cover a range of electronegativities. We show that, for metals, etching depends on the relative electronegativity of the surface material and Sn. Tin is chemically etched from surfaces with an electronegativity smaller than Sn, while incomplete Sn etching is observed for materials with an electronegativity larger than Sn. Furthermore, the amount of remaining Sn increases as the electronegativity of the surface material increases. We speculate, that, due to Fermi level differences in the material’s electronic structure, the energy of the two conduction bands shift such that the availability of electrons for binding with hydrogen is significantly reduced.

  19. Structural, optical and electrical properties of indium tin oxide thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Benamar, E.; Rami, M.; Messaoudi, C.; Sayah, D.; Ennaoui, A. [Deptartmento de Physique, Laboratoire de Physique des Materiaux, Faculte des Sciences, BP 1014, Ave Inb Battouta, Rabat (Morocco)

    1998-11-27

    Spray pyrolysis process has been used to deposit highly transparent and conducting films of tin-doped indium oxide onto glass substrates. The electrical, structural and optical properties have been investigated as a function of various deposition parameters namely dopant concentrations, temperature and nature of substrate. The morphology of the surface as a function of the substrate temperature has been studied using atomic force microscopy. XRD has shown that deposited films are polycrystalline without second phases and have a preferred orientation (4 0 0). Indium tin oxide layers with low resistivity values around 4x10{sup -5} {Omega} cm and transmission coefficients in the visible and near-infrared range of about 85-90% have been easily obtained

  20. Hydrogen plasma treatment for improved conductivity in amorphous aluminum doped zinc tin oxide thin films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Morales-Masis

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Improving the conductivity of earth-abundant transparent conductive oxides (TCOs remains an important challenge that will facilitate the replacement of indium-based TCOs. Here, we show that a hydrogen (H2-plasma post-deposition treatment improves the conductivity of amorphous aluminum-doped zinc tin oxide while retaining its low optical absorption. We found that the H2-plasma treatment performed at a substrate temperature of 50 °C reduces the resistivity of the films by 57% and increases the absorptance by only 2%. Additionally, the low substrate temperature delays the known formation of tin particles with the plasma and it allows the application of the process to temperature-sensitive substrates.

  1. Hydrogen plasma treatment for improved conductivity in amorphous aluminum doped zinc tin oxide thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morales-Masis, M., E-mail: monica.moralesmasis@epfl.ch; Ding, L.; Dauzou, F. [Photovoltaics and Thin-Film Electronics Laboratory (PVLab), Institute of Microengineering (IMT), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne - EPFL, Rue de la Maladière 71b, CH-2002 Neuchatel (Switzerland); Jeangros, Q. [Interdisciplinary Centre for Electron Microscopy, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne (Switzerland); Hessler-Wyser, A. [Photovoltaics and Thin-Film Electronics Laboratory (PVLab), Institute of Microengineering (IMT), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne - EPFL, Rue de la Maladière 71b, CH-2002 Neuchatel (Switzerland); Interdisciplinary Centre for Electron Microscopy, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne (Switzerland); Nicolay, S. [Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM) SA, Rue Jaquet-Droz 1, CH-2002 Neuchatel (Switzerland); Ballif, C. [Photovoltaics and Thin-Film Electronics Laboratory (PVLab), Institute of Microengineering (IMT), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne - EPFL, Rue de la Maladière 71b, CH-2002 Neuchatel (Switzerland); Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM) SA, Rue Jaquet-Droz 1, CH-2002 Neuchatel (Switzerland)

    2014-09-01

    Improving the conductivity of earth-abundant transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) remains an important challenge that will facilitate the replacement of indium-based TCOs. Here, we show that a hydrogen (H{sub 2})-plasma post-deposition treatment improves the conductivity of amorphous aluminum-doped zinc tin oxide while retaining its low optical absorption. We found that the H{sub 2}-plasma treatment performed at a substrate temperature of 50 °C reduces the resistivity of the films by 57% and increases the absorptance by only 2%. Additionally, the low substrate temperature delays the known formation of tin particles with the plasma and it allows the application of the process to temperature-sensitive substrates.

  2. Lithium intercalation in sputter deposited antimony-doped tin oxide thin films: Evidence from electrochemical and optical measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Montero, J., E-mail: jose.montero@angstrom.uu.se; Granqvist, C. G.; Niklasson, G. A. [Department of Engineering Sciences, The A°ngström Laboratory, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 534, SE-751 21 Uppsala (Sweden); Guillén, C.; Herrero, J. [Department of Energy, Ciemat, Avda. Complutense 40, Ed. 42, E-28040 Madrid (Spain)

    2014-04-21

    Transparent conducting oxides are used as transparent electrical contacts in a variety of applications, including in electrochromic smart windows. In the present work, we performed a study of transparent conducting antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) thin films by chronopotentiometry in a Li{sup +}-containing electrolyte. The open circuit potential vs. Li was used to investigate ATO band lineups, such as those of the Fermi level and the ionization potential, as well as the dependence of these lineups on the preparation conditions for ATO. Evidence was found for Li{sup +} intercalation when a current pulse was set in a way so as to drive ions from the electrolyte into the ATO lattice. Galvanostatic intermittent titration was then applied to determine the lithium diffusion coefficient within the ATO lattice. The electrochemical density of states of the conducting oxide was studied by means of the transient voltage recorded during the chronopotentiometry experiments. These measurements were possible because, as Li{sup +} intercalation took place, charge compensating electrons filled the lowest part of the conduction band in ATO. Furthermore, the charge insertion modified the optical properties of ATO according to the Drude model.

  3. Fabrication of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin film with pre-treated sol coating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hong, Sung-Jei; Han, Jeong-In

    2004-01-01

    A new pre-treated sol-coating method to fabricate an indium tin oxide (ITO) thin film is introduced in this paper. The pre-treatment sol-coating method is to form a seed layer on the substrate before spin coating of ITO sol. The pre-treatment was carried out at room temperature in order not to damage the substrate during the pre-treatment. It is effective to enhance the formation of the ITO sol film on the substrate, owing to the seed layer. The seed layer consists of ultrafine grains, which are observed at the pre-treated substrate. For the optimal pre-treatment condition, we used pre-treatment times of 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours to observe the effect on the characteristics of ITO sol film. As a result, the lowest resistance could be achieved with a pre-treatment time of 72 hours. The optical transmittance of the ITO sol film with the pre-treatment time of 72 hours exceeded 80 % at a wavelength of 400 nm. So, an ITO sol film with good electrical and optical properties could be fabricated by using the pretreatment sol coating.

  4. Hybrid nanocomposite based on cellulose and tin oxide: growth, structure, tensile and electrical characteristics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahadeva, Suresha K; Kim, Jaehwan

    2011-01-01

    A highly flexible nanocomposite was developed by coating a regenerated cellulose film with a thin layer of tin oxide (SnO 2 ) by liquid-phase deposition. Tin oxide was crystallized in solution and formed nanocrystal coatings on regenerated cellulose. The nanocrystalline layers did not exfoliate from cellulose. Transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy suggest that SnO 2 was not only deposited over the cellulose surface, but also nucleated and grew inside the cellulose film. Current-voltage characteristics of the nanocomposite revealed that its electrical resistivity decreases with deposition time, with the lowest value obtained for 24 h of deposition. The cellulose-SnO 2 hybrid nanocomposite can be used for biodegradable and disposable chemical, humidity and biosensors.

  5. Translation Effects in Fluorine Doped Tin Oxide Thin Film Properties by Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Vapour Deposition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Afzaal

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available In this work, the impact of translation rates in fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO thin films using atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition (APCVD were studied. We demonstrated that by adjusting the translation speeds of the susceptor, the growth rates of the FTO films varied and hence many of the film properties were modified. X-ray powder diffraction showed an increased preferred orientation along the (200 plane at higher translation rates, although with no actual change in the particle sizes. A reduction in dopant level resulted in decreased particle sizes and a much greater degree of (200 preferred orientation. For low dopant concentration levels, atomic force microscope (AFM studies showed a reduction in roughness (and lower optical haze with increased translation rate and decreased growth rates. Electrical measurements concluded that the resistivity, carrier concentration, and mobility of films were dependent on the level of fluorine dopant, the translation rate and hence the growth rates of the deposited films.

  6. Mesoporous tin-doped indium oxide thin films: effect of mesostructure on electrical conductivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Till von Graberg, Pascal Hartmann, Alexander Rein, Silvia Gross, Britta Seelandt, Cornelia Röger, Roman Zieba, Alexander Traut, Michael Wark, Jürgen Janek and Bernd M Smarsly

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available We present a versatile method for the preparation of mesoporous tin-doped indium oxide (ITO thin films via dip-coating. Two poly(isobutylene-b-poly(ethyleneoxide (PIB-PEO copolymers of significantly different molecular weight (denoted as PIB-PEO 3000 and PIB-PEO 20000 are used as templates and are compared with non-templated films to clarify the effect of the template size on the crystallization and, thus, on the electrochemical properties of mesoporous ITO films. Transparent, mesoporous, conductive coatings are obtained after annealing at 500 °C; these coatings have a specific resistance of 0.5 Ω cm at a thickness of about 100 nm. Electrical conductivity is improved by one order of magnitude by annealing under a reducing atmosphere. The two types of PIB-PEO block copolymers create mesopores with in-plane diameters of 20–25 and 35–45 nm, the latter also possessing correspondingly thicker pore walls. Impedance measurements reveal that the conductivity is significantly higher for films prepared with the template generating larger mesopores. Because of the same size of the primary nanoparticles, the enhanced conductivity is attributed to a higher conduction path cross section. Prussian blue was deposited electrochemically within the films, thus confirming the accessibility of their pores and their functionality as electrode material.

  7. Effects of gas flow rate on the structure and elemental composition of tin oxide thin films deposited by RF sputtering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Mansoori, Muntaser; Al-Shaibani, Sahar; Al-Jaeedi, Ahlam; Lee, Jisung; Choi, Daniel; Hasoon, Falah S.

    2017-12-01

    Photovoltaic technology is one of the key answers for a better sustainable future. An important layer in the structure of common photovoltaic cells is the transparent conductive oxide. A widely applied transparent conductive oxide is tin oxide (SnO2). The advantage of using tin oxide comes from its high stability and low cost in processing. In our study, we investigate effects of working gas flow rate and oxygen content in radio frequency (RF)-sputtering system on the growth of intrinsic SnO2 (i-SnO2) layers. X-ray diffraction results showed that amorphous-like with nano-crystallite structure, and the surface roughness varied from 1.715 to 3.936 nm. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed different types of point defects, such as tin interstitials and oxygen vacancies, in deposited i-SnO2 films.

  8. Effects of gas flow rate on the structure and elemental composition of tin oxide thin films deposited by RF sputtering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muntaser Al-Mansoori

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Photovoltaic technology is one of the key answers for a better sustainable future. An important layer in the structure of common photovoltaic cells is the transparent conductive oxide. A widely applied transparent conductive oxide is tin oxide (SnO2. The advantage of using tin oxide comes from its high stability and low cost in processing. In our study, we investigate effects of working gas flow rate and oxygen content in radio frequency (RF-sputtering system on the growth of intrinsic SnO2 (i-SnO2 layers. X-ray diffraction results showed that amorphous-like with nano-crystallite structure, and the surface roughness varied from 1.715 to 3.936 nm. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed different types of point defects, such as tin interstitials and oxygen vacancies, in deposited i-SnO2 films.

  9. Hydrolysis of bis(dimethylamido)tin to tin (II) oxyhydroxide and its selective transformation into tin (II) or tin (IV) oxide

    KAUST Repository

    Khanderi, Jayaprakash

    2015-03-01

    Sn6O4(OH)4, a hydrolysis product of Sn(NMe2)2, is transformed to tin (II) or tin (IV) oxide by solid and solution phase processing. Tin (II) oxide is formed by heating Sn6O4(OH)4 at ≤200 °C in air or under inert atmosphere. Tin (IV) oxide nanoparticles are formed in the presence of a carboxylic acid and base in air at room temperature. IR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetry (coupled with infrared spectroscopy), powder X-ray diffraction, high temperature X-ray diffraction, scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy are used for the characterization of Sn6O4(OH)4 and the investigation of its selective decomposition into SnO or SnO2. Spectroscopic and X-ray diffraction results indicate that SnO is formed by the removal of water from crystalline Sn6O4(OH)4. SEM shows octahedral morphology of the Sn6O4(OH)4, SnO and SnO2 with particle size from 400 nm-2 μm during solid state conversion. Solution phase transformation of Sn6O4(OH)4 to SnO2 occurs in the presence of potassium glutarate and oxygen. SnO2 particles are 15-20 nm in size.

  10. Sol–gel synthesis of nanostructured indium tin oxide with controlled morphology and porosity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kőrösi, László, E-mail: ltkorosi@gmail.com [Department of Biotechnology, Nanophage Therapy Center, Enviroinvest Corporation, Kertváros u. 2, H-7632 Pécs (Hungary); Scarpellini, Alice [Department of Nanochemistry, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, 16163 Genova (Italy); Petrik, Péter [Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, Konkoly-Thege út 29-33, H-1121 Budapest (Hungary); Papp, Szilvia [Department of Biotechnology, Nanophage Therapy Center, Enviroinvest Corporation, Kertváros u. 2, H-7632 Pécs (Hungary); Dékány, Imre [MTA-SZTE Supramolecular and Nanostructured Materials Research Group, University of Szeged, Dóm tér 8, H-6720 Szeged (Hungary)

    2014-11-30

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Nanocrystalline ITO thin films and powders were prepared by a sol–gel method. • The nature of the compounds used for hydrolysis plays a key role in the morphology. • Hydrolysis of In{sup 3+}/Sn{sup 4+} with EA led to a rod-like morphology. • Monodisperse spherical ITO nanoparticles were obtained on the use of AC. • ITO{sub E}A was highly porous, while ITO{sub A}C contained densely packed nanocrystals. - Abstract: Nanostructured indium tin oxide (ITO) powders and thin films differing in morphology and porosity were prepared by a sol–gel method. In{sup 3+} and Sn{sup 4+} were hydrolyzed in aqueous medium through the use of ethanolamine (EA) or sodium acetate (AC). X-ray diffraction measurements demonstrated that both EA and AC furnished indium tin hydroxide, which became nanocrystalline after aging for one day. The indium tin hydroxide samples calcined at 550 °C afforded ITO with a cubic crystal structure, but the morphology differed significantly, depending on the agent used for hydrolysis. Electron microscopy revealed the formation of round monodisperse nanoparticles when AC was used, whereas the application of EA led to rod-like ITO nanoparticles. Both types of nanoparticles were suitable for the preparation of transparent and conductive ITO thin films. The influence of the morphology and porosity on the optical properties is discussed.

  11. Relative SHG measurements of metal thin films: Gold, silver, aluminum, cobalt, chromium, germanium, nickel, antimony, titanium, titanium nitride, tungsten, zinc, silicon and indium tin oxide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Franklin Che

    Full Text Available We have experimentally measured the surface second-harmonic generation (SHG of sputtered gold, silver, aluminum, zinc, tungsten, copper, titanium, cobalt, nickel, chromium, germanium, antimony, titanium nitride, silicon and indium tin oxide thin films. The second-harmonic response was measured in reflection using a 150 fs p-polarized laser pulse at 1561 nm. We present a clear comparison of the SHG intensity of these films relative to each other. Our measured relative intensities compare favorably with the relative intensities of metals with published data. We also report for the first time to our knowledge the surface SHG intensity of tungsten and antimony relative to that of well known metallic thin films such as gold and silver. Keywords: Surface second-harmonic generation, Nonlinear optics, Metal thin films

  12. The use of a hierarchically platinum-free electrode composed of tin oxide decorated polypyrrole on nanoporous copper in catalysis of methanol electrooxidation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Asghari, Elnaz, E-mail: elnazasghari@yahoo.com; Ashassi-Sorkhabi, Habib; Vahed, Akram; Rezaei-Moghadam, Babak; Charmi, Gholam Reza

    2016-01-01

    Tin oxide nanoparticles were synthesized through a galvanostatic pathway on polypyrrole, PPy, coated nanoporous copper. The morphology and surface analysis of the assemblies were evaluated by field emission scanning electron microscopy, FESEM, and energy dispersive X-ray, EDX, analysis, respectively. The electrocatalytic behavior of electrodes was studied by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry tests in methanol solution. FESEM results showed that uniformly distributed nanoparticles with diameters of about 20–30 nm have been dispersed on PPy matrix. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry tests in methanol solution showed a significant enhancement in the catalytic action of PPy after decoration of tin oxide nanoparticles. Porous Cu/PPy/SnO{sub x} electrodes showed enhanced anodic peak current density for methanol oxidation compared to smooth Cu/PPy/SnO{sub x} and porous Cu/PPy. The effects of synthesis current density and time on the electrocatalytic behavior of the electrodes were evaluated. The significant enhancement of electrocatalytic behavior of the Cu/PPy electrode after decoration of SnO{sub x} overlayer was attributed to the effect of tin oxide on the adsorption of intermediates of methanol oxidation as well as oxidation of bi-products such as CO; huge tendency of tin oxides for dehydrogenation of the alcohols and the increase in microscopic surface area of the electrodes were introduced as other affecting factors. - Highlights: • Nanoporous copper–zinc substrates were formed by chemical leaching of zinc. • Polypyrrole thin film was electrodeposited on nanoporous copper. • Thin oxide nanoparticles were synthesized electrochemically on polypyrrole layer. • The catalytic performance of the electrodes was evaluated for methanol oxidation.

  13. Indium tin oxide thin film strain gages for use at elevated temperatures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Qing

    A robust ceramic thin film strain gage based on indium-tin-oxide (ITO) has been developed for static and dynamic strain measurements in advanced propulsion systems at temperatures up to 1400°C. These thin film sensors are ideally suited for in-situ strain measurement in harsh environments such as those encountered in the hot sections of gas turbine engines. A novel self-compensation scheme was developed using thin film platinum resistors placed in series with the active strain element (ITO) to minimize the thermal effect of strain or apparent strain. A mathematical model as well as design rules were developed for the self-compensated circuitry using this approach and close agreement between the model and actual static strain results has been achieved. High frequency dynamic strain tests were performed at temperatures up to 500°C and at frequencies up to 2000Hz to simulate conditions that would be encountered during engine vibration fatigue. The results indicated that the sensors could survive extreme test conditions while maintaining sensitivity. A reversible change in sign of the piezoresistive response from -G to +G was observed in the vicinity of 950°C, suggesting that the change carrier responsible for conduction in the ITO gage had been converted from a net "n-carrier" to a net "p-carrier" semiconductor. Electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) of the ITO films suggested they experienced an interfacial reaction with the Al2O3 substrate at 1400°C. It is likely that oxygen uptake from the substrate is responsible for stabilizing the ITO films to elevated temperatures through the interfacial reaction. Thermo gravimetric analysis of ITO films on alumina at elevated temperatures showed no sublimation of ITO films at temperature up to 1400°C. The surface morphology of ITO films heated to 800, 1200 and 1400°C were also evaluated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). A linear current-voltage (I--V) characteristic indicated that the contact interface

  14. Indium tin oxide with titanium doping for transparent conductive film application on CIGS solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Wei-Sheng; Cheng, Huai-Ming; Hu, Hung-Chun; Li, Ying-Tse; Huang, Shi-Da; Yu, Hau-Wei [Department of Photonics Engineering, Yuan Ze University, Chung-Li 32003, Taiwan (China); Pu, Nen-Wen, E-mail: nwpuccit@gmail.com [Department of Photonics Engineering, Yuan Ze University, Chung-Li 32003, Taiwan (China); Liang, Shih-Chang [Materials & Electro-Optics Research Division, National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, Lung Tan 32599, Taiwan (China)

    2015-11-01

    Highlights: • Ti-doped indium tin oxide (ITO) films were deposited by DC magnetron sputtering. • Optimal optoelectronic properties were achieved at a sputtering power of 100 W. • Resistivity = 3.2 × 10{sup −4} Ω-cm without substrate heating or post growth annealing. • Mean visible and NIR transmittances of 83 and 80%, respectively, were achieved. • Efficient batteries (11.3%) were fabricated by applying ITO:Ti to CIGS solar cells. - Abstract: In this study, Ti-doped indium tin oxide (ITO:Ti) thin films were fabricated using a DC-magnetron sputtering deposition method. The thin films were grown without introducing oxygen or heating the substrate, and no post-growth annealing was performed after fabrication. The thickness of the ITO:Ti thin films (350 nm) was controlled while increasing the sputtering power from 50 to 150 W. According to the results, the optimal optoelectronic properties were observed in ITO:Ti thin films grown at a sputtering power of 100 W, yielding a reduced resistivity of 3.2 × 10{sup −4} Ω-cm and a mean high transmittance of 83% at wavelengths ranging from 400 to 800 nm. The optimal ITO:Ti thin films were used to fabricate a Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} solar cell that exhibited a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 11.3%, a short-circuit current density of 33.1 mA/cm{sup 2}, an open-circuit voltage of 0.54 V, and a fill factor of 0.64.

  15. Amorphous Tin Oxide as a Low-Temperature-Processed Electron-Transport Layer for Organic and Hybrid Perovskite Solar Cells

    KAUST Repository

    Barbe, Jeremy; Tietze, Max Lutz; Neophytou, Marios; Banavoth, Murali; Alarousu, Erkki; El Labban, Abdulrahman; Abulikemu, Mutalifu; Yue, Wan; Mohammed, Omar F.; McCulloch, Iain; Amassian, Aram; Del Gobbo, Silvano

    2017-01-01

    Chemical bath deposition (CBD) of tin oxide (SnO) thin films as an electron-transport layer (ETL) in a planar-heterojunction n-i-p organohalide lead perovskite and organic bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells is reported. The amorphous SnO (a

  16. Combined TiN- and TaN temperature compensated thin film resistors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malmros, Anna; Andersson, Kristoffer; Rorsman, Niklas

    2012-01-01

    The opposite signs of the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of two thin film materials, titanium nitride (TiN) and tantalum nitride (TaN), were used to form temperature compensated thin film resistors (TFRs). The principle of designing temperature compensated TFRs by connecting TFRs of each compound in series or in parallel was demonstrated. TiN, TaN, and combined TiN and TaN TFRs for monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) were fabricated by reactive sputtering. DC characterization was performed over the temperature range of 30–200 °C. The TiN TFRs exhibited an increase in resistivity with temperature with TCRs of 540 and 750 ppm/°C. The TaN TFR on the other hand exhibited a negative TCR of − 470 ppm/°C. The shunted TFRs were fabricated by serial deposition of TiN and TaN to form a bilayer component. The TCRs of the series- and shunt configurations were experimentally reduced to − 60 and 100 ppm/°C, respectively. The concept of temperature compensation was used to build a Wheatstone bridge with an application in on-chip temperature sensing.

  17. Nanocrystalline SnO2 formation by oxygen ion implantation in tin thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kondkar, Vidya; Rukade, Deepti; Kanjilal, Dinakar; Bhattacharyya, Varsha

    2018-03-01

    Metallic tin thin films of thickness 100 nm are deposited on fused silica substrates by thermal evaporation technique. These films are implanted with 45 keV oxygen ions at fluences ranging from 5 × 1015 to 5 × 1016 ions cm-2. The energy of the oxygen ions is calculated using SRIM in order to form embedded phases at the film-substrate interface. Post-implantation, films are annealed using a tube furnace for nanocrystalline tin oxide formation. These films are characterized using x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. XRD and Raman spectroscopy studies reveal the formation of single rutile phase of SnO2. The size of the nanocrystallites formed decreases with an increase in the ion fluence. The nanocrystalline SnO2 formation is also confirmed by UV-vis and photoluminescence spectroscopy.

  18. Reaction Mechanisms of the Atomic Layer Deposition of Tin Oxide Thin Films Using Tributyltin Ethoxide and Ozone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nanayakkara, Charith E; Liu, Guo; Vega, Abraham; Dezelah, Charles L; Kanjolia, Ravindra K; Chabal, Yves J

    2017-06-20

    Uniform and conformal deposition of tin oxide thin films is important for several applications in electronics, gas sensing, and transparent conducting electrodes. Thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) is often best suited for these applications, but its implementation requires a mechanistic understanding of the initial nucleation and subsequent ALD processes. To this end, in situ FTIR and ex situ XPS have been used to explore the ALD of tin oxide films using tributyltin ethoxide and ozone on an OH-terminated, SiO 2 -passivated Si(111) substrate. Direct chemisorption of tributyltin ethoxide on surface OH groups and clear evidence that subsequent ligand exchange are obtained, providing mechanistic insight. Upon ozone pulse, the butyl groups react with ozone, forming surface carbonate and formate. The subsequent tributyltin ethoxide pulse removes the carbonate and formate features with the appearance of the bands for CH stretching and bending modes of the precursor butyl ligands. This ligand-exchange behavior is repeated for subsequent cycles, as is characteristic of ALD processes, and is clearly observed for deposition temperatures of 200 and 300 °C. On the basis of the in situ vibrational data, a reaction mechanism for the ALD process of tributyltin ethoxide and ozone is presented, whereby ligands are fully eliminated. Complementary ex situ XPS depth profiles confirm that the bulk of the films is carbon-free, that is, formate and carbonate are not incorporated into the film during the deposition process, and that good-quality SnO x films are produced. Furthermore, the process was scaled up in a cross-flow reactor at 225 °C, which allowed the determination of the growth rate (0.62 Å/cycle) and confirmed a self-limiting ALD growth at 225 and 268 °C. An analysis of the temperature-dependence data reveals that growth rate increases linearly between 200 and 300 °C.

  19. Synthesis of nano-structured tin oxide thin films with faster response to LPG and ammonia by spray pyrolysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    PrasannaKumari, K.; Thomas, Boben

    2018-01-01

    Nanostructured SnO2 thin film have been efficiently fabricated by spray pyrolysis using atomizers of different types. The structure and morphology of as-prepared samples are investigated by techniques such as x-ray diffraction, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. Significant morphological changes are observed in films by modifying the precursor atomization as a result of change of spray device. The optical characterization indicates that change in atomization, affects the absorbance and the band gap, following the varied crystallite size. Gas sensing investigations on ultrasonically prepared tin oxide films show NH3 response at operating temperatures lower down to 50 °C. For 1000 ppm of LPG the response at 350 °C for air blast atomizer film is about 99%, with short response and recovery times. The photoluminescence emmision spectra reveal the correlation between atomization process and the quantity of oxygen vacancies present in the samples. The favorable size reduction in microstructure with good crystallinity with slight change in lattice properties suggest their scope in gas sensing applications. On the basis of these characterizations, the mechanism of LPG and NH3 gas sensing of nanostructured SnO2 thin films has been proposed.

  20. Properties of Polydisperse Tin-doped Dysprosium and Indium Oxides

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Malinovskaya Tatyana

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The results of investigations of the complex permittivity, diffuse-reflectance, and characteristics of crystal lattices of tin-doped indium and dysprosium oxides are presented. Using the methods of spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis, it is shown that doping of indium oxide with tin results in a significant increase of the components of the indium oxide complex permittivity and an appearance of the plasma resonance in its diffuse-reflectance spectra. This indicates the appearance of charge carriers with the concentration of more than 1021 cm−3 in the materials. On the other hand, doping of the dysprosium oxide with the same amount of tin has no effect on its optical and electromagnetic properties.

  1. Achieving high carrier mobility exceeding 70 cm2/Vs in amorphous zinc tin oxide thin-film transistors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Sang Tae; Shin, Yeonwoo; Yun, Pil Sang; Bae, Jong Uk; Chung, In Jae; Jeong, Jae Kyeong

    2017-09-01

    This paper proposes a new defect engineering concept for low-cost In- and Ga-free zinc tin oxide (ZTO) thin-film transistors (TFTs). This concept is comprised of capping ZTO films with tantalum (Ta) and a subsequent modest thermal annealing treatment at 200 °C. The Ta-capped ZTO TFTs exhibited a remarkably high carrier mobility of 70.8 cm2/Vs, low subthreshold gate swing of 0.18 V/decade, threshold voltage of -1.3 V, and excellent ION/OFF ratio of 2 × 108. The improvement (> two-fold) in the carrier mobility compared to the uncapped ZTO TFT can be attributed to the effective reduction of the number of adverse tailing trap states, such as hydroxyl groups or oxygen interstitial defects, which stems from the scavenging effect of the Ta capping layer on the ZTO channel layer. Furthermore, the Ta-capped ZTO TFTs showed excellent positive and negative gate bias stress stabilities. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  2. Synthesis, characterization and photoluminescence of tin oxide nanoribbons and nanowires

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Duraia, El-Shazly M.A., E-mail: duraia_physics@yahoo.co [Suez Canal University, Faculty of Science, Physics Department, Ismailia (Egypt); Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty (Kazakhstan); Institute of Physics and Technology, 11 Ibragimov Street, 050032 Almaty (Kazakhstan); Mansorov, Z.A. [Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty (Kazakhstan); Tokmolden, S. [Institute of Physics and Technology, 11 Ibragimov Street, 050032 Almaty (Kazakhstan)

    2009-11-15

    In this work we report the successful formation of tin oxide nanowires and tin oxide nanoribbons with high yield and by using simple cheap method. We also report the formation of curved nanoribbon, wedge-like tin oxide nanowires and star-like nanowires. The growth mechanism of these structures has been studied. Scanning electron microscope was used in the analysis and the EDX analysis showed that our samples is purely Sn and O with ratio 1:2. X-ray analysis was also used in the characterization of the tin oxide nanowire and showed the high crystallinity of our nanowires. The mechanism of the growth of our1D nanostructures is closely related to the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) process. The photoluminescence PL measurements for the tin oxide nanowires indicated that there are three stable emission peaks centered at wavelengths 630, 565 and 395 nm. The nature of the transition may be attributed to nanocrystals inside the nanobelts or to Sn or O vacancies occurring during the growth which can induce trapped states in the band gap.

  3. The electronic structure of co-sputtered zinc indium tin oxide thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carreras, Paz; Antony, Aldrin; Bertomeu, Joan [Departament de Fisica Aplicada i Optica, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Gutmann, Sebastian [Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620 (United States); Schlaf, Rudy [Department of Electrical Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620 (United States)

    2011-10-01

    Zinc indium tin oxide (ZITO) transparent conductive oxide layers were deposited via radio frequency (RF) magnetron co-sputtering at room temperature. A series of samples with gradually varying zinc content was investigated. The samples were characterized with x-ray and ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (XPS, UPS) to determine the electronic structure of the surface. Valence and conduction bands maxima (VBM, CBM), and work function were determined. The experiments indicate that increasing Zn content results in films with a higher defect rate at the surface leading to the formation of a degenerately doped surface layer if the Zn content surpasses {approx}50%. Furthermore, the experiments demonstrate that ZITO is susceptible to ultraviolet light induced work function reduction, similar to what was earlier observed on ITO and TiO{sub 2} films.

  4. Prediction of crack density and electrical resistance changes in indium tin oxide/polymer thin films under tensile loading

    KAUST Repository

    Mora Cordova, Angel

    2014-06-11

    We present unified predictions for the crack onset strain, evolution of crack density, and changes in electrical resistance in indium tin oxide/polymer thin films under tensile loading. We propose a damage mechanics model to quantify and predict such changes as an alternative to fracture mechanics formulations. Our predictions are obtained by assuming that there are no flaws at the onset of loading as opposed to the assumptions of fracture mechanics approaches. We calibrate the crack onset strain and the damage model based on experimental data reported in the literature. We predict crack density and changes in electrical resistance as a function of the damage induced in the films. We implement our model in the commercial finite element software ABAQUS using a user subroutine UMAT. We obtain fair to good agreement with experiments. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

  5. Synthesis and Characterization of Nanocomposites Tin Oxide-Graphene Doping Pd Using Polyol Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aminuddin Debataraja

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper report on polyol method for Pd doped tin oxide-graphene nanocomposite thin film. XRD result shows sharp peaks at certain 2θ value and match with tin oxide, graphene, and Pd database. FTIR result shows peak from alcohol chain for –OH strong bonded absorption (3444 cm-1, also there are aldehyde and ketone which are indicated by C=O strong absorption (1751 cm-1. Moreover, alkene is also formed for decreasing symmetry intensity C=C (1616 cm-1, while alkyne is formed at strong deformation absorption at 646 and 613 cm-1. SEM and TEM result show SnO2 particles are attached uniformly on graphene surface layer. The composition for C, O, Sn, and Pd are 33.13, 25.58, 35.35 and 5.94%, respectively. This result indicated that the good composition is formed for Pd doped SnO2-graphene nanocomposite. The nanocomposite is promising materials for toxic gas sensor application at low temperature.

  6. TDPAC characterization of tin oxides using 181Ta

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moreno, M.S.; Desimoni, J.; Requejo, F.G.; Renteria, M.; Bibiloni, A.G.

    1991-01-01

    In connection with a general study of the evolution of tin-oxygen thin films, we report here on the hyperfine interactions of 181 Ta substitutionally replacing tin in the isolated phases SnO and SnO 2 . For this purpose, pure SnO pressed powder and a thin SnO 2 film were implanted with 181 Hf. In both cases, unique quadrupole frequencies were found after thermal annealing treatments. The results indicate that the following hyperfine parameters: ν Q =740.6(2.1) MHz, η=0.07(2) and ν Q =971.5(1.9) MHz, η=0.72(1) characterize 181 Ta and SnO and SnO 2 , respectively. (orig.)

  7. Electrical and optical properties of indium tin oxide thin films deposited on unheated substrates by d.c. reactive sputtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karasawa, T.; Miyata, Y.

    1993-01-01

    Transparent conducting thin films of indium tin oxide (ITO) have been deposited by d.c. reactive planar magnetron sputtering by using metal In-Sn alloy target in an Ar-O 2 gas mixture. The study demonstrates that the deposition on unheated substrates achieved sheet resistance of as low as about 50-60 Ω/□ (or a resistivity of about 7 x 10 -4 Ω cm), and visible transmission of about 90% for a wavelength of 420 nm. The effects of heat treatment at 450 C in air depends on the deposition conditions of the as-deposited ITO films. Although annealing improves the properties of as-deposited ITO films which were deposited with non-optimum conditions, the optimized condition for the formation of the film in the as-deposited state is essential to obtain a high quality transparent conducting coating. (orig.)

  8. Structure, optical and electrical properties of indium tin oxide ultra thin films prepared by jet nebulizer spray pyrolysis technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Thirumoorthi

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Indium tin oxide (ITO thin films have been prepared by jet nebulizer spray pyrolysis technique for different Sn concentrations on glass substrates. X-ray diffraction patterns reveal that all the films are polycrystalline of cubic structure with preferentially oriented along (222 plane. SEM images show that films exhibit uniform surface morphology with well-defined spherical particles. The EDX spectrum confirms the presence of In, Sn and O elements in prepared films. AFM result indicates that the surface roughness of the films is reduced as Sn doping. The optical transmittance of ITO thin films is improved from 77% to 87% in visible region and optical band gap is increased from 3.59 to 4.07 eV. Photoluminescence spectra show mainly three emissions peaks (UV, blue and green and a shift observed in UV emission peak. The presence of functional groups and chemical bonding was analyzed by FTIR. Hall effect measurements show prepared films having n-type conductivity with low resistivity (3.9 × 10−4 Ω-cm and high carrier concentrations (6.1 × 1020 cm−3.

  9. Magnetron sputtered TiN thin films toward enhanced performance supercapacitor electrodes

    KAUST Repository

    Wei, Binbin

    2018-04-09

    Supercapacitors as a new type of energy storage devices bridging the gap between conventional capacitors and batteries have aroused widespread concern. Herein, binder-free titanium nitride (TiN) thin film electrodes for supercapacitors prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering technology are reported. The effect of N2 content on the supercapacitor performance is evaluated. A highest specific capacitance of 27.3 mF cm−2 at a current density of 1.0 mA cm−2, together with excellent cycling performance (98.2% capacitance retention after 20,000 cycles at 2.0 mA cm−2) is achieved in a 0.5 M H2SO4 aqueous electrolyte. More importantly, a symmetric supercapacitor device assembled on the basis of TiN thin films can deliver a maximum energy density of 17.6 mWh cm−3 at a current density of 0.2 mA cm−2 and a maximum power density of 10.8 W cm−3 at a current density of 2 mA cm−2 with remarkable cycling stability. As a consequence, TiN thin films demonstrate great potential as promising supercapacitor electrode materials.

  10. Magnetron sputtered TiN thin films toward enhanced performance supercapacitor electrodes

    KAUST Repository

    Wei, Binbin; Liang, Hanfeng; Zhang, Dongfang; Qi, Zhengbing; Shen, Hao; Wang, Zhoucheng

    2018-01-01

    Supercapacitors as a new type of energy storage devices bridging the gap between conventional capacitors and batteries have aroused widespread concern. Herein, binder-free titanium nitride (TiN) thin film electrodes for supercapacitors prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering technology are reported. The effect of N2 content on the supercapacitor performance is evaluated. A highest specific capacitance of 27.3 mF cm−2 at a current density of 1.0 mA cm−2, together with excellent cycling performance (98.2% capacitance retention after 20,000 cycles at 2.0 mA cm−2) is achieved in a 0.5 M H2SO4 aqueous electrolyte. More importantly, a symmetric supercapacitor device assembled on the basis of TiN thin films can deliver a maximum energy density of 17.6 mWh cm−3 at a current density of 0.2 mA cm−2 and a maximum power density of 10.8 W cm−3 at a current density of 2 mA cm−2 with remarkable cycling stability. As a consequence, TiN thin films demonstrate great potential as promising supercapacitor electrode materials.

  11. The effect of substrate temperature on atomic layer deposited zinc tin oxide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lindahl, Johan, E-mail: johan.lindahl@angstrom.uu.se; Hägglund, Carl, E-mail: carl.hagglund@angstrom.uu.se; Wätjen, J. Timo, E-mail: timo.watjen@angstrom.uu.se; Edoff, Marika, E-mail: marika.edoff@angstrom.uu.se; Törndahl, Tobias, E-mail: tobias.torndahl@angstrom.uu.se

    2015-07-01

    Zinc tin oxide (ZTO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by atomic layer deposition (ALD), and the film properties were investigated for varying deposition temperatures in the range of 90 to 180 °C. It was found that the [Sn]/([Sn] + [Zn]) composition is only slightly temperature dependent, while properties such as growth rate, film density, material structure and band gap are more strongly affected. The growth rate dependence on deposition temperature varies with the relative number of zinc or tin containing precursor pulses and it correlates with the growth rate behavior of pure ZnO and SnO{sub x} ALD. In contrast to the pure ZnO phase, the density of the mixed ZTO films is found to depend on the deposition temperature and it increases linearly with about 1 g/cm{sup 3} in total over the investigated range. Characterization by transmission electron microscopy suggests that zinc rich ZTO films contain small (~ 10 nm) ZnO or ZnO(Sn) crystallites embedded in an amorphous matrix, and that these crystallites increase in size with increasing zinc content and deposition temperature. These crystallites are small enough for quantum confinement effects to reduce the optical band gap of the ZTO films as they grow in size with increasing deposition temperature. - Highlights: • Zinc tin oxide thin films were deposited by atomic layer deposition. • The structure and optical properties were studied at different growth temperatures. • The growth temperature had only a small effect on the composition of the films. • Small ZnO or ZnO(Sn) crystallites were observed by TEM in zinc rich ZTO films. • The growth temperature affects the crystallite size, which influences the band gap.

  12. The effect of substrate temperature on atomic layer deposited zinc tin oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindahl, Johan; Hägglund, Carl; Wätjen, J. Timo; Edoff, Marika; Törndahl, Tobias

    2015-01-01

    Zinc tin oxide (ZTO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by atomic layer deposition (ALD), and the film properties were investigated for varying deposition temperatures in the range of 90 to 180 °C. It was found that the [Sn]/([Sn] + [Zn]) composition is only slightly temperature dependent, while properties such as growth rate, film density, material structure and band gap are more strongly affected. The growth rate dependence on deposition temperature varies with the relative number of zinc or tin containing precursor pulses and it correlates with the growth rate behavior of pure ZnO and SnO x ALD. In contrast to the pure ZnO phase, the density of the mixed ZTO films is found to depend on the deposition temperature and it increases linearly with about 1 g/cm 3 in total over the investigated range. Characterization by transmission electron microscopy suggests that zinc rich ZTO films contain small (~ 10 nm) ZnO or ZnO(Sn) crystallites embedded in an amorphous matrix, and that these crystallites increase in size with increasing zinc content and deposition temperature. These crystallites are small enough for quantum confinement effects to reduce the optical band gap of the ZTO films as they grow in size with increasing deposition temperature. - Highlights: • Zinc tin oxide thin films were deposited by atomic layer deposition. • The structure and optical properties were studied at different growth temperatures. • The growth temperature had only a small effect on the composition of the films. • Small ZnO or ZnO(Sn) crystallites were observed by TEM in zinc rich ZTO films. • The growth temperature affects the crystallite size, which influences the band gap

  13. Correlation between the structure and optical transition characteristic energies of annealed tin oxide films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Majid, W.H.A.; Muhamad, M.R.

    1990-01-01

    Thin films of tin oxide were prepared by room temperature thermal evaporation of blue-black stannous-oxide, SnO powder synthesized from metal tin. X-ray diffractograms reveal that as prepared amorphous samples form polycrystal of SnO by annealing at 300 0 C in air ambient for 30 minutes and they will be oxidized to polycrystal of SnO 2 with further annealing at 500 0 C or above. Optical measurements indicate that the dispersion energy E d and the single oscillator strength E 0 are highest for SnO polycrystal with a magnitude for about 14.0 eV and 4.0 eV respectively compared to 10.4 eV and 3.4 eV for SnO 2 . Further, the plasma energy E p was determined to be in the range of 3.4 eV to 8 eV; increases with increasing composition of SnO 2 . The density of valence electron N(E) can be estimated from the plasma energy E p

  14. Correlative scanning electron and confocal microscopy imaging of labeled cells coated by indium-tin-oxide

    KAUST Repository

    Rodighiero, Simona

    2015-03-22

    Confocal microscopy imaging of cells allows to visualize the presence of specific antigens by using fluorescent tags or fluorescent proteins, with resolution of few hundreds of nanometers, providing their localization in a large field-of-view and the understanding of their cellular function. Conversely, in scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the surface morphology of cells is imaged down to nanometer scale using secondary electrons. Combining both imaging techniques have brought to the correlative light and electron microscopy, contributing to investigate the existing relationships between biological surface structures and functions. Furthermore, in SEM, backscattered electrons (BSE) can image local compositional differences, like those due to nanosized gold particles labeling cellular surface antigens. To perform SEM imaging of cells, they could be grown on conducting substrates, but obtaining images of limited quality. Alternatively, they could be rendered electrically conductive, coating them with a thin metal layer. However, when BSE are collected to detect gold-labeled surface antigens, heavy metals cannot be used as coating material, as they would mask the BSE signal produced by the markers. Cell surface could be then coated with a thin layer of chromium, but this results in a loss of conductivity due to the fast chromium oxidation, if the samples come in contact with air. In order to overcome these major limitations, a thin layer of indium-tin-oxide was deposited by ion-sputtering on gold-decorated HeLa cells and neurons. Indium-tin-oxide was able to provide stable electrical conductivity and preservation of the BSE signal coming from the gold-conjugated markers. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Excimer laser sintering of indium tin oxide nanoparticles for fabricating thin films of variable thickness on flexible substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Taesoon; Kim, Dongsik

    2015-01-01

    Technology to fabricate electrically-conducting, transparent thin-film patterns on flexible substrates has possible applications in flexible electronics. In this work, a pulsed-laser sintering process applicable to indium tin oxide (ITO) thin-film fabrication on a substrate without thermal damage to the substrate was developed. A nanosecond pulsed laser was used to minimize thermal penetration into the substrate and to control the thickness of the sintered layer. ITO nanoparticles (NPs) of ~ 20 nm diameter were used to lower the process temperature by exploiting their low melting point. ITO thin film patterns were fabricated by first spin coating the NPs onto a surface, then sintering them using a KrF excimer laser. The sintered films were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy. The electrical resistivity and transparency of the film were measured by varying the process parameters. A single laser pulse could generate the polycrystalline structure (average grain size ~ 200 nm), reducing the electrical resistivity of the film by a factor of ~ 1000. The sintering process led to a minimum resistivity of 1.1 × 10 −4 Ω·m without losing the transparency of the film. The thickness of the sintered layer could be varied up to 150 nm by adjusting the laser fluence. Because the estimated thermal penetration depth in the ITO film was less than 200 nm, no thermal damage was observed in the substrate. This work suggests that the proposed process, combined with various particle deposition methods, can be an effective tool to form thin-film ITO patterns on flexible substrates. - Highlights: • Excimer laser sintering can fabricate ITO thin films on flexible substrates. • The laser pulse can form a polycrystalline structure without thermal damage. • The laser sintering process can reduce the electrical resistivity substantially. • The thickness of the sintered layer can be varied effectively

  16. Excimer laser sintering of indium tin oxide nanoparticles for fabricating thin films of variable thickness on flexible substrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Taesoon; Kim, Dongsik, E-mail: dskim87@postech.ac.kr

    2015-03-02

    Technology to fabricate electrically-conducting, transparent thin-film patterns on flexible substrates has possible applications in flexible electronics. In this work, a pulsed-laser sintering process applicable to indium tin oxide (ITO) thin-film fabrication on a substrate without thermal damage to the substrate was developed. A nanosecond pulsed laser was used to minimize thermal penetration into the substrate and to control the thickness of the sintered layer. ITO nanoparticles (NPs) of ~ 20 nm diameter were used to lower the process temperature by exploiting their low melting point. ITO thin film patterns were fabricated by first spin coating the NPs onto a surface, then sintering them using a KrF excimer laser. The sintered films were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy. The electrical resistivity and transparency of the film were measured by varying the process parameters. A single laser pulse could generate the polycrystalline structure (average grain size ~ 200 nm), reducing the electrical resistivity of the film by a factor of ~ 1000. The sintering process led to a minimum resistivity of 1.1 × 10{sup −4} Ω·m without losing the transparency of the film. The thickness of the sintered layer could be varied up to 150 nm by adjusting the laser fluence. Because the estimated thermal penetration depth in the ITO film was less than 200 nm, no thermal damage was observed in the substrate. This work suggests that the proposed process, combined with various particle deposition methods, can be an effective tool to form thin-film ITO patterns on flexible substrates. - Highlights: • Excimer laser sintering can fabricate ITO thin films on flexible substrates. • The laser pulse can form a polycrystalline structure without thermal damage. • The laser sintering process can reduce the electrical resistivity substantially. • The thickness of the sintered layer can be varied effectively.

  17. Low-temperature Synthesis of Tin(II) Oxide From Tin(II) ketoacidoximate Precursor

    KAUST Repository

    Alshankiti, Buthainah

    2015-04-01

    Sn (II) oxide finds numerous applications in different fields such as thin film transistors1, solar cells2 and sensors.3 In this study we present the fabrication of tin monoxide SnO by using Sn (II) ketoacid oximate complexes as precursors. Tin (II) ketoacidoximates of the type [HON=CRCOO]2Sn where R= Me 1, R= CH2Ph 2, and [(MeON=CMeCOO)3Sn]- NH4 +.2H2O 3 were synthesized by in situ formation of the ketoacid oximate ligand. The crystal structures were determined via single crystal X- ray diffraction of the complexes 1-3 revealed square planar and square pyramidal coordination environments for the Sn atom. Intramolecular hydrogen bonding is observed in all the complexes. Furthermore, the complexes were characterized by Infrared (IR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and elemental analysis. From thermogravimetric analysis of 1-3, it was found that the complexes decomposed in the range of 160 – 165 oC. Analysis of the gases evolved during decomposition indicated complete loss of the oximato ligand in one step and the formation of SnO. Spin coating of 1 on silicon or glass substrate show uniform coating of SnO. Band gaps of SnO films were measured and found to be in the range of 3.0 – 3.3 eV by UV-Vis spectroscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated surface oxidation of the SnO film. Heating 1 above 140 oC in air gives SnO of size ranging from 10 – 500 nm and is spherical in shape. The SnO nanomaterial is characterized by powder X-ray diffraction(XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM).

  18. Indium-tin-oxide thin film transistor biosensors for label-free detection of avian influenza virus H5N1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo, Di; Zhuo, Ming; Zhang, Xiaoai; Xu, Cheng; Jiang, Jie; Gao, Fu; Wan, Qing; Li, Qiuhong; Wang, Taihong

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► A highly selective label-free biosensor is established based on indium-tin-oxide thin-film transistors (ITO TFTs). ► AI H5N1 virus was successfully detected through shift in threshold voltage and field-effect mobility of ITO TFT. ► The ITO TFT is applied in biosensor for the first time and shows good reusability and stability. ► Fabrication of the platform is simple with low cost, which is suitable for mass commercial production. -- Abstract: As continuous outbreak of avian influenza (AI) has become a threat to human health, economic development and social stability, it is urgently necessary to detect the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus quickly. In this study, we fabricated indium-tin-oxide thin-film transistors (ITO TFTs) on a glass substrate for the detecting of AI H5N1. The ITO TFT is fabricated by a one-shadow-mask process in which a channel layer can be simultaneously self-assembled between ITO source/drain electrodes during magnetron sputtering deposition. Monoclonal anti-H5N1 antibodies specific for AI H5N1 virus were covalently immobilized on the ITO channel by (3-glycidoxypropyl)trimethoxysilane. The introduction of target AI H5N1 virus affected the electronic properties of the ITO TFT, which caused a change in the resultant threshold voltage (V T ) and field-effect mobility. The changes of I D –V G curves were consistent with an n-type field effect transistor behavior affected by nearby negatively charged AI H5N1 viruses. The transistor based sensor demonstrated high selectivity and stability for AI H5N1 virus sensing. The sensor showed linear response to AI H5N1 in the concentrations range from 5 × 10 −9 g mL −1 to 5 × 10 −6 g mL −1 with a detection limit of 0.8 × 10 −10 g mL −1 . Moreover, the ITO TFT biosensors can be repeatedly used through the washing processes. With its excellent electric properties and the potential for mass commercial production, ITO TFTs can be promising candidates for the

  19. The Preparation and Property of Graphene /Tin Oxide Transparent Conductive Film

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    SUN Tao

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Graphene doped tin oxide composites were prepared with SnCIZ·2HZ 0 and graphene oxide as raw materials with sol-gel method and then spincoated on the quartz glass to manufacture a new transparent conductive film. The composite film was characterized with X-ray diffraction(XRDand scanning electron microscopy(SEM analysis. XRD results show that the graphene oxide was successfully prepared with Hummers method. The graphene layers and particulate SnOZ can be clearly observed in SEM photos. The transmittance and conductivity of the thin films were tested with ultraviolet visible spectrophotometer and Hall effect measurement. The results show that the transmittivity of composite film in visible region is more than 90% and surface square resistance is 41 S2/口.The graphene/ SnOZ film exhibits a higher performance in transparence and conductivity than commercial FTO glass.

  20. Conversion electron Moessbauer spectroscopic studies on the chemical states of surface layers of corroded tin plates and tin-coated iron plates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kato, Akinori; Endo, Kazutoyo; Sano, Hirotoshi

    1980-01-01

    By means of the conversion electron Moessbauer spectroscopy (CEMS), we studied surface layers of ''tin'' plates and tin-coated iron plates corroded by various acids. Transmission Moessbauer spectra and X-ray diffraction patterns were also measured. Metastannic acid was formed, when the ''tin'' plate was corroded by nitric acid solution. In corrosion by phosphoric acid solution, the X-ray diffractometry revealed the formation of tin(IV) pyrophosphate. In corrosion by various organic acid solutions, the formation of oxides was identified by the 119 Sn CEMS, but not by the X-ray diffractometry because of the too thin corrosion layer. In corrosion of tin-coated iron plates, maleic acid, malonic acid, formic acid, and oxalic acid were used. It was determined by CEMS that the corrosion products caused by these acids were tin(IV) oxides, although they could not be identified by the X-ray diffractometry. CEMS also confirmed that the surface of uncorroded tin-coated iron plate was already oxidized by air. Colorimetric determinations of Sn and Fe dissolved from tin-coated iron plates to various acid solutions confirmed that maleic acid had the strongest corrosion effect among the organic acids studied. (author)

  1. 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.

  2. Improvement of the optoelectronic properties of tin oxide transparent conductive thin films through lanthanum doping

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mrabet, C., E-mail: chokri.mrabet@hotmail.com; Boukhachem, A.; Amlouk, M.; Manoubi, T.

    2016-05-05

    This work highlights some physical investigations on tin oxide thin films doped with different lanthanum content (ratio La–to-Sn = 0–3%). Such doped thin films have been successfully grown by spray pyrolysis onto glass substrates at 450 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed that SnO{sub 2}:La thin films were polycrystalline with tetragonal crystal structure. The preferred orientation of crystallites for undoped SnO{sub 2} thin film was along (110) plane, whereas La-doped ones have rather preferential orientations along (200) direction. Although the grain size values exhibited a decreasing tendency with increasing doping content confirming the role of La as a grain growth inhibitor, dislocation density and microstrain values showed an increasing tendency. Also, Raman spectroscopy shows the bands corresponding to the tetragonal structure for the entire range of La doping. The same technique confirms the presence of La{sub 2}O{sub 3} as secondary phase. Moreover, SEM images showed a porous architecture with presence of big clusters with different sizes and shapes resulting from the agglomeration of small grains round shaped. Photoluminescence spectra of SnO{sub 2}:La thin films exhibit a decrease in the emission intensity with La concentration due to the decrease in grain size. Optical transmittance spectra of the films showed high transparency (∼80%) in the visible region. The dispersion of the refractive index is discussed using both Cauchy model and Wemple–Di-Domenico method. The optical band gap values vary slightly with La doping and were found to be around 3.8 eV. It has been found that La doping causes a pronounced decrease in the sheet resistance by up to two orders of magnitude and allows improving the Haacke's figure of merit (Φ) of the sprayed thin films. Moreover, we have introduced for a first time a new figure of merit for qualifying photo-thermal conversion applications. The obtained high conducting and transparent SnO{sub 2}:La

  3. Indium tin oxide thin-films prepared by vapor phase pyrolysis for efficient silicon based solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Simashkevich, Alexei, E-mail: alexeisimashkevich@hotmail.com [Institute of Applied Physics, 5 Academiei str., Chisinau, MD-2028, Republic of Moldova (Moldova, Republic of); Serban, Dormidont; Bruc, Leonid; Curmei, Nicolai [Institute of Applied Physics, 5 Academiei str., Chisinau, MD-2028, Republic of Moldova (Moldova, Republic of); Hinrichs, Volker [Institut für Heterogene Materialsysteme, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Lise-Meitner Campus, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin (Germany); Rusu, Marin [Institute of Applied Physics, 5 Academiei str., Chisinau, MD-2028, Republic of Moldova (Moldova, Republic of); Institut für Heterogene Materialsysteme, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Lise-Meitner Campus, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin (Germany)

    2016-07-01

    The vapor phase pyrolysis deposition method was developed for the preparation of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films with thicknesses ranging between 300 and 400 nm with the sheet resistance of 10–15 Ω/sq. and the transparency in the visible region of the spectrum over 80%. The layers were deposited on the (100) surface of the n-type silicon wafers with the charge carriers concentration of ~ 10{sup 15} cm{sup −3}. The morphology of the ITO layers deposited on Si wafers with different surface morphologies, e.g., smooth (polished), rough (irregularly structured) and textured (by inversed pyramids) was investigated. The as-deposited ITO thin films consist of crystalline columns with the height of 300–400 nm and the width of 50–100 nm. Photovoltaic parameters of mono- and bifacial solar cells of Cu/ITO/SiO{sub 2}/n–n{sup +} Si/Cu prepared on Si (100) wafers with different surface structures were studied and compared. A maximum efficiency of 15.8% was achieved on monofacial solar cell devices with the textured Si surface. Bifacial photovoltaic devices from 100 μm thick Si wafers with the smooth surface have demonstrated efficiencies of 13.0% at frontal illumination and 10% at rear illumination. - Highlights: • ITO thin films prepared by vapor phase pyrolysis on Si (100) wafers with a smooth (polished), rough (irregularly structured) and textured (by inversed pyramids) surface. • Monofacial ITO/SiO2/n-n+Si solar cells with an efficiency of 15.8% prepared and bifacial PV devices with front- and rear-side efficiencies up to 13% demonstrated. • Comparative studies of photovoltaic properties of solar cells with different morphologies of the Si wafer surface presented.

  4. Indium Tin Oxide Resistor-Based Nitric Oxide Microsensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Jennifer C.; Hunter, Gary W.; Gonzalez, Jose M., III; Liu, Chung-Chiun

    2012-01-01

    A sensitive resistor-based NO microsensor, with a wide detection range and a low detection limit, has been developed. Semiconductor microfabrication techniques were used to create a sensor that has a simple, robust structure with a sensing area of 1.10 0.99 mm. A Pt interdigitated structure was used for the electrodes to maximize the sensor signal output. N-type semiconductor indium tin oxide (ITO) thin film was sputter-deposited as a sensing material on the electrode surface, and between the electrode fingers. Alumina substrate (250 m in thickness) was sequentially used for sensor fabrication. The resulting sensor was tested by applying a voltage across the two electrodes and measuring the resulting current. The sensor was tested at different concentrations of NO-containing gas at a range of temperatures. Preliminary results showed that the sensor had a relatively high sensitivity to NO at 450 C and 1 V. NO concentrations from ppm to ppb ranges were detected with the low limit of near 159 ppb. Lower NO concentrations are being tested. Two sensing mechanisms were involved in the NO gas detection at ppm level: adsorption and oxidation reactions, whereas at ppb level of NO, only one sensing mechanism of adsorption was involved. The NO microsensor has the advantages of high sensitivity, small size, simple batch fabrication, high sensor yield, low cost, and low power consumption due to its microsize. The resistor-based thin-film sensor is meant for detection of low concentrations of NO gas, mainly in the ppb or lower range, and is being developed concurrently with other sensor technology for multispecies detection. This development demonstrates that ITO is a sensitive sensing material for NO detection. It also provides crucial information for future selection of nanostructured and nanosized NO sensing materials, which are expected to be more sensitive and to consume less power.

  5. Electrical Properties of Electrospun Sb-Doped Tin Oxide Nanofibers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leon-Brito, Neliza; Melendez, Anamaris; Ramos, Idalia; Pinto, Nicholas J; Santiago-Aviles, Jorge J

    2007-01-01

    Transparent and conducting tin oxide fibers are of considerable interest for solar energy conversion, sensors and in various electrode applications. Appropriate doping can further enhance the conductivity of the fibers without loosing optical transparency. Undoped and antimony-doped tin oxide fibers have been synthesized by our group in previous work using electrospinning and metallorganic decomposition techniques. The undoped tin oxide fibers were obtained using a mixture of pure tin oxide sol made from tin (IV) chloride : water : propanol : isopropanol at a molar ratio of 1:9:9:6, and a viscous solution made from poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and chloroform at a ratio of 200 mg PEO/10 mL chloroform. In this work, antimony doped fibers were obtained by adding a dopant solution of antimony trichloride and isopropanol at a ratio of 2.2812 g antimony trichloride/10 ml isopropanol to the original tin oxide precursor solution. The Sb concentration in the precursor solution is 1.5%. After deposition, the fibers were sintered 600deg. C in air for two hours. The electrical conductivity of single fibers measured at room temperature increases by up to three orders of magnitude when compared to undoped fibers prepared using the same method. The resistivity change as a function of the annealing temperature can be attributed to the thermally activated formation of a nearly stoichoimetric solid. The resistivity of the fibers changes monotonically with temperature from 714Ω-cm at 2 K to 0.1Ω-cm at 300 K. In the temperature range from 2 to 8 K the fibers have a positive magnetoresistance (MR) with the highest value of 155 % at 2 K and ±9 T. At temperatures of 10 and 12 K the sign of MR changes to negative values for low magnetic fields and positive for high magnetic fields. For higher temperatures (15 K and above) the MR becomes negative and its magnitude decreases with temperature

  6. Copper zinc tin sulfide-based thin film solar cells

    CERN Document Server

    Ito, Kentaro

    2014-01-01

    Beginning with an overview and historical background of Copper Zinc Tin Sulphide (CZTS) technology, subsequent chapters cover properties of CZTS thin films, different preparation methods of CZTS thin films, a comparative study of CZTS and CIGS solar cell, computational approach, and future applications of CZTS thin film solar modules to both ground-mount and rooftop installation. The semiconducting compound (CZTS) is made up earth-abundant, low-cost and non-toxic elements, which make it an ideal candidate to replace Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) and CdTe solar cells which face material scarcity and tox

  7. Growth and Characterisation of Pulsed-Laser Deposited Tin Thin Films on Cube-Textured Copper at Different Temperatures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Szwachta G.

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available High-quality titanium nitride thin films have been grown on a cube-textured copper surface via pulsed laser deposition. The growth of TiN thin films has been very sensitive to pre-treatment procedure and substrate temperature. It is difficult to grow heteroexpitaxial TiN films directly on copper tape due to large differences in lattice constants, thermal expansion coefficients of the two materials as well as polycrystalline structure of substrate. The X-Ray diffraction measurement revealed presence of high peaks belonged to TiN(200 and TiN(111 thin films, depending on used etcher of copper surface. The electron diffraction patterns of TiN(200/Cu films confirmed the single-crystal nature of the films with cube-on-cube epitaxy. The high-resolution microscopy on our films revealed sharp interfaces between copper and titanium nitride with no presence of interfacial reaction.

  8. Thin-film transistors with a channel composed of semiconducting metal oxide nanoparticles deposited from the gas phase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Busch, C.; Schierning, G.; Theissmann, R.; Nedic, A.; Kruis, F. E.; Schmechel, R.

    2012-01-01

    The fabrication of semiconducting functional layers using low-temperature processes is of high interest for flexible printable electronics applications. Here, the one-step deposition of semiconducting nanoparticles from the gas phase for an active layer within a thin-film transistor is described. Layers of semiconducting nanoparticles with a particle size between 10 and 25 nm were prepared by the use of a simple aerosol deposition system, excluding potentially unwanted technological procedures like substrate heating or the use of solvents. The nanoparticles were deposited directly onto standard thin-film transistor test devices, using thermally grown silicon oxide as gate dielectric. Proof-of-principle experiments were done deploying two different wide-band gap semiconducting oxides, tin oxide, SnO x , and indium oxide, In 2 O 3 . The tin oxide spots prepared from the gas phase were too conducting to be used as channel material in thin-film transistors, most probably due to a high concentration of oxygen defects. Using indium oxide nanoparticles, thin-film transistor devices with significant field effect were obtained. Even though the electron mobility of the investigated devices was only in the range of 10 −6 cm 2V−1s−1 , the operability of this method for the fabrication of transistors was demonstrated. With respect to the possibilities to control the particle size and layer morphology in situ during deposition, improvements are expected.

  9. Electrical and optical properties of thin indium tin oxide films produced by pulsed laser ablation in oxygen or rare gas atmospheres

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thestrup, B.; Schou, Jørgen; Nordskov, A.

    1999-01-01

    Films of indium tin oxide (ITO) have been produced in different background gases by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The Films deposited in rare gas atmospheres on room temperature substrates were metallic, electrically conductive, but had poor transmission of visible light. For substrate temperatu......Films of indium tin oxide (ITO) have been produced in different background gases by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The Films deposited in rare gas atmospheres on room temperature substrates were metallic, electrically conductive, but had poor transmission of visible light. For substrate...

  10. The development of latent fingerprints by zinc oxide and tin oxide nanoparticles prepared by precipitation technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luthra, Deepali; Kumar, Sacheen

    2018-05-01

    Fingerprints are the very important evidence at the crime scene which must be developed clearly with shortest duration of time to solve the case. Metal oxide nanoparticles could be the mean to develop the latent fingerprints. Zinc oxide and Tin Oxide Nanoparticles were prepared by using chemical precipitation technique which were dried and characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV-Visible spectroscopy and FTIR. The size of zinc oxide crystallite was found to be 14.75 nm with minimum reflectance at 360 nm whereas tin oxide have the size of 90 nm and reflectance at minimum level 321 nm. By using these powdered samples on glass, plastic and glossy cardboard, latent fingerprints were developed. Zinc oxide was found to be better candidate than tin oxide for the fingerprint development on all the three types of substrates.

  11. Growth of tin oxide thin films composed of nanoparticles on hydrophilic and hydrophobic glass substrates by spray pyrolysis technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paloly, Abdul Rasheed; Satheesh, M. [Nano Functional Materials Lab, Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi 682022, Kerala (India); Martínez-Tomás, M. Carmen; Muñoz-Sanjosé, Vicente [Departamento de Física Aplicada y Electromagnetismo, Universitat de Valencia, c/Dr Moliner 50, Burjassot, Valencia 46100 (Spain); Rajappan Achary, Sreekumar [Nano Functional Materials Lab, Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi 682022, Kerala (India); Bushiri, M. Junaid, E-mail: junaidbushiri@gmail.com [Nano Functional Materials Lab, Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi 682022, Kerala (India)

    2015-12-01

    Highlights: • SnO{sub 2} thin films were grown on hydrophilic and hydrophobic glass substrates. • Samples on hydrophobic substrates are having comparatively larger lattice volume. • Films on hydrophobic substrates have larger particles and low density distribution. • Substrate dependent photoluminescence emission is observed and studied. • SnO{sub 2} thin films grown over hydrophobic substrates may find potential applications. - Abstract: In this paper, we have demonstrated the growth of tin oxide (SnO{sub 2}) thin films composed of nanoparticles on hydrophobic (siliconized) and hydrophilic (non-siliconized) glass substrates by using the spray pyrolysis technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the formation of SnO{sub 2} thin films with tetragonal rutile-phase structure. Average particle size of nanoparticles was determined to be in the range of 3–4 nm measured from the front view images obtained by a field emission gun scanning electron microscope (FESEM), while the size of nanoparticle clusters, when present, were in the range of 11–20 nm. Surface morphology of SnO{sub 2} films grown over hydrophobic substrates revealed larger isolated particles which are less crowded compared to the highly crowded and agglomerated smaller particles in films on hydrophilic substrates. Blue shift in the band gap is observed in samples in which the average particle size is slightly larger than the exciton Bohr radius. Photoluminescence (PL) analysis of samples grown over hydrophobic substrates exhibited an intense defect level emission and a weak near band edge emission. The enhanced visible emission from these SnO{sub 2} thin films is attributed to lattice defects formed during the film growth due to the mismatch between the film and the hydrophobic substrate surface.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2015-01-01

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

  13. Self-consistent modelling of X-ray photoelectron spectra from air-exposed polycrystalline TiN thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Greczynski, G., E-mail: grzgr@ifm.liu.se; Hultman, L.

    2016-11-30

    Highlights: • We present first self-consistent model of TiN core level spectra with a cross-peak qualitative and quantitative agreement. • Model is tested for a series of TiN thin films oxidized to different extent by varying the venting temperature. • Conventional deconvolution process relies on reference binding energies that typically show large spread introducing ambiguity. • By imposing requirement of quantitative cross-peak self-consistency reliability of extracted chemical information is enhanced. • We propose that the cross-peak self-consistency should be a prerequisite for reliable XPS peak modelling. - Abstract: We present first self-consistent modelling of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) Ti 2p, N 1s, O 1s, and C 1s core level spectra with a cross-peak quantitative agreement for a series of TiN thin films grown by dc magnetron sputtering and oxidized to different extent by varying the venting temperature T{sub v} of the vacuum chamber before removing the deposited samples. So-obtained film series constitute a model case for XPS application studies, where certain degree of atmosphere exposure during sample transfer to the XPS instrument is unavoidable. The challenge is to extract information about surface chemistry without invoking destructive pre-cleaning with noble gas ions. All TiN surfaces are thus analyzed in the as-received state by XPS using monochromatic Al Kα radiation (hν = 1486.6 eV). Details of line shapes and relative peak areas obtained from deconvolution of the reference Ti 2p and N 1 s spectra representative of a native TiN surface serve as an input to model complex core level signals from air-exposed surfaces, where contributions from oxides and oxynitrides make the task very challenging considering the influence of the whole deposition process at hand. The essential part of the presented approach is that the deconvolution process is not only guided by the comparison to the reference binding energy values that often show

  14. The role of electric field during spray deposition on fluorine doped tin oxide film

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kumar, Anuj, E-mail: anujkumarom@gmail.com; Swami, Sanjay Kumar; Dutta, Viresh

    2014-03-05

    Highlights: • Fluorine doped tin oxide deposition by spray technique. • The growth reaction of tin oxide, controlled by the electric field on the substrate surface. • Deposit on large scale substrate 10 cm × 10 cm by single nozzle. • Obtained good quality of thin film. -- Abstract: The fluorine doped tin oxide film has been deposited on 10 cm × 10 cm glass substrate by using spray technique with a voltage applied between the nozzle and an annular electrode placed 2 mm below the nozzle. The effect of the electric field thus created during the spray deposition on structural, optical and electrical properties of SnO{sub 2}:F (FTO) film was studied. X-ray diffraction pattern revealed the presence of cassiterite structure with (2 0 0) orientation for all the FTO film. SEM study revealed the formation of smooth and uniform surface FTO film under the electric field over the entire substrate area. The electrical measurements show that the film prepared under the electric field (for an applied voltage of 2000 V) had a resistivity ∼1.2 × 10{sup −3} Ω cm, carrier concentration ∼4.21 × 10{sup 20} cm{sup −3} and mobility ∼14.48 cm{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1}. The sprayed FTO film have the average transmission in the visible region of more than about 80%.

  15. Cyclic etching of tin-doped indium oxide using hydrogen-induced modified layer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirata, Akiko; Fukasawa, Masanaga; Nagahata, Kazunori; Li, Hu; Karahashi, Kazuhiro; Hamaguchi, Satoshi; Tatsumi, Tetsuya

    2018-06-01

    The rate of etching of tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) and the effects of a hydrogen-induced modified layer on cyclic, multistep thin-layer etching were investigated. It was found that ITO cyclic etching is possible by precisely controlling the hydrogen-induced modified layer. Highly selective etching of ITO/SiO2 was also investigated, and it was suggested that cyclic etching by selective surface adsorption of Si can precisely control the etch rates of ITO and SiO2, resulting in an almost infinite selectivity for ITO over SiO2 and in improved profile controllability.

  16. The effect of a zinc–tin-oxide layer used as an etch-stopper layer on the bias stress stability of solution-processed indium–gallium–zinc-oxide thin-film transistors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Chul Ho; Rim, You Seung; Kim, Hyun Jae

    2014-01-01

    We investigated the bias stress stability of solution-processed indium–gallium–zinc-oxide thin-film transistors (IGZO TFTs) using zinc–tin-oxide (ZTO) as the etch-stopper layer, the so-called dual-active-layered ZTO/IGZO TFT (DALZI TFT). The DALZI TFT can use a low-cost back-channel-etch structure because of the high chemical stability of the upper ZTO layer. The DALZI TFT exhibited only a threshold voltage shift of −1.86 V under negative bias illumination stress (NBIS) conditions (stress time = 1000 s), while the unpassivated IGZO TFT suffered from a threshold voltage shift of −19.59 V under NBIS conditions (stress time = 1000 s). The superior bias stress stability of the DALZI TFT is attributed not only to the densification effect by the multi-stacking process but also to the lower sensitivity to ambient gases (e.g., oxygen and water vapour) due to the low oxygen vacancy in the upper ZTO layer. (paper)

  17. Indium-tin-oxide thin film transistor biosensors for label-free detection of avian influenza virus H5N1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guo, Di; Zhuo, Ming [Key Laboratory for Micro-Nano Optoelectronic Devices of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory for Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); Zhang, Xiaoai [State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing (China); Xu, Cheng; Jiang, Jie [Key Laboratory for Micro-Nano Optoelectronic Devices of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory for Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); Gao, Fu [State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing (China); Wan, Qing, E-mail: wanqing7686@hotmail.com [Key Laboratory for Micro-Nano Optoelectronic Devices of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory for Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); Li, Qiuhong, E-mail: liqiuhong2004@hotmail.com [Key Laboratory for Micro-Nano Optoelectronic Devices of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory for Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); Wang, Taihong, E-mail: thwang@hnu.cn [Key Laboratory for Micro-Nano Optoelectronic Devices of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory for Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China)

    2013-04-22

    Highlights: ► A highly selective label-free biosensor is established based on indium-tin-oxide thin-film transistors (ITO TFTs). ► AI H5N1 virus was successfully detected through shift in threshold voltage and field-effect mobility of ITO TFT. ► The ITO TFT is applied in biosensor for the first time and shows good reusability and stability. ► Fabrication of the platform is simple with low cost, which is suitable for mass commercial production. -- Abstract: As continuous outbreak of avian influenza (AI) has become a threat to human health, economic development and social stability, it is urgently necessary to detect the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus quickly. In this study, we fabricated indium-tin-oxide thin-film transistors (ITO TFTs) on a glass substrate for the detecting of AI H5N1. The ITO TFT is fabricated by a one-shadow-mask process in which a channel layer can be simultaneously self-assembled between ITO source/drain electrodes during magnetron sputtering deposition. Monoclonal anti-H5N1 antibodies specific for AI H5N1 virus were covalently immobilized on the ITO channel by (3-glycidoxypropyl)trimethoxysilane. The introduction of target AI H5N1 virus affected the electronic properties of the ITO TFT, which caused a change in the resultant threshold voltage (V{sub T}) and field-effect mobility. The changes of I{sub D}–V{sub G} curves were consistent with an n-type field effect transistor behavior affected by nearby negatively charged AI H5N1 viruses. The transistor based sensor demonstrated high selectivity and stability for AI H5N1 virus sensing. The sensor showed linear response to AI H5N1 in the concentrations range from 5 × 10{sup −9} g mL{sup −1} to 5 × 10{sup −6} g mL{sup −1} with a detection limit of 0.8 × 10{sup −10} g mL{sup −1}. Moreover, the ITO TFT biosensors can be repeatedly used through the washing processes. With its excellent electric properties and the potential for mass commercial production, ITO TFTs

  18. Zinc-oxide nanorod / copper-oxide thin-film heterojunction for a nitrogen-monoxide gas sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoo, Hwansu; Kim, Hyojin; Kim, Dojin

    2014-01-01

    A novel p - n oxide heterojunction structure was fabricated by employing n-type zinc-oxide (ZnO) nanorods grown on an indium-tin-oxide-coated glass substrate by using the hydrothermal method and a p-type copper-oxide (CuO) thin film deposited onto the ZnO nanorod array by using the sputtering method. The crystallinities and microstructures of the heterojunction materials were examined by using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The observed current - voltage characteristics of the p - n oxide heterojunction showed a nonlinear diode-like rectifying behavior. The effects of an oxidizing or electron acceptor gas, such as nitrogen monoxide (NO), on the ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction were investigated to determine the potential applications of the fabricated material for use in gas sensors. The forward current of the p - n heterojunction was remarkably reduced when NO gas was introduced into dry air at temperatures from 100 to 250 .deg. C. The NO gas response of the oxide heterojunction reached a maximum value at an operating temperature of 180 .deg. C and linearly increased as the NO gas concentration was increased from 5 to 30 ppm. The sensitivity value was observed to be as high as 170% at 180 .deg. C when biased at 2 V in the presence of 20-ppm NO. The ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction also exhibited a stable and repeatable response to NO gas. The experimental results suggest that the ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction structure may be a novel candidate for gas sensors.

  19. Zinc-oxide nanorod / copper-oxide thin-film heterojunction for a nitrogen-monoxide gas sensor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoo, Hwansu; Kim, Hyojin; Kim, Dojin [Chungnam National University, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-11-15

    A novel p - n oxide heterojunction structure was fabricated by employing n-type zinc-oxide (ZnO) nanorods grown on an indium-tin-oxide-coated glass substrate by using the hydrothermal method and a p-type copper-oxide (CuO) thin film deposited onto the ZnO nanorod array by using the sputtering method. The crystallinities and microstructures of the heterojunction materials were examined by using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The observed current - voltage characteristics of the p - n oxide heterojunction showed a nonlinear diode-like rectifying behavior. The effects of an oxidizing or electron acceptor gas, such as nitrogen monoxide (NO), on the ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction were investigated to determine the potential applications of the fabricated material for use in gas sensors. The forward current of the p - n heterojunction was remarkably reduced when NO gas was introduced into dry air at temperatures from 100 to 250 .deg. C. The NO gas response of the oxide heterojunction reached a maximum value at an operating temperature of 180 .deg. C and linearly increased as the NO gas concentration was increased from 5 to 30 ppm. The sensitivity value was observed to be as high as 170% at 180 .deg. C when biased at 2 V in the presence of 20-ppm NO. The ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction also exhibited a stable and repeatable response to NO gas. The experimental results suggest that the ZnO nanorod/CuO thin-film heterojunction structure may be a novel candidate for gas sensors.

  20. Understanding the gas sensing properties of polypyrrole coated tin oxide nanofiber mats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bagchi, Sudeshna; Ghanshyam, C.

    2017-03-01

    Tin oxide-polypyrrole composites have been widely studied for their enhanced sensing performance towards ammonia vapours, but further investigations are required for an understanding of the interaction mechanisms with different target analytes. In this work, polypyrrole coated tin oxide fibers have been synthesized using a two-step approach of electrospinning and vapour phase polymerization for the sensing of ammonia, ethanol, methanol, 2-propanol and acetone vapours. The resistance variation in the presence of these vapours of different nature and concentration is investigated for the determination of sensor response. A decrease in resistance occurred on interaction of tin oxide-polypyrrole with ammonia, as opposed to previous reported works. Partial reduction of polypyrrole due to interfacial interaction with tin oxide has been proposed to explain this behavior. High sensitivity of 7.45 is achieved for 1 ppm ammonia concentration. Furthermore, the sensor exhibited high sensitivity and a faster response towards ethanol vapours although methanol has the highest electron donating capability. The catalytic mechanism has been discussed to explain this interesting behavior. The results reveal that interaction between tin oxide and polypyrrole is crucial to control the predominant sensing mechanism.

  1. Effect of Nitrogen Content on Physical and Chemical Properties of TiN Thin Films Prepared by DC Magnetron Sputtering with Supported Discharge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kavitha, A.; Kannan, R.; Gunasekhar, K. R.; Rajashabala, S.

    2017-10-01

    Amorphous titanium nitride (TiN) thin films have been prepared on silicon (Si) and glass substrates by direct-current (DC) reactive magnetron sputtering with a supported discharge (triode). Nitrogen gas (N2) at partial pressure of 0.3 Pa, 0.4 Pa, 0.5 Pa, and 0.6 Pa was used to prepare the TiN thin films, maintaining total pressure of argon and N2 of about 0.7 Pa. The chemical, microstructural, optical, and electrical properties of the TiN thin films were systematically studied. Presence of different phases of Ti with nitrogen (N), oxygen (O2), and carbon (C) elements was revealed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterization. Increase in the nitrogen pressure from 0.3 Pa to 0.6 Pa reduced the optical bandgap of the TiN thin film from 2.9 eV to 2.7 eV. Photoluminescence study showed that TiN thin film deposited at N2 partial pressure of 0.3 Pa exhibited three shoulder peaks at 330 nm, 335 nm, and 340 nm, which disappeared when the sample was deposited with N2 partial pressure of 0.6 Pa. Increase in the nitrogen content decreased the electrical resistivity of the TiN thin film from 3200 μΩ cm to 1800 μΩ cm. Atomic force microscopy studies of the TiN thin films deposited with N2 partial pressure of 0.6 Pa showed a uniform surface pattern associated with accumulation of fine grains. The results and advantages of this method of preparing TiN thin films are also reported.

  2. Fabricate heterojunction diode by using the modified spray pyrolysis method to deposit nickel-lithium oxide on indium tin oxide substrate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Chia-Ching; Yang, Cheng-Fu

    2013-06-12

    P-type lithium-doped nickel oxide (p-LNiO) thin films were deposited on an n-type indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrate using the modified spray pyrolysis method (SPM), to fabricate a transparent p-n heterojunction diode. The structural, optical, and electrical properties of the p-LNiO and ITO thin films and the p-LNiO/n-ITO heterojunction diode were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-visible spectroscopy, Hall effect measurement, and current-voltage (I-V) measurements. The nonlinear and rectifying I-V properties confirmed that a heterojunction diode characteristic was successfully formed in the p-LNiO/n-ITO (p-n) structure. The I-V characteristic was dominated by space-charge-limited current (SCLC), and the Anderson model demonstrated that band alignment existed in the p-LNiO/n-ITO heterojunction diode.

  3. Swift heavy ion induced modification in morphological and physico-chemical properties of tin oxide nanocomposites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jaiswal, Manoj Kumar [University School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi 110 078 (India); Kanjilal, D. [Inter University Accelerator Centre, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067 (India); Kumar, Rajesh, E-mail: rajeshkumaripu@gmail.com [University School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi 110 078 (India)

    2013-11-15

    Nanocomposite thin films of tin oxide (SnO{sub 2})/titanium oxide (TiO{sub 2}) were grown on silicon (1 0 0) substrates by electron beam evaporation deposition technique using sintered nanocomposite pellet of SnO{sub 2}/TiO{sub 2} in the percentage ratio of 95:5. Sintering of the nanocomposite pellet was done at 1300 °C for 24 h. The thicknesses of these films were measured to be 100 nm during deposition using piezo-sensor attached to the deposition chamber. TiO{sub 2} doped SnO{sub 2} nanocomposite films were irradiated by 100 MeV Au{sup 8+} ion beam at fluence range varying from 1 × 10{sup 11} ions/cm{sup 2} to 5 × 10{sup 13} ions/cm{sup 2} at Inter University Accelerator Center (IUAC), New Delhi, India. Chemical properties of pristine and ion irradiation modified thin films were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. FTIR peak at 610 cm{sup −1} confirms the presence of O–Sn–O bridge of tin (IV) oxide signifying the composite nature of pristine and irradiated thin films. Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) in tapping mode was used to study the surface morphology and grain growth due to swift heavy ion irradiation at different fluencies. Grain size calculations obtained from sectional analysis of AFM images were compared with results obtained from Glancing Angle X-ray Diffraction (GAXRD) measurements using Scherrer’s formulae. Phase transformation due to irradiation was observed from Glancing Angle X-ray Diffraction (GAXRD) results. The prominent 2θ peaks observed in GAXRD spectrum are at 30.67°, 32.08°, 43.91°, 44.91° and 52.35° in the irradiated films.

  4. Pulsed Nd:YAG laser deposition of indium tin oxide thin films in different gases and organic light emitting device applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yong, T.Y.; Tou, T.Y.; Yow, H.K.; Safran, G.

    2008-01-01

    The microstructures, electrical and optical properties of indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) films, deposited on glass substrates in different background gases by a pulsed Nd:YAG laser, were characterized. The optimal pressure for obtaining the lowest resistivity in ITO thin film is inversely proportional to the molecular weight of the background gases, namely the argon (Ar), oxygen (O 2 ), nitrogen (N 2 ) and helium (He). While substrate heating to 250 deg. C decreased the ITO resistivity to -4 Ω cm, obtaining the optical transmittance of higher than 90% depended mainly on the background gas pressure for O 2 and Ar. Obtaining the lowest ITO resistivity, however, did not beget a high optical transmittance for ITO deposition in N 2 and He. Scanning electron microscope pictures show distinct differences in microstructures due to the background gas: nanostructures when using Ar and N 2 but polycrystalline for using O 2 and He. The ITO surface roughness varied with the deposition distance. The effects on the molecularly doped, single-layer organic light emitting device (OLED) operation and performance were also investigated. Only ITO thin films prepared in O 2 and Ar are suitable for the fabrication OLED with performance comparable to that fabricated on the commercially available, magnetron-sputtered ITO

  5. Characterization of lead zirconate titanate (PZT)--indium tin oxide (ITO) thin film interface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sreenivas, K.; Sayer, M.; Laursen, T.; Whitton, J.L.; Pascual, R.; Johnson, D.J.; Amm, D.T.

    1990-01-01

    In this paper the interface between ultrathin sputtered lead zirconate titanate (PZT) films and a conductive electrode (indium tin oxide-ITO) is investigated. Structural and compositional changes at the PZT-ITO interface have been examined by surface analysis and depth profiling techniques of glancing angle x-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering (RBS), SIMS, Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA). Studies indicate significant interdiffusion of lead into the underlying ITP layer and glass substrate with a large amount of residual stress at the interface. Influence of such compositional deviations at the interface is correlated to an observed thickness dependence in the dielectric properties of PZT films

  6. Fabrication of nickel oxide and Ni-doped indium tin oxide thin films using pyrosol process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakasa, Akihiko; Adachi, Mami; Usami, Hisanao; Suzuki, Eiji; Taniguchi, Yoshio

    2006-01-01

    Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) need indium tin oxide (ITO) anodes with highly smooth surface. The work function of ITO, about 4.8 eV, is generally rather lower than the optimum level for application to OLEDs. In this work, NiO was deposited by pyrosol process on pyrosol ITO film to increase the work function of the ITO for improving the performance of OLEDs. It was confirmed that NiO was successfully deposited on pyrosol ITO film and the NiO deposition increased the work function of pyrosol ITO, using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and atmospheric photoelectron spectroscopy. Furthermore, doping ITO with Ni succeeded in producing the Ni-doped ITO film with high work function and lower sheet resistance

  7. Dense CdS thin films on fluorine-doped tin oxide coated glass by high-rate microreactor-assisted solution deposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Su, Yu-Wei, E-mail: suyuweiwayne@gmail.com [School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97330 (United States); Microproducts Breakthrough Institute and Oregon Process Innovation Center, Corvallis, Oregon 97330 (United States); Ramprasad, Sudhir [Energy Processes and Materials Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Corvallis, OR 9730 (United States); Microproducts Breakthrough Institute and Oregon Process Innovation Center, Corvallis, Oregon 97330 (United States); Han, Seung-Yeol; Wang, Wei [School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97330 (United States); Microproducts Breakthrough Institute and Oregon Process Innovation Center, Corvallis, Oregon 97330 (United States); Ryu, Si-Ok [School of Display and Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, 214-1 Dae-dong, Gyeonsan, Gyeongbuk 712-749 (Korea, Republic of); Palo, Daniel R. [Barr Engineering Co., Hibbing, MN 55747 (United States); Paul, Brian K. [School of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97330 (United States); Microproducts Breakthrough Institute and Oregon Process Innovation Center, Corvallis, Oregon 97330 (United States); Chang, Chih-hung [School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97330 (United States); Microproducts Breakthrough Institute and Oregon Process Innovation Center, Corvallis, Oregon 97330 (United States)

    2013-04-01

    Continuous microreactor-assisted solution deposition is demonstrated for the deposition of CdS thin films on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass. The continuous flow system consists of a microscale T-junction micromixer with the co-axial water circulation heat exchanger to control the reacting chemical flux and optimize the heterogeneous surface reaction. Dense, high quality nanocrystallite CdS thin films were deposited at an average rate of 25.2 nm/min, which is significantly higher than the reported growth rate from typical batch chemical bath deposition process. Focused-ion-beam was used for transmission electron microscopy specimen preparation to characterize the interfacial microstructure of CdS and FTO layers. The band gap was determined at 2.44 eV by UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. X-ray photon spectroscopy shows the binding energies of Cd 3d{sub 3/2}, Cd 3d{sub 5/2}, S 2P{sub 3/2} and S 2P{sub 1/2} at 411.7 eV, 404.8 eV, 162.1 eV and 163.4 eV, respectively. - Highlights: ► CdS films deposited using continuous microreactor-assisted solution deposition (MASD) ► Dense nanocrystallite CdS films can be reached at a rate of 25.2 [nm/min]. ► MASD can approach higher film growth rate than conventional chemical bath deposition.

  8. Synthesis and electrochemical properties of tin oxide-based composite by rheological technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He Zeqiang; Li Xinhai; Xiong Lizhi; Wu Xianming; Xiao Zhuobing; Ma Mingyou

    2005-01-01

    Novel rheological technique was developed to synthesize tin oxide-based composites. The microstructure, morphology, and electrochemical performance of the materials were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and electrochemical methods. The particles of tin oxide-based materials form an inactive matrix. The average size of the particles is about 150 nm. The material delivers a charge capacity of more than 570 mAh g -1 . The capacity loss per cycle is about 0.15% after being cycled 30 times. The good electrochemical performance indicates that this kind of tin oxide-based material is promising anode for lithium-ion battery

  9. Amorphous Tin Oxide as a Low-Temperature-Processed Electron-Transport Layer for Organic and Hybrid Perovskite Solar Cells

    KAUST Repository

    Barbe, Jeremy

    2017-02-08

    Chemical bath deposition (CBD) of tin oxide (SnO) thin films as an electron-transport layer (ETL) in a planar-heterojunction n-i-p organohalide lead perovskite and organic bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells is reported. The amorphous SnO (a-SnO) films are grown from a nontoxic aqueous bath of tin chloride at a very low temperature (55 °C) and do not require postannealing treatment to work very effectively as an ETL in a planar-heterojunction n-i-p organohalide lead perovskite or organic BHJ solar cells, in lieu of the commonly used ETL materials titanium oxide (TiO) and zinc oxide (ZnO), respectively. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy measurements on the glass/indium-tin oxide (ITO)/SnO/methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI)/2,2′,7,7′-tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9,9′-spirobifluorene device stack indicate that extraction of photogenerated electrons is facilitated by a perfect alignment of the conduction bands at the SnO/MAPbI interface, while the deep valence band of SnO ensures strong hole-blocking properties. Despite exhibiting very low electron mobility, the excellent interfacial energetics combined with high transparency (E > 4 eV) and uniform substrate coverage make the a-SnO ETL prepared by CBD an excellent candidate for the potentially low-cost and large-scale fabrication of organohalide lead perovskite and organic photovoltaics.

  10. Low Temperature Processed Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) Device by Oxidation Effect from Capping Layer

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Zhenwei

    2015-04-20

    In this report, both p- and n-type tin oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs) were simultaneously achieved using single-step deposition of the tin oxide channel layer. The tuning of charge carrier polarity in the tin oxide channel is achieved by selectively depositing a copper oxide capping layer on top of tin oxide, which serves as an oxygen source, providing additional oxygen to form an n-type tin dioxide phase. The oxidation process can be realized by annealing at temperature as low as 190°C in air, which is significantly lower than the temperature generally required to form tin dioxide. Based on this approach, CMOS inverters based entirely on tin oxide TFTs were fabricated. Our method provides a solution to lower the process temperature for tin dioxide phase, which facilitates the application of this transparent oxide semiconductor in emerging electronic devices field.

  11. Effects of Thermal Annealing Conditions on Cupric Oxide Thin Film

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Hyo Seon; Oh, Hee-bong; Ryu, Hyukhyun [Inje University, Gimhae (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Won-Jae [Dong-Eui University, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-07-15

    In this study, cupric oxide (CuO) thin films were grown on fluorine doped tin oxide(FTO) substrate by using spin coating method. We investigated the effects of thermal annealing temperature and thermal annealing duration on the morphological, structural, optical and photoelectrochemical properties of the CuO film. From the results, we could find that the morphologies, grain sizes, crystallinity and photoelectrochemical properties were dependent on the annealing conditions. As a result, the maximum photocurrent density of -1.47 mA/cm{sup 2} (vs. SCE) was obtained from the sample with the thermal annealing conditions of 500 ℃ and 40 min.

  12. Epitaxial integration of CoFe2O4 thin films on Si (001) surfaces using TiN buffer layers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prieto, Pilar; Marco, José F.; Prieto, José E.; Ruiz-Gomez, Sandra; Perez, Lucas; del Real, Rafael P.; Vázquez, Manuel; de la Figuera, Juan

    2018-04-01

    Epitaxial cobalt ferrite thin films with strong in-plane magnetic anisotropy have been grown on Si (001) substrates using a TiN buffer layer. The epitaxial films have been grown by ion beam sputtering using either metallic, CoFe2, or ceramic, CoFe2O4, targets. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Rutherford spectrometry (RBS) in random and channeling configuration have been used to determine the epitaxial relationship CoFe2O4 [100]/TiN [100]/Si [100]. Mössbauer spectroscopy, in combination with XRD and RBS, has been used to determine the composition and structure of the cobalt ferrite thin films. The TiN buffer layer induces a compressive strain in the cobalt ferrite thin films giving rise to an in-plane magnetic anisotropy. The degree of in-plane anisotropy depends on the lattice mismatch between CoFe2O4 and TiN, which is larger for CoFe2O4 thin films grown on the reactive sputtering process with ceramic targets.

  13. Gold island films on indium tin oxide for localized surface plasmon sensing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Szunerits, Sabine; Praig, Vera G; Manesse, Mael; Boukherroub, Rabah

    2008-01-01

    Mechanically, chemically and optically stable gold island films were prepared on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates by direct thermal evaporation of thin gold films (2-6 nm) without the need for pre- or post-coating. The effect of mild thermal annealing (150 deg. C, 12 h) or short high temperature annealing (500 deg. C, 1 min) on the morphology of the gold nanostructures was investigated. ITO covered with 2 nm gold nanoislands and annealed at 500 deg. C for 1 min was investigated for its ability to detect the adsorption of biotinylated bovine serum albumin using local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), and its subsequent molecular recognition of avidin

  14. Transparent thin-film transistor exploratory development via sequential layer deposition and thermal annealing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hong, David; Chiang, Hai Q.; Presley, Rick E.; Dehuff, Nicole L.; Bender, Jeffrey P.; Park, Cheol-Hee; Wager, John F.; Keszler, Douglas A.

    2006-01-01

    A novel deposition methodology is employed for exploratory development of a class of high-performance transparent thin-film transistor (TTFT) channel materials involving oxides composed of heavy-metal cations with (n - 1)d 10 ns 0 (n ≥ 4) electronic configurations. The method involves sequential radio-frequency sputter deposition of thin, single cation oxide layers and subsequent post-deposition annealing in order to obtain a multi-component oxide thin film. The viability of this rapid materials development methodology is demonstrated through the realization of high-performance TTFTs with channel layers composed of zinc oxide/tin oxide, and tin oxide/indium oxide

  15. Tin oxide transparent thin-film transistors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Presley, R E; Munsee, C L; Park, C-H; Hong, D; Wager, J F; Keszler, D A

    2004-01-01

    A SnO 2 transparent thin-film transistor (TTFT) is demonstrated. The SnO 2 channel layer is deposited by RF magnetron sputtering and then rapid thermal annealed in O 2 at 600 deg. C. The TTFT is highly transparent, and enhancement-mode behaviour is achieved by employing a very thin channel layer (10-20 nm). Maximum field-effect mobilities of 0.8 cm 2 V -1 s -1 and 2.0 cm 2 V -1 s -1 are obtained for enhancement- and depletion-mode devices, respectively. The transparent nature and the large drain current on-to-off ratio of 10 5 associated with the enhancement-mode behaviour of these devices may prove useful for novel gas-sensor applications

  16. Electrical properties of tin-doped zinc oxide nanostructures doped at different dopant concentrations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nasir, M. F.; Zainol, M. N.; Hannas, M.; Mamat, M. H.; Rusop, Mohamad; Rahman, S. A.

    2016-01-01

    This project has been focused on the electrical and optical properties respectively on the effect of Tin doped zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films at different dopant concentrations. These thin films were doped with different Sn dopant concentrations at 1 at%, 2 at%, 3 at%, 4 at% and 5 at% was selected as the parameter to optimize the thin films quality while the annealing temperature is fixed 500 °C. Sn doped ZnO solutions were deposited onto the glass substrates using sol-gel spin coating method. This project was involved with three phases, which are thin films preparation, deposition and characterization. The thin films were characterized using Current Voltage (I-V) measurement and ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared (UV-vis-NIR) spectrophotometer (Perkin Elmer Lambda 750) for electrical properties and optical properties. The electrical properties show that the resistivity is the lowest at 4 at% Sn doping concentration with the value 3.08 × 10"3 Ωcm"−"1. The absorption coefficient spectrum obtained shows all films exhibit very low absorption in the visible (400-800 nm) and near infrared (NIR) (>800 nm) range but exhibit high absorption in the UV range.

  17. Electrical properties of tin-doped zinc oxide nanostructures doped at different dopant concentrations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nasir, M. F., E-mail: babaibaik2002@yahoo.com; Zainol, M. N., E-mail: nizarzainol@yahoo.com; Hannas, M., E-mail: mhannas@gmail.com [NANO-ElecTronic Centre (NET), Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor (Malaysia); Mamat, M. H., E-mail: mhmamat@salam.uitm.edu.my; Rusop, Mohamad, E-mail: rusop@salam.uitm.edu.my [NANO-ElecTronic Centre (NET), Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor (Malaysia); NANO-SciTech Centre (NST), Institute of Science (IOS), Universiti Teknologi MARA - UiTM, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor (Malaysia); Rahman, S. A., E-mail: saadah@um.edu.my [NANO-ElecTronic Centre (NET), Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor (Malaysia); Low Dimensional Materials Research Centre, Physics Department, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

    2016-07-06

    This project has been focused on the electrical and optical properties respectively on the effect of Tin doped zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films at different dopant concentrations. These thin films were doped with different Sn dopant concentrations at 1 at%, 2 at%, 3 at%, 4 at% and 5 at% was selected as the parameter to optimize the thin films quality while the annealing temperature is fixed 500 °C. Sn doped ZnO solutions were deposited onto the glass substrates using sol-gel spin coating method. This project was involved with three phases, which are thin films preparation, deposition and characterization. The thin films were characterized using Current Voltage (I-V) measurement and ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared (UV-vis-NIR) spectrophotometer (Perkin Elmer Lambda 750) for electrical properties and optical properties. The electrical properties show that the resistivity is the lowest at 4 at% Sn doping concentration with the value 3.08 × 10{sup 3} Ωcm{sup −1}. The absorption coefficient spectrum obtained shows all films exhibit very low absorption in the visible (400-800 nm) and near infrared (NIR) (>800 nm) range but exhibit high absorption in the UV range.

  18. Bulk heterojunction formation between indium tin oxide nanorods and CuInS2 nanoparticles for inorganic thin film solar cell applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Jin Woo; Park, Se Jin; Kim, Jaehoon; Kim, Woong; Park, Hoo Keun; Do, Young Rag; Min, Byoung Koun

    2012-02-01

    In this study, we developed a novel inorganic thin film solar cell configuration in which bulk heterojunction was formed between indium tin oxide (ITO) nanorods and CuInS(2) (CIS). Specifically, ITO nanorods were first synthesized by the radio frequency magnetron sputtering deposition method followed by deposition of a dense TiO(2) layer and CdS buffer layer using atomic layer deposition and chemical bath deposition method, respectively. The spatial region between the nanorods was then filled with CIS nanoparticle ink, which was presynthesized using the colloidal synthetic method. We observed that complete gap filling was achieved to form bulk heterojunction between the inorganic phases. As a proof-of-concept, solar cell devices were fabricated by depositing an Au electrode on top of the CIS layer, which exhibited the best photovoltaic response with a V(oc), J(sc), FF, and efficiency of 0.287 V, 9.63 mA/cm(2), 0.364, and 1.01%, respectively.

  19. Investigation on the negative bias illumination stress-induced instability of amorphous indium-tin-zinc-oxide thin film transistors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jang, Jaeman; Kim, Dae Geun; Kim, Dong Myong; Choi, Sung-Jin; Kim, Dae Hwan, E-mail: byungdu.ahn@samsung.com, E-mail: drlife@kookmin.ac.kr [School of Electrical Engineering, Kookmin University, Seoul 136-702 (Korea, Republic of); Lim, Jun-Hyung; Lee, Je-Hun; Ahn, Byung Du, E-mail: byungdu.ahn@samsung.com, E-mail: drlife@kookmin.ac.kr [Samsung Display Co., Ltd., Yongin, Gyeonggi-Do 446-711 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Yong-Sung [Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Yuseong, Daejeon 305-340 (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-10-13

    The quantitative analysis of mechanism on negative bias illumination stress (NBIS)-induced instability of amorphous indium-tin-zinc-oxide thin-film transistor (TFT) was suggested along with the effect of equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) of gate insulator. The analysis was implemented through combining the experimentally extracted density of subgap states and the device simulation. During NBIS, it was observed that the thicker EOT causes increase in both the shift of threshold voltage and the variation of subthreshold swing as well as the hump-like feature in a transfer curve. We found that the EOT-dependence of NBIS instability can be clearly explicated with the donor creation model, in which a larger amount of valence band tail states is transformed into either the ionized oxygen vacancy V{sub O}{sup 2+} or peroxide O{sub 2}{sup 2−} with the increase of EOT. It was also found that the V{sub O}{sup 2+}-related extrinsic factor accounts for 80%–92% of the total donor creation taking place in the valence band tail states while the rest is taken by the O{sub 2}{sup 2–} related intrinsic factor. The ratio of extrinsic factor compared to the total donor creation also increased with the increase of EOT, which could be explained by more prominent oxygen deficiency. The key founding of our work certainly represents that the established model should be considered very effective for analyzing the instability of the post-indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (IGZO) ZnO-based compound semiconductor TFTs with the mobility, which is much higher than those of a-IGZO TFTs.

  20. Effect of post annealing treatment on electrochromic properties of spray deposited niobium oxide thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mujawar, S.H.; Inamdar, A.I.; Betty, C.A.; Ganesan, V.; Patil, P.S.

    2007-01-01

    Niobium oxide thin films were deposited on the glass and fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrates using simple and inexpensive spray pyrolysis technique. During deposition of the films various process parameters like nozzle to substrate distance, spray rate, concentration of sprayed solution were optimized to obtain well adherent and transparent films. The films prepared were further annealed and effect of post annealing on the structural, morphological, optical and electrochromic properties was studied. Structural and morphological characterizations of the films were carried out using scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. Electrochemical properties of the niobium oxide thin films were studied by using cyclic-voltammetry, chronoamperometry and chronocoulometry

  1. Synthesis and properties of ternary mixture of nickel/cobalt/tin oxides for supercapacitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferreira, C. S.; Passos, R. R.; Pocrifka, L. A.

    2014-12-01

    The present study reports the synthesis and morphological, structural and electrochemical characterization of ternary oxides mixture containing nickel, cobalt and tin. The ternary oxide is synthesized by Pechini method with subsequent deposition onto a titanium substrate in a thin-film form. XRD and EDS analysis confirm the formation of ternary film with amorphous nature. SEM analysis show that cracks on the film favor the gain of the surface area that is an interesting feature for electrochemical capacitors. The ternary film is investigated in KOH electrolyte solution using cyclic voltammetry and charge-discharge study with a specific capacitance of 328 F g-1, and a capacitance retention of 86% over 600 cycles. The values of specific power and specific energy was 345.7 W kg-1 and 18.92 Wh kg-1, respectively.

  2. Microstructured extremely thin absorber solar cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Biancardo, Matteo; Krebs, Frederik C

    2007-01-01

    In this paper we present the realization of extremely thin absorber (ETA) solar cells employing conductive glass substrates functionalized with TiO2 microstructures produced by embossing. Nanocrystalline or compact TiO2 films on Indium doped tin oxide (ITO) glass substrates were embossed by press......In this paper we present the realization of extremely thin absorber (ETA) solar cells employing conductive glass substrates functionalized with TiO2 microstructures produced by embossing. Nanocrystalline or compact TiO2 films on Indium doped tin oxide (ITO) glass substrates were embossed...

  3. thin films

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    microscopy (SEM) studies, respectively. The Fourier transform ... Thin films; chemical synthesis; hydrous tin oxide; FTIR; electrical properties. 1. Introduction ... dehydrogenation of organic compounds (Hattori et al 1987). .... SEM images of (a) bare stainless steel and (b) SnO2:H2O thin film on stainless steel substrate at a ...

  4. Spectroscopic ellipsometry studies of index profile of indium tin oxide films prepared by spray pyrolysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    El Rhaleb, H.; Benamar, E.; Rami, M.; Roger, J.P.; Hakam, A.; Ennaoui, A

    2002-11-30

    Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) has proven to be a very powerful diagnostic for thin film characterisation. It was used to determine thin film parameters such as film thickness and optical functions of polycrystalline tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) films deposited by spray pyrol onto Pyrex substrates. Dielectric ITO films often present microstructures which give rise to a variation of the refractive index with the distance from substrate. In this work, it was found that the fit between ellipsometric data and optical models results could be significantly improved when it was assumed that the refractive index of ITO films varied across the upper 60 nm near the film surface. Also, the surface roughness was modelled and compared with that given by the atomic force microscope (AFM)

  5. Spectroscopic ellipsometry studies of index profile of indium tin oxide films prepared by spray pyrolysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El Rhaleb, H.; Benamar, E.; Rami, M.; Roger, J.P.; Hakam, A.; Ennaoui, A.

    2002-01-01

    Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) has proven to be a very powerful diagnostic for thin film characterisation. It was used to determine thin film parameters such as film thickness and optical functions of polycrystalline tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) films deposited by spray pyrolysis onto Pyrex substrates. Dielectric ITO films often present microstructures which give rise to a variation of the refractive index with the distance from substrate. In this work, it was found that the fit between ellipsometric data and optical models results could be significantly improved when it was assumed that the refractive index of ITO films varied across the upper 60 nm near the film surface. Also, the surface roughness was modelled and compared with that given by the atomic force microscope (AFM)

  6. Spectroscopic ellipsometry studies of index profile of indium tin oxide films prepared by spray pyrolysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Rhaleb, H.; Benamar, E.; Rami, M.; Roger, J. P.; Hakam, A.; Ennaoui, A.

    2002-11-01

    Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) has proven to be a very powerful diagnostic for thin film characterisation. It was used to determine thin film parameters such as film thickness and optical functions of polycrystalline tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) films deposited by spray pyrolysis onto Pyrex substrates. Dielectric ITO films often present microstructures which give rise to a variation of the refractive index with the distance from substrate. In this work, it was found that the fit between ellipsometric data and optical models results could be significantly improved when it was assumed that the refractive index of ITO films varied across the upper 60 nm near the film surface. Also, the surface roughness was modelled and compared with that given by the atomic force microscope (AFM).

  7. In-Situ Growth and Characterization of Indium Tin Oxide Nanocrystal Rods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan Shen

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Indium tin oxide (ITO nanocrystal rods were synthesized in-situ by a vapor-liquid-solid (VLS method and electron beam evaporation technique. When the electron-beam gun bombarded indium oxide (In2O3 and tin oxide (SnO2 mixed sources, indium and tin droplets appeared and acted as catalysts. The nanocrystal rods were in-situ grown on the basis of the metal catalyst point. The nanorods have a single crystal structure. Its structure was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD and transmission electron microscopy (TEM. The surface morphology was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM. During the evaporation, a chemical process was happened and an In2O3 and SnO2 solid solution was formed. The percentage of doped tin oxide was calculated by Vegard’s law to be 3.18%, which was in agreement with the mixture ratio of the experimental data. The single crystal rod had good semiconductor switch property and its threshold voltage of single rod was approximately 2.5 V which can be used as a micro switch device. The transmission rate of crystalline nanorods ITO film was over 90% in visible band and it was up to 95% in the blue green band as a result of the oxygen vacancy recombination luminescence.

  8. Remote plasma sputtering of indium tin oxide thin films for large area flexible electronics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yeadon, A.D.; Wakeham, S.J.; Brown, H.L.; Thwaites, M.J.; Whiting, M.J.; Baker, M.A.

    2011-01-01

    Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films with a specific resistivity of 3.5 × 10 −4 Ω cm and average visible light transmission (VLT) of 90% have been reactively sputtered onto A4 Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), glass and silicon substrates using a remote plasma sputtering system. This system offers independent control of the plasma density and the target power enabling the effect of the plasma on ITO properties to be studied. Characterization of ITO on glass and silicon has shown that increasing the plasma density gives rise to a decrease in the specific resistivity and an increase in the optical band gap of the ITO films. Samples deposited at plasma powers of 1.5 kW, 2.0 kW and 2.5 kW and optimized oxygen flow rates exhibited specific resistivity values of 3.8 × 10 −4 Ω cm, 3.7 × 10 −4 Ω cm and 3.5 × 10 −4 Ω cm and optical gaps of 3.48 eV, 3.51 eV and 3.78 eV respectively. The increase in plasma density also influenced the crystalline texture and the VLT increased from 70 to 95%, indicating that more oxygen is being incorporated into the growing film. It has been shown that the remote plasma sputter technique can be used in an in-line process to produce uniform ITO coatings on PET with specific resistivities of between 3.5 × 10 −4 and 4.5 × 10 −4 Ω cm and optical transmission of greater than 85% over substrate widths of up to 30 cm.

  9. Characterization of tin oxide nanoparticles synthesized via oxidation from metal; Caracterizacao de nanoparticulas de oxido de estanho sintetizado via oxidacao do metal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abruzzi, R.C.; Dedavid, B.A.; Pires, M.J.R.; Streicher, M., E-mail: afael.abruzzi@acad.pucrs.br [Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS), Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil). Pos-Graduacao em Engenharia e Tecnologia de Materiais

    2014-07-01

    The tin oxide (SnO{sub 2}) is a promising material with great potential for applications such as gas sensors and catalysts. This oxide nanostructures show higher activation efficiency due to its larger effective surface. This paper presents the synthesis and characterization of the tin oxide in different conditions, via oxidation of pure tin with nitric acid. Results obtained from the characterization of SnO{sub 2} powder by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDX), Particle size by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated that the conditions were suitable for the synthesis to obtain manometric tin oxide granules with crystalline structure of rutile. (author)

  10. Optoelectronic properties of R-F magnetron sputtered Cadmium Tin Oxide (Cd2SnO4) thin films for CdS/CdTe thin film solar cell applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeyadheepan, K.; Thamilselvan, M.; Kim, Kyunghae; Yi, Junsin; Sanjeeviraja, C.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Characterization of “as-prepared” Cd 2 SnO 4 thin films ideal for thin film solar cells. • Lowest value of resistivity with high mobility attained for the as-prepared Cd 2 SnO 4 films. • Maximum transmittance of 93% in the visible range for the as-prepared films. • Effect of substrate temperature on the scattering mechanism of TCO. - Abstract: The influence of substrate temperature on the microstructural behavior, optical, electrical properties and on the scattering mechanism of charge carriers were studied for the as-prepared radio-frequency (R-F) magnetron sputtered Cadmium Tin Oxide (Cd 2 SnO 4 ) thin films. Films prepared at the substrate temperature of 300 °C were found to be polycrystalline in nature with preferential orientation along (3 1 1) plane. Well pronounced Moss–Burstein shift, in the transmittance spectra with dispersions in the optical band gap from 3.07 to 3.30 eV, was observed at substrate temperatures between 25 and 300 °C. Optical property of high visible transmittance was retained by the films. Analysis of the electrical properties on the prepared crystalline Cd 2 SnO 4 films showed a calculated resistivity of 10 −3 –10 −4 Ω cm, with n-type carrier density in the range of 10 19 –10 20 cm −3 and the charge carrier mobility in the range of 63–30 cm 2 /V s. The effects of structural, compositional and optical properties on the scattering mechanism of charge carrier are elaborated and reported to be an experimental evidence for the theoretical predictions. The results revealed the essential DC electrical conduction behavior, which is ideal for the fabrication of Cd 2 SnO 4 -based CdS/CdTe thin film solar cells

  11. Planar Indium Tin Oxide Heater for Improved Thermal Distribution for Metal Oxide Micromachined Gas Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Cihan Çakır

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Metal oxide gas sensors with integrated micro-hotplate structures are widely used in the industry and they are still being investigated and developed. Metal oxide gas sensors have the advantage of being sensitive to a wide range of organic and inorganic volatile compounds, although they lack selectivity. To introduce selectivity, the operating temperature of a single sensor is swept, and the measurements are fed to a discriminating algorithm. The efficiency of those data processing methods strongly depends on temperature uniformity across the active area of the sensor. To achieve this, hot plate structures with complex resistor geometries have been designed and additional heat-spreading structures have been introduced. In this work we designed and fabricated a metal oxide gas sensor integrated with a simple square planar indium tin oxide (ITO heating element, by using conventional micromachining and thin-film deposition techniques. Power consumption–dependent surface temperature measurements were performed. A 420 °C working temperature was achieved at 120 mW power consumption. Temperature distribution uniformity was measured and a 17 °C difference between the hottest and the coldest points of the sensor at an operating temperature of 290 °C was achieved. Transient heat-up and cool-down cycle durations are measured as 40 ms and 20 ms, respectively.

  12. Planar Indium Tin Oxide Heater for Improved Thermal Distribution for Metal Oxide Micromachined Gas Sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Çakır, M Cihan; Çalışkan, Deniz; Bütün, Bayram; Özbay, Ekmel

    2016-09-29

    Metal oxide gas sensors with integrated micro-hotplate structures are widely used in the industry and they are still being investigated and developed. Metal oxide gas sensors have the advantage of being sensitive to a wide range of organic and inorganic volatile compounds, although they lack selectivity. To introduce selectivity, the operating temperature of a single sensor is swept, and the measurements are fed to a discriminating algorithm. The efficiency of those data processing methods strongly depends on temperature uniformity across the active area of the sensor. To achieve this, hot plate structures with complex resistor geometries have been designed and additional heat-spreading structures have been introduced. In this work we designed and fabricated a metal oxide gas sensor integrated with a simple square planar indium tin oxide (ITO) heating element, by using conventional micromachining and thin-film deposition techniques. Power consumption-dependent surface temperature measurements were performed. A 420 °C working temperature was achieved at 120 mW power consumption. Temperature distribution uniformity was measured and a 17 °C difference between the hottest and the coldest points of the sensor at an operating temperature of 290 °C was achieved. Transient heat-up and cool-down cycle durations are measured as 40 ms and 20 ms, respectively.

  13. Demonstration of enhanced continuous-wave operation of blue laser diodes on a semipolar 202¯1¯ GaN substrate using indium-tin-oxide/thin-p-GaN cladding layers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehari, Shlomo; Cohen, Daniel A; Becerra, Daniel L; Nakamura, Shuji; DenBaars, Steven P

    2018-01-22

    The benefits of utilizing transparent conductive oxide on top of a thin p-GaN layer for continuous-wave (CW) operation of blue laser diodes (LDs) were investigated. A very low operating voltage of 5.35 V at 10 kA/cm 2 was obtained for LDs with 250 nm thick p-GaN compared to 7.3 V for LDs with conventional 650 nm thick p-GaN. An improved thermal performance was also observed for the thin p-GaN samples resulting in a 40% increase in peak light output power and a 32% decrease in surface temperature. Finally, a tradeoff was demonstrated between low operating voltage and increased optical modal loss in the indium tin oxide (ITO) with thinner p-GaN. LDs lasing at 445 nm with 150 nm thick p-GaN had an excess modal loss while LDs with an optimal 250 nm thick p-GaN resulted in optical output power of 1.1 W per facet without facet coatings and a wall-plug efficiency of 15%.

  14. Broader color gamut of color-modulating optical coating display based on indium tin oxide and phase change materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ni, Zhigang; Mou, Shenghong; Zhou, Tong; Cheng, Zhiyuan

    2018-05-01

    A color-modulating optical coating display based on phase change materials (PCM) and indium tin oxide (ITO) is fabricated and analyzed. We demonstrate that altering the thickness of top-ITO in this PCM-based display device can effectively change color. The significant role of the top-ITO layer in the thin-film interference in this multilayer system is confirmed by experiment as well as simulation. The ternary-color modulation of devices with only 5 nano thin layer of phase change material is achieved. Furthermore, simulation work demonstrates that a stirringly broader color gamut can be obtained by introducing the control of the top-ITO thickness.

  15. Partial oxidation of TiN coating by hydrothermal treatment and ozone treatment to improve its osteoconductivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi, Xingling; Xu, Lingli; Le, Thi Bang; Zhou, Guanghong; Zheng, Chuanbo; Tsuru, Kanji; Ishikawa, Kunio

    2016-01-01

    Dental implants made of pure titanium suffer from abrasion and scratch during routine oral hygiene procedures. This results in an irreversible surface damage, facilitates bacteria adhesion and increases risk of peri-implantitis. To overcome these problems, titanium nitride (TiN) coating was introduced to increase surface hardness of pure titanium. However, the osteoconductivity of TiN is considered to be similar or superior to that of titanium and its alloys and therefore surface modification is necessary. In this study, TiN coating prepared through gas nitriding was partially oxidized by hydrothermal (HT) treatment and ozone (O 3 ) treatment in pure water to improve its osteoconductivity. The effects of HT treatment and O 3 treatment on surface properties of TiN were investigated and the osteoconductivity after undergoing treatment was assessed in vitro using osteoblast evaluation. The results showed that the critical temperature for HT treatment was 100 °C since higher temperatures would impair the hardness of TiN coating. By contrast, O 3 treatment was more effective in oxidizing TiN surfaces, improving its wettability while preserving its morphology and hardness. Osteoblast attachment, proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression and mineralization were improved on oxidized specimens, especially on O 3 treated specimens, compared with untreated ones. These effects seemed to be consequences of partial oxidation, as well as improved hydrophilicity and surface decontamination. Finally, it was concluded that, partially oxidized TiN is a promising coating to be used for dental implant. - Highlights: • TiN coating surface was oxidized by hydrothermal or ozone treatment while preserving its hardness. • Improved wettability, decontamination and interstitial N promoted osteoblast responses. • Partial oxidation makes TiN a promising coating for dental implant with good osteoconductivity.

  16. Partial oxidation of TiN coating by hydrothermal treatment and ozone treatment to improve its osteoconductivity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shi, Xingling [School of Material Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212003 (China); Department of Biomaterials, Faculty of Dental Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582 (Japan); Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for Interventional Medical Devices, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huaian 223003 (China); Xu, Lingli, E-mail: linly311@163.com [School of Material Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212003 (China); Le, Thi Bang [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Zhou, Guanghong [Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for Interventional Medical Devices, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huaian 223003 (China); Zheng, Chuanbo, E-mail: zjust316@163.com [School of Material Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212003 (China); Tsuru, Kanji; Ishikawa, Kunio [Department of Biomaterials, Faculty of Dental Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582 (Japan)

    2016-02-01

    Dental implants made of pure titanium suffer from abrasion and scratch during routine oral hygiene procedures. This results in an irreversible surface damage, facilitates bacteria adhesion and increases risk of peri-implantitis. To overcome these problems, titanium nitride (TiN) coating was introduced to increase surface hardness of pure titanium. However, the osteoconductivity of TiN is considered to be similar or superior to that of titanium and its alloys and therefore surface modification is necessary. In this study, TiN coating prepared through gas nitriding was partially oxidized by hydrothermal (HT) treatment and ozone (O{sub 3}) treatment in pure water to improve its osteoconductivity. The effects of HT treatment and O{sub 3} treatment on surface properties of TiN were investigated and the osteoconductivity after undergoing treatment was assessed in vitro using osteoblast evaluation. The results showed that the critical temperature for HT treatment was 100 °C since higher temperatures would impair the hardness of TiN coating. By contrast, O{sub 3} treatment was more effective in oxidizing TiN surfaces, improving its wettability while preserving its morphology and hardness. Osteoblast attachment, proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression and mineralization were improved on oxidized specimens, especially on O{sub 3} treated specimens, compared with untreated ones. These effects seemed to be consequences of partial oxidation, as well as improved hydrophilicity and surface decontamination. Finally, it was concluded that, partially oxidized TiN is a promising coating to be used for dental implant. - Highlights: • TiN coating surface was oxidized by hydrothermal or ozone treatment while preserving its hardness. • Improved wettability, decontamination and interstitial N promoted osteoblast responses. • Partial oxidation makes TiN a promising coating for dental implant with good osteoconductivity.

  17. The Optimum Fabrication Condition of p-Type Antimony Tin Oxide Thin Films Prepared by DC Magnetron Sputtering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huu Phuc Dang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Transparent Sb-doped tin oxide (ATO thin films were fabricated on quartz glass substrates via a mixed (SnO2 + Sb2O3 ceramic target using direct current (DC magnetron sputtering in ambient Ar gas at a working pressure of 2 × 10−3 torr. X-ray diffraction (XRD, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, Hall-effect, and UV-vis spectra measurements were performed to characterize the deposited films. The substrate temperature of the films was investigated in two ways: (1 films were annealed in Ar ambient gas after being deposited at room temperature or (2 they were deposited directly at different temperatures. The first process for fabricating the ATO films was found to be easier than the second process. The deposited films showed p-type electrical properties, a polycrystalline tetragonal rutile structure, and their average transmittance was greater than 80% in the visible light range at the optimum annealing temperature of 500°C. The best electrical properties of the film were obtained on a 10 wt% Sb2O3-doped SnO2 target with a resistivity, hole concentration, and Hall mobility of 0.55 Ω·cm, 1.2 × 1019 cm−3, and 0.54 cm2V−1s−1, respectively.

  18. Study of quartz crystal microbalance NO2 sensor coated with sputtered indium tin oxide film

    Science.gov (United States)

    Georgieva, V.; Aleksandrova, M.; Stefanov, P.; Grechnikov, A.; Gadjanova, V.; Dilova, T.; Angelov, Ts

    2014-12-01

    A study of NO2 gas sorption ability of thin indium tin oxide (ITO) deposited on 16 MHz quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) is presented. ITO films are grown by RF sputtering of indium/tin target with weight proportion 95:5 in oxygen environment. The ITO films have been characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. The ITO surface composition in atomic % is defined to be: In-40.6%, Sn-4.3% and O-55%. The thickness and refractive index of the films are determined by ellipsometric method. The frequency shift of QCM-ITO is measured at different NO2 concentrations. The QCM-ITO system becomes sensitive at NO2 concentration >= 500 ppm. The sorbed mass for each concentration is calculated according the Sauerbrey equation. The results indicated that the 1.09 ng of the gas is sorbed into 150 nm thick ITO film at 500 ppm NO2 concentration. When the NO2 concentration increases 10 times the calculated loaded mass is 5.46 ng. The sorption process of the gas molecules is defined as reversible. The velocity of sorbtion /desorption processes are studied, too. The QCM coated with thin ITO films can be successfully used as gas sensors for detecting NO2 in the air at room temperature.

  19. Study of quartz crystal microbalance NO2 sensor coated with sputtered indium tin oxide film

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Georgieva, V; Gadjanova, V; Angelov, Ts; Aleksandrova, M; Acad. Georgi Bonchev str.bl. 11, 1113, Sofia (Bulgaria))" data-affiliation=" (Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. Georgi Bonchev str.bl. 11, 1113, Sofia (Bulgaria))" >Stefanov, P; Acad. Georgi Bonchev str.bl. 11, 1113, Sofia (Bulgaria))" data-affiliation=" (Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. Georgi Bonchev str.bl. 11, 1113, Sofia (Bulgaria))" >Dilova, T; Grechnikov, A

    2014-01-01

    A study of NO 2 gas sorption ability of thin indium tin oxide (ITO) deposited on 16 MHz quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) is presented. ITO films are grown by RF sputtering of indium/tin target with weight proportion 95:5 in oxygen environment. The ITO films have been characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. The ITO surface composition in atomic % is defined to be: In-40.6%, Sn-4.3% and O-55%. The thickness and refractive index of the films are determined by ellipsometric method. The frequency shift of QCM-ITO is measured at different NO 2 concentrations. The QCM-ITO system becomes sensitive at NO 2 concentration ≥ 500 ppm. The sorbed mass for each concentration is calculated according the Sauerbrey equation. The results indicated that the 1.09 ng of the gas is sorbed into 150 nm thick ITO film at 500 ppm NO 2 concentration. When the NO 2 concentration increases 10 times the calculated loaded mass is 5.46 ng. The sorption process of the gas molecules is defined as reversible. The velocity of sorbtion /desorption processes are studied, too. The QCM coated with thin ITO films can be successfully used as gas sensors for detecting NO 2 in the air at room temperature

  20. Ac conductivity and dielectric spectroscopy studies on tin oxide thin films formed by spray deposition technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barış, Behzad, E-mail: behzadbaris@gmail.com

    2014-04-01

    Au/tin oxide/n-Si (1 0 0) structure has been created by forming a tin oxide (SnO{sub 2}) on n-type Si by using the spray deposition technique. The ac electrical conductivity (σ{sub ac}) and dielectric properties of the structure have been investigated between 30 kHz and 1 MHz at room temperature. The values of ε', ε″, tanδ, σ{sub ac}, M' and M″ were determined as 1.404, 0.357, 0.253, 1.99×10{sup −7} S/cm, 0.665 and 0.168 for 1 MHz and 6.377, 6.411, 1.005, 1.07×10{sup −7} S/cm, 0.077 and 0.078 for 30 kHz at zero bias, respectively. These changes were attributed to variation of the charge carriers from the interface traps located between semiconductor and metal in the band gap. It is concluded that the values of the ε', ε″ and tanδ increase with decreasing frequency while a decrease is seen in σ{sub ac} and the real (M') and imaginary (M″) components of the electrical modulus. The M″ parameter of the structure has a relaxation peak as a function of frequency for each examined voltage. The relaxation time of M″(τ{sub M″}) varies from 0.053 ns to 0.018 ns with increasing voltage. The variation of Cole–Cole plots of the sample shows that there is one relaxation.

  1. Multilayered metal oxide thin film gas sensors obtained by conventional and RF plasma-assisted laser ablation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitu, B.; Marotta, V.; Orlando, S.

    2006-01-01

    Multilayered thin films of In 2 O 3 and SnO 2 have been deposited by conventional and RF plasma-assisted reactive pulsed laser ablation, with the aim to evaluate their behaviour as toxic gas sensors. The depositions have been carried out by a frequency doubled Nd-YAG laser (λ = 532 nm, τ = 7 ns) on Si(1 0 0) substrates, in O 2 atmosphere. The thin films have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrical resistance measurements. A comparison of the electrical response of the simple (indium oxide, tin oxide) and multilayered oxides to toxic gas (nitric oxide, NO) has been performed. The influence on the structural and electrical properties of the deposition parameters, such as substrate temperature and RF power is reported

  2. Microcontroller based instrumentation for heater control circuit of tin oxide based hydrogen sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Premalatha, S.; Krithika, P.; Gunasekaran, G.; Ramakrishnan, R.; Ramanarayanan, R.R.; Prabhu, E.; Jayaraman, V.; Parthasarathy, R.

    2015-01-01

    A thin film sensor based on tin oxide developed in IGCAR is used to monitor very low levels of hydrogen (concentration ranging from 2 ppm to 80 ppm). The heater and the sensor patterns are integrated on a miniature alumina substrate and necessary electrical leads are taken out. For proper functioning of the sensor, the heater has to be maintained at a constant temperature of 350°C. The sensor output (voltage signal) varies with H 2 concentration. In fast breeder reactors, liquid sodium is used as coolant. The sensor is used to detect water/steam leak in secondary sodium circuit. During the start up of the reactor, steam leak into sodium circuit generates hydrogen gas as a product that doesn't dissolve in sodium, but escapes to the surge tank containing argon i.e. in cover gas plenum of sodium circuit. On-line monitoring of hydrogen in cover gas is done to detect an event of water/steam leakage. The focus of this project is on the instrumentation pertaining to the temperature control for the sensor heater. The tin oxide based hydrogen sensor is embedded in a substrate which consists of a platinum heater, essentially a resistor. There is no provision of embedding a temperature sensor on the heater surface due to the physical constraints, without which maintaining a constant heater temperature is a complex task

  3. Gas Sensing of Fluorine Doped Tin Oxide Thin Films Prepared by Spray Pyrolysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. A. YADAV

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available Fluorine doped tin oxide (F: SnO2 films have been prepared onto the amorphous glass substrates by a spray pyrolysis. XRD studies reveal that the material deposited is polycrystalline SnO2 and have tetragonal structure. It is observed that films are highly orientated along (200 direction. The direct optical band gap energy for the F: SnO2 films are found to be 4.15 eV. Gas sensing properties of the sensor were checked against combustible gases like H2, CO2 CO, C3H8, CH4.The H2 sensitivity of the F-doped SnO2 sensor was found to be increased. The increase in the sensitivity is discussed in terms of increased resistivity and reduced permeation of gaseous oxygen into the underlying sensing layer due to the surface modification of the sensor.

  4. Employment of fluorine doped zinc tin oxide (ZnSnOx:F) coating layer on stainless steel 316 for a bipolar plate for PEMFC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Ji Hun; Byun, Dongjin; Lee, Joong Kee

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Preparation of fluorine doped tin oxide (SnOx:F) and fluorine doped zinc tin oxide (ZnSnOx:F) coating layer on the surface of stainless steel 316 bipolar plate for PEMFCs (Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells). → Evaluations of the corrosion resistance and the interfacial contact resistance of the bare, SnOx:F and ZnSnOx:F thin film coated stainless steel 316 bipolar plates. → Evaluation of single cell performance such as cell voltage and power density using bare stainless steel, SnOx:F and ZnSnOx:F film coated bipolar plates. - Abstract: The investigation of the electrochemical characteristics of the fluorine doped tin oxide (SnOx:F) and fluorine doped zinc tin oxide (ZnSnOx:F) was carried out in the simulated PEMFC environment and bare stainless steel 316 was used as a reference. The results showed that the ZnSnOx:F coating enhanced both the corrosion resistance and interfacial contact resistance (ICR). The corrosion current for ZnSnOx:F was 1.2 μA cm -2 which was much lower than that of bare stainless steel of 50.16 μA cm -2 . The ZnSnOx:F coated film had the smallest corrosion current due to the formation of a tight surface morphology with very few pin-holes. The ZnSnOx:F coated film exhibited the highest values of the cell voltage and power density due to its having the lowest ICR values.

  5. In-situ laser processing and microstructural characteristics of YBa2Cu3O7-δ thin films on Si with TiN buffer layer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tiwari, P.; Zheleva, T.; Narayan, J.

    1993-01-01

    The authors have prepared high-quality superconducting YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 -δ (YBCO) thin films on Si(100) with TiN as a buffer layer using in-situ multitarget deposition system. Both TiN and YBCO thin films were deposited sequentially by KrF excimer laser ( | = 248 nm ) at substrate temperature of 650 C . Thin films were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), four-point-probe ac resistivity, scanning electron microscopy (S E M), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Rutherford backscattering (RBS). The TiN buffer layer was epitaxial and the epitaxial relationship was found to be cube on cube with TiN parallel Si. YBCO thin films on Si with TiN buffer layer showed the transition temperature of 90-92K with T co (zero resistance temperature) of 84K. The authors have found that the quality of the buffer layer is very important in determining the superconducting transition temperature of the thin film. The effects of processing parameters and the correlation of microstructural features with superconducting properties are discussed in detail

  6. Pulsed laser deposition of transparent conductive oxide thin films on flexible substrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Socol, G.; Socol, M.; Stefan, N.; Axente, E.; Popescu-Pelin, G.; Craciun, D.; Duta, L.; Mihailescu, C. N.; Mihailescu, I. N.; Stanculescu, A.; Visan, D.; Sava, V.; Galca, A. C.; Luculescu, C. R.; Craciun, V.

    2012-11-01

    The influence of target-substrate distance during pulsed laser deposition of indium zinc oxide (IZO), indium tin oxide (ITO) and aluminium-doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films grown on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates was investigated. It was found that the properties of such flexible transparent conductive oxide (TCO)/PET electrodes critically depend on this parameter. The TCO films that were deposited at distances of 6 and 8 cm exhibited an optical transmittance higher than 90% in the visible range and electrical resistivities around 5 × 10-4 Ω cm. In addition to these excellent electrical and optical characteristics the films grown at 8 cm distance were homogenous, smooth, adherent, and without cracks or any other extended defects, being suitable for opto-electronic device applications.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2003-01-01

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

  8. UV-visible spectroscopic estimation of photodegradation of rhodamine-B dye using tin(IV) oxide nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sangami, G; Dharmaraj, N

    2012-11-01

    Nanocrystalline, tin(IV) oxide (SnO(2)) particles has been prepared by thermal decomposition of tin oxalate precursor obtained from the reactions of tin(IV) chloride and sodium oxalate using eggshell membrane (ESM). The as-prepared SnO(2) nanoparticles were characterized by thermal studies, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, FT-IR and UV-visible studies and used as a photocatalyst for the degradation of rhodamine-B (Rh-B) dye. The size of the prepared nanoparticles was in the range of 5-12nm as identified from the TEM images. Powder XRD data revealed the presence of a tetragonal, rutile crystalline phase of the tin(IV) oxide nanoparticles. Thermal analysis showed that the decomposition of tin oxalate precursor to yield the titled tin(IV) oxide nanoparticles was completed below 500°C. The extent of degradation of Rh-B in the presence of SnO(2) monitored by absorption spectral measurements demonstrated that 94.48% of the selected dye was degraded upon irradiation with UV light for 60 min. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Ferromagnetism in Co-Doped Indium Tin Oxide Revealed Using X-Ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. M. H. R. Hakimi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The effects of high-temperature annealing on ferromagnetic Co-doped Indium Tin Oxide (ITO thin films have been investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD, magnetometry, and X-Ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism (XMCD. Following annealing, the magnetometry results indicate the formation of Co clusters with a significant increase in the saturation magnetization of the thin films arising from defects introduced during cluster formation. However, sum rule analysis of the element-specific XMCD results shows that the magnetic moment at the Co sites is reduced after annealing. The effects of annealing demonstrate that the ferromagnetism observed in the as-deposited Co-doped ITO films arises from intrinsic defects and cannot be related to the segregation of metallic Co clusters.

  10. Synthesis of antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticles by the nitrate-citrate combustion method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Jianrong; Gao Lian

    2004-01-01

    Antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticles having rutile structure have been synthesized by the combustion method using citric acid (CA) as fuel and nitrate as an oxidant, the metal sources were granulated tin and Sb 2 O 3 . The influence of citric acid (fuel) to metal ratio on the average crystallite size, specific surface area and morphology of the nanoparticles has been investigated. X-ray diffraction showed the tin ions were reduced to elemental tin during combustion reaction. The average ATO crystallite size increased with the increase of citric acid (fuel). Powder morphology and the comparison of crystallite size and grain size shows that the degree of agglomeration of the powder decreased with an increase of the ratio. The highest specific surface area was 37.5 m 2 /g when the citric acid to tin ratio was about 6

  11. Role of plasma activation in tailoring the nanostructure of multifunctional oxides thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Giangregorio, Maria M.; Losurdo, Maria; Capezzuto, Pio [Institute of Inorganic Methodologies and Plasmas, IMIP-CNR, and Department of Chemistry, University of Bari, via Orabona, 4-70125 Bari (Italy); Bruno, Giovanni [Institute of Inorganic Methodologies and Plasmas, IMIP-CNR, and Department of Chemistry, University of Bari, via Orabona, 4-70125 Bari (Italy)], E-mail: giovanni.bruno@ba.imip.cnr.it

    2009-03-01

    Potential of O{sub 2} remote plasmas for improving structural, morphological and optical properties of various multifunctional oxides thin films both during plasma assisted growth as well as by post-growth treatments is discussed. In particular, an O{sub 2} remote plasma metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (RP-MOCVD) route is presented for tailoring the structural, morphological and optical properties of Er{sub 2}O{sub 3} and ZnO films. Furthermore, post-growth room-temperature remote O{sub 2} plasma treatments of indium-tin-oxides (ITO) films are demonstrated to be effective in improving morphology of ITO films.

  12. Highly-ordered mesoporous titania thin films prepared via surfactant assembly on conductive indium-tin-oxide/glass substrate and its optical properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uchida, Hiroshi; Patel, Mehul N.; May, R. Alan; Gupta, Gaurav; Stevenson, Keith J.; Johnston, Keith P.

    2010-01-01

    Highly ordered mesoporous titanium dioxide (titania, TiO 2 ) thin films on indium-tin-oxide (ITO) coated glass were prepared via a Pluronic (P123) block copolymer template and a hydrophilic TiO 2 buffer layer. The contraction of the 3D hexagonal array of P123 micelles upon calcination merges the titania domains on the TiO 2 buffer layer to form mesoporous films with a mesochannel diameter of approximately 10 nm and a pore-to-pore distance of 10 nm. The mesoporous titania films on TiO 2 -buffered ITO/glass featured an inverse mesospace with a hexagonally-ordered structure, whereas the films formed without a TiO 2 buffer layer had a disordered microstructure with submicron cracks because of non-uniform water condensation on the hydrophobic ITO/glass surface. The density of the mesoporous film was 83% that of a bulk TiO 2 film. The optical band gap of the mesoporous titania thin film was approximately 3.4 eV, larger than that for nonporous anatase TiO 2 (∼ 3.2 eV), suggesting that the nanoscopic grain size leads to an increase in the band gap due to weak quantum confinement effects. The ability to form highly-ordered mesoporous titania films on electrically conductive and transparent substrates offers the potential for facile fabrication of high surface area semiconductive films with small diffusion lengths for optoelectronics applications.

  13. First-principles analysis of structural and opto-electronic properties of indium tin oxide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tripathi, Madhvendra Nath; Shida, Kazuhito; Sahara, Ryoji; Mizuseki, Hiroshi; Kawazoe, Yoshiyuki

    2012-05-01

    Density functional theory (DFT) and DFT + U (DFT with on-site Coulomb repulsion corrections) calculations have been carried out to study the structural and opto-electronic properties of indium tin oxide (ITO) for both the oxidized and reduced environment conditions. Some of the results obtained by DFT calculations differ from the experimental observations, such as uncertain indication for the site preference of tin atom to replace indium atom at b-site or d-site, underestimation of local inward relaxation in the first oxygen polyhedra around tin atom, and also the improper estimation of electronic density of states and hence resulting in an inappropriate optical spectra of ITO. These discrepancies of theoretical outcomes with experimental observations in ITO arise mainly due to the underestimation of the cationic 4d levels within standard DFT calculations. Henceforth, the inclusion of on-site corrections within DFT + U framework significantly modifies the theoretical results in better agreement to the experimental observations. Within this framework, our calculations show that the indium b-site is preferential site over d-site for tin atom substitution in indium oxide under both the oxidized and reduced conditions. Moreover, the calculated average inward relaxation value of 0.16 Å around tin atom is in good agreement with the experimental value of 0.18 Å. Furthermore, DFT + U significantly modify the electronic structure and consequently induce modifications in the calculated optical spectra of ITO.

  14. Experimental and Simulated Investigations of Thin Polymer Substrates with an Indium Tin Oxide Coating under Fatigue Bending Loadings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiong-Shiun Hsu

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Stress-induced failure is a critical concern that influences the mechanical reliability of an indium tin oxide (ITO film deposited on a transparently flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET substrate. In this study, a cycling bending mechanism was proposed and used to experimentally investigate the influences of compressive and tensile stresses on the mechanical stability of an ITO film deposited on PET substrates. The sheet resistance of the ITO film, optical transmittance of the ITO-coated PET substrates, and failure scheme within the ITO film were measured to evaluate the mechanical stability of the concerned thin films. The results indicated that compressive and tensile stresses generated distinct failure schemes within an ITO film and both led to increased sheet resistance and optical transmittance. In addition, tensile stress increased the sheet resistance of an ITO film more easily than compressive stress did. However, the influences of both compressive and tensile stress on increased optical transmittance were demonstrated to be highly similar. Increasing the thickness of a PET substrate resulted in increased sheet resistance and optical transmittance regardless of the presence of compressive or tensile stress. Moreover, J-Integral, a method based on strain energy, was used to estimate the interfacial adhesion strength of the ITO-PET film through the simulation approach enabled by a finite element analysis.

  15. Fabrication of heterojunction solar cells by improved tin oxide deposition on insulating layer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Tom; Ghosh, Amal K.

    1980-01-01

    Highly efficient tin oxide-silicon heterojunction solar cells are prepared by heating a silicon substrate, having an insulating layer thereon, to provide a substrate temperature in the range of about 300.degree. C. to about 400.degree. C. and thereafter spraying the so-heated substrate with a solution of tin tetrachloride in a organic ester boiling below about 250.degree. C. Preferably the insulating layer is naturally grown silicon oxide layer.

  16. Titanium dioxide-coated fluorine-doped tin oxide thin films for improving overall photoelectric property

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Bao-jia; Huang, Li-jing; Ren, Nai-fei; Zhou, Ming

    2014-01-01

    Titanium (Ti) layers were deposited by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering on commercial fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glasses, followed by simultaneous oxidation and annealing treatment in a tubular furnace to prepare titanium dioxide (TiO 2 )/FTO bilayer films. Large and densely arranged grains were observed on all TiO 2 /FTO bilayer films. The presence of TiO 2 tetragonal rutile phase in the TiO 2 /FTO bilayer films was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The results of parameter optimization indicated that the TiO 2 /FTO bilayer film, which was formed by adopting a temperature of 400 °C and an oxygen flow rate of 15 sccm, had the optimal overall photoelectric property with a figure of merit of 2.30 × 10 −2 Ω −1 , higher than 1.78 × 10 −2 Ω −1 for the FTO single-layer film. After coating a 500 nm-thick AZO layer by DC magnetron sputtering on this TiO 2 /FTO bilayer film, the figure of merit of the trilayer film achieved to a higher figure of merit of 3.12 × 10 −2 Ω −1 , indicating further improvement of the overall photoelectric property. This work may provide a scientific basis and reference for improving overall photoelectric property of transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films.

  17. Acid-catalyzed kinetics of indium tin oxide etching

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choi, Jae-Hyeok; Kim, Seong-Oh; Hilton, Diana L. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798 (Singapore); Centre for Biomimetic Sensor Science, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Drive, 637553 (Singapore); Cho, Nam-Joon, E-mail: njcho@ntu.edu.sg [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798 (Singapore); Centre for Biomimetic Sensor Science, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Drive, 637553 (Singapore); School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 62 Nanyang Drive, 637459 (Singapore)

    2014-08-28

    We report the kinetic characterization of indium tin oxide (ITO) film etching by chemical treatment in acidic and basic electrolytes. It was observed that film etching increased under more acidic conditions, whereas basic conditions led to minimal etching on the time scale of the experiments. Quartz crystal microbalance was employed in order to track the reaction kinetics as a function of the concentration of hydrochloric acid and accordingly solution pH. Contact angle measurements and atomic force microscopy experiments determined that acid treatment increases surface hydrophilicity and porosity. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy experiments identified that film etching is primarily caused by dissolution of indium species. A kinetic model was developed to explain the acid-catalyzed dissolution of ITO surfaces, and showed a logarithmic relationship between the rate of dissolution and the concentration of undisassociated hydrochloric acid molecules. Taken together, the findings presented in this work verify the acid-catalyzed kinetics of ITO film dissolution by chemical treatment, and support that the corresponding chemical reactions should be accounted for in ITO film processing applications. - Highlights: • Acidic conditions promoted indium tin oxide (ITO) film etching via dissolution. • Logarithm of the dissolution rate depended linearly on the solution pH. • Acid treatment increased ITO surface hydrophilicity and porosity. • ITO film etching led to preferential dissolution of indium species over tin species.

  18. Influence of Oxygen Concentration on the Performance of Ultra-Thin RF Magnetron Sputter Deposited Indium Tin Oxide Films as a Top Electrode for Photovoltaic Devices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jephias Gwamuri

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The opportunity for substantial efficiency enhancements of thin film hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H solar photovoltaic (PV cells using plasmonic absorbers requires ultra-thin transparent conducting oxide top electrodes with low resistivity and high transmittances in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Fabricating ultra-thin indium tin oxide (ITO films (sub-50 nm using conventional methods has presented a number of challenges; however, a novel method involving chemical shaving of thicker (greater than 80 nm RF sputter deposited high-quality ITO films has been demonstrated. This study investigates the effect of oxygen concentration on the etch rates of RF sputter deposited ITO films to provide a detailed understanding of the interaction of all critical experimental parameters to help create even thinner layers to allow for more finely tune plasmonic resonances. ITO films were deposited on silicon substrates with a 98-nm, thermally grown oxide using RF magnetron sputtering with oxygen concentrations of 0, 0.4 and 1.0 sccm and annealed at 300 °C air ambient. Then the films were etched using a combination of water and hydrochloric and nitric acids for 1, 3, 5 and 8 min at room temperature. In-between each etching process cycle, the films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, Raman Spectroscopy, 4-point probe (electrical conductivity, and variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry. All the films were polycrystalline in nature and highly oriented along the (222 reflection. Ultra-thin ITO films with record low resistivity values (as low as 5.83 × 10−4 Ω·cm were obtained and high optical transparency is exhibited in the 300–1000 nm wavelength region for all the ITO films. The etch rate, preferred crystal lattice growth plane, d-spacing and lattice distortion were also observed to be highly dependent on the nature of growth environment for RF sputter deposited ITO films. The structural, electrical

  19. Effects of Annealing on TiN Thin Film Growth by DC Magnetron Sputtering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azadeh Jafari

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available We have reviewed the deposition of titanium nitride (TiN thin films on stainless steel substrates by a DC magnetron sputtering method and annealing at different annealing temperatures of 500, 600, and 700°C for 120 min in nitrogen/argon atmospheres. Effects of annealing temperatures on the structural and the optical properties of TiN films were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD, atomic force microscope (AFM, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM, and UV-VIS spectrophotometer. Our experimental studies reveal that the annealing temperature appreciably affected the structures, crystallite sizes, and reflection of the films. By increasing the annealing temperature to 700°C crystallinity and reflection of the film increase. These results suggest that annealed TiN films can be good candidate for tokamak first wall due to their structural and optical properties.

  20. Indium oxide co-doped with tin and zinc: A simple route to highly conducting high density targets for TCO thin-film fabrication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saadeddin, I.; Hilal, H. S.; Decourt, R.; Campet, G.; Pecquenard, B.

    2012-07-01

    Indium oxide co-doped with tin and zinc (ITZO) ceramics have been successfully prepared by direct sintering of the powders mixture at 1300 °C. This allowed us to easily fabricate large highly dense target suitable for sputtering transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films, without using any cold or hot pressing techniques. Hence, the optimized ITZO ceramic reaches a high relative bulk density (˜ 92% of In2O3 theoretical density) and higher than the well-known indium oxide doped with tin (ITO) prepared under similar conditions. All X-ray diagrams obtained for ITZO ceramics confirms a bixbyte structure typical for In2O3 only. This indicates a higher solubility limit of Sn and Zn when they are co-doped into In2O3 forming a solid-solution. A very low value of electrical resistivity is obtained for [In2O3:Sn0.10]:Zn0.10 (1.7 × 10-3 Ω cm, lower than ITO counterpart) which could be fabricated to high dense ceramic target suing pressure-less sintering.

  1. Influence of oblique-angle sputtered transparent conducting oxides on performance of Si-based thin film solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leem, Jung Woo; Yu, Jae Su

    2011-01-01

    The transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films with low-refractive-index (low-n) are fabricated by the oblique-angle sputtering method. By using the experimentally measured physical data of the fabricated low-n TCO films as the simulation parameters, the effect of low-n TCOs on the performance of a-Si:H/μc-Si:H tandem thin film solar cells is investigated using Silvaco ATLAS. The Al-doped zinc oxide, indium tin oxide (ITO), and Sb-doped tin oxide films are deposited at the flux incidence angles of θ i = 0 (normal sputtering) and θ i = 80 from the sputtering target during the sputtering process. The oblique-angle sputtered films at θ i = 80 show the inclined columnar nanostructures compared to those at θ i = 0 , modifying the optical properties of the films. This is caused mainly by the increase of porosity within the film which leads to its low-n characteristics. The a-Si:H/μc-Si:H tandem thin film solar cell incorporated with the low-n ITO film exhibits an improvement in the conversion efficiency of ∝1% under AM1.5g illumination because of its higher transmittance and lower absorption compared to that with the ITO film at θ i = 0 , indicating a conversion efficiency of 13.75%. (Copyright copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  2. Effect of fabrication conditions on the properties of indium tin oxide powders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xie Wei

    2008-01-01

    This paper reports that indium tin oxide (ITO) crystalline powders are prepared by coprecipitation method. Fabrication conditions mainly as sintering temperature and Sn doping content are correlated with the phase, microstructure, infrared emissivity in and powder resistivity of indium tin oxides by means of x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, and transmission electron microscope. The optimum sintering temperature of 1350°C and Sn doping content 6∼8wt% are determined. The application of ITO in the military camouflage field is proposed. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

  3. Pulsed laser deposition of transparent conductive oxide thin films on flexible substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Socol, G.; Socol, M.; Stefan, N.; Axente, E.; Popescu-Pelin, G.; Craciun, D.; Duta, L.; Mihailescu, C.N.; Mihailescu, I.N.; Stanculescu, A.; Visan, D.; Sava, V.; Galca, A.C.; Luculescu, C.R.; Craciun, V.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► TCO thin films were grown by PLD on PET substrate at low temperature. ► We found that the quality of TCO on PET substrate depends on the target–substrate distance. ► TCO with high transparency (>95%) and reduced electrical resistivity (∼5 × 10 −4 Ω cm) were obtained. ► Optimized TCO films deposited on PET were free of any cracks. - Abstract: The influence of target–substrate distance during pulsed laser deposition of indium zinc oxide (IZO), indium tin oxide (ITO) and aluminium-doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films grown on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates was investigated. It was found that the properties of such flexible transparent conductive oxide (TCO)/PET electrodes critically depend on this parameter. The TCO films that were deposited at distances of 6 and 8 cm exhibited an optical transmittance higher than 90% in the visible range and electrical resistivities around 5 × 10 −4 Ω cm. In addition to these excellent electrical and optical characteristics the films grown at 8 cm distance were homogenous, smooth, adherent, and without cracks or any other extended defects, being suitable for opto-electronic device applications.

  4. Photocatalytic degradation of phenol by iodine doped tin oxide nanoparticles under UV and sunlight irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Al-Hamdi, Abdullah M.; Sillanpää, Mika [Laboratory of Green Chemistry, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Sammonkatu 12, 50130 Mikkeli (Finland); Dutta, Joydeep, E-mail: dutta@squ.edu.om [Chair in Nanotechnology, Water Research Center, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 17, 123 Al-Khoudh (Oman)

    2015-01-05

    Highlights: • A sol–gel method used to synthesize tin oxide nanoparticles. • Nanoparticles of tin oxide doped with different iodine concentrations. • Degradation studies carried up with UV–vis, TOC, HPLC and GC instruments. • 1% iodine doped tin dioxide showed maximum photodegradation efficiency. - Abstract: Iodine doped tin oxide (SnO{sub 2}:I) nanoparticles were prepared by sol–gel synthesis and their photocatalytic activities with phenol as a test contaminant were studied. In the presence of the catalysts, phenol degradation under direct sunlight was comparable to what was achieved under laboratory conditions. Photocatalytic oxidation reactions were studied by varying the catalyst loading, light intensity, illumination time, pH of the reactant and phenol concentration. Upon UV irradiation in the presence of SnO{sub 2}:I nanoparticles, phenol degrades very rapidly within 30 min, forming carboxylic acid which turns the solution acidic. Phenol degradation rate with 1% iodine doped SnO{sub 2} nanoparticles is at least an order of magnitude higher compared to the degradation achieved through undoped SnO{sub 2} nanoparticles under similar illumination conditions.

  5. Photocatalytic degradation of phenol by iodine doped tin oxide nanoparticles under UV and sunlight irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Hamdi, Abdullah M.; Sillanpää, Mika; Dutta, Joydeep

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • A sol–gel method used to synthesize tin oxide nanoparticles. • Nanoparticles of tin oxide doped with different iodine concentrations. • Degradation studies carried up with UV–vis, TOC, HPLC and GC instruments. • 1% iodine doped tin dioxide showed maximum photodegradation efficiency. - Abstract: Iodine doped tin oxide (SnO 2 :I) nanoparticles were prepared by sol–gel synthesis and their photocatalytic activities with phenol as a test contaminant were studied. In the presence of the catalysts, phenol degradation under direct sunlight was comparable to what was achieved under laboratory conditions. Photocatalytic oxidation reactions were studied by varying the catalyst loading, light intensity, illumination time, pH of the reactant and phenol concentration. Upon UV irradiation in the presence of SnO 2 :I nanoparticles, phenol degrades very rapidly within 30 min, forming carboxylic acid which turns the solution acidic. Phenol degradation rate with 1% iodine doped SnO 2 nanoparticles is at least an order of magnitude higher compared to the degradation achieved through undoped SnO 2 nanoparticles under similar illumination conditions

  6. Pretreatment of Platinum/Tin Oxide-Catalyst

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hess, Robert V.; Paulin, Patricia A.; Miller, Irvin M.; Schryer, David R.; Sidney, Barry D.; Wood, George M.; Upchurch, Billy T.; Brown, Kenneth G.

    1987-01-01

    Addition of CO to He pretreatment doubles catalytic activity. In sealed, high-energy, pulsed CO2 laser, CO and O2 form as decomposition products of CO2 in laser discharge zone. Products must be recombined, because oxygen concentration of more than few tenths of percent causes rapid deterioration of power, ending in unstable operation. Promising low-temperature catalyst for combining CO and O2 is platinum on tin oxide. New development increases activity of catalyst so less needed for recombination process.

  7. High efficiency bifacial Cu2ZnSnSe4 thin-film solar cells on transparent conducting oxide glass substrates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jung-Sik Kim

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available In this work, transparent conducting oxides (TCOs have been employed as a back contact instead of Mo on Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe thin-film solar cells in order to examine the feasibility of bifacial Cu2ZnSn(S,Se4 (CZTSSe solar cells based on a vacuum process. It is found that the interfacial reaction between flourine doped tin oxide (FTO or indium tin oxide (ITO and the CZTSe precursor is at odds with the conventional CZTSe/Mo reaction. While there is no interfacial reaction on CZTSe/FTO, indium in CZTSe/ITO was significantly diffused into the CZTSe layers; consequently, a SnO2 layer was formed on the ITO substrate. Under bifacial illumination, we achieved a power efficiency of 6.05% and 4.31% for CZTSe/FTO and CZTSe/ITO, respectively.

  8. High rate deposition of transparent conducting oxide thin films by vacuum arc plasma evaporation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Minami, Tadatsugu; Ida, Satoshi; Miyata, Toshihiro

    2002-01-01

    Transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin films have been deposited at a high rate above 370 nm/min by vacuum arc plasma evaporation (VAPE) using sintered oxide fragments as the source material. It was found that the deposition rate of TCO films was strongly dependent on the deposition pressure, whereas the obtained electrical properties were relatively independent of the pressure. Resistivities of 5.6x10 -4 and 2.3x10 -4 Ω·cm and an average transmittance above 80% (with substrate included) in the visible range were obtained in Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) thin films deposited at 100 and 350 deg. C, respectively. In addition, a resistivity as low as 1.4x10 -4 Ω·cm and an average transmittance above 80% were also obtained in indium-tin-oxide (ITO) films deposited at 300 deg. C. The deposited TCO films exhibited uniform distributions of resistivity and thickness on large area substrates

  9. High rate deposition of transparent conducting oxide thin films by vacuum arc plasma evaporation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Minami, Tadatsugu; Ida, Satoshi; Miyata, Toshihiro

    2002-09-02

    Transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin films have been deposited at a high rate above 370 nm/min by vacuum arc plasma evaporation (VAPE) using sintered oxide fragments as the source material. It was found that the deposition rate of TCO films was strongly dependent on the deposition pressure, whereas the obtained electrical properties were relatively independent of the pressure. Resistivities of 5.6x10{sup -4} and 2.3x10{sup -4} {omega}{center_dot}cm and an average transmittance above 80% (with substrate included) in the visible range were obtained in Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) thin films deposited at 100 and 350 deg. C, respectively. In addition, a resistivity as low as 1.4x10{sup -4} {omega}{center_dot}cm and an average transmittance above 80% were also obtained in indium-tin-oxide (ITO) films deposited at 300 deg. C. The deposited TCO films exhibited uniform distributions of resistivity and thickness on large area substrates.

  10. Titanium dioxide-coated fluorine-doped tin oxide thin films for improving overall photoelectric property

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Bao-jia, E-mail: bjia_li@126.com [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013 (China); Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Center for Photon Manufacturing Science and Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013 (China); Huang, Li-jing [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013 (China); Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Center for Photon Manufacturing Science and Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013 (China); Ren, Nai-fei [Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Center for Photon Manufacturing Science and Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013 (China); School of Mechanical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013 (China); Zhou, Ming [The State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

    2014-01-30

    Titanium (Ti) layers were deposited by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering on commercial fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glasses, followed by simultaneous oxidation and annealing treatment in a tubular furnace to prepare titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2})/FTO bilayer films. Large and densely arranged grains were observed on all TiO{sub 2}/FTO bilayer films. The presence of TiO{sub 2} tetragonal rutile phase in the TiO{sub 2}/FTO bilayer films was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The results of parameter optimization indicated that the TiO{sub 2}/FTO bilayer film, which was formed by adopting a temperature of 400 °C and an oxygen flow rate of 15 sccm, had the optimal overall photoelectric property with a figure of merit of 2.30 × 10{sup −2} Ω{sup −1}, higher than 1.78 × 10{sup −2} Ω{sup −1} for the FTO single-layer film. After coating a 500 nm-thick AZO layer by DC magnetron sputtering on this TiO{sub 2}/FTO bilayer film, the figure of merit of the trilayer film achieved to a higher figure of merit of 3.12 × 10{sup −2} Ω{sup −1}, indicating further improvement of the overall photoelectric property. This work may provide a scientific basis and reference for improving overall photoelectric property of transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films.

  11. Mechanical Properties of Glass Surfaces Coated with Tin Oxide

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Swindlehurst, W. E.; Cantor, B.

    1978-01-01

    The effect of tin oxide coatings on the coefficient of friction and fracture strength of glass surfaces is studied. Experiments were performed partly on commercially treated glass bottles and partly on laboratory prepared microscope slides. Coatings were applied in the laboratory by decomposition...

  12. Atomic-layer chemical-vapor-deposition of TiN thin films on Si(100) and Si(111)

    CERN Document Server

    Kim, Y S; Kim, Y D; Kim, W M

    2000-01-01

    An atomic-layer chemical vapor deposition (AL-CVD) system was used to deposit TiN thin films on Si(100) and Si(111) substrates by cyclic exposures of TiCl sub 4 and NH sub 3. The growth rate was measured by using the number of deposition cycles, and the physical properties were compared with those of TiN films grown by using conventional deposition methods. To investigate the growth mechanism, we suggest a growth model for TiN n order to calculate the growth rate per cycle with a Cerius program. The results of the calculation with the model were compared with the experimental values for the TiN film deposited using the AL-CVD method. The stoichiometry of the TiN film was examined by using Auger electron spectroscopy, and the chlorine and the oxygen impurities were examined. The x-ray diffraction and the transmission electron microscopy results for the TiN film exhibited a strong (200) peak and a randomly oriented columnar microstructure. The electrical resistivity was found to decrease with increasing deposit...

  13. Synthesis and characterization of single-crystalline zinc tin oxide nanowires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Jen-Bin; Wu, Po-Feng; Lin, Hsien-Sheng; Lin, Ya-Ting; Lee, Hsuan-Wei; Kao, Chia-Tze; Liao, Wei-Hsiang; Young, San-Lin

    2014-05-01

    Crystalline zinc tin oxide (ZTO; zinc oxide with heavy tin doping of 33 at.%) nanowires were first synthesized using the electrodeposition and heat treatment method based on an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane, which has an average diameter of about 60 nm. According to the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) results, the synthesized ZTO nanowires are highly ordered and have high wire packing densities. The length of ZTO nanowires is about 4 μm, and the aspect ratio is around 67. ZTO nanowires with a Zn/(Zn + Sn) atomic ratio of 0.67 (approximately 2/3) were observed from an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and corresponding selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns demonstrated that the ZTO nanowire is hexagonal single-crystalline. The study of ultraviolet/visible/near-infrared (UV/Vis/NIR) absorption showed that the ZTO nanowire is a wide-band semiconductor with a band gap energy of 3.7 eV.

  14. Transparent conductive electrodes of mixed TiO2−x–indium tin oxide for organic photovoltaics

    KAUST Repository

    Lee, Kyu-Sung

    2012-05-22

    A transparent conductive electrode of mixed titanium dioxide (TiO2−x)–indium tin oxide (ITO) with an overall reduction in the use of indium metal is demonstrated. When used in organic photovoltaicdevices based on bulk heterojunction photoactive layer of poly (3-hexylthiophene) and [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester, a power conversion efficiency of 3.67% was obtained, a value comparable to devices having sputtered ITO electrode. Surface roughness and optical efficiency are improved when using the mixed TiO2−x–ITO electrode. The consumption of less indium allows for lower fabrication cost of such mixed thin filmelectrode.

  15. Assembly and benign step-by-step post-treatment of oppositely charged reduced graphene oxides for transparent conductive thin films with multiple applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Jiayi; He, Junhui

    2012-05-01

    We report a new approach for the fabrication of flexible and transparent conducting thin films via the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of oppositely charged reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and the benign step-by-step post-treatment on substrates with a low glass-transition temperature, such as glass and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). The RGO dispersions and films were characterized by means of atomic force microscopy, UV-visible absorption spectrophotometery, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, contact angle/interface systems and a four-point probe. It was found that the graphene thin films exhibited a significant increase in electrical conductivity after the step-by-step post-treatments. The graphene thin film on the PET substrate had a good conductivity retainability after multiple cycles (30 cycles) of excessively bending (bending angle: 180°), while tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) thin films on PET showed a significant decrease in electrical conductivity. In addition, the graphene thin film had a smooth surface with tunable wettability.We report a new approach for the fabrication of flexible and transparent conducting thin films via the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of oppositely charged reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and the benign step-by-step post-treatment on substrates with a low glass-transition temperature, such as glass and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). The RGO dispersions and films were characterized by means of atomic force microscopy, UV-visible absorption spectrophotometery, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, contact angle/interface systems and a four-point probe. It was found that the graphene thin films exhibited a significant increase in electrical conductivity after the step-by-step post-treatments. The graphene thin film on the PET substrate had a good conductivity retainability after multiple cycles (30 cycles) of excessively bending (bending angle: 180°), while tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) thin films on

  16. Structural studies of supported tin catalysts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nava, Noel; Viveros, Tomás

    1999-11-01

    Tin oxide was supported on aluminium oxide, titanium oxide, magnesium oxide and silicon oxide, and the resulting interactions between the components in the prepared samples and after reduction were characterized by Mössbauer spectroscopy. It was observed that in the oxide state, tin is present as SnO2 on alumina, magnesia and silica, but on titania tin occupies Ti sites in the structure. After hydrogen treatment at high temperatures, tin is reduced from Sn(4) to Sn(2) on alumina and titania; it is reduced from Sn(4) to Sn(0) on silica, and is practically not reduced on magnesia. These results reveal the degree of interaction between tin and the different supports studied.

  17. Structural studies of supported tin catalysts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nava, Noel; Viveros, Tomas

    1999-01-01

    Tin oxide was supported on aluminium oxide, titanium oxide, magnesium oxide and silicon oxide, and the resulting interactions between the components in the prepared samples and after reduction were characterized by Moessbauer spectroscopy. It was observed that in the oxide state, tin is present as SnO 2 on alumina, magnesia and silica, but on titania tin occupies Ti sites in the structure. After hydrogen treatment at high temperatures, tin is reduced from Sn(4) to Sn(2) on alumina and titania; it is reduced from Sn(4) to Sn(0) on silica, and is practically not reduced on magnesia. These results reveal the degree of interaction between tin and the different supports studied

  18. PALLADIUM DOPED TIN OXIDE BASED HYDROGEN GAS SENSORS FOR SAFETY APPLICATIONS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kasthurirengan, S.; Behera, Upendra; Nadig, D. S.

    2010-01-01

    Hydrogen is considered to be a hazardous gas since it forms a flammable mixture between 4 to 75% by volume in air. Hence, the safety aspects of handling hydrogen are quite important. For this, ideally, highly selective, fast response, small size, hydrogen sensors are needed. Although sensors based on different technologies may be used, thin-film sensors based on palladium (Pd) are preferred due to their compactness and fast response. They detect hydrogen by monitoring the changes to the electrical, mechanical or optical properties of the films. We report the development of Pd-doped tin-oxide based gas sensors prepared on thin ceramic substrates with screen printed platinum (Pt) contacts and integrated nicrome wire heaters. The sensors are tested for their performances using hydrogen-nitrogen gas mixtures to a maximum of 4%H 2 in N 2 . The sensors detect hydrogen and their response times are less than a few seconds. Also, the sensor performance is not altered by the presence of helium in the test gas mixtures. By the above desired performance characteristics, field trials of these sensors have been undertaken. The paper presents the details of the sensor fabrication, electronic circuits, experimental setup for evaluation and the test results.

  19. Room temperature synthesis of indium tin oxide nanotubes with high precision wall thickness by electroless deposition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mario Boehme

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Conductive nanotubes consisting of indium tin oxide (ITO were fabricated by electroless deposition using ion track etched polycarbonate templates. To produce nanotubes (NTs with thin walls and small surface roughness, the tubes were generated by a multi-step procedure under aqueous conditions. The approach reported below yields open end nanotubes with well defined outer diameter and wall thickness. In the past, zinc oxide films were mostly preferred and were synthesized using electroless deposition based on aqueous solutions. All these methods previously developed, are not adaptable in the case of ITO nanotubes, even with modifications. In the present work, therefore, we investigated the necessary conditions for the growth of ITO-NTs to achieve a wall thickness of around 10 nm. In addition, the effects of pH and reductive concentrations for the formation of ITO-NTs are also discussed.

  20. Nanocomposite oxide thin films grown by pulsed energy beam deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nistor, M.; Petitmangin, A.; Hebert, C.; Seiler, W.

    2011-01-01

    Highly non-stoichiometric indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were grown by pulsed energy beam deposition (pulsed laser deposition-PLD and pulsed electron beam deposition-PED) under low oxygen pressure. The analysis of the structure and electrical transport properties showed that ITO films with a large oxygen deficiency (more than 20%) are nanocomposite films with metallic (In, Sn) clusters embedded in a stoichiometric and crystalline oxide matrix. The presence of the metallic clusters induces specific transport properties, i.e. a metallic conductivity via percolation with a superconducting transition at low temperature (about 6 K) and the melting and freezing of the In-Sn clusters in the room temperature to 450 K range evidenced by large changes in resistivity and a hysteresis cycle. By controlling the oxygen deficiency and temperature during the growth, the transport and optical properties of the nanocomposite oxide films could be tuned from metallic-like to insulating and from transparent to absorbing films.

  1. Relationships among surface processing at the nanometer scale, nanostructure and optical properties of thin oxide films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Losurdo, Maria

    2004-05-01

    Spectroscopic ellipsometry is used to study the optical properties of nanostructured semiconductor oxide thin films. Various examples of models for the dielectric function, based on Lorentzian oscillators combined with the Drude model, are given based on the band structure of the analyzed oxide. With this approach, the optical properties of thin films are determined independent of the dielectric functions of the corresponding bulk materials, and correlation between the optical properties and nanostructure of thin films is investigated. In particular, in order to discuss the dependence of optical constants on grain size, CeO{sub 2} nanostructured films are considered and parameterized by two-Lorentzian oscillators or two-Tauc-Lorentz model depending on the nanostructure and oxygen deficiency. The correlation among anisotropy, crystalline fraction and optical properties parameterized by a four-Lorentz oscillator model is discussed for nanocrystalline V{sub 2}O{sub 5} thin films. Indium tin oxide thin films are discussed as an example of the presence of graded optical properties related to interfacial reactivity activated by processing conditions. Finally, the example of ZnO shows the potential of ellipsometry in discerning crystal and epitaxial film polarity through the analysis of spectra and the detection of surface reactivity of the two polar faces, i.e. Zn-polarity and O-polarity.

  2. Study of optical characteristics of tin oxide thin film prepared by sol

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    –gel process. The film was synthesized on a glass (Corning 7059) plate by dip coating method. Here, we used tin (II) chloride as precursor and methanol as solvent. Optical characteristics and physical properties like refractive index, absorption ...

  3. Influence of oblique-angle sputtered transparent conducting oxides on performance of Si-based thin film solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Leem, Jung Woo; Yu, Jae Su [Department of Electronics and Radio Engineering, Kyung Hee University, 1 Seocheon-dong, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 446-701 (Korea, Republic of)

    2011-09-15

    The transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films with low-refractive-index (low-n) are fabricated by the oblique-angle sputtering method. By using the experimentally measured physical data of the fabricated low-n TCO films as the simulation parameters, the effect of low-n TCOs on the performance of a-Si:H/{mu}c-Si:H tandem thin film solar cells is investigated using Silvaco ATLAS. The Al-doped zinc oxide, indium tin oxide (ITO), and Sb-doped tin oxide films are deposited at the flux incidence angles of {theta}{sub i} = 0 (normal sputtering) and {theta}{sub i} = 80 from the sputtering target during the sputtering process. The oblique-angle sputtered films at {theta}{sub i} = 80 show the inclined columnar nanostructures compared to those at {theta}{sub i} = 0 , modifying the optical properties of the films. This is caused mainly by the increase of porosity within the film which leads to its low-n characteristics. The a-Si:H/{mu}c-Si:H tandem thin film solar cell incorporated with the low-n ITO film exhibits an improvement in the conversion efficiency of {proportional_to}1% under AM1.5g illumination because of its higher transmittance and lower absorption compared to that with the ITO film at {theta}{sub i} = 0 , indicating a conversion efficiency of 13.75%. (Copyright copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  4. 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

  5. Alkaline earth metal doped tin oxide as a novel oxygen storage material

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dong, Qiang, E-mail: dong@tagen.tohoku.ac.jp [Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); Yin, Shu; Yoshida, Mizuki; Wu, Xiaoyong; Liu, Bin [Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); Miura, Akira; Takei, Takahiro; Kumada, Nobuhiro [Department of Research Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, University of Yamanashi, Miyamae cho-7, Kofu 400-8511 (Japan); Sato, Tsugio [Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku Sendai 980-8577 (Japan)

    2015-09-15

    Alkaline earth metal doped tin oxide (SnO{sub 2}) hollow nanospheres with a diameter of 50 nm have been synthesized successfully via a facial solvothermal route in a very simple system composed of only ethanol, acetic acid, SnCl{sub 4}·5H{sub 2}O and A(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}·xH{sub 2}O (A = Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba). The synthesized undoped SnO{sub 2} and A-doped SnO{sub 2} hollow nanospheres were characterized by the oxygen storage capacity (OSC), X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and the Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) technique. The OSC values of all samples were measured using thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis. The incorporation of alkaline earth metal ion into tin oxide greatly enhanced the thermal stability and OSC. Especially, Ba-doped SnO{sub 2} hollow nanospheres calcined at 1000 °C for 20 h with a BET surface area of 61 m{sup 2} g{sup −1} exhibited the considerably high OSC of 457 μmol-O g{sup −1} and good thermal stability. Alkaline earth metal doped tin oxide has the potential to be a novel oxygen storage material.

  6. Antimony Doped Tin Oxides and Their Composites with Tin pyrophosphates as Catalyst Supports for Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Xu, Junyuan; Li, Qingfeng; Christensen, Erik

    2012-01-01

    Proton exchange membrane water electrolysers operating at typically 80 °C or at further elevated temperatures suffer from insufficient catalyst activity and durability. In this work, antimony doped tin oxide nanoparticles were synthesized and further doped with an inorganic proton conducting phase...... based on tin pyrophosphates as the catalyst support. The materials showed an overall conductivity of 0.57 S cm−1 at 130 °C under the water vapor atmosphere with a contribution of the proton conduction. Using this composite support, iridium oxide nanoparticle catalysts were prepared and characterized...

  7. Patterning crystalline indium tin oxide by high repetition rate femtosecond laser-induced crystallization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng, Chung-Wei; Lin, Cen-Ying; Shen, Wei-Chih; Lee, Yi-Ju; Chen, Jenq-Shyong

    2010-01-01

    A method is proposed for patterning crystalline indium tin oxide (c-ITO) patterns on amorphous ITO (a-ITO) thin films by femtosecond laser irradiation at 80 MHz repetition rate followed by chemical etching. In the proposed approach, the a-ITO film is transformed into a c-ITO film over a predetermined area via the heat accumulation energy supplied by the high repetition rate laser beam, and the unirradiated a-ITO film is then removed using an acidic etchant solution. The fabricated c-ITO patterns are observed using scanning electron microscopy and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. The crystalline, optical, electrical properties were measured by X-ray diffraction, spectrophotometer, and four point probe station, respectively. The experimental results show that a high repetition rate reduces thermal shock and yields a corresponding improvement in the surface properties of the c-ITO patterns.

  8. Defect Engineering and Interface Phenomena in Tin Oxide

    KAUST Repository

    Albar, Arwa

    2017-04-05

    The advance in transparent electronics requires high-performance transparent conducting oxide materials. The microscopic properties of these materials are sensitive to the presence of defects and interfaces and thus fundamental understanding is required for materials engineering. In this thesis, first principles density functional theory is used to investigate the possibility of tuning the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of tin oxide by means of defects and interfaces. Our aim is to reveal unique properties and the parameters to control them as well as to explain the origin of unique phenomena in oxide materials. The stability of native defect in tin monoxide (SnO) under strain is investigated using formation energy calculations. We find that the conductivity (which is controlled by native defects) can be switched from p-type to either n-type or undoped semiconducting by means of applied pressure. We then target inducing magnetism in SnO by 3d transition metal doping. We propose that V doping is efficient to realize spin polarization at high temperature. We discuss different tin oxide interfaces. Metallic states are found to form at the SnO/SnO2 interface with electronic properties that depend on the interface terminations. The origin of these states is explained in terms of charge transfer caused by chemical bonding and band alignment. For the SnO/SnO2 heterostructure, we observe the formation of a two dimensional hole gas at the interface, which is surprising as it cannot be explained by the standard polar catastrophe model. Thus, we propose a charge density discontinuity model to explain our results. The model can be generalized to other polar-polar interfaces. Motivated by technological applications, the electronic and structural properties of the MgO (100)/SnO2 (110) interface are investigated. Depending on the interface termination, we observe the formation of a two dimensional electron gas or spin polarized hole gas. Aiming to identify further

  9. Crystallinity, etchability, electrical and mechanical properties of Ga doped amorphous indium tin oxide thin films deposited by direct current magnetron sputtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Hyun-Jun; Song, Pung-Keun

    2014-01-01

    Indium tin oxide (ITO) and Ga-doped ITO (ITO:Ga) films were deposited on glass and polyimide (PI) substrates by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering using different ITO:Ga targets (doped-Ga: 0, 0.1 and 2.9 wt.%). The films were deposited with a thickness of 50 nm and then post-annealed at various temperatures (room temperature-250 °C) in a vacuum chamber for 30 min. The amorphous ITO:Ga (0.1 wt.% Ga) films post-annealed at 220 °C exhibited relatively low resistivity (4.622x10 −4 Ω cm), indicating that the crystallinity of the ITO:Ga films decreased with increasing Ga content. In addition, the amorphous ITO:Ga films showed a better surface morphology, etchability and mechanical properties than the ITO films. - Highlights: • The Ga doped indium tin oxide (ITO) films crystallized at higher temperatures than the ITO films. • The amorphisation of ITO films increases with increasing Ga content. • Similar resistivity was observed between crystalline ITO and amorphous Ga doped ITO films. • Etching property of ITO film was improved with increasing Ga content

  10. Ultra-Low-Power Smart Electronic Nose System Based on Three-Dimensional Tin Oxide Nanotube Arrays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Jiaqi; Chen, Zhuo; Boussaid, Farid; Zhang, Daquan; Pan, Xiaofang; Zhao, Huijuan; Bermak, Amine; Tsui, Chi-Ying; Wang, Xinran; Fan, Zhiyong

    2018-06-04

    In this work, we present a high-performance smart electronic nose (E-nose) system consisting of a multiplexed tin oxide (SnO 2 ) nanotube sensor array, read-out circuit, wireless data transmission unit, mobile phone receiver, and data processing application (App). Using the designed nanotube sensor device structure in conjunction with multiple electrode materials, high-sensitivity gas detection and discrimination have been achieved at room temperature, enabling a 1000 times reduction of the sensor's power consumption as compared to a conventional device using thin film SnO 2 . The experimental results demonstrate that the developed E-nose can identify indoor target gases using a simple vector-matching gas recognition algorithm. In addition, the fabricated E-nose has achieved state-of-the-art sensitivity for H 2 and benzene detection at room temperature with metal oxide sensors. Such a smart E-nose system can address the imperative needs for distributed environmental monitoring in smart homes, smart buildings, and smart cities.

  11. Surface analysis of thin film coatings on container glass

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bhargava, A. [GCC Pty Ltd., Jindalee, QLD (Australia); Wood, B. [The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD (Australia). Department of Chemistry

    1999-12-01

    Full text: Container glass is generally coated with a tin oxide layer followed by a coating of polymer. These coatings are believed to improve the mechanical properties of container glass as well as aid in the application of advertising labels to glass. The tin oxide layer on commercial beer bottles has a total thickness of about 15-20nm which consists of an interfacial layer comprising 70-85% of the total thickness. The polymer coating is about 2-5nm thick and also possesses an interfacial layer with tin oxide. A PHI Model 560 XPS/ SAM/ SIMS multi-technique system Is used to estimate concentration profiles of Sn, O, C, Si, Ca, Na and O. A combination of XPS, AES and SIMS is necessary to describe the coatings. Instrumental conditions and sample preparation methods are developed to optimize the analysis of thin films on glass. The coating comprises of three areas, namely (A) where polymer and tin co-exist (B) a pure tin oxide layer and (C) where tin co-exists with glass. By varying the chemical source of tin, it is possible to systematically vary the thickness of the interface and the concentration profile of Sn. Using XRD, crystalline phase(s) could be detected in tin oxide films as thin as 15nm. While the principle phase is cassiterite, a second phase is also detected which is believed to originate from the interface. Using a UMIS 2000 nanoindentor system, instrumental parameters are optimized for measurement of elastic modulus of films at varying depths, i.e. from surface of coating to the bulk of the glass. A sharp rise is observed at depth corresponding to the interface which is indicative of the significance of the interfacial layer. Samples are prepared by systematic ion-milling which are representative of various regions of the coating, namely (A), (B) and (C). These samples are analyzed by XRD and TEM. Based on these studies, a structural model of tin oxide layer and interface is presented to explain increase in elastic modulus at the interface. Copyright

  12. Surface analysis of thin film coatings on container glass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhargava, A.; Wood, B.

    1999-01-01

    Full text: Container glass is generally coated with a tin oxide layer followed by a coating of polymer. These coatings are believed to improve the mechanical properties of container glass as well as aid in the application of advertising labels to glass. The tin oxide layer on commercial beer bottles has a total thickness of about 15-20nm which consists of an interfacial layer comprising 70-85% of the total thickness. The polymer coating is about 2-5nm thick and also possesses an interfacial layer with tin oxide. A PHI Model 560 XPS/ SAM/ SIMS multi-technique system Is used to estimate concentration profiles of Sn, O, C, Si, Ca, Na and O. A combination of XPS, AES and SIMS is necessary to describe the coatings. Instrumental conditions and sample preparation methods are developed to optimize the analysis of thin films on glass. The coating comprises of three areas, namely (A) where polymer and tin co-exist (B) a pure tin oxide layer and (C) where tin co-exists with glass. By varying the chemical source of tin, it is possible to systematically vary the thickness of the interface and the concentration profile of Sn. Using XRD, crystalline phase(s) could be detected in tin oxide films as thin as 15nm. While the principle phase is cassiterite, a second phase is also detected which is believed to originate from the interface. Using a UMIS 2000 nanoindentor system, instrumental parameters are optimized for measurement of elastic modulus of films at varying depths, i.e. from surface of coating to the bulk of the glass. A sharp rise is observed at depth corresponding to the interface which is indicative of the significance of the interfacial layer. Samples are prepared by systematic ion-milling which are representative of various regions of the coating, namely (A), (B) and (C). These samples are analyzed by XRD and TEM. Based on these studies, a structural model of tin oxide layer and interface is presented to explain increase in elastic modulus at the interface. Copyright

  13. A novel electrode surface fabricated by directly attaching gold nanoparticles onto NH2+ ions implanted-indium tin oxide substrate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Chenyao; Jiao Jiao; Chen Qunxia; Xia Ji; Li Shuoqi; Hu Jingbo; Li Qilong

    2010-01-01

    A new type of gold nanoparticle attached to a NH 2 + ion implanted-indium tin oxide surface was fabricated without using peculiar binder molecules, such as 3-(aminopropyl)-trimethoxysilane. A NH 2 /indium tin oxide film was obtained by implantation at an energy of 80 keV with a fluence of 5 x 10 15 ions/cm 2 . The gold nanoparticle-modified film was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electrochemical techniques and compared with a modified bare indium tin oxide surface and 3-(aminopropyl)-trimethoxysilane linked surface, which exhibited a relatively low electron transfer resistance and high electrocatalytic activity. The results demonstrate that NH 2 + ion implanted-indium tin oxide films can provide an important route to immobilize nanoparticles, which is attractive in developing new biomaterials.

  14. Dielectric property study of poly(4-vinylphenol)-graphene oxide nanocomposite thin film

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roy, Dhrubojyoti

    2018-05-01

    Thin film capacitor device having a sandwich structure of indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass/polymer or polymer nanocomposite /silver has been fabricated and their dielectric and leakage current properties has been studied. The dielectric properties of the capacitors were characterized for frequencies ranging from 1 KHz to 1 MHz. 5 wt% Poly(4-vinylphenol)(PVPh)-Graphene (GO) nanocomposite exhibited an increase in dielectric constant to 5.6 and small rise in dielectric loss to around˜0.05 at 10 KHz w.r.t polymer. The DC conductivity measurements reveal rise of leakage current in nanocomposite.

  15. Thin film metal-oxides

    CERN Document Server

    Ramanathan, Shriram

    2009-01-01

    Presents an account of the fundamental structure-property relations in oxide thin films. This title discusses the functional properties of thin film oxides in the context of applications in the electronics and renewable energy technologies.

  16. Transparent Oxide Semiconductors for Emerging Electronics

    KAUST Repository

    Caraveo-Frescas, Jesus Alfonso

    2013-11-01

    Transparent oxide electronics have emerged as promising materials to shape the future of electronics. While several n-type oxides have been already studied and demonstrated feasibility to be used as active materials in thin film transistors, high performance p-type oxides have remained elusive. This dissertation is devoted to the study of transparent p-type oxide semiconductor tin monoxide and its use in the fabrication of field effect devices. A complete study on the deposition of tin monoxide thin films by direct current reactive magnetron sputtering is performed. Carrier density, carrier mobility and conductivity are studied over a set of deposition conditions where p-type conduction is observed. Density functional theory simulations are performed in order to elucidate the effect of native defects on carrier mobility. The findings on the electrical properties of SnO thin films are then translated to the fabrication of thin films transistors. The low processing temperature of tin monoxide thin films below 200 oC is shown advantageous for the fabrication of fully transparent and flexible thin film transistors. After careful device engineering, including post deposition annealing temperature, gate dielectric material, semiconductor thickness and source and drain electrodes material, thin film transistors with record device performance are demonstrated, achieving a field effect mobility >6.7 cm2V-1s-1. Device performance is further improved to reach a field effect mobility of 10.8 cm2V-1s-1 in SnO nanowire field effect transistors fabricated from the sputtered SnO thin films and patterned by electron beam lithography. Downscaling device dimension to nano scale is shown beneficial for SnO field effect devices not only by achieving a higher hole mobility but enhancing the overall device performance including better threshold voltage, subthreshold swing and lower number of interfacial defects. Use of p-type semiconductors in nonvolatile memory applications is then

  17. Rare Earth Oxide Thin Films

    CERN Document Server

    Fanciulli, Marco

    2007-01-01

    Thin rare earth (RE) oxide films are emerging materials for microelectronic, nanoelectronic, and spintronic applications. The state-of-the-art of thin film deposition techniques as well as the structural, physical, chemical, and electrical properties of thin RE oxide films and of their interface with semiconducting substrates are discussed. The aim is to identify proper methodologies for the development of RE oxides thin films and to evaluate their effectiveness as innovative materials in different applications.

  18. Physical properties of pyrolytically sprayed tin-doped indium oxide coatings

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Haitjema, H.; Elich, J.J.P.

    1991-01-01

    The optical and electrical properties of tin-doped indium oxide coatings obviously depend on a number of production parameters. This dependence has been studied to obtain a more general insight into the relationships between the various coating properties. The coatings have been produced by spray

  19. Gas Sensors Based on Tin Oxide Nanoparticles Synthesized from a Mini-Arc Plasma Source

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ganhua Lu

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Miniaturized gas sensors or electronic noses to rapidly detect and differentiate trace amount of chemical agents are extremely attractive. In this paper, we report on the fabrication and characterization of a functional tin oxide nanoparticle gas sensor. Tin oxide nanoparticles are first synthesized using a convenient and low-cost mini-arc plasma source. The nanoparticle size distribution is measured online using a scanning electrical mobility spectrometer (SEMS. The product nanoparticles are analyzed ex-situ by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM for morphology and defects, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX spectroscopy for elemental composition, electron diffraction for crystal structure, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS for surface composition. Nonagglomerated rutile tin oxide (SnO2 nanoparticles as small as a few nm have been produced. Larger particles bear a core-shell structure with a metallic core and an oxide shell. The nanoparticles are then assembled onto an e-beam lithographically patterned interdigitated electrode using electrostatic force to fabricate the gas sensor. The nanoparticle sensor exhibits a fast response and a good sensitivity when exposed to 100 ppm ethanol vapor in air.

  20. Self-assembly surface modified indium-tin oxide anodes for single-layer light-emitting diodes

    CERN Document Server

    Morgado, J; Charas, A; Matos, M; Alcacer, L; Cacialli, F

    2003-01-01

    We study the effect of indium-tin oxide surface modification by self assembling of highly polar molecules on the performance of single-layer light-emitting diodes (LEDs) fabricated with polyfluorene blends and aluminium cathodes. We find that the efficiency and light-output of such LEDs is comparable to, and sometimes better than, the values obtained for LEDs incorporating a hole injection layer of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) doped with polystyrene sulphonic acid. This effect is attributed to the dipole-induced work function modification of indium-tin oxide.

  1. Self-assembly surface modified indium-tin oxide anodes for single-layer light-emitting diodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morgado, Jorge; Barbagallo, Nunzio; Charas, Ana; Matos, Manuel; Alcacer, Luis; Cacialli, Franco

    2003-01-01

    We study the effect of indium-tin oxide surface modification by self assembling of highly polar molecules on the performance of single-layer light-emitting diodes (LEDs) fabricated with polyfluorene blends and aluminium cathodes. We find that the efficiency and light-output of such LEDs is comparable to, and sometimes better than, the values obtained for LEDs incorporating a hole injection layer of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) doped with polystyrene sulphonic acid. This effect is attributed to the dipole-induced work function modification of indium-tin oxide

  2. Effect of ion plating TiN on the oxidation of sputtered NiCrAlY-coated Ti3Al-Nb in air at 850-950 C

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rizzo, F.C.; Zeng, C.; Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang; Wu, W.

    1998-01-01

    A single sputtered NiCrAlY coating and a complex coating of inner ion-plated TiN and outer sputtered NiCrAlY were prepared on the intermetallic compound Ti 3 Al-Nb. Their oxidation behavior was examined at 850, 900, and 950 C in air by thermal gravimetry combined with XRD, SEM, and EDAX. The results showed that Ti 3 Al-Nb followed approximately parabolic oxidation, forming an outer thin Al 2 O 3 -rich scale and an inner TiO 2 -rich layer doped with Nb at the three temperatures. The TiO 2 -rich layer doped with Nb dominated the oxidation reaction. The single NiCrAlY coating did not follow parabolic oxidation exactly at 850 and 950 C, but oxidized approximately in a parabolic manner, because the instantaneous parabolic constants changed slightly with time. Besides the Al 2 O 3 scale, TiO 2 formed from the coating surface at the coating-substrate interface. The deterioration of the coating accelerated with increasing temperature. The NiCrAlY-TiN coating showed two-stage parabolic oxidation at 850 and 900 C, and an approximate parabolic oxidation at 950 C. The TiN layer was effective as a barrier to inhibit coating-alloy interdiffusion

  3. Structural studies on Langmuir-Blodgett ultra-thin films on tin (IV) stearate using X-ray diffraction technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohamad Deraman; Muhamad Mat Salleh; Mohd Ali Sulaiman; Mohd Ali Sufi

    1991-01-01

    X-ray diffraction measurements were carried out on Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) ultra-thin films of tin (IV) stearate for different numbers of layers. The structural information such as interplanar spacing, unit cells spacing, molecular length and orientation of molecular chains were obtained from the diffraction data. This information is discussed and compared with that previously published for LB ultra-thin films of manganese stearate and cadmium stearate

  4. A sol-gel method to synthesize indium tin oxide nanoparticles

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Xiuhua Li; Xiujuan xu; Xin Yin; Chunzhong Li; Jianrong Zhang

    2011-01-01

    Transparent conductive indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles were synthesized by a novel sol-gel method.Granulated indium and tin were dissolved in HNO3 and partially complexed with citric acid.A sol-gel process was induced when tertiary butyl alcohol was added dropwise to the above solution.ITO nanoparticles with an average crystallite size of 18.5 nm and surface area of 32.6 m2/g were obtained after the gel was heat-treated at 700 C.The ITO nanoparticles showed good sinterability,the starting sintering temperature decreased sharply to 900 C,and the 1400 C sintered pellet had a density of 98.1 % of theoretical density (TD).

  5. Mn-implanted, polycrystalline indium tin oxide and indium oxide films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scarlat, Camelia; Vinnichenko, Mykola; Xu Qingyu; Buerger, Danilo; Zhou Shengqiang; Kolitsch, Andreas; Grenzer, Joerg; Helm, Manfred; Schmidt, Heidemarie

    2009-01-01

    Polycrystalline conducting, ca. 250 nm thick indium tin oxide (ITO) and indium oxide (IO) films grown on SiO 2 /Si substrates using reactive magnetron sputtering, have been implanted with 1 and 5 at.% of Mn, followed by annealing in nitrogen or in vacuum. The effect of the post-growth treatment on the structural, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties has been studied. The roughness of implanted films ranges between 3 and 15 nm and XRD measurements revealed a polycrystalline structure. A positive MR has been observed for Mn-implanted and post-annealed ITO and IO films. It has been interpreted by considering s-d exchange. Spectroscopic ellipsometry has been used to prove the existence of midgap electronic states in the Mn-implanted ITO and IO films reducing the transmittance below 80%.

  6. Thin film complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) device using a single-step deposition of the channel layer

    KAUST Repository

    Nayak, Pradipta K.

    2014-04-14

    We report, for the first time, the use of a single step deposition of semiconductor channel layer to simultaneously achieve both n-and p-type transport in transparent oxide thin film transistors (TFTs). This effect is achieved by controlling the concentration of hydroxyl groups (OH-groups) in the underlying gate dielectrics. The semiconducting tin oxide layer was deposited at room temperature, and the maximum device fabrication temperature was 350C. Both n and p-type TFTs showed fairly comparable performance. A functional CMOS inverter was fabricated using this novel scheme, indicating the potential use of our approach for various practical applications.

  7. Enhanced electrical properties of oxide semiconductor thin-film transistors with high conductivity thin layer insertion for the channel region

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nguyen, Cam Phu Thi; Raja, Jayapal; Kim, Sunbo; Jang, Kyungsoo; Le, Anh Huy Tuan; Lee, Youn-Jung; Yi, Junsin, E-mail: junsin@skku.edu

    2017-02-28

    Highlights: • The characteristics of thin film transistors using double active layers are examined. • Electrical characteristics have been improved for the double active layers devices. • The total trap density can be decreased by insert-ion of ultrathin ITO film. - Abstract: This study examined the performance and the stability of indium tin zinc oxide (ITZO) thin film transistors (TFTs) by inserting an ultra-thin indium tin oxide (ITO) layer at the active/insulator interface. The electrical properties of the double channel device (ITO thickness of 5 nm) were improved in comparison with the single channel ITZO or ITO devices. The TFT characteristics of the device with an ITO thickness of less than 5 nm were degraded due to the formation of an island-like morphology and the carriers scattering at the active/insulator interface. The 5 nm-thick ITO inserted ITZO TFTs (optimal condition) exhibited a superior field effect mobility (∼95 cm{sup 2}/V·s) compared with the ITZO-only TFTs (∼34 cm{sup 2}/V·s). The best characteristics of the TFT devices with double channel layer are due to the lowest surface roughness (0.14 nm) and contact angle (50.1°) that result in the highest hydrophicility, and the most effective adhesion at the surface. Furthermore, the threshold voltage shifts for the ITO/ITZO double layer device decreased to 0.80 and −2.39 V compared with 6.10 and −6.79 V (for the ITZO only device) under positive and negative bias stress, respectively. The falling rates of E{sub A} were 0.38 eV/V and 0.54 eV/V for the ITZO and ITO/ITZO bi-layer devices, respectively. The faster falling rate of the double channel devices suggests that the trap density, including interface trap and semiconductor bulk trap, can be decreased by the ion insertion of a very thin ITO film into the ITZO/SiO{sub 2} reference device. These results demonstrate that the double active layer TFT can potentially be applied to the flat panel display.

  8. Controllable Electrochemical Synthesis of Reduced Graphene Oxide Thin-Film Constructed as Efficient Photoanode in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soon Weng Chong

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available A controllable electrochemical synthesis to convert reduced graphene oxide (rGO from graphite flakes was introduced and investigated in detail. Electrochemical reduction was used to prepare rGO because of its cost effectiveness, environmental friendliness, and ability to produce rGO thin films in industrial scale. This study aimed to determine the optimum applied potential for the electrochemical reduction. An applied voltage of 15 V successfully formed a uniformly coated rGO thin film, which significantly promoted effective electron transfer within dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs. Thus, DSSC performance improved. However, rGO thin films formed in voltages below or exceeding 15 V resulted in poor DSSC performance. This behavior was due to poor electron transfer within the rGO thin films caused by poor uniformity. These results revealed that DSSC constructed using 15 V rGO thin film exhibited high efficiency (η = 1.5211% attributed to its higher surface uniformity than other samples. The addition of natural lemon juice (pH ~ 2.3 to the electrolyte accelerated the deposition and strengthened the adhesion of rGO thin film onto fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO glasses.

  9. Laser micromachining of indium tin oxide films on polymer substrates by laser-induced delamination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Willis, David A; Dreier, Adam L

    2009-01-01

    A Q-switched neodymium : yttrium-aluminium-garnet (Nd : YAG) laser was used to ablate indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films from polyethylene terephthalate substrates. Film damage and partial removal with no evidence of a melt zone was observed above 1.7 J cm -2 . Above the film removal threshold (3.3 J cm -2 ) the entire film thickness was removed without substrate damage, suggesting that ablation was a result of delamination of the film in the solid phase. Measurements of ablated fragment velocities near the ablation threshold were consistent with calculations of velocities caused by stress-induced delamination of the ITO film, except for a high velocity component at higher fluences. Nanosecond time-resolved shadowgraph photography revealed that the high velocity component was a shock wave induced by the rapid compression of ambient air when the film delaminated.

  10. Optoelectronic and magnetic properties of Mn-doped indium tin oxide: A first-principles study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nath Tripathi, Madhvendra; Saeed Bahramy, Mohammad; Shida, Kazuhito; Sahara, Ryoji; Mizuseki, Hiroshi; Kawazoe, Yoshiyuki

    2012-10-01

    The manganese doped indium tin oxide (ITO) has integrated magnetics, electronics, and optical properties for next generation multifunctional devices. Our first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that the manganese atom replaces b-site indium atom, located at the second coordination shell of the interstitial oxygen in ITO. It is also found that both anti-ferromagnetic and ferromagnetic behaviors are realizable. The calculated magnetic moment of 3.95μB/Mn as well as the high transmittance of ˜80% for a 150 nm thin film of Mn doped ITO is in good agreement with the experimental data. The inclusion of on-site Coulomb repulsion corrections via DFT + U methods turns out to improve the optical behavior of the system. The optical behaviors of this system reveal its suitability for the magneto-opto-electronic applications.

  11. Surface characterization of sol–gel derived indium tin oxide films on ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Unknown

    , India ... 1. Introduction. Indium tin oxide (ITO) coating on glass is an important item in the field ..... In addition, contamination of carbon from environment cannot be ruled ..... processing of ceramics, glasses and composites (eds) L L. Hench and ...

  12. Optical second harmonic generation phase measurement at interfaces of some organic layers with indium tin oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ngah Demon, Siti Zulaikha; Miyauchi, Yoshihiro; Mizutani, Goro; Matsushima, Toshinori; Murata, Hideyuki

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • SHG phase from the interfaces of ITO/CuPc and ITO/pentacene was observed. • Optical dispersion of the organic thin film was taken into account. • Phase shift from bare ITO was 140° for ITO/CuPc and 160° for ITO/pentacene. - Abstract: We observed phase shift in optical second harmonic generation (SHG) from interfaces of indium tin oxide (ITO)/copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) and ITO/pentacene. Phase correction due to Fresnel factors of the sample was taken into account. The phase of SHG electric field at the ITO/pentacene interface, ϕ interface with respect to the phase of SHG of bare substrate ITO was 160°, while the interface of ITO/CuPc had a phase of 140°

  13. Optical second harmonic generation phase measurement at interfaces of some organic layers with indium tin oxide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ngah Demon, Siti Zulaikha [School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 923-1292 Ishikawa (Japan); Department of Physics, Centre of Defence Foundation Studies, National Defence University of Malaysia, 53 000 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Miyauchi, Yoshihiro [Department of Applied Physics, School of Applied Sciences, National Defense Academy of Japan, 239-8686 Kanagawa (Japan); Mizutani, Goro, E-mail: mizutani@jaist.ac.jp [School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 923-1292 Ishikawa (Japan); Matsushima, Toshinori; Murata, Hideyuki [School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 923-1292 Ishikawa (Japan)

    2014-08-30

    Highlights: • SHG phase from the interfaces of ITO/CuPc and ITO/pentacene was observed. • Optical dispersion of the organic thin film was taken into account. • Phase shift from bare ITO was 140° for ITO/CuPc and 160° for ITO/pentacene. - Abstract: We observed phase shift in optical second harmonic generation (SHG) from interfaces of indium tin oxide (ITO)/copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) and ITO/pentacene. Phase correction due to Fresnel factors of the sample was taken into account. The phase of SHG electric field at the ITO/pentacene interface, ϕ{sub interface} with respect to the phase of SHG of bare substrate ITO was 160°, while the interface of ITO/CuPc had a phase of 140°.

  14. Interfacial reactions between indium tin oxide and triphenylamine tetramer layers induced by photoirradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Satoh, Toshikazu; Fujikawa, Hisayoshi; Yamamoto, Ichiro; Murasaki, Takanori; Kato, Yoshifumi

    2008-01-01

    The effects of photoirradiation on the interfacial chemical reactions between indium tin oxide (ITO) films and layers of triphenylamine tetramer (TPTE) were investigated by using in situ x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Thin TPTE layers deposited onto sputter-deposited ITO films were irradiated with violet light-emitting diodes (peak wavelength: 380 nm). Shifts in the peak positions of spectral components that originated in the organic layer toward the higher binding-energy side were observed in the XPS profiles during the early stages of irradiation. No further peak shifts were observed after additional irradiation. An increase in the ratio of the organic component in the O 1s spectra was also observed during the photoirradiation. The ratio of the organic component increased in proportion to the cube root of the irradiation time. These results suggest that photoirradiation induces an increase in the height of the carrier injection barrier at the interface between TPTE and ITO in the early stages of the irradiation, possibly due to the rapid diffusion controlled formation and growth of an oxidized TPTE layer, which is considered to act as a high resistance layer

  15. Effect of cationic/anionic organic surfactants on evaporation induced self assembled tin oxide nanostructured films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khun Khun, Kamalpreet; Mahajan, Aman; Bedi, R.K.

    2011-01-01

    Tin oxide nanostructures with well defined morphologies have been obtained through an evaporation induced self assembly process. The technique has been employed using an ultrasonic nebulizer for production of aersol and its subsequent deposition onto a heated glass substrate. The precursor used for aersol production was modified by introducing cationic and anionic surfactants namely cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide and sodium dodecyl sulphate respectively. The effect of surfactants on the structural, electrical and optical properties of self assembled tin oxide nanostructures were investigated by using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electroscope microscopy, two probe technique and photoluminiscence studies. The results reveal that high concentration of surfactants in the precursor solution leads to reduction in crystallite size with significant changes in the morphology of tin oxide nanostructures. Photoluminiscence studies of the nanostructures show emissions in the visible region which exhibit marked changes in the intensities upon variation of surfactants in the precursor solutions.

  16. Effect of cationic/anionic organic surfactants on evaporation induced self assembled tin oxide nanostructured films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Khun Khun, Kamalpreet [Material Science Laboratory, Department of Physics, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar 143005 (India); Mahajan, Aman, E-mail: dramanmahajan@yahoo.co.in [Material Science Laboratory, Department of Physics, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar 143005 (India); Bedi, R.K. [Material Science Laboratory, Department of Physics, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar 143005 (India)

    2011-01-15

    Tin oxide nanostructures with well defined morphologies have been obtained through an evaporation induced self assembly process. The technique has been employed using an ultrasonic nebulizer for production of aersol and its subsequent deposition onto a heated glass substrate. The precursor used for aersol production was modified by introducing cationic and anionic surfactants namely cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide and sodium dodecyl sulphate respectively. The effect of surfactants on the structural, electrical and optical properties of self assembled tin oxide nanostructures were investigated by using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electroscope microscopy, two probe technique and photoluminiscence studies. The results reveal that high concentration of surfactants in the precursor solution leads to reduction in crystallite size with significant changes in the morphology of tin oxide nanostructures. Photoluminiscence studies of the nanostructures show emissions in the visible region which exhibit marked changes in the intensities upon variation of surfactants in the precursor solutions.

  17. Realization of ultrathin silver layers in highly conductive and transparent zinc tin oxide/silver/zinc tin oxide multilayer electrodes deposited at room temperature for transparent organic devices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Winkler, Thomas; Schmidt, Hans; Fluegge, Harald; Nikolayzik, Fabian; Baumann, Ihno; Schmale, Stephan; Johannes, Hans-Hermann; Rabe, Torsten [Institut fuer Hochfrequenztechnik, Technische Universitaet Braunschweig, Schleinitzstr. 22, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany); Hamwi, Sami, E-mail: sami.hamwi@ihf.tu-bs.de [Institut fuer Hochfrequenztechnik, Technische Universitaet Braunschweig, Schleinitzstr. 22, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany); Riedl, Thomas [Institute of Electronic Devices, Bergische Universitaet Wuppertal, Rainer-Gruenter Str. 21, 42119 Wuppertal (Germany); Kowalsky, Wolfgang [Institut fuer Hochfrequenztechnik, Technische Universitaet Braunschweig, Schleinitzstr. 22, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany)

    2012-05-01

    We report on transparent and highly conductive multilayer electrodes prepared at room temperature by RF sputtering of zinc tin oxide (ZTO) and thermal evaporation of ultrathin silver (Ag) as top contact for transparent organic light emitting diodes (TOLED). Specifically, we study the morphological, electrical and optical properties of the multilayer structure in particular of the thin Ag film. The tendency of Ag to form agglomerates over time on top of ZTO is shown by atomic force microscopy. From the optical constants derived from ellipsometric measurements we evidenced a bulk like behavior of an Ag film with a thickness of 8 nm embedded in ZTO leading to a low sheet resistance of 9 {Omega}/sq. Furthermore we verify the optical constants by simulation of an optimized ZTO/Ag/ZTO structure. As an application we present a highly efficient TOLED providing a device transmittance of > 82% in the visible part of the spectrum. The TOLED shows no damage caused by sputtering on a lighting area of 80 mm{sup 2} and exhibits efficiencies of 43 cd/A and 36 lm/W.

  18. Growth of thin films of TiN on MgO(100) monitored by high-pressure RHEED

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pryds, Nini; Cockburn, D.; Rodrigo, Katarzyna Agnieszka

    2008-01-01

    Reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) operated at high pressure has been used to monitor the initial growth of titanium nitride (TiN) thin films on single-crystal (100) MgO substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). This is the first RHEED study where the growth of TiN films...... electron microscopy. These observations are in good agreement with the three-dimensional Volmer-Weber growth type, by which three-dimensional crystallites are formed and later cause a continuous surface roughening. This leads to an exponential decrease in the intensity of the specular spot in the RHEED...

  19. A study on linear and non-linear optical constants of Rhodamine B thin film deposited on FTO glass

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yahia, I. S.; Jilani, Asim; Abutalib, M. M.; AlFaify, S.; Shkir, M.; Abdel-wahab, M. Sh.; Al-Ghamdi, Attieh A.; El-Naggar, A. M.

    2016-06-01

    The aim of this research was to fabricate/deposit the good quality thin film of Rhodamine B dye on fluorine doped tin oxide glass substrate by the low cost spin coating technique and study their linear and nonlinear optical parameters. The thickness of the thin film was measured about 300 nm with alpha step system. The transmittance of the fabricated thin film was found to be above 75% corresponding to the fluorine doped tin oxide layer. The structural analysis was performed with X-rays diffraction spectroscopy. Atomic force microscope showed the topographic image of deposited thin film. Linear optical constant like absorption coefficient, band gap, and extinction index was calculated. The dielectric constant was calculated to know the optical response of Rhodamine B dye over fluorine doped tin oxide substrate. The nonlinear optical constant like linear optical susceptibility χ(1), nonlinear optical susceptibility χ(3), nonlinear refractive index (n2) were calculated by spectroscopic method. This method has advantage over the experimental method like Z-Scan for organic dye base semiconductors for future advance optoelectronics applications like dye synthesis solar cell.

  20. Reactivation of a tin oxide-containing catalyst

    Science.gov (United States)

    Upchurch, Billy T. (Inventor); Miller, Irvin M. (Inventor); Brown, Kenneth G. (Inventor); Hess, Robert V. (Inventor); Schryer, David R. (Inventor); Sidney, Barry D. (Inventor); Wood, George M. (Inventor); Paulin, Patricia A. (Inventor)

    1989-01-01

    A method for the reactivation of a tin oxide-containing catalyst of a CO.sub.2 laser is provided. First, the catalyst is pretreated by a standard procedure. When the catalyst experiences diminished activity during usage, the heated zone surrounding the catalyst is raised to a temperature which is the operating temperature of the laser and 400.degree. C. for approximately one hour. The catalyst is exposed to the same laser gas mixture during this period. The temperature of the heated zone is then lowered to the operating temperature of the CO.sub.2 laser.

  1. Improving the performance of nickel-coated fluorine-doped tin oxide thin films by magnetic-field-assisted laser annealing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Bao-jia, E-mail: li_bjia@126.com [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013 (China); Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Center for Photon Manufacturing Science and Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013 (China); Huang, Li-jing [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013 (China); Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Center for Photon Manufacturing Science and Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013 (China); Ren, Nai-fei [Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Center for Photon Manufacturing Science and Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013 (China); School of Mechanical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013 (China); Kong, Xia; Cai, Yun-long; Zhang, Jie-lu [Jiangsu Tailong Reduction Box Co. Ltd., Taixing 225400 (China)

    2015-10-01

    Highlights: • Ni/FTO films were prepared by sputtering Ni layers on commercial FTO glass. • The as-prepared Ni/FTO films underwent magnetic-field-assisted laser annealing. • Magnetic field and laser fluence were crucial for improving quality of the films. • All Ni/FTO films displayed enhanced compactness after magnetic laser annealing. • Magnetic laser annealing using a fluence of 0.9 J/cm{sup 2} led to the best film quality. - Abstract: Nickel-coated fluorine-doped tin oxide (Ni/FTO) thin films were prepared by sputtering Ni layers on commercial FTO glass. The as-prepared Ni/FTO films underwent nanosecond pulsed laser annealing in an external magnetic field (0.4 T). The effects of the presence of magnetic field and laser fluence on surface morphology, crystal structure and photoelectric properties of the films were investigated. All the films displayed enhanced compactness after magnetic-field-assisted laser annealing. It was notable that both crystallinity and grain size of the films gradually increased with increasing laser fluence from 0.6 to 0.9 J/cm{sup 2}, and then decreased slightly with an increase in laser fluence to 1.1 J/cm{sup 2}. As a result, the film obtained by magnetic-field-assisted laser annealing using a fluence of 0.9 J/cm{sup 2} had the best overall photoelectric property with an average transmittance of 81.2%, a sheet resistance of 5.5 Ω/sq and a figure of merit of 2.27 × 10{sup −2} Ω{sup −1}, outperforming that of the film obtained by pure laser annealing using the same fluence.

  2. Surface energy for electroluminescent polymers and indium-tin-oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhong Zhiyou; Yin Sheng; Liu Chen; Zhong Youxin; Zhang Wuxing; Shi Dufang; Wang Chang'an

    2003-01-01

    The contact angles on the thin films of poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) and indium-tin-oxide (ITO) were measured by the sessile-drop technique. The surface energies of the films were calculated using the Owens-Wendt (OW) and van Oss-Chaudhury-Good (vOCG) approaches. The overall total surface energies of MEH-PPV and the as-received ITO were 30.75 and 30.07 mJ/m 2 , respectively. Both approaches yielded almost the same surface energies. The surface energies were mainly contributed from the dispersion interactions or Lifshitz-van der Waals (LW) interactions for both MEH-PPV and ITO. The changes in the contact angles and surface energies of the ITO films, due to different solvent cleaning processes and oxygen plasma treatments, were analyzed. Experimental results revealed that the total surface energy of the ITO films increased after various cleaning processes. In comparison with different solvents used in this study, we found that methanol is an effective solvent for ITO cleaning, as a higher surface energy was observed. ITO films treated with oxygen plasma showed the highest surface energy. This work demonstrated that contact angle measurement is a useful method to diagnose the cleaning effect on ITO films

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2013-01-01

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

  4. Correlation of Mn charge state with the electrical resistivity of Mn doped indium tin oxide thin films

    KAUST Repository

    Kumar, S. R. Sarath

    2010-09-15

    Correlation of charge state of Mn with the increase in resistivity with Mn concentration is demonstrated in Mn-doped indium tin oxide films. Bonding analysis shows that Mn 2p3/2 core level can be deconvoluted into three components corresponding to Mn2+ and Mn4+ with binding energies 640.8 eV and 642.7 eV, respectively, and a Mn2+ satellite at ∼5.4 eV away from the Mn2+ peak. The presence of the satellite peak unambiguously proves that Mn exists in the +2 charge state. The ratio of concentration of Mn2+ to Mn4+ of ∼4:1 suggests that charge compensation occurs in the n-type films causing the resistivity increase.

  5. Correlation of Mn charge state with the electrical resistivity of Mn doped indium tin oxide thin films

    KAUST Repository

    Kumar, S. R. Sarath; Hedhili, Mohamed N.; Alshareef, Husam N.; Kasiviswanathan, S.

    2010-01-01

    Correlation of charge state of Mn with the increase in resistivity with Mn concentration is demonstrated in Mn-doped indium tin oxide films. Bonding analysis shows that Mn 2p3/2 core level can be deconvoluted into three components corresponding to Mn2+ and Mn4+ with binding energies 640.8 eV and 642.7 eV, respectively, and a Mn2+ satellite at ∼5.4 eV away from the Mn2+ peak. The presence of the satellite peak unambiguously proves that Mn exists in the +2 charge state. The ratio of concentration of Mn2+ to Mn4+ of ∼4:1 suggests that charge compensation occurs in the n-type films causing the resistivity increase.

  6. Rapid synthesis of tin oxide nanostructures by microwave-assisted thermal oxidation for sensor applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phadungdhitidhada, S.; Ruankham, P.; Gardchareon, A.; Wongratanaphisan, D.; Choopun, S.

    2017-09-01

    In the present work nanostructures of tin oxides were synthesized by a microwave-assisted thermal oxidation. Tin precursor powder was loaded into a cylindrical quartz tube and further radiated in a microwave oven. The as-synthesized products were characterized by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and x-ray diffractometer. The results showed that two different morphologies of SnO2 microwires (MWs) and nanoparticles (NPs) were obtained in one minute of microwave radiation under atmospheric ambient. A few tens of the SnO2 MWs with the length of 10-50 µm were found. Some parts of the MWs were decorated with the SnO2 NPs. However, most of the products were SnO2 NPs with the diameter ranging from 30-200 nm. Preparation under loosely closed system lead to mixed phase SnO-SnO2 NPs with diameter of 30-200 nm. The single-phase of SnO2 could be obtained by mixing the Sn precursor powders with CuO2. The products were mostly found to be SnO2 nanowires (NWs) and MWs. The diameter of SnO2 NWs was less than 50 nm. The SnO2 NPs, MWs, and NWs were in the cassiterite rutile structure phase. The SnO NPs was in the tetragonal structure phase. The growth direction of the SnO2 NWs was observed in (1 1 0) and (2 2 1) direction. The ethanol sensor performance of these tin oxide nanostructures showed that the SnO-SnO2 NPs exhibited extremely high sensitivity. Invited talk at 5th Thailand International Nanotechnology Conference (Nano Thailand-2016), 27-29 November 2016, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

  7. Investigation of structural, morphological and electrical properties of APCVD vanadium oxide thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Papadimitropoulos, Georgios; Trantalidis, Stelios; Tsiatouras, Athanasios; Vasilopoulou, Maria; Davazoglou, Dimitrios; Kostis, Ioannis

    2015-01-01

    Vanadium oxide films were chemically vapor deposited (CVD) on oxidized Si substrates covered with CVD tungsten (W) thin films and on glass substrates covered with indium tin oxide (ITO) films, using vanadium(V) oxy-tri-isopropoxide (C 9 H 21 O 4 V) vapors. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements showed that the deposited films were composed of a mixture of vanadium oxides; the composition was determined mainly by the deposition temperature and less by the precursor temperature. At temperatures up to 450 C the films were mostly composed by monoclinic VO 2 . Other peaks corresponding to various vanadium oxides were also observed. X-ray microanalysis confirmed the composition of the films. The surface morphology was studied with atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). These measurements revealed that the morphology strongly depends on the used substrate and the deposition conditions. The well-known metal-insulator transition was observed near 75 C for films mostly composed by monoclinic VO 2 . Films deposited at 450 C exhibited two transitions one near 50 C and the other near 60 C possibly related to the presence of other vanadium phases or of important stresses in them. Finally, the vanadium oxide thin films exhibited significant sensory capabilities decreasing their resistance in the presence of hydrogen gas with response times in the order of a few seconds and working temperature at 40 C. (copyright 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  8. Synthesizing photovoltaic thin films of high quality copper-zinc-tin alloy with at least one chalcogen species

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teeter, Glenn; Du, Hui; Young, Matthew

    2013-08-06

    A method for synthesizing a thin film of copper, zinc, tin, and a chalcogen species ("CZTCh" or "CZTSS") with well-controlled properties. The method includes depositing a thin film of precursor materials, e.g., approximately stoichiometric amounts of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), tin (Sn), and a chalcogen species (Ch). The method then involves re-crystallizing and grain growth at higher temperatures, e.g., between about 725 and 925 degrees K, and annealing the precursor film at relatively lower temperatures, e.g., between 600 and 650 degrees K. The processing of the precursor film takes place in the presence of a quasi-equilibrium vapor, e.g., Sn and chalcogen species. The quasi-equilibrium vapor is used to maintain the precursor film in a quasi-equilibrium condition to reduce and even prevent decomposition of the CZTCh and is provided at a rate to balance desorption fluxes of Sn and chalcogens.

  9. Influence of ultra-thin TiN thickness (1.4 nm and 2.4 nm) on positive bias temperature instability (PBTI) of high-k/metal gate nMOSFETs with gate-last process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qi Lu-Wei; Yang Hong; Ren Shang-Qing; Xu Ye-Feng; Luo Wei-Chun; Xu Hao; Wang Yan-Rong; Tang Bo; Wang Wen-Wu; Yan Jiang; Zhu Hui-Long; Zhao Chao; Chen Da-Peng; Ye Tian-Chun

    2015-01-01

    The positive bias temperature instability (PBTI) degradations of high-k/metal gate (HK/MG) nMOSFETs with thin TiN capping layers (1.4 nm and 2.4 nm) are systemically investigated. In this paper, the trap energy distribution in gate stack during PBTI stress is extracted by using ramped recovery stress, and the temperature dependences of PBTI (90 °C, 125 °C, 160 °C) are studied and activation energy (E a ) values (0.13 eV and 0.15 eV) are extracted. Although the equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) values of two TiN thickness values are almost similar (0.85 nm and 0.87 nm), the 2.4-nm TiN one (thicker TiN capping layer) shows better PBTI reliability (13.41% at 0.9 V, 90 °C, 1000 s). This is due to the better interfacial layer/high-k (IL/HK) interface, and HK bulk states exhibited through extracting activation energy and trap energy distribution in the high-k layer. (paper)

  10. Studies on high electronic energy deposition in transparent conducting indium tin oxide thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Deshpande, N G [Thin Film and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Physics, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad-431004 (MS) (India); Gudage, Y G [Thin Film and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Physics, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad-431004 (MS) (India); Ghosh, A [Thin Film and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Physics, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad-431004 (MS) (India); Vyas, J C [Technical and Prototype Engineering Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Trombay, Mumbai (MS) (India); Singh, F [Inter-University Accelerator Center, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, Post Box 10502, New Delhi 110067 (India); Tripathi, A [Inter-University Accelerator Center, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, Post Box 10502, New Delhi 110067 (India); Sharma, Ramphal [Thin Film and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Physics, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad-431004 (MS) (India)

    2008-02-07

    We have examined the effect of swift heavy ions using 100 MeV Au{sup 8+} ions on the electrical properties of transparent, conducting indium tin oxide polycrystalline films with resistivity of 0.58 x 10{sup -4} {omega} cm and optical transmission greater than 78% (pristine). We report on the modifications occurring after high electronic energy deposition. With the increase in fluency, x-ray line intensity of the peaks corresponding to the planes (1 1 0), (4 0 0), (4 4 1) increased, while (3 3 1) remained constant. Surface morphological studies showed a pomegranate structure of pristine samples, which was highly disturbed with a high dose of irradiation. For the high dose, there was a formation of small spherical domes uniformly distributed over the entire surface. The transmittance was seen to be decreasing with the increase in ion fluency. At higher doses, the resistivity and photoluminescence intensity was seen to be decreased. In addition, the carrier concentration was seen to be increased, which was in accordance with the decrease in resistivity. The observed modifications after high electronic energy deposition in these films may lead to fruitful device applications.

  11. Studies on high electronic energy deposition in transparent conducting indium tin oxide thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deshpande, N G; Gudage, Y G; Ghosh, A; Vyas, J C; Singh, F; Tripathi, A; Sharma, Ramphal

    2008-01-01

    We have examined the effect of swift heavy ions using 100 MeV Au 8+ ions on the electrical properties of transparent, conducting indium tin oxide polycrystalline films with resistivity of 0.58 x 10 -4 Ω cm and optical transmission greater than 78% (pristine). We report on the modifications occurring after high electronic energy deposition. With the increase in fluency, x-ray line intensity of the peaks corresponding to the planes (1 1 0), (4 0 0), (4 4 1) increased, while (3 3 1) remained constant. Surface morphological studies showed a pomegranate structure of pristine samples, which was highly disturbed with a high dose of irradiation. For the high dose, there was a formation of small spherical domes uniformly distributed over the entire surface. The transmittance was seen to be decreasing with the increase in ion fluency. At higher doses, the resistivity and photoluminescence intensity was seen to be decreased. In addition, the carrier concentration was seen to be increased, which was in accordance with the decrease in resistivity. The observed modifications after high electronic energy deposition in these films may lead to fruitful device applications

  12. Characterization of the physical and electrical properties of Indium tin oxide on polyethylene napthalate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, H.; Adams, Daniel; Mayer, J.W.; Alford, T.L.

    2005-01-01

    Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films, on polyethylene napthalate (PEN) of both good electrical and optical properties were obtained by radio-frequency sputtering. The optoelectronic properties of the ITO films on PEN substrate were evaluated in terms of the oxygen content and the surface morphology. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry analysis was used to determine the oxygen content in the film. Hall-effect measurements were used to evaluate the dependence of electrical properties on oxygen content. The results showed that the resistivity of the ITO film increases with increasing oxygen content. For an oxygen content of 1.6x10 18 -2.48x10 18 atoms/cm 2 , the resistivity varied from 0.38x10 -2 to 1.86x10 -2 Ω cm. Typical resistivities were about ∼10 -3 Ω cm. UV-Vis spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy measurements were used to determine the optical transmittance and surface roughness of ITO films, respectively. Optical transmittances of ∼85% were obtained for the ITO thin films. Our results revealed that substrate roughness were translated onto the deposited ITO thin layers. The ITO surface roughness influences both the optical and electrical properties of the thin films. For a 125 μm PEN substrate the roughness is 8.4 nm, whereas it is 3.2 nm for 200 μm substrate thicknesses. The optical band gap is about 3.15 eV for all ITO film and is influenced by the polymer substrate. A model is proposed that the optical transmittance in the visible region is governed by the carrier concentration in the ITO thin films

  13. Epitaxial TiN(001) wetting layer for growth of thin single-crystal Cu(001)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chawla, J. S.; Zhang, X. Y.; Gall, D. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180 (United States)

    2011-08-15

    Single-crystal Cu(001) layers, 4-1400 nm thick, were deposited on MgO(001) with and without a 2.5-nm-thick TiN(001) buffer layer. X-ray diffraction and reflection indicate that the TiN(001) surface suppresses Cu-dewetting, yielding a 4 x lower defect density and a 9 x smaller surface roughness than if grown on MgO(001) at 25 deg. C. In situ and low temperature electron transport measurements indicate that ultra-thin (4 nm) Cu(001) remains continuous and exhibits partial specular scattering at the Cu-vacuum boundary with a Fuchs-Sondheimer specularity parameter p = 0.6 {+-} 0.2, suggesting that the use of epitaxial wetting layers is a promising approach to create low-resistivity single-crystal Cu nanoelectronic interconnects.

  14. Indium--tin oxide films radio frequency sputtered from specially formulated high density indium--tin oxide targets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kulkarni, S.; Bayard, M.

    1991-01-01

    High density ITO (indium--tin oxide) targets doped with Al 2 O 3 and SiO 2 manufactured in the Tektronix Ceramics Division have been used to rf sputter ITO films of various thicknesses on borosilicate glass substrates. Sputtering in an oxygen--argon gas mixture and annealing in forming gas, resulted in ITO films exhibiting 90% transmission at 550 nm and a sheet resistance of 15 Ω/sq for a thickness of 1100 A. Sputtering in an oxygen--argon gas mixture and annealing in air increased sheet resistance without a large effect on the transmission. Films sputtered in argon gas alone were transparent in the visible and the sheet resistance was found to be 100--180 Ω/sq for the same thickness, without annealing

  15. Tailoring the structural and optical properties of TiN thin films by Ag ion implantation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Popović, M., E-mail: majap@vinca.rs; Novaković, M.; Rakočević, Z.; Bibić, N.

    2016-12-15

    Highlights: • Changes in structural and optical properties of TiN films induced by Ag ions. • The formation of Ag metallic clusters inside of TiN layers was observed. • The SPR of Ag particles was confirmed by a broad band in the spectra. • As the Ag ions fluence increases the n also increase and k values decrease. • With increasing ion fluence the TiN film becomes more metallic. - Abstract: Titanium nitride (TiN) thin films thickness of ∼260 nm prepared by dc reactive sputtering were irradiated with 200 keV silver (Ag) ions to the fluences ranging from 5 × 10{sup 15} ions/cm{sup 2} to 20 × 10{sup 15} ions/cm{sup 2}. After implantation TiN layers were annealed 2 h at 700 °C in a vacuum. Ion irradiation-induced microstructural changes were examined by using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, while the surface topography was observed using atomic force microscopy. Spectroscopic ellipsometry was employed to get insights on the optical and electronic properties of TiN films with respect to their microstructure. The results showed that the irradiations lead to deformation of the lattice, increasing disorder and formation of new Ag phase. The optical results demonstrate the contribution of surface plasmon resonace (SPR) of Ag particles. SPR position shifted in the range of 354.3–476.9 nm when Ag ion fluence varied from 5 × 10{sup 15} ions/cm{sup 2} to 20 × 10{sup 15} ions/cm{sup 2}. Shift in peak wavelength shows dependence on Ag particles concentration, suggesting that interaction between Ag particles dominate the surface plasmon resonance effect. Presence of Ag as second metal in the layer leads to overall decrease of optical resistivity of TiN.

  16. Bilayered Oxide thin films for transparent electrode application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dutta, Titas; Narayan, Jagdish

    2008-10-01

    Ga doped ZnO films with electrical and optical properties comparable to indium tin oxide (ITO) is a promising candidate for transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) because of its superior stability in hydrogen environment, benign nature and relatively inexpensive supply. However, ZnO based TCO films suffer from low work function, which is a critical parameter for device applications. We report here the growth of a novel bilayered structure consisting of very thin (few monolayers) ITO, MoOx layer on Zn0.95Ga0.05O film for transparent electrode applications by using pulsed laser deposition technique at different temperatures and oxygen partial pressure. The characteristics of the ITO film and the heterostructure have been investigated in detail using XRD, TEM, XPS, and electrical and optical property measurements. It is envisaged that the overall transmittance and the resistivity are dictated by the thicker layer of ZnGa0.05O beneath the ITO layer. Hence, this study is aimed to improve the surface characteristics without affecting the overall transmittance and sheet resistance. This will enhance the transport of the carriers across the heterojunction in the device, thus, resulting in the increase in device efficiency.

  17. Generic Top-Functionalization of Patterned Antifouling Zwitterionic Polymers on Indium Tin Oxide

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Li, Y.; Giesbers, M.; Zuilhof, H.

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents a novel surface engineering approach that combines photochemical grafting and surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) to attach zwitterionic polymer brushes onto indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates. The photochemically grafted hydroxyl-terminated organic

  18. Room temperature ferromagnetism of tin oxide nanocrystal based on synthesis methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sakthiraj, K.; Hema, M. [Department of Physics, Kamaraj College of Engineering and Technology, Virudhunagar 626001, Tamil Nadu (India); Balachandrakumar, K. [Department of Physics, Raja Doraisingam Government Arts College, Sivagangai 630561, Tamil Nadu (India)

    2016-04-15

    The experimental conditions used in the preparation of nanocrystalline oxide materials play an important role in the room temperature ferromagnetism of the product. In the present work, a comparison was made between sol–gel, microwave assisted sol–gel and hydrothermal methods for preparing tin oxide nanocrystal. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates the formation of tetragonal rutile phase structure for all the samples. The crystallite size was estimated from the HRTEM images and it is around 6–12 nm. Using optical absorbance measurement, the band gap energy value of the samples has been calculated. It reveals the existence of quantum confinement effect in all the prepared samples. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra confirms that the luminescence process originates from the structural defects such as oxygen vacancies present in the samples. Room temperature hysteresis loop was clearly observed in M–H curve of all the samples. But the sol–gel derived sample shows the higher values of saturation magnetization (M{sub s}) and remanence (M{sub r}) than other two samples. This study reveals that the sol–gel method is superior to the other two methods for producing room temperature ferromagnetism in tin oxide nanocrystal.

  19. A novel electrode surface fabricated by directly attaching gold nanoparticles onto NH{sub 2}{sup +} ions implanted-indium tin oxide substrate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu Chenyao; Jiao Jiao; Chen Qunxia [College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Xia Ji [Key Laboratory of Beam Technology and Material Modification of Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Li Shuoqi [College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Hu Jingbo, E-mail: hujingbo@bnu.edu.c [College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Li Qilong [College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China)

    2010-12-01

    A new type of gold nanoparticle attached to a NH{sub 2}{sup +} ion implanted-indium tin oxide surface was fabricated without using peculiar binder molecules, such as 3-(aminopropyl)-trimethoxysilane. A NH{sub 2}/indium tin oxide film was obtained by implantation at an energy of 80 keV with a fluence of 5 x 10{sup 15} ions/cm{sup 2}. The gold nanoparticle-modified film was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electrochemical techniques and compared with a modified bare indium tin oxide surface and 3-(aminopropyl)-trimethoxysilane linked surface, which exhibited a relatively low electron transfer resistance and high electrocatalytic activity. The results demonstrate that NH{sub 2}{sup +} ion implanted-indium tin oxide films can provide an important route to immobilize nanoparticles, which is attractive in developing new biomaterials.

  20. Zinc oxide-potassium ferricyanide composite thin film matrix for biosensing applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saha, Shibu [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 (India); Arya, Sunil K. [Department of Science and Technology Centre on Biomolecular Electronics, National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi 110012 (India); Singh, S.P. [Department of Engineering Science and Materials, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, PR 00680 (United States); Sreenivas, K. [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 (India); Malhotra, B.D. [Department of Science and Technology Centre on Biomolecular Electronics, National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi 110012 (India); Gupta, Vinay, E-mail: vgupta@physics.du.ac.in [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 (India)

    2009-10-27

    Thin film of zinc oxide-potassium ferricyanide (ZnO-KFCN) composite has been deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated corning glass using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The composite thin film electrode has been exploited for amperometric biosensing in a mediator-free electrolyte. The composite matrix has the advantages of high iso-electric point of ZnO along with enhanced electron communication due to the presence of a redox species in the matrix itself. Glucose oxidase (GOx) has been chosen as the model enzyme for studying the application of the developed matrix to biosensing. The sensing response of the bio-electrode, GOx/ZnO-KFCN/ITO/glass, towards glucose was studied using cylic voltammetry (CV) and photometric assay. The bio-electrode exhibits good linearity from 2.78 mM to 11.11 mM glucose concentration. The low value of Michaelis-Menten constant (1.69 mM) indicates an enhanced affinity of the immobilized enzyme towards its substrate. A quassireversible system is obtained with the composite matrix. The results confirm promising application of the ZnO-KFCN composite matrix for amperometric biosensing applications in a mediator-less electrolyte that could lead to the realization of an integrated lab-on-chip device.

  1. Zinc oxide-potassium ferricyanide composite thin film matrix for biosensing applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saha, Shibu; Arya, Sunil K.; Singh, S.P.; Sreenivas, K.; Malhotra, B.D.; Gupta, Vinay

    2009-01-01

    Thin film of zinc oxide-potassium ferricyanide (ZnO-KFCN) composite has been deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated corning glass using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The composite thin film electrode has been exploited for amperometric biosensing in a mediator-free electrolyte. The composite matrix has the advantages of high iso-electric point of ZnO along with enhanced electron communication due to the presence of a redox species in the matrix itself. Glucose oxidase (GOx) has been chosen as the model enzyme for studying the application of the developed matrix to biosensing. The sensing response of the bio-electrode, GOx/ZnO-KFCN/ITO/glass, towards glucose was studied using cylic voltammetry (CV) and photometric assay. The bio-electrode exhibits good linearity from 2.78 mM to 11.11 mM glucose concentration. The low value of Michaelis-Menten constant (1.69 mM) indicates an enhanced affinity of the immobilized enzyme towards its substrate. A quassireversible system is obtained with the composite matrix. The results confirm promising application of the ZnO-KFCN composite matrix for amperometric biosensing applications in a mediator-less electrolyte that could lead to the realization of an integrated lab-on-chip device.

  2. Nanocrystalline CdTe thin films by electrochemical synthesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramesh S. Kapadnis

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Cadmium telluride thin films were deposited onto different substrates as copper, Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO, Indium tin oxide (ITO, Aluminum and zinc at room temperature via electrochemical route. The morphology of the film shows the nanostructures on the deposited surface of the films and their growth in vertical direction. Different nanostructures developed on different substrates. The X-ray diffraction study reveals that the deposited films are nanocrystalline in nature. UV-Visible absorption spectrum shows the wide range of absorption in the visible region. Energy-dispersive spectroscopy confirms the formation of cadmium telluride.

  3. Effects of annealing temperature on mechanical durability of indium-tin oxide film on polyethylene terephthalate substrate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Machinaga, Hironobu; Ueda, Eri; Mizuike, Atsuko; Takeda, Yuuki; Shimokita, Keisuke; Miyazaki, Tsukasa

    2014-01-01

    Effects of the annealing temperature on mechanical durability of indium-tin oxide (ITO) thin films deposited on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates were investigated. The ITO films were annealed at the range from 150 °C to 195 °C after the DC sputtering deposition for the production of polycrystalline ITO layers on the substrates. The onset strains of cracking in the annealed ITO films were evaluated by the uniaxial stretching tests with electrical resistance measurements during film stretching. The results indicate that the onset strain of cracking in the ITO film is clearly increased by increasing the annealing temperature. The in-situ measurements of the inter-planer spacing of the (222) plane in the crystalline ITO films during film stretching by using synchrotron radiation strongly suggest that the large compressive stress in the ITO film increases the onset strain of cracking in the film. X-ray stress analyses of the annealed ITO films and thermal mechanical analyses of the PET substrates also clarifies that the residual compressive stress in the ITO film is enhanced with increasing the annealing temperature due to the considerably larger shrinkage of the PET substrate. - Highlights: • Indium-tin oxide (ITO) films were deposited on polyethylene terephthalate (PET). • Mechanical durability of the ITO is improved by high temperature post-annealing. • The shrinkage in the PET increases with rising the post-annealing temperature. • The shrinkage of the PET enhances the compressive stress in the ITO film. • Large compressive stress in the ITO film may improve its mechanical durability

  4. A study on linear and non-linear optical constants of Rhodamine B thin film deposited on FTO glass

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yahia, I.S. [Nano-Science & Semiconductor Labs, Physics Department, Faculty of Education, Ain Shams University, Roxy, Cairo (Egypt); Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha (Saudi Arabia); Jilani, Asim, E-mail: asim.jilane@gmail.com [Centre of Nanotechnology, Physics Department-Faculty of Science-AL Faisaliah Campus, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80200, Jeddah 21589 (Saudi Arabia); Abutalib, M.M. [Centre of Nanotechnology, Physics Department-Faculty of Science-AL Faisaliah Campus, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80200, Jeddah 21589 (Saudi Arabia); AlFaify, S. [Nano-Science & Semiconductor Labs, Physics Department, Faculty of Education, Ain Shams University, Roxy, Cairo (Egypt); Shkir, M. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha (Saudi Arabia); Abdel-wahab, M.Sh.; Al-Ghamdi, Attieh A. [Centre of Nanotechnology, Physics Department-Faculty of Science-AL Faisaliah Campus, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80200, Jeddah 21589 (Saudi Arabia); El-Naggar, A.M. [Exploitation of Renewable Energy Applications in Saudi Arabia, Physics & Astronomy Department, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O.Box 2455, Riyadh 11451 (Saudi Arabia)

    2016-06-01

    The aim of this research was to fabricate/deposit the good quality thin film of Rhodamine B dye on fluorine doped tin oxide glass substrate by the low cost spin coating technique and study their linear and nonlinear optical parameters. The thickness of the thin film was measured about 300 nm with alpha step system. The transmittance of the fabricated thin film was found to be above 75% corresponding to the fluorine doped tin oxide layer. The structural analysis was performed with X-rays diffraction spectroscopy. Atomic force microscope showed the topographic image of deposited thin film. Linear optical constant like absorption coefficient, band gap, and extinction index was calculated. The dielectric constant was calculated to know the optical response of Rhodamine B dye over fluorine doped tin oxide substrate. The nonlinear optical constant like linear optical susceptibility χ{sup (1)}, nonlinear optical susceptibility χ{sup (3)}, nonlinear refractive index (n{sub 2}) were calculated by spectroscopic method. This method has advantage over the experimental method like Z-Scan for organic dye base semiconductors for future advance optoelectronics applications like dye synthesis solar cell.

  5. Effect of passive film on electrochemical surface treatment for indium tin oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Yung-Fu; Chen, Chi-Hao

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Oxalic, tartaric, and citric acid baths accompanying with applied voltages were used to treat the ITO surface. ► We investigated the changes in ITO surfaces by examining the potentiodynamic behavior of ITO films. ► AFM analysis showed the formation of a passive layer could assist to planarize surface. ► XPS analysis indicated this passive layer was mainly composed of SnO 2. ► A better planarization was obtained by treating in 3.0 wt.% tartaric acid at 0.5 V due to weak complexation strength. - Abstract: Changes in indium tin oxide (ITO) film surface during electrochemical treatment in oxalic acid, tartaric acid, and citric acid were investigated. Controlling the voltage applied on ITO film allows the formation of a passive layer, effectively protecting the film surface. X-ray photoelectron spectrometry showed that the passive layer composition was predominantly SnO 2 in tartaric acid, while a composite of tin oxide and tin carboxylate in citric or oxalic acid. Even though the passive films on ITO surface generated in these organic acids, the indium or tin could complex with the organic acid anions, enhancing the dissolution of ITO films. The experimental results show that the interaction between the dissolution and passivation could assist to planarize the ITO surface. We found that the optimal treatment at 0.5 V in 3 wt.% tartaric acid could provide the ITO surface with root-mean-squared roughness less than 1.0 nm, due to the weak complexing characteristics of tartaric acid.

  6. Porous screen printed indium tin oxide (ITO) for NOx gas sensing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mbarek, H.; Saadoun, M.; Bessais, B.

    2007-01-01

    Tin-doped Indium Oxide (ITO) films were prepared by the screen printing method. Transparent and conductive ITO thin films were obtained from an organometallic based paste fired in an Infrared furnace. The Screen printed ITO films were found to be granular and porous. This specific morphology was found to be suitable for sensing different gaseous species. This work investigates the possibility of using screen printed (ITO) films as a specific material for efficient NO x gas sensing. It was found that screen printed ITO is highly sensitive and stable towards NO x , especially for gas concentration higher than 50 ppm and starting from a substrate working temperature of about 180 C. The sensitivity of the ITO films increases with increasing NO x concentration and temperature. The sensitivity and stability of the screen printed ITO based sensors were studied within time. The ITO crystallite grain size dimension was found to be a key parameter that influences the gas response characteristics. Maximum gas sensitivity and minimum response time were observed for ITO films having lower crystallite size dimensions. (copyright 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  7. Positron beam study of indium tin oxide films on GaN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheung, C K; Wang, R X; Beling, C D; Djurisic, A B; Fung, S

    2007-01-01

    Variable energy Doppler broadening spectroscopy has been used to study open-volume defects formed during the fabrication of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films grown by electron-beam evaporation on n-GaN. The films were prepared at room temperature, 200 and 300 deg. C without oxygen and at 200 deg. C under different oxygen partial pressures. The results show that at elevated growth temperatures the ITO has fewer open volume sites and grows with a more crystalline structure. High temperature growth, however, is not sufficient in itself to remove open volume defects at the ITO/GaN interface. Growth under elevated temperature and under partial pressure of oxygen is found to further reduce the vacancy type defects associated with the ITO film, thus improving the quality of the film. Oxygen partial pressures of 6 x 10 -3 mbar and above are found to remove open volume defects associated with the ITO/GaN interface. The study suggests that, irrespective of growth temperature and oxygen partial pressure, there is only one type of defect in the ITO responsible for trapping positrons, which we tentatively attribute to the oxygen vacancy

  8. Parametrization of optical properties of indium-tin-oxide thin films by spectroscopic ellipsometry: Substrate interfacial reactivity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Losurdo, M.; Giangregorio, M.; Capezzuto, P.; Bruno, G.; de Rosa, R.; Roca, F.; Summonte, C.; Plá, J.; Rizzoli, R.

    2002-01-01

    Indium-tin-oxide (ITO) films deposited by sputtering and e-gun evaporation on both transparent (Corning glass) and opaque (c-Si, c-Si/SiO2) substrates and in c-Si/a-Si:H/ITO heterostructures have been analyzed by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) in the range 1.5-5.0 eV. Taking the SE advantage of being applicable to absorbent substrate, ellipsometry is used to determine the spectra of the refractive index and extinction coefficient of the ITO films. The effect of the substrate surface on the ITO optical properties is focused and discussed. To this aim, a parametrized equation combining the Drude model, which considers the free-carrier response at the infrared end, and a double Lorentzian oscillator, which takes into account the interband transition contribution at the UV end, is used to model the ITO optical properties in the useful UV-visible range, whatever the substrate and deposition technique. Ellipsometric analysis is corroborated by sheet resistance measurements.

  9. Cathodic electrochemical deposition of Magnéli phases TinO2n−1 thin films at different temperatures in acetonitrile solution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ertekin, Zeliha; Tamer, Uğur; Pekmez, Kadir

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • TiO x films were prepared by cathodic electrodeposition in acetonitrile. • One-step electrodeposition of TiO x films without heat treatment process. • Different crystalline Ti n O 2n−1 films (γTi 3 O 5 , λTi 3 O 5 , Ti 4 O 7 , Ti 5 O 9 ) were obtained. - Abstract: The Magnéli phase titanium oxide films prepared by cathodic electrodeposition on indium–tin-oxide coated glass substrates from saturated peroxo-titanium solution in acetonitrile. Electrodeposited brownish semi-conductor thin films were identified via X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, UV–vis spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effects of different potentials and temperatures on the crystallinity of the thin films have been discussed. Ti 3 O 5 , Ti 4 O 7 and Ti 5 O 9 as the most favorable forms of the Ti n O 2n−1 were electrodeposited on ITO electrode at electrochemical deposition potentials and different temperatures. The present investigation reveals that the electrochemical deposition of crystalline Ti n O 2n−1 films by a simple one-step electrodeposition method (without any heat treatment) in acetonitrile solution is possible and very promising as a preparation method for electrochemical applications

  10. Properties of indium tin oxide films deposited using High Target Utilisation Sputtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Calnan, S.; Upadhyaya, H.M.; Thwaites, M.J.; Tiwari, A.N.

    2007-01-01

    Indium tin oxide (ITO) films were deposited on soda lime glass and polyimide substrates using an innovative process known as High Target Utilisation Sputtering (HiTUS). The influence of the oxygen flow rate, substrate temperature and sputtering pressure, on the electrical, optical and thermal stability properties of the films was investigated. High substrate temperature, medium oxygen flow rate and moderate pressure gave the best compromise of low resistivity and high transmittance. The lowest resistivity was 1.6 x 10 -4 Ω cm on glass while that on the polyimide was 1.9 x 10 -4 Ω cm. Substrate temperatures above 100 deg. C were required to obtain visible light transmittance exceeding 85% for ITO films on glass. The thermal stability of the films was mainly influenced by the oxygen flow rate and thus the initial degree of oxidation. The film resistivity was either unaffected or reduced after heating in vacuum but generally increased for oxygen deficient films when heated in air. The greatest increase in transmittance of oxygen deficient films occurred for heat treatment in air while that of the highly oxidised films was largely unaffected by heating in both media. This study has demonstrated the potential of HiTUS as a favourable deposition method for high quality ITO suitable for use in thin film solar cells

  11. Effect of cesium assistance on the electrical and structural properties of indium tin oxide films grown by magnetron sputtering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Song, Jaewon; Hwang, Cheol Seong; Park, Sung Jin; Yoon, Neung Ku [Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Inter-university Semiconductor Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Sorona Inc., Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi 451-841 (Korea, Republic of)

    2009-07-15

    Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited by cesium (Cs)-assisted dc magnetron sputtering in an attempt to achieve a high performance at low temperatures. The films were deposited on SiO{sub 2}/Si wafer and glass (Eagle 2000) substrates at a substrate temperature of 100 degree sign C with a Cs vapor flow during the deposition process. The ITO thin films deposited in the presence of Cs vapor showed better crystallinity than the control films grown under normal Ar/O{sub 2} plasma conditions. The resistivity of the films with the Cs assistance was lower than that of the control films. The lowest resistivity of 6.2x10{sup -4} {Omega} cm, which is {approx}20% lower than that of the control sample, was obtained without any postdeposition thermal annealing. The surface roughness increased slightly when Cs vapor was added. The optical transmittance was >80% at wavelengths ranging from 380 to 700 nm.

  12. Development of Nafion/tin oxide composite MEA for DMFC applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, F.; Mecheri, B.; D' Epifanio, A. [Department of Chemical Science and Technology, University of Rome ' Tor Vergata' , Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 00133 Rome (Italy); Traversa, E. [Department of Chemical Science and Technology, University of Rome ' Tor Vergata' , Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 00133 Rome (Italy); International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044 (Japan); Licoccia, S.

    2010-10-15

    Nafion composite membranes containing either hydrated tin oxide (SnO{sub 2}. nH{sub 2}O) or sulphated tin oxide (S-SnO{sub 2}) at 5 and 10 wt.-% were prepared and characterised. The structural and electrochemical features of the samples were investigated using X-ray diffraction, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, methanol crossover and direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) tests. Highest conductivity values were obtained by using S-SnO{sub 2} as filler (0.094 S cm{sup -1} at T = 110 C and RH = 100%). The presence of the inorganic compound resulted in lower methanol crossover and improved DMFC performance with respect to a reference unfilled membrane. To improve the interface of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA), a layer of the composite electrolyte (i.e. the Nafion membrane containing 5 wt.-% S-SnO{sub 2}) was brushed on the electrodes, obtaining a DMFC operating at 110 C with a power density (PD) of 100 mW cm{sup -2} which corresponds to a PD improvement of 52% with respect to the unfilled Nafion membrane. (Abstract Copyright [2010], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

  13. Deposit of thin films of TiN, a-C, Ti/TiN/a-C by laser ablation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mejia, I.S.; Escobar A, L.; Camps, E.; Romero, S.; Muhl, S.

    2006-01-01

    Thin films of titanium nitride (TiN), amorphous carbon (a-C), as well as bilayers of Ti/TiN/a-C were deposited by means of the laser ablation technique. It was investigated the effect that it has the laser fluence used to ablation the targets in the structure and mechanical properties of the TiN deposited films. The TiN obtained films have a preferential orientation in the direction (200). The results show that the hardness of this material is influenced by the laser fluence. It is observed that the hardness is increased in an approximately lineal way with the increment of the fluence up to 19 J/cm 2 . The films of amorphous carbon present hardness of the order of 11.2 GPa. Likewise it was found that the multilayers of Ti/TiN/aC presented a bigger hardness that of its individual components. (Author)

  14. Tin Oxide Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization and Study their Particle Size at Different Current Density

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karzan A. Omar

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Tin oxide nanoparticles are prepared by electrochemical reduction method using tetrapropylammonium bromide (TPAB and tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB as structure directing agent in an organic medium viz. tetrahydrofuran (THF and acetonitrile (ACN in 4:1 ratio by optimizing current density and molar concentration of the ligand. The reduction process takes place under an inert atmosphere of nitrogen over a period of 2 h. Such nanoparticles are prepared by using a simple electrolysis cell in which the sacrificial anode as a commercially available in tin metal sheet and platinum (inert sheet act as a cathode. The parameters such as current density, solvent polarity, distance between electrodes and concentration of stabilizers are used to control the size of nanoparticles. The synthesized tin oxide nanoparticles are characterized by using UV–Visible, FT-IR and SEM–EDS analysis techniques. UV-Visible spectroscopy has revealed the optical band gap to be 4.13, 4.16 and 4.24 ev for (8, 10 and 12 mA/cm2 and the effect of current density on theirs particle size, respectively.

  15. Studies on Cementation of Tin on Copper and Tin Stripping from Copper Substrate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rudnik E.

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Cementation of tin on copper in acid chloride-thiourea solutions leads to the formation of porous layers with a thickness dependent on the immersion time. The process occurs via Sn(II-Cu(I mechanism. Chemical stripping of tin was carried out in alkaline and acid solutions in the presence of oxidizing agents. It resulted in the dissolution of metallic tin, but refractory Cu3Sn phase remained on the copper surface. Electrochemical tin stripping allows complete tin removal from the copper substrate, but porosity and complex phase composition of the tin coating do not allow monitoring the process in unambiguous way.

  16. Self-catalytic growth of tin oxide nanowires by chemical vapor deposition process

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Thabethe, BS

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The authors report on the synthesis of tin oxide (SnO(sub2)) nanowires by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. Commercially bought SnO nanopowders were vaporized at 1050°C for 30 minutes with argon gas continuously passing through the system...

  17. Novel antimony doped tin oxide/carbon aerogel as efficient electrocatalytic filtration membrane

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhimeng Liu

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available A facile method was developed to prepare antimony doped tin oxide (Sb-SnO2/carbon aerogel (CA for use as an electrocatalytic filtration membrane. The preparation process included synthesis of a precursor sol, impregnation, and thermal decomposition. The Sb-SnO2, which was tetragonal in phase with an average crystallite size of 10.8 nm, was uniformly distributed on the CA surface and firmly attached via carbon-oxygen-tin chemical bonds. Preliminary filtration tests indicated that the Sb-SnO2/CA membrane had a high rate of total organic carbon removal for aqueous tetracycline owing to its high current efficiency and electrode stability.

  18. Electrochemical Thinning for Anodic Aluminum Oxide and Anodic Titanium Oxide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, In Hae; Jo, Yun Kyoung; Kim, Yong Tae; Tak, Yong Sug; Choi, Jin Sub [Inha University, Incheon (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-05-15

    For given electrolytes, different behaviors of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) and anodic titanium oxide (ATO) during electrochemical thinning are explained by ionic and electronic current modes. Branched structures are unavoidably created in AAO since the switch of ionic to electronic current is slow, whereas the barrier oxide in ATO is thinned without formation of the branched structures. In addition, pore opening can be possible in ATO if chemical etching is performed after the thinning process. The thinning was optimized for complete pore opening in ATO and potential-current behavior is interpreted in terms of ionic current-electronic current switching.

  19. Electrochemistry behavior of endogenous thiols on fluorine doped tin oxide electrodes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rojas, Luciana; Molero, Leonard; Tapia, Ricardo A.; Rio, Rodrigo del; Valle, M. Angelica del; Antilen, Monica [Departamento de Quimica Inorganica, Facultad de Quimica, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Av Vicuna Mackenna 4860, Casilla 306, Correo 22, Macul, Santiago (Chile); Armijo, Francisco, E-mail: jarmijom@uc.cl [Departamento de Quimica Inorganica, Facultad de Quimica, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Av Vicuna Mackenna 4860, Casilla 306, Correo 22, Macul, Santiago (Chile)

    2011-10-01

    Highlights: > The first time that fluorine doped tin oxide electrodes are used for the electrooxidation of endogenous thiols. > Low potentials of electrooxidation were obtained for the different thiols. > The electrochemical behavior of thiols depends on the pH and the ionic electroactive species, the electrooxidation proceeds for a process of adsorption of electroactive species on FTO and high values the heterogeneous electron tranfer rate constant of the reaction were obtained. - Abstract: In this work the electrochemical behavior of different thiols on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) electrodes is reported. To this end, the mechanism of electrochemical oxidation of glutathione (GSH), cysteine (Cys), homocysteine (HCys) and acetyl-cysteine (ACys) at different pH was investigated. FTO showed electroactivity for the oxidation of the first three thiols at pH between 2.0 and 4.0, but under these conditions no acetyl-cysteine oxidation was observed on FTO. Voltammetric studies of the electro-oxidation of GSH, Cys and HCys showed peaks at about 0.35, 0.29, and 0.28 V at optimum pH 2.4, 2.8 and 3.4, respectively. In addition, this study demonstrated that GSH, Cys and HCys oxidation occurs when the zwitterion is the electro-active species that interact by adsorption on FTO electrodes. The overall reaction involves 4e{sup -}/4H{sup +} and 2e{sup -}/2H{sup +}, respectively, for HCys and for GSH and Cys and high heterogeneous electron transfer rate constants. Besides, the use of FTO for the determination of different thiols was evaluated. Experimental square wave voltammetry shows a linear current vs. concentrations response between 0.1 and 1.0 mM was found for HCys and GSH, indicating that these FTO electrodes are promising candidates for the efficient electrochemical determination of these endogenous thiols.

  20. Optical emission spectroscopy during fabrication of indium-tin-oxynitride films by RF-sputtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koufaki, M.; Sifakis, M.; Iliopoulos, E.; Pelekanos, N.; Modreanu, M.; Cimalla, V.; Ecke, G.; Aperathitis, E.

    2006-01-01

    Indium-tin-oxide (ITO) and indium-tin-oxynitride (ITON) films have been deposited on glass by rf-sputtering from an ITO target, using Ar plasma and N 2 plasma, respectively, and different rf-power. Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) was employed to identify the species present in the plasma and to correlate them with the properties of the ITO and ITON thin films. Emission lines of ionic In could only be detected in N 2 plasma, whereas in the Ar plasma additional lines corresponding to atomic In and InO, were detected. The deposition rate of thin films was correlated with the In species, rather than the nitrogen species, emission intensity in the plasma. The higher resistivity and lower carrier concentration of the ITON films, as compared to the respective properties of the ITO films, were attributed to the incorporation of nitrogen, instead of oxygen, in the ITON structure

  1. Effect on the properties of ITO thin films in Gamma environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sofi, A. H.; Shah, M. A.; Asokan, K.

    2018-04-01

    The present study reports the effect of gamma irradiation of varying doses (0-200 kGy) on the physical properties of the indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films. The films were fabricated by thermal evaporation method using indium-tin (InSn) ingots followed by an oxidation in atmosphere at a temperature of 550 °C. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the body-centered cubic (BCC) structure corresponds to the ITO thin films, high phase purity and a variation in crystallite size between 30-44 nm. While the optical studies revealed an increase in transmission as well as variation in optical band gap, the electrical studies confirmed n-type semiconductive behavior of the thin films, increase in mobility and a decrease in resistivity from 2.33×10-2 - 9.31×10-4 Ωcm with the increase in gamma dose from 0-200 kGy. The gamma irradiation caused totally electronic excitation and resulted in this modifications. The degenerate electron gas model was considered when attempting to understand the prevalent scattering mechanism in gamma irradiated ITO thin films.

  2. Synthesis and characterization of copper antimony tin sulphide thin films for solar cell applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ali, N., E-mail: nisar.ali@utm.my [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Skudai, 81310 Johor (Malaysia); Department of Physics, Govt. Post Graduate Jehanzeb College Saidu Sharif, Swat, 19200 (Pakistan); Hussain, A. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Skudai, 81310 Johor (Malaysia); Ahmed, R., E-mail: rashidahmed@utm.my [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Skudai, 81310 Johor (Malaysia); Wan Shamsuri, W.N. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Skudai, 81310 Johor (Malaysia); Fu, Y.Q., E-mail: richard.fu@northumbria.ac.uk [Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering & Environment, University of Northumbria, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST (United Kingdom)

    2016-12-30

    Highlights: • A new and novel material for solar cell applications is demonstrated as a replacement for toxic and expansive compounds. • The materials used in this compound are abundant and low cost. • Compound exhibit unusual optical and electrical properties. • The band gap was found to be comparable with that of GaAs. - Abstract: Low price thin film modules based on Copper antimony tin sulphide (CATS) are introduced for solar harvesting to compete for the already developed compound semiconductors. Here, CATS thin films were deposited on soda lime glass by thermal evaporation technique followed by a rapid thermal annealing in an argon atmosphere. From Our XRD analysis, it was revealed that the annealed samples were poly-crystalline and their crystallinity was improved with increasing annealing temperature. The constituent elements and their corresponding chemical states were identified using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The obtained optical band gap of 1.4 eV for CATS thin film is found nearly equal to GaAs – one of the highly efficient thin film material for solar cell technology. Furthermore, our observed good optical absorbance and low transmittance for the annealed CATS thin films in the visible region of light spectrum assured the aptness of the CATS thin films for solar cell applications.

  3. Sensitivity, selectivity and stability of tin oxide nanostructures on large area arrays of microhotplates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panchapakesan, Balaji; Cavicchi, Richard; Semancik, Steve; DeVoe, Don L.

    2006-01-01

    In this paper, the sensitivity, stability and selectivity of nanoparticle engineered tin oxide (SnO2) are reported, for microhotplate chemical sensing applications. 16 Å of metals such as nickel, cobalt, iron, copper and silver were selectively evaporated onto each column of the microhotplate array. Following evaporation, the microhotplates were heated to 500 °C and SnO2 was deposited on top of the microhotplates using a self-aligned chemical vapour deposition process. Scanning electron microscopy characterization revealed control of SnO2 nanostructures in the range of 20-121 nm. Gas sensing in seven different hydrocarbons revealed that metal nanoparticles that helped in producing faster nucleation of SnO2 resulted in smaller grain size and higher sensitivity. Sensitivity as a function of concentration and grain size is addressed for tin oxide nanostructures. Smaller grain sizes resulted in higher sensitivity of tin oxide nanostructures. Temperature programmed sensing of the devices yielded shape differences in the response between air and methanol, illustrating selectivity. Spiderweb plots were used to monitor the materials programmed selectivity. The shape differences between different gases in spiderweb plots illustrate materials selectivity as a powerful mapping approach for monitoring selectivity in various gases. Continuous monitoring in 80 ppm methanol yielded stable sensor response for more than 200 h. This comprehensive study illustrates the use of a nanoparticle engineering approach for sensitive, selective and stable gas sensing applications.

  4. Multi-band emission in a wide wavelength range from tin oxide/Au nanocomposites grown on porous anodic alumina substrate (AAO)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Norek, Małgorzata; Michalska-Domańska, Marta; Stępniowski, Wojciech J.; Ayala, Israel; Bombalska, Aneta; Budner, Bogusław

    2013-01-01

    The photoluminescence (PL) properties of tin oxide nanostructures are investigated. Three samples of different morphology, induced by deposition process and various geometrical features of nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) substrate, are analyzed. X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy (XPS) analysis reveals the presence of two forms of tin oxide on the surface of all studied samples: SnO and SnO 2 . The former form is typical for reduced surface with bridging oxygen atoms and every other row of in-plane oxygen atoms removed. The oxygen defects give rise to a strong emission in visible region. Two intense PL peaks are observed centered at about 540 (band I) and 620 (band II) nm. The origin of these bands was ascribed to the recombination of electrons from the conduction band (band I) and shallow traps levels (band II) to the surface oxygen vacancy levels. Upon deposition of Au nanoparticles on the top of tin oxide nanostructures the emission at 540 and 620 nm disappears and a new band (band III) occurs in the range >760 nm. The PL mechanism operating in the studied systems is discussed. The tin oxide/Au nanocomposites can be used as efficient multi-band light emitters in a wide (from visible to near infrared) wavelength range.

  5. Rf reactive sputtering of indium-tin-oxide films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tvarozek, V.; Novotny, I.; Harman, R.; Kovac, J.

    1986-01-01

    Films of indium-tin-oxide (ITO) have been deposited by rf reactive diode sputtering of metallic InSn alloy targets, or ceramic ITO targets, in an Ar and Ar+0 2 atmosphere. Electrical as well as optical properties of ITO films were controlled by varying sputtering parameters and by post-deposition heat-treatment in Ar, H 2 , N 2 , H 2 +N 2 ambients. The ITO films exhibited low resistivity approx. 2 x 10 -4 Ω cm, high transmittance approx. 90% in the visible spectral region and high reflectance approx. 80% in the near infra-red region. (author)

  6. Preparation and characterization of tin sulphide thin films by a spray pyrolysis technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ben Haj Salah, H.; Bouzouita, H.; Rezig, B.

    2005-01-01

    We have attempted the preparation and characterization of Sn 2 S 3 thin films by using the spray pyrolysis technique. We started with acidic aqueous solutions including tin (II) chloride and thiourea, which were atomized with compressed air as carrier gas. The Sn 2 S 3 thin films were obtained on glass substrates. Thin layers of Sn-S have been grown at various temperatures in the range of 275-325 deg. C and various [S/Sn] ratios. The structural properties have been determined by using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The changes observed in the structural phases during the film formation in dependence of growth temperatures are reported and discussed. The optical constants of the deposited films were obtained using the experimentally recorded transmission and reflectance spectral data as functions of the wavelength, in the range of 300-1800 nm. An analysis of the deduced spectral absorption of the deposited films revealed an optical indirect band gap energy of 1.9-2.2 eV for Sn 2 S 3 layers

  7. Preparation of p-type transparent conducting tin-antimony oxide thin films by DC reactive magnetron sputtering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ji, Zhenguo [College of Electronic Information, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou (China); State Key Laboratory for Silicon Materials, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou (China); Xi, Junhua; Huo, Lijuan; Zhao, Yi [State Key Laboratory for Silicon Materials, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou (China)

    2008-07-01

    P-type transparent conducting tin-antimony oxide (TAO) films were successfully prepared by DC reactive magnetron sputtering followed by post annealing in the air. Structural, optical and electrical properties of the TAO films were investigated. X-ray diffraction studies showed that the films are polycrystalline with orthorhombic structure of Sb{sub 2}O{sub 4}. UV-Visible absorption and transmittance spectra showed that the optical band-gap of the TAO films is about 3.90 eV, and the overall transmittance is higher than 85% in the visible region. Hall effect measurement indicated that the Sn/Sb ratio is a critical parameter to get p-type conducting TAO films. It was found that 0.19

  8. Tin( ii ) ketoacidoximates: synthesis, X-ray structures and processing to tin( ii ) oxide

    KAUST Repository

    Khanderi, Jayaprakash

    2015-10-21

    Tin(ii) ketoacidoximates of the type [HONCRCOO]Sn (R = Me 1, CHPh 2) and (MeONCMeCOO)Sn] NH·2HO 3 were synthesized by reacting pyruvate- and hydroxyl- or methoxylamine RONH (R = H, Me) with tin(ii) chloride dihydrate SnCl·2HO. The single crystal X-ray structure reveals that the geometry at the Sn atom is trigonal bipyramidal in 1, 2 and trigonal pyramidal in 3. Inter- or intramolecular hydrogen bonding is observed in 1-3. Thermogravimetric (TG) analysis shows that the decomposition of 1-3 to SnO occurs at ca. 160 °C. The evolved gas analysis during TG indicates complete loss of the oximato ligand in one step for 1 whereas a small organic residue is additionally removed at temperatures >400 °C for 2. Above 140 °C, [HONC(Me)COO]Sn (1) decomposes in air to spherical SnO particles of size 10-500 nm. Spin coating of 1 on Si or a glass substrate followed by heating at 200 °C results in a uniform film of SnO. The band gap of the produced SnO film and nanomaterial was determined by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy to be in the range of 3.0-3.3 eV. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates surface oxidation of the SnO film to SnO in ambient atmosphere.

  9. Junctionless Thin-Film Transistors Gated by an H₃PO₄-Incorporated Chitosan Proton Conductor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Huixuan; Xun, Damao

    2018-04-01

    We fabricated an H3PO4-incorporated chitosan proton conductor film that exhibited the electric double layer effect and showed a high specific capacitance of 4.42 μF/cm2. Transparent indium tin oxide thin-film transistors gated by H3PO4-incorporated chitosan films were fabricated by sputtering through a shadow mask. The operating voltage was as low as 1.2 V because of the high specific capacitance of the H3PO4-incorporated chitosan dielectrics. The junctionless transparent indium tin oxide thin film transistors exhibited good performance, including an estimated current on/off ratio and field-effect mobility of 1.2 × 106 and 6.63 cm2V-1s-1, respectively. These low-voltage thin-film electric-double-layer transistors gated by H3PO4-incorporated chitosan are promising for next generation battery-powered "see-through" portable sensors.

  10. One pot synthesis of multi-functional tin oxide nanostructures for high efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wali, Qamar; Fakharuddin, Azhar; Yasin, Amina; Ab Rahim, Mohd Hasbi; Ismail, Jamil; Jose, Rajan, E-mail: rjose@ump.edu.my

    2015-10-15

    Photoanode plays a key role in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) as a scaffold for dye molecules, transport medium for photogenerated electrons, and scatters light for improved absorption. Herein, tin oxide nanostructures unifying the above three characteristics were optimized by a hydrothermal process and used as photoanode in DSSCs. The optimized morphology is a combination of hollow porous nanoparticles of size ∼50 nm and micron sized spheres with BET surface area (up to 29 m{sup 2}/g) to allow large dye-loading and light scattering as well as high crystallinity to support efficient charge transport. The optimized morphology gave the highest photovoltaic conversion efficiency (∼7.5%), so far achieved in DSSCs with high open circuit voltage (∼700 mV) and short circuit current density (∼21 mA/cm{sup 2}) employing conventional N3 dye and iodide/triiodide electrolyte. The best performing device achieved an incident photon to current conversion efficiency of ∼90%. The performance of the optimized tin oxide nanostructures was comparable to that of conventional titanium based DSSCs fabricated at similar conditions. - Graphical abstract: Tin oxide hollow nanostructure simultaneously supporting improved light scattering, dye-loading, and charge transport yielded high photovoltaic conversion efficiency in dye-sensitized solar cells. - Highlights: • Uniformly and bimodelly distributed tin oxide hollow nanospheres (HNS) are synthesized. • Uniform HNS are of size ∼10 nm; bimodel HNS has additional size up to ∼800 nm. • They are evaluated as photoelectrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). • The uniform HNS increase dye-loading and the larger increase light scattering in DSSCs. • Photo conversion efficiency ∼7.5% is achieved using bimodel HNS.

  11. Highly efficient fully flexible indium tin oxide free organic light emitting diodes fabricated directly on barrier-foil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bocksrocker, Tobias; Hülsmann, Neele; Eschenbaum, Carsten; Pargner, Andreas; Höfle, Stefan; Maier-Flaig, Florian; Lemmer, Uli

    2013-01-01

    We present a simple method for the fabrication of highly conductive and fully flexible metal/polymer hybrid anodes for efficient organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). By incorporating ultra-thin metal grids into a conductive polymer, we fabricated anodes with very low sheet resistances and high transparency. After optimizing the metallic grid, OLEDs with these hybrid anodes are superior to OLEDs with standard indium tin oxide (ITO) anodes in luminous efficacy by a factor of ∼ 2. Furthermore, the sheet resistance can be reduced by up to an order of magnitude compared to ITO on polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The devices show a very low turn-on voltage and the hybrid anodes do not change the emissive spectra of the OLEDs. In addition, we fabricated the anodes directly on a barrier foil, making the double sided encapsulation of a typically used PET-substrate unnecessary

  12. Thin Solid Oxide Cell

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2010-01-01

    The present invention relates to a thin and in principle unsupported solid oxide cell, comprising at least a porous anode layer, an electrolyte layer and a porous cathode layer, wherein the anode layer and the cathode layer comprise an electrolyte material, at least one metal and a catalyst...... material, and wherein the overall thickness of the thin reversible cell is about 150 [mu]m or less, and to a method for producing same. The present invention also relates to a thin and in principle unsupported solid oxide cell, comprising at least a porous anode layer, an electrolyte layer and a porous...... cathode layer, wherein the anode layer and the cathode layer comprise an electrolyte material and a catalyst material, wherein the electrolyte material is doper zirconia, and wherein the overall thickness of the thin reversible cell is about 150 [mu]m or less, and to a method for producing same...

  13. Indium tin oxide-rod/single walled carbon nanotube based transparent electrodes for ultraviolet light-emitting diodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yun, Min Ju; Kim, Hee-Dong; Kim, Kyeong Heon; Sung, Hwan Jun; Park, Sang Young; An, Ho-Myoung; Kim, Tae Geun

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, we report a transparent conductive oxide electrode scheme working for ultraviolet light-emitting diodes based on indium tin oxide (ITO)-rod and a single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) layer. We prepared four samples with ITO-rod, SWCNT/ITO-rod, ITO-rod/SWCNT, and SWCNT/ITO-rod/SWCNT structures for comparison. As a result, the sample with SWCNT/ITO-rod/SWCNT structures showed the highest transmittance over 90% at 280 nm and the highest Ohmic behavior (with sheet resistance of 5.33 kΩ/□) in the current–voltage characteristic curves. - Highlights: • Transparent conductive oxide (TCO) electrodes are proposed for UV light-emitting diodes. • These TCO electrodes are based on evaporated indium tin oxide (ITO)-rods. • Single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) layers are used as a current spreading layer. • The proposed TCO electrode structures show more than 90% transmittance at 280 nm

  14. Characteristics of tungsten oxide thin films prepared on the flexible substrates using pulsed laser deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suda, Yoshiaki; Kawasaki, Hiroharu; Ohshima, Tamiko; Yagyuu, Yoshihito

    2008-01-01

    Tungsten trioxide (WO 3 ) thin films have been prepared on the flexible indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) using WO 3 targets in oxygen gas. Color of the WO 3 film on the flexible ITO substrates depends on the oxygen gas mixture. The plasma plume produced by PLD using a Nd:YAG laser and WO 3 target is investigated by temporal and spatial-resolved optical emission spectroscopy. WO 3 films prepared on the flexible ITO substrates show electrochromic properties, even when the substrates are bent. The film color changes from blue to transparent within 10-20 s after the applied DC voltage is turned off

  15. Ag-Pd-Cu alloy inserted transparent indium tin oxide electrodes for organic solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Hyo-Joong; Seo, Ki-Won; Kim, Han-Ki; Noh, Yong-Jin; Na, Seok-In

    2014-01-01

    The authors report on the characteristics of Ag-Pd-Cu (APC) alloy-inserted indium tin oxide (ITO) films sputtered on a glass substrate at room temperature for application as transparent anodes in organic solar cells (OSCs). The effect of the APC interlayer thickness on the electrical, optical, structural, and morphological properties of the ITO/APC/ITO multilayer were investigated and compared to those of ITO/Ag/ITO multilayer electrodes. At the optimized APC thickness of 8 nm, the ITO/APC/ITO multilayer exhibited a resistivity of 8.55 × 10 −5 Ω cm, an optical transmittance of 82.63%, and a figure-of-merit value of 13.54 × 10 −3 Ω −1 , comparable to those of the ITO/Ag/ITO multilayer. Unlike the ITO/Ag/ITO multilayer, agglomeration of the metal interlayer was effectively relieved with APC interlayer due to existence of Pd and Cu elements in the thin region of the APC interlayer. The OSCs fabricated on the ITO/APC/ITO multilayer showed higher power conversion efficiency than that of OSCs prepared on the ITO/Ag/ITO multilayer below 10 nm due to the flatness of the APC layer. The improved performance of the OSCs with ITO/APC/ITO multilayer electrodes indicates that the APC alloy interlayer prevents the agglomeration of the Ag-based metal interlayer and can decrease the thickness of the metal interlayer in the oxide-metal-oxide multilayer of high-performance OSCs

  16. Effect of Tin Electrode (Sn, Electrode Distance and Thin Layer Size of Zinc Phthalocyanine (ZnPc to Resistance Changes With Ozone Exposure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agustina Mogi

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This study was aimed to determine the effect of tin electrode distances and the thickness of a thin layer of ZnPc (Zinc phtyalocyanine toward changes in resistance with ozone exposure. Tin deposition on the glass surface was conducted using spraying method. The reaction between ozone and ZnPc produces electrical properties that can be read through the resistance value of the multimeter. Based on this study, it was investigated that the smaller a distance between the electrode and the thicker deposition of ZnPc lead to the less resistance. This showed that a thin layer of the conductivity increases along with the longer exposure to ozone gas. The movement of electrons with the hole was free.

  17. Tailor-made surface plasmon polaritons above the bulk plasma frequency: a design strategy for indium tin oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brand, S; Abram, R A; Kaliteevski, M A

    2010-01-01

    A simple phase-matching approach is employed as a design aid to engineer surface plasmon polariton states at the interface of an indium tin oxide layer on the top of a Bragg reflector. By altering the details of the reflector, and in particular the ordering of the layers and the thickness of the layer adjacent to the indium tin oxide, it is possible to readily adjust the energy of these states. Examples of structures engineered to give rise to distinctive features in the reflectivity spectra above the bulk screened plasma frequency for states of both possible polarizations are presented.

  18. Design and characterization of Ga-doped indium tin oxide films for pixel electrode in liquid crystal display

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, J.H.; Kang, S.H.; Oh, H.S.; Yu, T.H.; Sohn, I.S.

    2013-01-01

    Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films doped with various metal atoms were investigated in terms of phase transition behavior and electro-optical properties for the purpose of upgrading ITO and indium zinc oxide (IZO) films, commonly used for pixel electrodes in flat panel displays. We explored Ce, Mg, Zn, and Ga atoms as dopants to ITO by the co-sputtering technique, and Ga-doped ITO films (In:Sn:Ga = 87.4:6.7:5.9 at.%) showed the phase transition behavior at 210 °C within 20 min with high visible transmittance of 91% and low resistivity of 0.22 mΩ cm. The film also showed etching rate similar to amorphous ITO, and no etching residue on glass surfaces. These results were confirmed with the film formed from a single Ga-doped ITO target with slightly different compositions (In:Sn:Ga = 87:9:4 at.%). Compared to the ITO target, Ga-doped ITO target left 1/4 less nodules on the target surface after sputtering. These results suggest that Ga-doped ITO films could be an excellent alternative to ITO and IZO for pixel electrodes in thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD). - Highlights: ► We report Ga-doped In–Sn–O films for a pixel electrode in liquid crystal display. ► Ga-doped In–Sn–O films show phase transition behavior at 210 °C. ► Ga-doped In–Sn–O films show high wet etchability and low resistivity

  19. Growth and characterization of tin disulfide (SnS2) thin film deposited by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deshpande, N.G.; Sagade, A.A.; Gudage, Y.G.; Lokhande, C.D.; Sharma, Ramphal

    2007-01-01

    Thin films of tin disulfide (SnS 2 ) have been deposited by using low cost successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) technique. The deposition parameters such as SILAR cycles (60), immersion time (20 s), rinsing time (10 s) and deposition temperature (27 o C) were optimized to obtain good quality of films. Physical investigations were made to study the structural, optical and electrical properties. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns reveal that the deposited SnS 2 thin films have hexagonal crystal structure. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) indicated elemental ratio close to those for tin disulfide (SnS (2.02) ). Uniform deposition of the material over the entire glass substrate was revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed the film is uniform and the substrate surface is well covered with small spherical grains merged in each other. A direct band gap of 2.22 eV was obtained. Photoluminescence (PL) showed two strong peaks corresponding to green and red emission. Ag/SnS 2 junction showed Schottky diode like I-V characteristics. The barrier height calculated was 0.22 eV. Thermoelectric power (TEP) properties showed that tin disulfide exhibits n-type conductivity

  20. Ultra-Thin Atomic Layer Deposited TiN Films: Non-Linear I–V Behaviour and the Importance of Surface Passivation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Hao, B.; Aarnink, Antonius A.I.; Kovalgin, Alexeij Y.; Wolters, Robertus A.M.

    2011-01-01

    We report the electrical resistivity of atomic layer deposited TiN thin films in the thickness range 2.5-20 nm. The measurements were carried out using the circular transfer length method structures. For the films with thickness in the range of 10-20 nm, the measurements exhibited linear

  1. Structural and optical properties of tin (II) sulfide thin films deposited using organophosphorus precursor (Ph3PS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Assili, Kawther; Alouani, Khaled; Vilanova, Xavier

    2017-02-01

    Tin sulfide (SnS) thin films have been deposited onto glass substrates using triphenylphosphine sulfide (Ph3PS) as a sulfur precursor in a chemical vapor deposition reactor in a temperature range of 250 °C-400 °C. The influence of the sulphidisation temperature in the crystal structure, surface morphology, chemical composition and optical properties has been investigated. X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive analysis of x-rays, and Raman spectroscopy showed that pure SnS thin films have been successfully obtained at 250 °C. All the deposited films were polycrystalline and showed orthorhombic structure, with a preferential orientation according to the direction . The optical measurements showed that the films deposited exhibited a direct allowed transition and have a relatively high absorption coefficient. The presence of mixed tin sulfide phases granted by the variation of the sulphidisation temperature has affected the optical properties of the deposited films. The refractive index (n) and extinction coefficient (k), has low values compared to conventional semiconductor materials. The grown films can be considered as a good light absorbing material and a promising candidate for application in optoelectronic devices.

  2. P-type SnO thin films and SnO/ZnO heterostructures for all-oxide electronic and optoelectronic device applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saji, Kachirayil J. [Nanostructured Materials Research Laboratory, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 (United States); Department of Physics, Govt. Victoria College, University of Calicut, Palakkad 678 001 (India); Venkata Subbaiah, Y.P. [Nanostructured Materials Research Laboratory, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 (United States); Department of Physics, Yogi Vemana University, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh 516003 (India); Tian, Kun [Nanostructured Materials Research Laboratory, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 (United States); Tiwari, Ashutosh, E-mail: tiwari@eng.utah.edu [Nanostructured Materials Research Laboratory, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 (United States)

    2016-04-30

    Tin monoxide (SnO) is considered as one of the most important p-type oxides available to date. Thin films of SnO have been reported to possess both an indirect bandgap (~ 0.7 eV) and a direct bandgap (~ 2.8 eV) with quite high hole mobility (~ 7 cm{sup 2}/Vs) values. Moreover, the hole density in these films can be tuned from 10{sup 15}–10{sup 19} cm{sup −3} just by controlling the thin film deposition parameters. Because of the above attributes, SnO thin films offer great potential for fabricating modern electronic and optoelectronic devices. In this article, we are reviewing the most recent developments in this field and also presenting some of our own results on SnO thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition technique. We have also proposed a p–n heterostructure comprising of p-type SnO and n-type ZnO which can pave way for realizing next-generation, all-oxide transparent electronic devices. - Highlights: • We reviewed recent developments on p-type SnO thin film research. • Discussed the optical and electrical properties of SnO thin films • Bipolar conduction in SnO is discussed. • Optoelectronic properties of SnO–ZnO composite system are discussed. • Proposed SnO–ZnO heterojunction band structure.

  3. Role of indium tin oxide electrode on the microstructure of self-assembled WO3-BiVO4 hetero nanostructures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Haili; Li, Chao; Van, Chien Nguyen; Dong, Wenxia; Qi, Ruijuan; Zhang, Yuanyuan; Huang, Rong; Chu, Ying-Hao; Duan, Chun-Gang

    2017-11-01

    Self-assembled WO3-BiVO4 nanostructured thin films were grown on a (001) yttrium stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrate by the pulsed laser deposition method with and without the indium tin oxide (ITO) bottom electrode. Their microstructures including surface morphologies, crystalline phases, epitaxial relationships, interface structures, and composition distributions were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy. In both samples, WO3 formed nanopillars embedded into the monoclinic BiVO4 matrix with specific orientation relationships. In the sample with the ITO bottom electrode, an atomically sharp BiVO4/ITO interface was formed and the orthorhombic WO3 nanopillars were grown on a relaxed BiVO4 buffer layer with a mixed orthorhombic and hexagonal WO3 transition layer. In contrast, a thin amorphous layer appears at the interfaces between the thin film and the YSZ substrate in the sample without the ITO electrode. In addition, orthorhombic Bi2WO6 lamellar nanopillars were formed between WO3 and BiVO4 due to interdiffusion. Such a WO3-Bi2WO6-BiVO4 double heterojunction photoanode may promote the photo-generated charge separation and further improve the photoelectrochemical water splitting properties.

  4. Microwave-Synthesized Tin Oxide Nanocrystals for Low-Temperature Solution-Processed Planar Junction Organo-Halide Perovskite Solar Cells

    KAUST Repository

    Abulikemu, Mutalifu

    2017-03-25

    Tin oxide has been demonstrate to possess outstanding optoelectronic properties such as optical transparency and high electron mobility, therefore, it was successfully utilized as electron transporting layer in various kind of solar cells. In this study, for the first time, highly dispersible SnO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by microwave-assisted non-aqueous sol-gel route in an organic medium. Ethanol dispersion of the as-prepared nanoparticles was used to cast an uniform thin layer of SnO2 without the aid of aggregating agent and at low temperatures. Organohalide perovskite solar cells were fabricated using SnO2 as electron transporting layer. Morphological and spectroscopic investigations, in addition to the good photoconversion efficiency obtained evidenced that nanoparticles synthesized by this route have optimal properties such small size and crystallinity to form a continuous film, furthermore, this method allows high reproducibility and scalability of the film deposition process.

  5. Microwave-Synthesized Tin Oxide Nanocrystals for Low-Temperature Solution-Processed Planar Junction Organo-Halide Perovskite Solar Cells

    KAUST Repository

    Abulikemu, Mutalifu; Neophytou, Marios; Barbe, Jeremy; Tietze, Max Lutz; El Labban, Abdulrahman; Anjum, Dalaver H.; Amassian, Aram; McCulloch, Iain; Del Gobbo, Silvano

    2017-01-01

    Tin oxide has been demonstrate to possess outstanding optoelectronic properties such as optical transparency and high electron mobility, therefore, it was successfully utilized as electron transporting layer in various kind of solar cells. In this study, for the first time, highly dispersible SnO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by microwave-assisted non-aqueous sol-gel route in an organic medium. Ethanol dispersion of the as-prepared nanoparticles was used to cast an uniform thin layer of SnO2 without the aid of aggregating agent and at low temperatures. Organohalide perovskite solar cells were fabricated using SnO2 as electron transporting layer. Morphological and spectroscopic investigations, in addition to the good photoconversion efficiency obtained evidenced that nanoparticles synthesized by this route have optimal properties such small size and crystallinity to form a continuous film, furthermore, this method allows high reproducibility and scalability of the film deposition process.

  6. Bacterial adhesion studies on titanium, titanium nitride and modified hydroxyapatite thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jeyachandran, Y L [Department of Physics, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641 046, Tamil Nadu (India); Venkatachalam, S [Department of Physics, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641 046, Tamil Nadu (India); Karunagaran, B [Department of Physics, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641 046, Tamil Nadu (India); Narayandass, Sa K [Department of Physics, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641 046, Tamil Nadu (India); Mangalaraj, D [Department of Physics, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641 046, Tamil Nadu (India); Bao, C Y [West China College of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041 (China); Zhang, C L [West China College of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041 (China)

    2007-01-15

    A qualitative study on adhesion of the oral bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis on titanium (Ti), titanium nitride (TiN), fluorine modified hydroxyapatite (FHA) and zinc modified FHA (Zn-FHA) thin films is investigated. Ti and TiN thin films were deposited by DC magnetron sputtering and hydroxyapatite-based films were prepared by solgel method. The crystalline structure, optical characteristics, chemical composition and surface topography of the films were studied by XRD, optical transmission, XPS, EDAX and AFM measurements. The predominant crystallite orientation in the Ti and TiN films was along (002) and (111) of hcp and cubic structures, respectively. The Ti : O : N composition ratio in the surface of the Ti and TiN films was found to be 7 : 21 : 1 and 3 : 8 : 2, respectively. The atomic concentration ratio (Zn + Ca) / P in Zn-FHA film was found to be 1.74 whereby the Zn replaced 3.2% of Ca. The rough surface feature in modified HA films was clearly observed in the SEM images and the surface roughness (rms) of Ti and TiN films was 2.49 and 3.5 nm, respectively, as observed using AFM. The film samples were sterilized, treated in the bacteria culture medium, processed and analyzed using SEM. Surface roughness of the films was found to have least influence on the bacterial adhesion. More bacteria were observed on the TiN film with oxide nitride surface layer and less number of adhered bacteria was noticed on the Ti film with native surface oxide layer and on Zn-FHA film.

  7. Bacterial adhesion studies on titanium, titanium nitride and modified hydroxyapatite thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeyachandran, Y.L.; Venkatachalam, S.; Karunagaran, B.; Narayandass, Sa.K.; Mangalaraj, D.; Bao, C.Y.; Zhang, C.L.

    2007-01-01

    A qualitative study on adhesion of the oral bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis on titanium (Ti), titanium nitride (TiN), fluorine modified hydroxyapatite (FHA) and zinc modified FHA (Zn-FHA) thin films is investigated. Ti and TiN thin films were deposited by DC magnetron sputtering and hydroxyapatite-based films were prepared by solgel method. The crystalline structure, optical characteristics, chemical composition and surface topography of the films were studied by XRD, optical transmission, XPS, EDAX and AFM measurements. The predominant crystallite orientation in the Ti and TiN films was along (002) and (111) of hcp and cubic structures, respectively. The Ti : O : N composition ratio in the surface of the Ti and TiN films was found to be 7 : 21 : 1 and 3 : 8 : 2, respectively. The atomic concentration ratio (Zn + Ca) / P in Zn-FHA film was found to be 1.74 whereby the Zn replaced 3.2% of Ca. The rough surface feature in modified HA films was clearly observed in the SEM images and the surface roughness (rms) of Ti and TiN films was 2.49 and 3.5 nm, respectively, as observed using AFM. The film samples were sterilized, treated in the bacteria culture medium, processed and analyzed using SEM. Surface roughness of the films was found to have least influence on the bacterial adhesion. More bacteria were observed on the TiN film with oxide nitride surface layer and less number of adhered bacteria was noticed on the Ti film with native surface oxide layer and on Zn-FHA film

  8. Effect of barrier layers on the properties of indium tin oxide thin films on soda lime glass substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Jung-Min; Choi, Byung-Hyun; Ji, Mi-Jung; An, Yong-Tae; Park, Jung-Ho; Kwon, Jae-Hong; Ju, Byeong-Kwon

    2009-01-01

    In this paper, the electrical, structural and optical properties of indium tin oxide (ITO) films deposited on soda lime glass (SLG) haven been investigated, along with high strain point glass (HSPG) substrate, through radio frequency magnetron sputtering using a ceramic target (In 2 O 3 :SnO 2 , 90:10 wt.%). The ITO films deposited on the SLG show a high electrical resistivity and structural defects compared with those deposited on HSPG due to the Na ions from the SLG diffusing to the ITO film by annealing. However, these properties can be improved by intercalating a barrier layer of SiO 2 or Al 2 O 3 between the ITO film and the SLG substrate. SIMS analysis has confirmed that the barrier layer inhibits the Na ion's diffusion from the SLG. In particular, the ITO films deposited on the Al 2 O 3 barrier layer, show better properties than those deposited on the SiO 2 barrier layer.

  9. Formation of tin-tin oxide core–shell nanoparticles in the composite SnO{sub 2−x}/nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes by pulsed ion beam irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Korusenko, P.M., E-mail: korusenko@obisp.oscsbras.ru [Omsk Scientific Center, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Karl Marx avenue 15, 644040 Omsk (Russian Federation); Nesov, S.N.; Bolotov, V.V.; Povoroznyuk, S.N. [Omsk Scientific Center, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Karl Marx avenue 15, 644040 Omsk (Russian Federation); Pushkarev, A.I. [National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Lenin Ave. 2a, 634028 Tomsk (Russian Federation); Ivlev, K.E. [Omsk Scientific Center, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Karl Marx avenue 15, 644040 Omsk (Russian Federation); Smirnov, D.A. [St. Petersburg State University, Lieutenant Shmidt Emb. 11, 198504 St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); Institute of Solid State Physics, Dresden University of Technology, D-01069 Dresden (Germany)

    2017-03-01

    Highlights: • Original method the formation of core–shell structures by pulsed ion beam is proposed. • The composite SnO{sub 2−x}/N-MWCNTs was irradiated by pulsed ion beam. • Morphology and electronic structure of the irradiated composite were characterized. • The formation of Sn−SnO{sub x} core–shell nanoparticles after irradiation was observed. - Abstract: The complex methods of transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to investigate the changes in the morphology, phase composition, and electronic structure of the composite SnO{sub 2−x}/nitrogen-doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes (SnO{sub 2−x}/N-MWCNTs) irradiated with the pulsed ion beam of nanosecond duration. The irradiation of the composite SnO{sub 2−x}/N-MWCNTs leads to the formation of nanoparticles with the core–shell structure on the surface of CNTs with a sharp interfacial boundary. It has been established that the “core” is a metal tin (Sn{sup 0}) with a typical size of 5–35 nm, and the “shell” is a thin amorphous layer (2–6 nm) consisting of nonstoichiometric tin oxide with a low oxygen content. The “core–shell” structure Sn−SnO{sub x} is formed due to the process of heating and evaporation of SnO{sub 2−x} under the effect of the ion beam, followed by vapor deposition on the surface of carbon nanotubes.

  10. Epitaxy-enabled vapor-liquid-solid growth of tin-doped indium oxide nanowires with controlled orientations

    KAUST Repository

    Shen, Youde; Turner, Stuart G.; Yang, Ping; Van Tendeloo, Gustaaf; Lebedev, Oleg I.; Wu, Tao

    2014-01-01

    challenges in reliably achieving these goals of orientation-controlled nanowire synthesis and assembly. Here we report that growth of planar, vertical and randomly oriented tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) nanowires can be realized on yttria-stabilized zirconia

  11. Oxidation of ruthenium thin films using atomic oxygen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McCoy, A.P.; Bogan, J.; Brady, A.; Hughes, G.

    2015-12-31

    In this study, the use of atomic oxygen to oxidise ruthenium thin films is assessed. Atomic layer deposited (ALD) ruthenium thin films (~ 3 nm) were exposed to varying amounts of atomic oxygen and the results were compared to the impact of exposures to molecular oxygen. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies reveal substantial oxidation of metallic ruthenium films to RuO{sub 2} at exposures as low as ~ 10{sup 2} L at 575 K when atomic oxygen was used. Higher exposures of molecular oxygen resulted in no metal oxidation highlighting the benefits of using atomic oxygen to form RuO{sub 2}. Additionally, the partial oxidation of these ruthenium films occurred at temperatures as low as 293 K (room temperature) in an atomic oxygen environment. - Highlights: • X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of the oxidation of Ru thin films • Oxidation of Ru thin films using atomic oxygen • Comparison between atomic oxygen and molecular oxygen treatments on Ru thin films • Fully oxidised RuO{sub 2} thin films formed with low exposures to atomic oxygen.

  12. Growth Structural and Optical Properties of the Thermally Evaporated Tin Diselenide (SnSe2) Thin Films

    OpenAIRE

    R. Sachdeva1,; M. Sharma1,; A. Devi1,; U. Parihar1,; N. Kumar1,; N. Padha1,; C.J. Panchal

    2011-01-01

    Tin diselenide (SnSe2) compound was prepared by melt-quenching technique from its constituent elements. The phase structure and composition of the chemical constituents present in the bulk has been determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersion X-ray analysis (EDAX) respectively. SnSe2 thin films were grown using direct thermal evaporation of SnSe2 compound material on chemically cleaned glass substrate, which were held at different substrate temperatures. X-ray diffraction an...

  13. Effect of aluminum doping on the high-temperature stability and piezoresistive response of indium tin oxide strain sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gregory, Otto J.; You, Tao; Crisman, Everett E.

    2005-01-01

    Ceramic strain sensors based on reactively sputtered indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films doped with aluminum are being considered to improve the high-temperature stability and response. Ceramic strain sensors were developed to monitor the structural integrity of components employed in aerospace propulsion systems operating at temperatures in excess of 1500 deg C. Earlier studies using electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) studies indicated that interfacial reactions between ITO and aluminum oxide increase the stability of ITO at elevated temperature. The resulting ESCA depth files showed the presence of two new indium-indium peaks at 448.85 and 456.40 eV, corresponding to the indium 3d5 and 3d3 binding energies. These binding energies are significantly higher than those associated with stoichiometric indium oxide. Based on these studies, a combinatorial chemistry approach was used to screen large numbers of possible concentrations to optimize the stability and performance of Al-doped ceramic strain sensors. Scanning electron microscopy was used to analyze the combinatorial libraries in which varying amounts of aluminum were incorporated into ITO films formed by cosputtering from multiple targets. Electrical stability and piezoresistive response of these films were compared to undoped ITO films over the same temperature range

  14. Spectroelectrochemical properties of ultra-thin indium tin oxide films under electric potential modulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Han, Xue, E-mail: x0han004@louisville.edu; Mendes, Sergio B., E-mail: sbmend01@louisville.edu

    2016-03-31

    In this work, the spectroscopic properties of ultra-thin ITO films are characterized under an applied electric potential modulation. To detect minute spectroscopic features, the ultra-thin ITO film was coated over an extremely sensitive single-mode integrated optical waveguide, which provided a long pathlength with more than adequate sensitivity for optical interrogation of the ultra-thin film. Experimental configurations with broadband light and several laser lines at different modulation schemes of an applied electric potential were utilized to elucidate the nature of intrinsic changes. The imaginary component of the refractive index (absorption coefficient) of the ultra-thin ITO film is unequivocally shown to have a dependence on the applied potential and the profile of this dependence changes substantially even for wavelengths inside a small spectral window (500–600 nm). The characterization technique and the data reported here can be crucial to several applications of the ITO material as a transparent conductive electrode, as for example in spectroelectrochemical investigations of surface-confined redox species. - Highlights: • Optical waveguides are applied for spectroscopic investigations of ultra-thin films. • Ultra-thin ITO films in aqueous environment are studied under potential modulation. • Unique spectroscopic features of ultra-thin ITO films are unambiguously observed.

  15. Effect of oxidizer on grain size and low temperature DC electrical conductivity of tin oxide nanomaterial synthesized by gel combustion method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rajeeva, M. P.; Jayanna, H. S.; Ashok, R. L.; Naveen, C. S.; Bothla, V. Prasad

    2014-01-01

    Nanocrystalline Tin oxide material with different grain size was synthesized using gel combustion method by varying the fuel (C 6 H 8 O 7 ) to oxidizer (HNO 3 ) molar ratio by keeping the amount of fuel as constant. The prepared samples were characterized by using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Analysis X-ray Spectroscopy (EDAX). The effect of fuel to oxidizer molar ratio in the gel combustion method was investigated by inspecting the grain size of nano SnO 2 powder. The grain size was found to be reduced with the amount of oxidizer increases from 0 to 6 moles in the step of 2. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the calcined product showed the formation of high purity tetragonal tin (IV) oxide with the grain size in the range of 12 to 31 nm which was calculated by Scherer's formula. Molar ratio and temperature dependence of DC electrical conductivity of SnO 2 nanomaterial was studied using Keithley source meter. DC electrical conductivity of SnO 2 nanomaterial increases with the temperature from 80K to 300K. From the study it was observed that the DC electrical conductivity of SnO 2 nanomaterial decreases with the grain size at constant temperature

  16. Onset and evolution of laser induced periodic surface structures on indium tin oxide thin films for clean ablation using a repetitively pulsed picosecond laser at low fluence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farid, N.; Dasgupta, P.; O’Connor, G. M.

    2018-04-01

    The onset and evolution of laser induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) is of key importance to obtain clean ablated features on indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films at low fluences. The evolution of subwavelength periodic nanostructures on a 175 nm thick ITO film, using 10 ps laser pulses at a wavelength of 1032 nm, operating at 400 kHz, is investigated. Initially nanoblisters are observed when a single pulse is applied below the damage threshold fluence (0.45 J cm‑2) the size and distribution of nanoblisters are found to depend on fluence. Finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations support the hypothesis that conductive nanoblisters can enhance the local intensity of the applied electromagnetic field. The LIPSS are observed to evolve from regions where the electric field enhancement has occurred; LIPSS has a perpendicular orientation relative to the laser polarization for a small number (5) pulses, the orientation of the periodic structures appears to rotate and evolve to become aligned in parallel with the laser polarization at approximately the same periodicity. These orientation effects are not observed at higher fluence—due to the absence of the nanoblister-like structures; this apparent rotation is interpreted to be due to stress-induced fragmentation of the LIPSS structure. The application of subsequent pulses leads to clean ablation. LIPSS are further modified into features of a shorter period when laser scanning is used. Results provide evidence that the formation of conductive nanoblisters leads to the enhancement of the applied electromagnetic field and thereby can be used to precisely control laser ablation on ITO thin films.

  17. Synthesis and characterization of tin and antimony based composites derived by mechanochemical in situ reduction of oxides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patel, P.; Roy, S.; Kim, I.L.-Seok; Kumta, P.N.

    2004-01-01

    Composites consisting of tin and silicon dioxide or antimony and silicon dioxide were synthesized using high energy mechanical milling. The composites were made by the reactive milling of SnO or Sb 2 O 3 with pure Si, resulting in the oxidation of silicon and the reduction of the metal oxides. The minimum time required to complete the reaction for the tin system was 170 min, while the minimum time for the antimony system was 230 min. X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy were used to determine the phases present in the composites. In addition, scanning electron microscopy, along with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), was used to characterize the microstructure and composition of the resultant material

  18. Unidirectional oxide hetero-interface thin-film diode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Youngmin; Lee, Eungkyu; Lee, Jinwon; Lim, Keon-Hee; Kim, Youn Sang

    2015-01-01

    The unidirectional thin-film diode based on oxide hetero-interface, which is well compatible with conventional thin-film fabrication process, is presented. With the metal anode/electron-transporting oxide (ETO)/electron-injecting oxide (EIO)/metal cathode structure, it exhibits that electrical currents ohmically flow at the ETO/EIO hetero-interfaces for only positive voltages showing current density (J)-rectifying ratio of ∼10 5 at 5 V. The electrical properties (ex, current levels, and working device yields) of the thin-film diode (TFD) are systematically controlled by changing oxide layer thickness. Moreover, we show that the oxide hetero-interface TFD clearly rectifies an AC input within frequency (f) range of 10 2  Hz < f < 10 6  Hz, providing a high feasibility for practical applications

  19. Unidirectional oxide hetero-interface thin-film diode

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Youngmin; Lee, Eungkyu; Lee, Jinwon; Lim, Keon-Hee [Program in Nano Science and Technology, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Youn Sang, E-mail: younskim@snu.ac.kr [Program in Nano Science and Technology, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Advanced Institute of Convergence Technology, Gyeonggi-do 443-270 (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-10-05

    The unidirectional thin-film diode based on oxide hetero-interface, which is well compatible with conventional thin-film fabrication process, is presented. With the metal anode/electron-transporting oxide (ETO)/electron-injecting oxide (EIO)/metal cathode structure, it exhibits that electrical currents ohmically flow at the ETO/EIO hetero-interfaces for only positive voltages showing current density (J)-rectifying ratio of ∼10{sup 5} at 5 V. The electrical properties (ex, current levels, and working device yields) of the thin-film diode (TFD) are systematically controlled by changing oxide layer thickness. Moreover, we show that the oxide hetero-interface TFD clearly rectifies an AC input within frequency (f) range of 10{sup 2} Hz < f < 10{sup 6} Hz, providing a high feasibility for practical applications.

  20. Studies on the optoelectronic properties of the thermally evaporated tin-doped indium oxide nanostructures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pan, Ko-Ying [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan, ROC (China); Lin, Liang-Da [Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Chinese Culture University, Taipei 111, Taiwan, ROC (China); Chang, Li-Wei [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan, ROC (China); Shih, Han C., E-mail: hcshih@mx.nthu.edu.tw [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan, ROC (China); Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Chinese Culture University, Taipei 111, Taiwan, ROC (China)

    2013-05-15

    Indium oxide (In{sub 2}O{sub 3}) nanorods, nanotowers and tin-doped (Sn:In = 1:100) indium oxide (ITO) nanorods have been fabricated by thermal evaporation. The morphology, microstructure and chemical composition of these three nanoproducts are characterized by FE-SEM, HRTEM and XPS. To further investigate the optoelectronic properties, the I–V curves and cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra are measured. The electrical resistivity of In{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanorods, nanotowers and ITO nanorods are 1.32 kΩ, 0.65 kΩ and 0.063 kΩ, respectively. CL spectra of these three nanoproducts clearly indicate that tin-doped (Sn:In = 1:100) indium oxide (ITO) nanorods cause a blue shift. No doubt ITO nanorods obtain the highest performance among these three nanoproducts, and this also means that Sn-doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanostructures would be the best way to enhance the optoelectronic properties. Additionally, the growing mechanism and the optoelectronic properties of these three nanostructures are discussed. This study is beneficial to the applications of In{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanorods, nanotowers and ITO nanorods in optoelectronic nanodevices.

  1. A comparative study on microstructure and tribological properties of Si3N4 and TiN thin films produced by IBED method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhuang Daming; Liu Jiajun; Zhu Baoliang; Li Wenzhi; Zhang Xushou; Yang Shengrong

    1995-01-01

    In this paper, the tribological properties of Si 3 N 4 and TiN thin films produced by ion beam enhanced deposition (IBED) method were compared on an SRV friction and wear testing machine. In order to understand the reasons of their excellent properties the microstructure, microhardness and bonding strength with the substrate were analysed by SEM, X-ray diffraction, Knoop hardness test and scratching test methods separately. The results show that the TiN(1) films exhibits the best tribological properties, which are closely related with its higher hardness and bonding strength. (author)

  2. Dye-sensitized solar cell architecture based on indium-tin oxide nanowires coated with titanium dioxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joanni, Ednan; Savu, Raluca; Sousa Goes, Marcio de; Bueno, Paulo Roberto; Nei de Freitas, Jilian; Nogueira, Ana Flavia; Longo, Elson; Varela, Jose Arana

    2007-01-01

    A new architecture for dye-sensitized solar cells is employed, based on a nanostructured transparent conducting oxide protruding from the substrate, covered with a separate active oxide layer. The objective is to decrease electron-hole recombination. The concept was tested by growing branched indium-tin oxide nanowires on glass using pulsed laser deposition followed by deposition of a sputtered titanium dioxide layer covering the wires. The separation of charge generation and charge transport functions opens many possibilities for dye-sensitized solar cell optimization

  3. Transparent heaters based on solution-processed indium tin oxide nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Im, Kiju [Department of Electrical Engineering and Institute for Nano Science, Korea University, 5-1, Anam-dong, Sungbuk-gu, Seoul 136-701 (Korea, Republic of); Research Institute of TNB Nanoelec Co. Ltd., Seoul 136-701 (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Kyoungah [Department of Electrical Engineering and Institute for Nano Science, Korea University, 5-1, Anam-dong, Sungbuk-gu, Seoul 136-701 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jonghyun [Research Institute of TNB Nanoelec Co. Ltd., Seoul 136-701 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Sangsig, E-mail: sangsig@korea.ac.k [Department of Electrical Engineering and Institute for Nano Science, Korea University, 5-1, Anam-dong, Sungbuk-gu, Seoul 136-701 (Korea, Republic of)

    2010-05-03

    We demonstrate transparent heaters constructed on glass substrates using solution-processed indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles (NPs) and their heating capability. The heat-generating characteristics of the heaters depended significantly on the sintering temperature at which the ITO NPs deposited on a glass substrate by spin-coating were transformed thermally into a solid film. The steady-state temperature of the ITO NP film sintered at 400 {sup o}C was 163 {sup o}C at a bias voltage of 20 V, and the defrosting capability of the film was confirmed by using dry-ice.

  4. Amorphous indium tin oxide films deposited on flexible substrates by facing target sputtering at room temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiao, Yu; Gao, Fangyuan; Dong, Guobo; Guo, Tingting; Liu, Qirong; Ye, Di; Diao, Xungang

    2014-01-01

    Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited on polyethylene terephthalate substrates using a DC facing target sputtering (DC-FTS) system at room temperature. The sputtering conditions including oxygen partial pressure and discharge current were varied from 0% to 4% and 0.5 A to 1.3 A, respectively. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used to study the structure and surface morphology of as-prepared films. All the films exhibited amorphous structures and smooth surfaces. The dependence of electrical and optical properties on various deposition parameters was investigated by a linear array four-point probe, Hall-effect measurements, and ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometry. A lowest sheet resistance of 17.4 Ω/square, a lowest resistivity of 3.61 × 10 −4 Ω cm, and an average relative transmittance over 88% in the visible range were obtained under the optimal deposition conditions. The relationship between the Hall mobility (μ) and carrier concentration (n) was interpreted by a functional relation of μ ∼ n −0.127 , which indicated that ionized donor scattering was the dominant electron scattering mechanism. It is also confirmed that the carrier concentration in ITO films prepared by the DC-FTS system is mainly controlled by the number of activated Sn donors rather than oxygen vacancies. - Highlights: • ITO thin films were grown on PET substrates by DC facing target sputtering system. • All the films were prepared at room temperature and exhibited amorphous structure. • Highly conductive and transparent ITO thin films were obtained. • The dominant ionized donor scattering mechanism was suggested

  5. Amorphous indium tin oxide films deposited on flexible substrates by facing target sputtering at room temperature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xiao, Yu [Solar Film Laboratory, School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China); Gao, Fangyuan, E-mail: gaofangyuan@buaa.edu.cn [Solar Film Laboratory, School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China); Dong, Guobo; Guo, Tingting; Liu, Qirong [Solar Film Laboratory, School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China); Ye, Di [Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100191 (China); Diao, Xungang [Solar Film Laboratory, School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China)

    2014-04-01

    Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited on polyethylene terephthalate substrates using a DC facing target sputtering (DC-FTS) system at room temperature. The sputtering conditions including oxygen partial pressure and discharge current were varied from 0% to 4% and 0.5 A to 1.3 A, respectively. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used to study the structure and surface morphology of as-prepared films. All the films exhibited amorphous structures and smooth surfaces. The dependence of electrical and optical properties on various deposition parameters was investigated by a linear array four-point probe, Hall-effect measurements, and ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometry. A lowest sheet resistance of 17.4 Ω/square, a lowest resistivity of 3.61 × 10{sup −4} Ω cm, and an average relative transmittance over 88% in the visible range were obtained under the optimal deposition conditions. The relationship between the Hall mobility (μ) and carrier concentration (n) was interpreted by a functional relation of μ ∼ n{sup −0.127}, which indicated that ionized donor scattering was the dominant electron scattering mechanism. It is also confirmed that the carrier concentration in ITO films prepared by the DC-FTS system is mainly controlled by the number of activated Sn donors rather than oxygen vacancies. - Highlights: • ITO thin films were grown on PET substrates by DC facing target sputtering system. • All the films were prepared at room temperature and exhibited amorphous structure. • Highly conductive and transparent ITO thin films were obtained. • The dominant ionized donor scattering mechanism was suggested.

  6. An anode with aluminum doped on zinc oxide thin films for organic light emitting devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Denghui; Deng Zhenbo; Xu Ying; Xiao Jing; Liang Chunjun; Pei Zhiliang; Sun Chao

    2005-01-01

    Doped zinc oxides are attractive alternative materials as transparent conducting electrode because they are nontoxic and inexpensive compared with indium tin oxide (ITO). Transparent conducting aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films have been deposited on glass substrates by DC reactive magnetron sputtering method. Films were deposited at a substrate temperature of 150-bar o C in 0.03 Pa of oxygen pressure. The electrical and optical properties of the film with the Al-doping amount of 2 wt% in the target were investigated. For the 300-nm thick AZO film deposited using a ZnO target with an Al content of 2 wt%, the lowest electrical resistivity was 4x10 -4 Ωcm and the average transmission in the visible range 400-700 nm was more than 90%. The AZO film was used as an anode contact to fabricate organic light-emitting diodes. The device performance was measured and the current efficiency of 2.9 cd/A was measured at a current density of 100 mA/cm 2

  7. A comparative study of TiN and TiC: Oxidation resistance and retention of xenon at high temperature and under degraded vacuum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gavarini, S.; Bes, R.; Millard-Pinard, N.; Peaucelle, C.; Perrat-Mabilon, A.; Gaillard, C.; Cardinal, S.; Garnier, V.

    2011-01-01

    Dense TiN and TiC samples were prepared by hot pressing using micrometric powders. Xenon species (simulating rare gas fission products) were then implanted into the ceramics. The samples were annealed for 1 h at 1500 deg. C under several degraded vacuums with P O 2 varying from 10 -6 to 2x10 -4 mbars. The oxidation resistance of the samples and their retention properties with respect to preimplanted xenon species were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, grazing incidence x-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, and nuclear backscattering spectrometry. Results indicate that TiC is resistant to oxidation and does not release xenon for P O 2 ≤6x10 -6 mbars. When P O 2 increases, geometric oxide crystallites appear at the surface depending on the orientation and size of TiC grains. These oxide phases are Ti 2 O 3 , Ti 3 O 5 , and TiO 2 . Apparition of oxide crystallites is associated with the beginning of xenon release. TiC surface is completely covered by the oxide phases at P O 2 =2x10 -4 mbars up to a depth of 3 μm and the xenon is then completely released. For TiN samples, the results show a progressive apparition of oxide crystallites (Ti 3 O 5 mainly) at the surface when P O 2 increases. The presence of the oxide crystallites is also directly correlated with xenon release, the more oxide crystallites are growing the more xenon is released. TiN surface is completely covered by an oxide layer at P O 2 =2x10 -4 mbars up to 1 μm. A correlation between the initial fine microstructure of TiN and the properties of the growing layer is suggested.

  8. Performance optimization of AlGaN-based LEDs by use of ultraviolet-transparent indium tin oxide: Effect of in situ contact treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tu, Wenbin; Chen, Zimin; Zhuo, Yi; Li, Zeqi; Ma, Xuejin; Wang, Gang

    2018-05-01

    Ultraviolet (UV)-transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) grown by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) is used as the current-spreading layer for 368 nm AlGaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs). By performing in situ contact treatment on the LED/ITO interface, the morphology, resistivity, and contact resistance of electrodes become controllable. Resistivity of 2.64 × 10‑4 Ω cm and transmittance at 368 nm of 95.9% are realized for an ITO thin film grown with Sn-purge in situ treatment. Therefore, the high-power operating voltage decreases from 3.94 V (without treatment) to 3.83 V (with treatment). The improved performance is attributed to the lowering of the tunneling barrier at the LED/ITO interface.

  9. Ab Initio Study of the Atomic Level Structure of the Rutile TiO2(110)-Titanium Nitride (TiN) Interface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gutiérrez Moreno, José Julio; Nolan, Michael

    2017-11-01

    Titanium nitride (TiN) is widely used in industry as a protective coating due to its hardness and resistance to corrosion and can spontaneously form a thin oxide layer when it is exposed to air, which could modify the properties of the coating. With limited understanding of the TiO 2 -TiN interfacial system at present, this work aims to describe the structural and electronic properties of oxidized TiN based on a density functional theory (DFT) study of the rutile TiO 2 (110)-TiN(100) interface model system, also including Hubbard +U correction on Ti 3d states. The small lattice mismatch gives a good stability to the TiO 2 -TiN interface after depositing the oxide onto TiN through the formation of interfacial Ti-O bonds. Our DFT+U study shows the presence of Ti 3+ cations in the TiO 2 region, which are preferentially located next to the interface region as well as the rotation of the rutile TiO 2 octahedra in the interface structure. The DFT+U TiO 2 electronic density of states (EDOS) shows localized Ti 3+ defect states forming in the midgap between the top edge of the valence and the bottom of the conduction band. We increase the complexity of our models by the introduction of nonstoichiometric compositions. Although the vacancy formation energies for Ti in TiN (E vac (Ti) ≥ 4.03 eV) or O in the oxide (E vac (O) ≥ 3.40 eV) are quite high relative to perfect TiO 2 -TiN, defects are known to form during the oxide growth and can therefore be present after TiO 2 formation. Our results show that a structure with exchanged O and N can lie 0.82 eV higher in energy than the perfect system, suggesting the stability of structures with interdiffused O and N anions at ambient conditions. The presence of N in TiO 2 introduces N 2p states localized between the top edge of the O 2p valence states and the midgap Ti 3+ 3d states, thus reducing the band gap in the TiO 2 region for the exchanged O/N interface EDOS. The outcomes of these simulations give us a most comprehensive

  10. Screen-printed Tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) films for NH3 gas sensing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mbarek, Hedia; Saadoun, Moncef; Bessais, Brahim

    2006-01-01

    Gas sensors using metal oxides have several advantageous features such as simplicity in device structure and low cost fabrication. In this work, Tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) films were prepared by the screen printing technique onto glass substrates. The granular and porous structure of screen-printed ITO are suitable for its use in gas sensing devices. The resistance of the ITO films was found to be strongly dependent on working temperatures and the nature and concentration of the ambient gases. We show that screen-printed ITO films have good sensing properties toward NH 3 vapours. The observed behaviors are explained basing on the oxidizing or the reducer nature of the gaseous species that react on the surface of the heated semi-conducting oxide

  11. Oxide Thin-Film Electronics using All-MXene Electrical Contacts

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Zhenwei

    2018-02-23

    2D MXenes have shown great promise in electrochemical and electromagnetic shielding applications. However, their potential use in electronic devices is significantly less explored. The unique combination of metallic conductivity and hydrophilic surface suggests that MXenes can also be promising in electronics and sensing applications. Here, it is shown that metallic Ti3C2 MXene with work function of 4.60 eV can make good electrical contact with both zinc oxide (ZnO) and tin monoxide (SnO) semiconductors, with negligible band offsets. Consequently, both n-type ZnO and p-type SnO thin-film transistors (TFTs) have been fabricated entirely using large-area MXene (Ti3C2) electrical contacts, including gate, source, and drain. The n- and p-type TFTs show balanced performance, including field-effect mobilities of 2.61 and 2.01 cm2 V−1 s−1 and switching ratios of 3.6 × 106 and 1.1 × 103, respectively. Further, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) inverters are demonstrated. The CMOS inverters show large voltage gain of 80 and excellent noise margin of 3.54 V, which is 70.8% of the ideal value. Moreover, the operation of CMOS inverters is shown to be very stable under a 100 Hz square waveform input. The current results suggest that MXene (Ti3C2) can play an important role as contact material in nanoelectronics.

  12. Photoinduced hydrophobic surface of graphene oxide thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Xiaoyan; Song Peng; Cui Xiaoli

    2012-01-01

    Graphene oxide (GO) thin films were deposited on transparent conducting oxide substrates and glass slides by spin coating method at room temperature. The wettability of GO thin films before and after ultraviolet (UV) irradiation was characterized with water contact angles, which increased from 27.3° to 57.6° after 3 h of irradiation, indicating a photo-induced hydrophobic surface. The UV–vis absorption spectra, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and conductivity measurements of GO films before and after UV irradiation were taken to study the mechanism of photoinduced hydrophobic surface of GO thin films. It is demonstrated that the photoinduced hydrophobic surface is ascribed to the elimination of oxygen-containing functional groups on GO molecules. This work provides a simple strategy to control the wettability properties of GO thin films by UV irradiation. - Highlights: ► Photoinduced hydrophobic surface of graphene oxide thin films has been demonstrated. ► Elimination of oxygen-containing functional groups in graphene oxide achieved by UV irradiation. ► We provide novel strategy to control surface wettability of GO thin films by UV irradiation.

  13. High-density plasma etching characteristics of indium-gallium-zinc oxide thin films in CF4/Ar plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joo, Young-Hee; Kim, Chang-Il

    2015-01-01

    We investigated the etching process of indium-gallium-zinc oxide (IGZO) thin films in an inductively coupled plasma system. The dry etching characteristics of the IGZO thin films were studied by varying the CF 4 /Ar gas mixing ratio, RF power, DC-bias voltage, and process pressure. We determined the following optimized process conditions: an RF power of 700 W, a DC-bias voltage of − 150 V, and a process pressure of 2 Pa. A maximum etch rate of 25.63 nm/min for the IGZO thin films was achieved in a plasma with CF 4 /Ar(= 25:75), and the selectivity of IGZO to Al and TiN was found to be 1.3 and 0.7, respectively. We determined the ionic composition of the CF 4 /Ar plasma using optical emission spectroscopy. Analysis of chemical reactions at the IGZO thin film surfaces was performed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. - Highlights: • IGZO thin film was etched by CF 4 /Ar plasma as a function of gas mixing ratio. • IGZO bonds were broken Ar + sputtering and then reacted with the C-F x radicals. • The physical sputtering is dominant in etch control compared with chemical etching

  14. Intramolecular charge separation in spirobifluorene-based donor–acceptor compounds adsorbed on Au and indium tin oxide electrodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heredia, Daniel; Otero, Luis; Gervaldo, Miguel; Fungo, Fernando; Dittrich, Thomas; Lin, Chih-Yen; Chi, Liang-Chen; Fang, Fu-Chuan; Wong, Ken-Tsung

    2013-01-01

    Surface photovoltage (SPV) measurements were performed with a Kelvin-probe in spirobifluorene-based donor (diphenylamine)–acceptor (dicyano or cyanoacrylic acid moieties) compounds adsorbed from highly diluted solutions onto Au and indium tin oxide electrode surfaces. Strong intramolecular charge separation (negative SPV signals up to more than 0.1 V) due to directed molecule adsorption was observed only for spirobifluorene donor–acceptor compounds with carboxylic acid moiety. SPV signals and onset energies of electronic transitions depended on ambience conditions. - Highlights: ► Fluorene donor–acceptor derivatives were adsorbed at Au and indium tin oxide. ► Surface photovoltage measurements were performed with a Kelvin-probe. ► Strong intra-molecular charge separation was observed. ► SPV signals depended on ambience conditions

  15. Inkjet printed ambipolar transistors and inverters based on carbon nanotube/zinc tin oxide heterostructures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Bongjun; Jang, Seonpil; Dodabalapur, Ananth; Geier, Michael L.; Prabhumirashi, Pradyumna L.; Hersam, Mark C.

    2014-01-01

    We report ambipolar field-effect transistors (FETs) consisting of inkjet printed semiconductor bilayer heterostructures utilizing semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and amorphous zinc tin oxide (ZTO). The bilayer structure allows for electron transport to occur principally in the amorphous oxide layer and hole transport to occur exclusively in the SWCNT layer. This results in balanced electron and hole mobilities exceeding 2 cm 2 V −1 s −1 at low operating voltages ( 10). This work provides a pathway for realizing solution processable, inkjet printable, large area electronic devices, and systems based on SWCNT-amorphous oxide heterostructures

  16. Oxidation resistance of TiN, CrN, TiAlN and CrAlN coatings deposited by lateral rotating cathode arc

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chim, Y.C.; Ding, X.Z.; Zeng, X.T.; Zhang, S.

    2009-01-01

    In this paper, four kinds of hard coatings, TiN, CrN, TiAlN and CrAlN (with Al/Ti or Al/Cr atomic ratio around 1:1), were deposited on stainless steel substrates by a lateral rotating cathode arc technique. The as-deposited coatings were annealed in ambient atmosphere at different temperatures (500-1000 o C) for 1 h. The evolution of chemical composition, microstructure, and microhardness of these coatings after annealing at different temperatures was systematically analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nanoindentation experiments. The oxidation behaviour and its influence on overall hardness of these four coatings were compared. It was found that the ternary TiAlN and CrAlN coatings have better oxidation resistance than their binary counterparts, TiN and CrN coatings. The Cr-based coatings (CrN and CrAlN) exhibited evidently better oxidation resistance than the Ti-based coatings (TiN and TiAlN). TiN coating started to oxidize at 500 o C. After annealing at 700 o C no N could be detected by EDX, indicating that the coating was almost fully oxidized. After annealed at 800 o C, the coating completely delaminated from the substrate. TiAlN started to oxidize at 600 o C. It was nearly fully oxidized (with little residual nitrogen detected in the coating by EDX) and partially delaminated at 1000 o C. Both CrN and CrAlN started to oxidize at 700 o C. CrN was almost fully oxidized (with little residual nitrogen detected in the coating by EDX) and partially delaminated at 900 o C. The oxidation rate of the CrAlN coating is quite slow. After annealing at 1000 o C, only about 19 at.% oxygen was detected and the coating showed no delamination. The Ti-based (TiN and TiAlN) coatings were not able to retain their hardness at higher temperatures (≥ 700 o C). On the other hand, the hardness of CrAlN was stable at a high level between 33 and 35 GPa up to an annealing temperature of 800 o C and still kept at a comparative high value of

  17. Deposit of thin films of TiN, a-C, Ti/TiN/a-C by laser ablation; Deposito de peliculas delgadas de TiN, a-C, Ti/TiN/a-C por ablacion laser

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mejia, I.S.; Escobar A, L.; Camps, E.; Romero, S. [ININ, 52045 Ocoyoacac, Estado de mexico (Mexico); Muhl, S. [IIM, UNAM, A.P. 364, 01000 Mexico D.F. (Mexico)

    2006-07-01

    Thin films of titanium nitride (TiN), amorphous carbon (a-C), as well as bilayers of Ti/TiN/a-C were deposited by means of the laser ablation technique. It was investigated the effect that it has the laser fluence used to ablation the targets in the structure and mechanical properties of the TiN deposited films. The TiN obtained films have a preferential orientation in the direction (200). The results show that the hardness of this material is influenced by the laser fluence. It is observed that the hardness is increased in an approximately lineal way with the increment of the fluence up to 19 J/cm{sup 2}. The films of amorphous carbon present hardness of the order of 11.2 GPa. Likewise it was found that the multilayers of Ti/TiN/aC presented a bigger hardness that of its individual components. (Author)

  18. Design of photonic crystal surface emitting lasers with indium-tin-oxide top claddings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Shen-Che; Hong, Kuo-Bin; Chiu, Han-Lun; Lan, Shao-Wun; Chang, Tsu-Chi; Li, Heng; Lu, Tien-Chang

    2018-02-01

    Electrically pumped GaAs-based photonic crystal surface emitting lasers were fabricated using a simple fabrication process by directly capping the indium-tin-oxide transparent conducting thin film as the top cladding layer upon a photonic crystal layer. Optimization of the separate-confinement heterostructures of a laser structure is crucial to improving characteristics by providing advantageous optical confinements. The turn-on voltage, series resistance, threshold current, and slope efficiency of the laser with a 100 × 100 μm2 photonic crystal area operated at room temperature were 1.3 V, 1.5 Ω, 121 mA, and 0.2 W/A, respectively. Furthermore, we demonstrated a single-lobed lasing wavelength of 928.6 nm at 200 mA and a wavelength redshift rate of 0.05 nm/K in temperature-dependent measurements. The device exhibited the maximum output power of approximately 400 mW at an injection current of 2 A; moreover, divergence angles of less than 1° for the unpolarized circular-shaped laser beam were measured at various injection currents. Overall, the low threshold current, excellent beam quality, small divergence, high output power, and high-operating-temperature (up to 343 K) of our devices indicate that they can potentially fill the requirements for next-generation light sources and optoelectronic devices.

  19. Process development of ITO source/drain electrode for the top-gate indium-gallium-zinc oxide transparent thin-film transistor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheong, Woo-Seok; Yoon, Young-sun; Shin, Jae-Heon; Hwang, Chi-Sun; Chu, Hye Yong

    2009-01-01

    Indium-tin oxide (ITO) has been widely used as electrodes for LCDs and OLEDs. The applications are expanding to the transparent thin-film transistors (TTFT S ) for the versatile circuits or transparent displays. This paper is related with optimization of ITO source and drain electrode for TTFTs on glass substrates. For example, un-etched ITO remnants, which frequently found in the wet etching process, often originate from unsuitable ITO formation processes. In order to improve them, an ion beam deposition method is introduced, which uses for forming a seed layer before the main ITO deposition. We confirm that ITO films with seed layers are effective to obtain clean and smooth glass surfaces without un-etched ITO remnants, resulting in a good long-run electrical stability of the top-gate indium-gallium-zinc oxide-TTFT.

  20. Oxygen effect of transparent conducting amorphous Indium Zinc Tin Oxide films on Polyimide substrate for flexible electrode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ko, Yoon Duk; Lee, Chang Hun; Moon, Doo Kyung; Kim, Young Sung

    2013-01-01

    This paper discusses the effect of oxygen on the transparent conducting properties and mechanical durability of the amorphous indium zinc tin oxide (IZTO) films. IZTO films deposited on flexible clear polyimide (PI) substrate using pulsed direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering at room temperature under various oxygen partial pressures. All IZTO films deposited at room temperature exhibit an amorphous structure. The electrical and optical properties of the IZTO films were sensitively influenced by oxygen partial pressures. At optimized deposition condition of 3.0% oxygen partial pressure, the IZTO film shows the lowest resistivity of 6.4 × 10 −4 Ωcm, high transmittance of over 80% in the visible range, and figure of merit value of 3.6 × 10 −3 Ω −1 without any heat controls. In addition, high work function and good mechanical flexibility of amorphous IZTO films are beneficial to flexible applications. It is proven that the proper oxygen partial pressure is important parameter to enhance the transparent conducting properties of IZTO films on PI substrate deposited at room temperature. - Highlights: • Indium zinc tin oxide (IZTO) films were deposited on polyimide at room temperature. • Transparent conducting properties of IZTO were influenced with oxygen partial pressure. • The smooth surface and high work function of IZTO were beneficial to anode layer. • The mechanical reliability of IZTO shows better performance to indium tin oxide film

  1. Growth kinetics of tin oxide nanocrystals in colloidal suspensions under hydrothermal conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Eduardo J.H.; Ribeiro, Caue; Longo, Elson; Leite, Edson R.

    2006-01-01

    Colloidal suspensions of tin oxide nanocrystals were synthesized at room temperature by the hydrolysis reaction of tin chloride (II), in an ethanolic solution. The coarsening kinetics of such nanocrystals was studied by submitting the as-prepared suspensions to hydrothermal treatments at temperatures of 100, 150 and 200 deg. C for periods between 60 and 12,000 min. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to characterize the samples (i.e. distribution of nanocrystal size, average particle radius and morphology). The results show that the usual Ostwald ripening coarsening mechanism does not fit well the experimental data, which is an indicative that this process is not significant for SnO 2 nanocrystals, in the studied experimental conditions. The morphology evolution of the nanocrystals upon hydrothermal treatment indicates that growth by oriented attachment (OA) should be significant. A kinetic model that describes OA growth is successfully applied to fit the data

  2. Deposition efficiency in the preparation of ozone-producing nickel and antimony doped tin oxide anodes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Staffan Sandin

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The influence of precursor salts in the synthesis of nickel and antimony doped tin oxide (NATO electrodes using thermal decomposition from dissolved chloride salts was investigated. The salts investigated were SnCl4×5H2O, SnCl2×2H2O, SbCl3 and NiCl2×6H2O. It was shown that the use of SnCl4×5H20 in the preparation process leads to a tin loss of more than 85 %. The loss of Sb can be as high as 90 % while no indications of Ni loss was observed. As a consequence, the concentration of Ni in the NATO coating will be much higher than in the precursor solution. This high and uncontrolled loss of precursors during the preparation process will lead to an unpredictable composition in the NATO coating and will have negative economic and environmental effects. It was found that using SnCl2×2H20 instead of SnCl4×5H2O can reduce the tin loss to less than 50 %. This tin loss occurs at higher temperatures than when using SnCl4×5H2O where the tin loss occurs from 56 – 147 °C causing the composition to change both during the drying (80 – 110 °C and calcination (460 -550 °C steps of the preparation process. Electrodes coated with NATO based on the two different tin salts were investigated for morphology, composition, structure, and ozone electrocatalytic properties.

  3. Influence of Rare Earth Doping on the Structural and Catalytic Properties of Nanostructured Tin Oxide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maciel Adeilton

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available AbstractNanoparticles of tin oxide, doped with Ce and Y, were prepared using the polymeric precursor method. The structural variations of the tin oxide nanoparticles were characterized by means of nitrogen physisorption, carbon dioxide chemisorption, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The synthesized samples, undoped and doped with the rare earths, were used to promote the ethanol steam reforming reaction. The SnO2-based nanoparticles were shown to be active catalysts for the ethanol steam reforming. The surface properties, such as surface area, basicity/base strength distribution, and catalytic activity/selectivity, were influenced by the rare earth doping of SnO2and also by the annealing temperatures. Doping led to chemical and micro-structural variations at the surface of the SnO2particles. Changes in the catalytic properties of the samples, such as selectivity toward ethylene, may be ascribed to different dopings and annealing temperatures.

  4. Indium Tin Oxide-Free Polymer Solar Cells: Toward Commercial Reality

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Angmo, Dechan; Espinosa Martinez, Nieves; Krebs, Frederik C

    2014-01-01

    Polymer solar cell (PSC) is the latest of all photovoltaic technologies which currently lies at the brink of commercialization. The impetus for its rapid progress in the last decade has come from low-cost high throughput production possibility which in turn relies on the use of low-cost materials...... and vacuum-free manufacture. Indium tin oxide (ITO), the commonly used transparent conductor, imposes the majority of the cost of production of PSCs, limits flexibility, and is feared to create bottleneck in the dawning industry due to indium scarcity and the resulting large price fluctuations. As such...

  5. Gas Sensing Properties of Indium Tin Oxide Nanofibers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shiyou Xu

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Indium Tin Oxide (ITO nanofibers were fabricated by the electrospinning process. The morphology and crystal structure of ITO nanofibers were studied by SEM, XRD, and TEM respectively. The results showed that polycrystalline ITO nanofibers with an average diameter of 80 nm were obtained. Sensors based on these nanofibers were fabricated by collecting these nanofibers on the integrated sensor platforms. The ITO nanofiber-based sensors showed very fast and high sensor responses at both room and elevated temperatures for NO2. The ratios of resistance in NO2 over that in air were 5 at room temperature and 34 at the optimal working temperature, respectively. The ITO nanofiber-based sensor can be repeatedly used. The details for the fast, enhanced sensor responses and the optimal temperature were discussed.

  6. Transparent conductive electrodes of mixed TiO2−x–indium tin oxide for organic photovoltaics

    KAUST Repository

    Lee, Kyu-Sung; Lim, Jong-Wook; Kim, Han-Ki; Alford, T. L.; Jabbour, Ghassan E.

    2012-01-01

    A transparent conductive electrode of mixed titanium dioxide (TiO2−x)–indium tin oxide (ITO) with an overall reduction in the use of indium metal is demonstrated. When used in organic photovoltaicdevices based on bulk heterojunction photoactive

  7. Thermal transport properties of polycrystalline tin-doped indium oxide films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashida, Toru; Miyamura, Amica; Oka, Nobuto; Sato, Yasushi; Shigesato, Yuzo; Yagi, Takashi; Taketoshi, Naoyuki; Baba, Tetsuya

    2009-01-01

    Thermal diffusivity of polycrystalline tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) films with a thickness of 200 nm has been characterized quantitatively by subnanosecond laser pulse irradiation and thermoreflectance measurement. ITO films sandwiched by molybdenum (Mo) films were prepared on a fused silica substrate by dc magnetron sputtering using an oxide ceramic ITO target (90 wt %In 2 O 3 and 10 wt %SnO 2 ). The resistivity and carrier density of the ITO films ranged from 2.9x10 -4 to 3.2x10 -3 Ω cm and from 1.9x10 20 to 1.2x10 21 cm -3 , respectively. The thermal diffusivity of the ITO films was (1.5-2.2)x10 -6 m 2 /s, depending on the electrical conductivity. The thermal conductivity carried by free electrons was estimated using the Wiedemann-Franz law. The phonon contribution to the heat transfer in ITO films with various resistivities was found to be almost constant (λ ph =3.95 W/m K), which was about twice that for amorphous indium zinc oxide films

  8. High-density plasma etching characteristics of indium-gallium-zinc oxide thin films in CF{sub 4}/Ar plasma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Joo, Young-Hee; Kim, Chang-Il

    2015-05-29

    We investigated the etching process of indium-gallium-zinc oxide (IGZO) thin films in an inductively coupled plasma system. The dry etching characteristics of the IGZO thin films were studied by varying the CF{sub 4}/Ar gas mixing ratio, RF power, DC-bias voltage, and process pressure. We determined the following optimized process conditions: an RF power of 700 W, a DC-bias voltage of − 150 V, and a process pressure of 2 Pa. A maximum etch rate of 25.63 nm/min for the IGZO thin films was achieved in a plasma with CF{sub 4}/Ar(= 25:75), and the selectivity of IGZO to Al and TiN was found to be 1.3 and 0.7, respectively. We determined the ionic composition of the CF{sub 4}/Ar plasma using optical emission spectroscopy. Analysis of chemical reactions at the IGZO thin film surfaces was performed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. - Highlights: • IGZO thin film was etched by CF{sub 4}/Ar plasma as a function of gas mixing ratio. • IGZO bonds were broken Ar{sup +} sputtering and then reacted with the C-F{sub x} radicals. • The physical sputtering is dominant in etch control compared with chemical etching.

  9. Polar and Nonpolar Gallium Nitride and Zinc Oxide based thin film heterostructures Integrated with Sapphire and Silicon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Pranav

    This dissertation work explores the understanding of the relaxation and integration of polar and non-polar of GaN and ZnO thin films with Sapphire and silicon substrates. Strain management and epitaxial analysis has been performed on wurtzitic GaN(0001) thin films grown on c-Sapphire and wurtzitic non-polar a-plane GaN(11-20) thin films grown on r-plane Sapphire (10-12) by remote plasma atomic nitrogen source assisted UHV Pulsed Laser Deposition process. It has been established that high-quality 2-dimensional c-axis GaN(0001) nucleation layers can be grown on c-Sapphire by PLD process at growth temperatures as low as ˜650°C. Whereas the c-axis GaN on c-sapphire has biaxially negative misfit, the crystalline anisotropy of the a-plane GaN films on r-Sapphire results in compressive and tensile misfits in the two major orthogonal directions. The measured strains have been analyzed in detail by X-ray, Raman spectroscopy and TEM. Strain relaxation in GaN(0001)/Sapphire thin film heterostructure has been explained by the principle of domain matched epitaxial growth in large planar misfit system and has been demonstrated by TEM study. An attempt has been made to qualitatively understand the minimization of free energy of the system from the strain perspective. Analysis has been presented to quantify the strain components responsible for the compressive strain observed in the GaN(0001) thin films on c-axis Sapphire substrates. It was also observed that gallium rich deposition conditions in PLD process lead to smoother nucleation layers because of higher ad-atom mobility of gallium. We demonstrate near strain relaxed epitaxial (0001) GaN thin films grown on (111) Si substrates using TiN as intermediate buffer layer by remote nitrogen plasma assisted UHV pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Because of large misfits between the TiN/GaN and TiN/Si systems the TIN buffer layer growth occurs via nucleation of interfacial dislocations under domain matching epitaxy paradigm. X-ray and

  10. Device Engineering Towards Improved Tin Sulfide Solar Cell Performance and Performance Reproducibility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Steinmann, Vera; Chakraborty, Rupak; Rekemeyer, Paul; Siol, Sebastian; Martinot, Loic; Polizzotti, Alex; Yang, Chuanxi; Hartman, Katy; Gradecak, Silvija; Zakutayev, Andriy; Gordon, Roy G.; Buonassisi, Tonio

    2016-11-21

    As novel absorber materials are developed and screened for their photovoltaic (PV) properties, the challenge remains to rapidly test promising candidates in high-performing PV devices. There is a need to engineer new compatible device architectures, including the development of novel transparent conductive oxides and buffer layers. Here, we consider the two approaches of a substrate-style and a superstrate-style device architecture for novel thin-film solar cells. We use tin sulfide as a test absorber material. Upon device engineering, we demonstrate new approaches to improve device performance and performance reproducibility.

  11. Transparent Conducting Films of Antimony-Doped Tin Oxide with Uniform Mesostructure Assembled from Preformed Nanocrystals

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Müller, V.; Rasp, M.; Rathouský, Jiří; Schütz, B.; Niederberger, M.; Fattakhova-Rohlfing, D.

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 6, č. 5 (2010), s. 633-637 ISSN 1613-6810 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA104/08/0435 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40400503 Keywords : antimony -doped tin oxide * msoporous materials * nanoparticles Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry Impact factor: 7.333, year: 2010

  12. Investigation of ferromagnetism in oxygen deficient hafnium oxide thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hildebrandt, Erwin; Kurian, Jose; Krockenberger, Yoshiharu; Alff, Lambert [Institut fuer Materialwissenschaft, TU Darmstadt (Germany); Suter, Andreas [PSI, Villingen (Switzerland); Wilhelm, Fabrice; Rogalev, Andrei [ESRF, Grenoble (France)

    2008-07-01

    Oxygen deficient thin films of hafnium oxide were grown on single crystal r-cut and c-cut sapphire by reactive molecular beam epitaxy. RF-activated oxygen was used for the in situ oxidation of hafnium oxide thin films. Oxidation conditions were varied substantially in order to create oxygen deficiency in hafnium oxide films intentionally. The films were characterized by X-ray and magnetic measurements. X-ray diffraction studies show an increase in lattice parameter with increasing oxygen deficiency. Oxygen deficient hafnium oxide thin films also showed a decreasing bandgap with increase in oxygen deficiency. The magnetisation studies carried out with SQUID did not show any sign of ferromagnetism in the whole oxygen deficiency range. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements also confirmed the absence of ferromagnetism in oxygen deficient hafnium oxide thin films.

  13. Surface Modification of Indium Tin Oxide Nanoparticles to Improve Its Distribution in Epoxy-Silica Polymer Matrix

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mostafa Jafari

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available A semiconducting nanoparticle indium tin oxide (ITO was modified with silane groups and for this purpose trimethoxysilane (TMOS precursor was used under specific experimental conditions for surface modification of ITO nanoparticles. It is found that the modification of ITO nanoparticles increases the interactions between the filler and the matrix and subsequently improves the distibution of indium tin oxide nanoparticles in the polymer matrix. The epoxisilica polymer matrix was produced using trimethoxysilane and 3-glycidyloxypropyl trimethoxysilane precursors and ethylenediamine (EDA as curing agent at low temperature by sol-gel process. The sol-gel process was very useful due to its easily controllable process, solution concentration and homogeneity without using expensive and complicated equipments in comparison with other methods. Then, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR spectroscopy was employed to study the formation of Si-O-Si and Si-OH groups on ITO nanoparticles. X-Ray diffraction (XRD technique and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA were employed to investigate the modification and weight loss of the modified ITO, respectively, as an indication of the presence of organic groups on these nanoparticles. The separation analyzer tests were performed to check the stability of the nanoparticles suspension and it revealed that due to better interaction of nanoparticles with the polymer matrix the stability of modified ITO suspention is higher than the unmodified sample. The morphology and particle distribution were determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM. It was found that the distibution of modified indium tin oxide in epoxy-silica polymer matrix was improved in comparison with pure ITO.

  14. Synthesis and characterization of porous structured ZnO thin film for dye sensitized solar cell applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marimuthu, T.; Anandhan, N., E-mail: anandhan-kn@rediffmail.com; Mummoorthi, M. [School of Physics, Alagappa University, Karaikudi – 630 003 (India); Dharuman, V. [Department of Bioelectronics and Biosensors, Alagappa University, Karaikudi – 630 003 (India)

    2016-05-23

    Zinc oxide (ZnO) and zinc oxide/eosin yellow (ZnO/EY) thin films were potentiostatically deposited onto fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrate. Effect of eosin yellow dye on structural, morphological and optical properties was studied. X-ray diffraction patterns, micro Raman spectra and photoluminescence (PL) spectra reveal hexagonal wurtzite structure with less atomic defects in 101 plane orientation of the ZnO/EY film. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images show flower for ZnO and porous like structure for ZnO/EY thin film, respectively. DSSC was constructed and evaluated by measuring the current density verses voltage curve.

  15. Generation of laser-induced periodic surface structures in indium-tin-oxide thin films and two-photon lithography of ma-N photoresist by sub-15 femtosecond laser microscopy for liquid crystal cell application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klötzer, Madlen; Afshar, Maziar; Feili, Dara; Seidel, Helmut; König, Karsten; Straub, Martin

    2015-03-01

    Indium-tin-oxide (ITO) is a widely used electrode material for liquid crystal cell applications because of its transparency in the visible spectral range and its high electrical conductivity. Important examples of applications are displays and optical phase modulators. We report on subwavelength periodic structuring and precise laser cutting of 150 nm thick indium-tin-oxide films on glass substrates, which were deposited by magnetron reactive DC-sputtering from an indiumtin target in a low-pressure oxygen atmosphere. In order to obtain nanostructured electrodes laser-induced periodic surface structures with a period of approximately 100 nm were generated using tightly focused high-repetition rate sub-15 femtosecond pulsed Ti:sapphire laser light, which was scanned across the sample by galvanometric mirrors. Three-dimensional spacers were produced by multiphoton photopolymerization in ma-N 2410 negative-tone photoresist spin-coated on top of the ITO layers. The nanostructured electrodes were aligned in parallel to set up an electrically switchable nematic liquid crystal cell.

  16. Synthesis of layered birnessite-type manganese oxide thin films on plastic substrates by chemical bath deposition for flexible transparent supercapacitors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hu Yu; Zhu Hongwei; Wang Jun [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China); Chen Zhenxing, E-mail: chenzx65@mail.sysu.edu.cn [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China)

    2011-10-20

    Highlights: > Layered birnessite-type MnO{sub 2} thin films are fabricated on ITO/PET substrates through a facile chemical bath deposition at room temperature. > The transmittance of the MnO{sub 2} thin films at 550 nm is up to 77.4%. > MnO{sub 2} thin films exhibit a special capacitance of 229.2 F g{sup -1} and 9.2 mF cm{sup -2}. > MnO{sub 2} thin films show a capacitance retention ratio of 83% after 1000 CV cycles. > MnO{sub 2} thin film electrodes show great mechanical flexibility and electrochemical stability even after 200 tensile and compressive bending cycles. - Abstract: Layered birnessite-type manganese oxide thin films are successfully fabricated on indium tin oxide coated polyethylene terephthalate substrates for flexible transparent supercapacitors by a facile, effective and inexpensive chemical bath deposition technology from an alkaline KMnO{sub 4} aqueous solution at room temperature. The effects of deposition conditions, including KMnO{sub 4} concentration, initial molar ratio of NH{sub 3}.H{sub 2}O and KMnO{sub 4}, bath temperature, and reaction time, on the electrochemical properties of MnO{sub 2} thin films are investigated. Layered birnessite-type MnO{sub 2} thin films deposited under optimum conditions display three-dimensional porous morphology, high hydrophilicity, and a transmittance of 77.4% at 550 nm. A special capacitance of 229.2 F g{sup -1} and a capacitance retention ratio of 83% are obtained from the films after 1000 cycles at 10 mV s{sup -1} in 1 M Na{sub 2}SO{sub 4}. Compressive and tensile bending tests show that as-prepared MnO{sub 2} thin film electrodes possess excellent mechanical flexibility and electrochemical stability.

  17. An Indium-Free Anode for Large-Area Flexible OLEDs: Defect-Free Transparent Conductive Zinc Tin Oxide

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Morales-Masis, M.; Dauzou, F.; Jeangros, Q.; Dabirian, A.; Lifka, H.; Gierth, R.; Ruske, M.; Moet, D.; Hessler-Wyser, A.; Ballif, C.

    2016-01-01

    Flexible large-area organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) require highly conductive and transparent anodes for efficient and uniform light emission. Tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) is the standard anode in industry. However, due to the scarcity of indium, alternative anodes that eliminate its use are

  18. Tin dioxide nanostructured thin films obtained through polymeric precursor method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcelo Antônio Dal Santos

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Tin dioxide (SnO2 nanostructured thin films with low proportion of defects and low roughness were produced through the systematic control of temperature and viscosity of the precursor solutions used for thin films deposition. These solutions were obtained through the citrate method and the films were deposited through the ‘dip-coating’ technique on glass substrate and after thermal treatment at 470ºC/4h, they were characterized both structurally and morphologically through the X-ray diffractometry, optic microscopy, scanning electronic microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray fluorescence, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and X-ray excited photoelectrons spectroscopy. The film thickness was obtained through scanning electronic microscopy of the films cross-section and correlated to the proportion of Sn and Si obtained through X-ray fluorescence. X-ray diffractometry of the films revealed the presence of peaks corresponding to the SnO2 crystalline phase, overlapping a wide peak between 20 and 30º (2?, characteristic of the glass substrate. Optic microscopy, Scanning electronic microscopy and atomic force microscopy revealed homogeneous films, with low roughness, suitable to several applications such as sensors and transparent electrodes. It could be observed through the UV-Vis absorption analysis that the films presented high optical transparency and ‘band gap’ energy 4.36 eV. The X-ray excited photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the presence of SnO2, as well as traces of the elements present in the glass substrate and residual carbon from the thermal treatment of the films.

  19. Transparent indium-tin oxide/indium-gallium-zinc oxide Schottky diodes formed by gradient oxygen doping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ho, Szuheng; Yu, Hyeonggeun; So, Franky

    2017-11-01

    Amorphous InGaZnO (a-IGZO) is promising for transparent electronics due to its high carrier mobility and optical transparency. However, most metal/a-IGZO junctions are ohmic due to the Fermi-level pinning at the interface, restricting their device applications. Here, we report that indium-tin oxide/a-IGZO Schottky diodes can be formed by gradient oxygen doping in the a-IGZO layer that would otherwise form an ohmic contact. Making use of back-to-back a-IGZO Schottky junctions, a transparent IGZO permeable metal-base transistor is also demonstrated with a high common-base gain.

  20. Effect of oxidation and annealing temperature on optical and ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Administrator

    Tin oxide thin films were deposited on glass substrate with 100 nm thickness of Sn, which was coated by magnetron sputtering followed by thermal oxidation at different temperatures. ... Annealing of the samples at 500–650 °C caused the transmittance and optical ..... (αhν)1/2 and (αhν)1/3 to determine the Eg. (b) They used.

  1. The Structural Changes of the Sn(y)OX Thin Films Under Influence of Heat Treament

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vong, V.

    2001-04-01

    Composite oxide Sn(y) Ox made by thermal oxidation of the Sn(y)-bimetal thin films, in which y is the doped-materials as well as Sb, Ag or Pd. The Sn(y)-bimetal thin films have been made by evaporation in high vacuum onto NaCl-monocrystall and optical glass substrates. In the work the tin and the doped material (y) were put on two different boats and then both the boats were simultaniously heated to evaporate. The Sn(y)Ox thin films were annealed at the differential temperatures. The structural changes of its have been investigated by using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope.

  2. The effect of the atmosphere on the optical properties of as-synthesized colloidal indium tin oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Capozzi, Charles J; Joshi, Salil; Gerhardt, Rosario A; Ivanov, Ilia N

    2009-01-01

    The optical properties of indium tin oxide (ITO) have often been explored when it is in the form of deposited thin films. In this study, a colloidal chemistry approach is taken to investigate the influence of the atmosphere on the optical properties of ITO nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), absorption spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) were used to characterize colloidal ITO samples, synthesized under aerated and inert conditions, with the same composition. In both cases, the ITO can be completely dispersed in a non-polar solvent without any evidence of agglomeration. For the ITO made in air, the nanoparticle-solvent solution exhibits a pale green color, and XRD and TEM indicate an average particle size of ∼7 nm and small shrinkage in the lattice structure. When the ITO is synthesized under inert conditions, the solution turns blue, and XRD and TEM indicate an average particle size of ∼8 nm and even less strain in the lattice than for the ITO synthesized under aerated conditions. The change in color and lattice strain is attributed to the difference in oxygen vacancy concentration for the ITO nanoparticles synthesized under aerated and inert conditions, which exhibit different optical band gap values of 3.89 eV and 4.05 eV, respectively. Our work here shows that thin film deposition or sintering steps may not be required for studying the optical properties of as-synthesized ITO nanoparticles.

  3. The influence of annealing in nitrogen atmosphere on the electrical, optical and structural properties of spray- deposited ZnO thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ikhmayies, S.J. [Applied Science Private Univ., Amman (Jordan). Dept. of Physics; Abu El-Haija, N.M.; Ahmad-Bitar, R.N. [Jordan Univ., Amman (Jordan). Dept. of Physics

    2009-07-01

    Thin-film zinc oxide (ZnO) has many applications in solar cell technology and is considered to be a candidate for the substitution of indium tin oxide and tin oxide. ZnO thin films can be prepared by thermal evaporation, rf-sputtering, atomic layer deposition, chemical vapor deposition, sol-gel, laser ablation and spray pyrolysis technique. Spray pyrolysis has received much attention because of its simplicity and low cost. In this study, large area and highly uniform polycrystalline ZnO thin films were produced by spray pyrolysis using a home-made spraying system on glass substrates at 450 degrees C. The electrical, optical and structural properties of the ZnO films were enhanced by annealing the thin films in nitrogen atmosphere. X-ray diffraction revealed that the films are polycrystalline with a hexagonal wurtzite structure. The preferential orientation did not change with annealing, but XRD patterns revealed that some very weak lines had grown. There was no noticeable increase in the grain size. The transmittance of the films increased as a result of annealing. It was concluded that post-deposition annealing is essential to improve the quality of the ZnO thin films. The electrical properties improved due to a decrease in resistivity. 13 refs., 5 figs.

  4. Zinc tin oxide as high-temperature stable recombination layer for mesoscopic perovskite/silicon monolithic tandem solar cells

    KAUST Repository

    Werner, Jérémie

    2016-12-05

    Perovskite/crystalline silicon tandem solar cells have the potential to reach efficiencies beyond those of silicon single-junction record devices. However, the high-temperature process of 500 °C needed for state-of-the-art mesoscopic perovskite cells has, so far, been limiting their implementation in monolithic tandem devices. Here, we demonstrate the applicability of zinc tin oxide as a recombination layer and show its electrical and optical stability at temperatures up to 500 °C. To prove the concept, we fabricate monolithic tandem cells with mesoscopic top cell with up to 16% efficiency. We then investigate the effect of zinc tin oxide layer thickness variation, showing a strong influence on the optical interference pattern within the tandem device. Finally, we discuss the perspective of mesoscopic perovskite cells for high-efficiency monolithic tandem solar cells. © 2016 Author(s)

  5. Highly conducting and crystalline doubly doped tin oxide films fabricated using a low-cost and simplified spray technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ravichandran, K., E-mail: kkr1365@yahoo.co [P.G. and Research Department of Physics, AVVM. Sri Pushpum College, Poondi, Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu 613503 (India); Muruganantham, G.; Sakthivel, B. [P.G. and Research Department of Physics, AVVM. Sri Pushpum College, Poondi, Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu 613503 (India)

    2009-11-15

    Doubly doped (simultaneous doping of antimony and fluorine) tin oxide films (SnO{sub 2}:Sb:F) have been fabricated by employing an inexpensive and simplified spray technique using perfume atomizer from aqueous solution of SnCl{sub 2} precursor. The structural studies revealed that the films are highly crystalline in nature with preferential orientation along the (2 0 0) plane. It is found that the size of the crystallites of the doubly doped tin oxide films is larger (69 nm) than that (27 nm) of their undoped counterparts. The dislocation density of the doubly doped film is lesser (2.08x10{sup 14} lines/m{sup 2}) when compared with that of the undoped film (13.2x10{sup 14} lines/m{sup 2}), indicating the higher degree of crystallinity of the doubly doped films. The SEM images depict that the films are homogeneous and uniform. The optical transmittance in the visible range and the optical band gap of the doubly doped films are 71% and 3.56 eV respectively. The sheet resistance (4.13 OMEGA/square) attained for the doubly doped film in this study is lower than the values reported for spray deposited fluorine or antimony doped tin oxide films prepared from aqueous solution of SnCl{sub 2} precursor (without using methanol or ethanol).

  6. Characteristics of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO Nanoparticles Recovered by Lift-off Method from TFT-LCD Panel Scraps

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dongchul Choi

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available In this study, indium-tin-oxide (ITO nanoparticles were simply recovered from the thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD panel scraps by means of lift-off method. This can be done by dissolving color filter (CF layer which is located between ITO layer and glass substrate. In this way the ITO layer was easily lifted off the glass substrate of the panel scrap without panel crushing. Over 90% of the ITO on the TFT-LCD panel was recovered by using this method. After separating, the ITO was obtained as particle form and their characteristics were investigated. The recovered product appeared as aggregates of particles less than 100 nm in size. The weight ratio of In/Sn is very close to 91/9. XRD analysis showed that the ITO nanoparticles have well crystallized structures with (222 preferred orientation even after recovery. The method described in this paper could be applied to the industrial recovery business for large size LCD scraps from TV easily without crushing the glass substrate.

  7. Characterization of ultrasonic spray pyrolysed ruthenium oxide thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Patil, P.S.; Ennaoui, E.A.; Lokhande, C.D.; Mueller, M.; Giersig, M.; Diesner, K.; Tributsch, H. [Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin GmbH (Germany). Bereich Physikalische Chemie

    1997-11-21

    The ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) technique was employed to deposit ruthenium oxide thin films. The films were prepared at 190 C substrate temperature and further annealed at 350 C for 30 min in air. The films were 0.22 {mu} thick and black grey in color. The structural, compositional and optical properties of ruthenium oxide thin films are reported. Contactless transient photoconductivity measurement was carried out to calculate the decay time of excess charge carriers in ruthenium oxide thin films. (orig.) 28 refs.

  8. Single-Stroke Synthesis of Tin Sulphide/Oxide Nanocomposites Within Engineering Thermoplastic and Their Humidity Response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adkar, Dattatraya; Adhyapak, Parag; Mulik, Uttamrao; Jadkar, Sandesh; Vutova, Katia; Amalnerkar, Dinesh

    2018-05-01

    SnS nanostructured materials have attracted enormous interest due to their important properties and potential application in low cost solar energy conversion systems and optical devices. From the perspective of SnS based device fabrication, we offer single-stroke in-situ technique for the generation of Sn based sulphide and oxide nanostructures inside the polymer network via polymer-inorganic solid state reaction route. In this method, polyphenylene sulphide (PPS)-an engineering thermoplastic-acts as chalcogen source as well as stabilizing matrix for the resultant nano products. Typical solid state reaction was accomplished by simply heating the physical admixtures of the tin salts (viz. tin acetate/tin chloride) with PPS at the crystalline melting temperature (285 °C) of PPS in inert atmosphere. The synthesized products were characterized by using various physicochemical characterization techniques. The prima facie observations suggest the concurrent formation of nanocrystalline SnS with extraneous oxide phase. The TEM analysis revealed formation of nanosized particles of assorted morphological features with polydispersity confined to 5 to 50 nm. However, agglomerated particles of nano to submicron size were also observed. The humidity sensing characterization of these nanocomposites was also performed. The resistivity response with the level of humidity (20 to 85% RH) was compared for these nanocomposites. The linear response was obtained for both the products. Nevertheless, the nanocomposite product obtained from acetate precursor showed higher sensitivity towards the humidity than that of one prepared from chloride precursor.

  9. Chemical Vapor Identification by Plasma Treated Thick Film Tin Oxide Gas Sensor Array and Pattern Recognition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. K. Srivastava

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Present study deals the class recognition potential of a four element plasma treated thick film tin oxide gas sensor array exposed with volatile organic compounds (VOCs. Methanol, Ethanol and Acetone are selected as target VOCs and exposed on sensor array at different concentration in range from 100-1000 ppm. Sensor array consist of four tin oxide sensors doped with 1-4 % PbO concentrations were fabricated by thick film technology and then treated with oxygen plasma for 5-10 minute durations. Sensor signal is analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA for visual classification of VOCs. Further output of PCA is used as input for classification of VOCs by four pattern classification techniques as: linear discriminant analysis (LDA, k-nearest neighbor (KNN, back propagation neural network (BPNN and support vector machine (SVM. All the four classifier results 100 % correct classification rate of VOCs by response analysis of sensor array treated with plasma for 5 minute.

  10. Zinc tin oxide as high-temperature stable recombination layer for mesoscopic perovskite/silicon monolithic tandem solar cells

    KAUST Repository

    Werner, Jé ré mie; Walter, Arnaud; Rucavado, Esteban; Moon, Soo Jin; Sacchetto, Davide; Rienaecker, Michael; Peibst, Robby; Brendel, Rolf; Niquille, Xavier; De Wolf, Stefaan; Lö per, Philipp; Morales-Masis, Monica; Nicolay, Sylvain; Niesen, Bjoern; Ballif, Christophe

    2016-01-01

    the concept, we fabricate monolithic tandem cells with mesoscopic top cell with up to 16% efficiency. We then investigate the effect of zinc tin oxide layer thickness variation, showing a strong influence on the optical interference pattern within the tandem

  11. Wavelet-fractal approach to surface characterization of nanocrystalline ITO thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raoufi, Davood; Kalali, Zahra

    2012-01-01

    In this study, indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were prepared by electron beam deposition method on glass substrates at room temperature (RT). Surface morphology characterization of ITO thin films, before and after annealing at 500 °C, were investigated by analyzing the surface profile of atomic force microscopy (AFM) images using wavelet transform formalism. The wavelet coefficients related to the thin film surface profiles have been calculated, and then roughness exponent (α) of the films has been estimated using the scalegram method. The results reveal that the surface profiles of the films before and after annealing process have self-affine nature.

  12. Studies on tin based inorganic ion exchangers for fission products separation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dash, A.; Balasubramanian, K.R.; Murthy, T.S.

    1993-01-01

    Tin(IV) antimonate and hydrous tin(IV) oxide have been prepared and their characteristics are evaluated. A new method has been finalized for the separation of 95 Zr- 95 Nb from irradiated uranium using hydrous tin(IV) oxide. In this process, the irradiated sample is dissolved in concentrated HNO 3 , evaporated to near dryness and taken up in 0.5 M HNO 3 . The solution is passed over tin(IV) oxide column and the isotope eluted with 10 M HNO 3 . The product is obtained in pure nitrate form which is generally preferred for different applications. A method has been finalized for the separation of 106 Ru from fission product solution using tin(IV) antimonate. In this method fission product solution is adjusted to 2 M with respect to nitric acid, 137 Cs is separated on a column of ammonium phosphomolybdate, the effluent after adjustment of acidity to 0.2 M is then passed over a column of tin(IV) antimonate where the effluent contains pure 106 Ru. (author). 14 refs., 6 figs., 2 tabs

  13. Annealing Effect on the Photoelectrochemical Properties of BiVO_4 Thin Film Electrodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Siti Nur Farhana Mohd Nasir; Mohd Asri Mat Teridi; Mehdi Ebadi; Sagu, J.S.

    2015-01-01

    Monoclinic bismuth vanadate (BiVO_4) thin film electrodes were fabricated on fluorine-doped tin oxide via aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD). Annealing and without annealing effect of thin films were analysed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis) and current voltage measurement. All BiVO_4 thin films showed an anodic photocurrent. The sample of BiVO_4 annealed at 400 degree Celsius exhibited the highest photocurrent density of 0.44 mAcm"-"2 vs. Ag/ AgCl at 1.23 V. (author)

  14. Laser Structuring of Thin Layers for Flexible Electronics by a Shock Wave-induced Delamination Process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lorenz, Pierre; Ehrhardt, Martin; Zimmer, Klaus

    The defect-free laser-assisted structuring of thin films on flexible substrates is a challenge for laser methods. However, solving this problem exhibits an outstanding potential for a pioneering development of flexible electronics. Thereby, the laser-assisted delamination method has a great application potential. At the delamination process: the localized removal of the layer is induced by a shock wave which is produced by a laser ablation process on the rear side of the substrate. In this study, the thin-film patterning process is investigated for different polymer substrates dependent on the material and laser parameters using a KrF excimer laser. The resultant structures were studied by optical microscopy and white light interferometry (WLI). The delamination process was tested at different samples (indium tin oxide (ITO) on polyethylene terephthalate (PET), epoxy-based negative photoresist (SU8) on polyimide (PI) and indium tin oxide/copper indium gallium selenide/molybdenum (ITO/CIGS/Mo) on PI.

  15. Genotoxicity of indium tin oxide by comet test

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    İbrahim Hakkı Ciğerci

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Indium tin oxide (ITO is used for liquid crystal display (LCDs, electrochromic displays, flat panel displays, field emission displays, touch or laptop computer screens, cell phones, energy conserving architectural windows, defogging aircraft and automobile windows, heat-reflecting coatings to increase light bulb efficiency, gas sensors, antistatic window coatings, wear resistant layers on glass, nanowires and nanorods because of its unique properties of high electrical conductivity, transparency and mechanical resistance.Genotoxic effects of ITO were investigated on the root cells of Allium cepa by Comet assay. A. cepa roots were treated with the aqueous dispersions of ITO at 5 different concentrations (12.5, 25, 50, 75, and 100 ppm for 4 h. A significant increase in DNA damage was a observed at all concentrations of ITO by Comet assay. These result indicate that ITO exhibit genotoxic activity in A. cepa root meristematic cells.

  16. Indium tin oxide films prepared via wet chemical route

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Legnani, C.; Lima, S.A.M.; Oliveira, H.H.S.; Quirino, W.G.; Machado, R.; Santos, R.M.B.; Davolos, M.R.; Achete, C.A.; Cremona, M.

    2007-01-01

    In this work, indium tin oxide (ITO) films were prepared using a wet chemical route, the Pechini method. This consists of a polyesterification reaction between an α-hydroxicarboxylate complex (indium citrate and tin citrate) with a polyalcohol (ethylene glycol) followed by a post annealing at 500 deg. C. A 10 at.% of doping of Sn 4+ ions into an In 2 O 3 matrix was successfully achieved through this method. In order to characterize the structure, the morphology as well as the optical and electrical properties of the produced ITO films, they were analyzed using different experimental techniques. The obtained films are highly transparent, exhibiting transmittance of about 85% at 550 nm. They are crystalline with a preferred orientation of [222]. Microscopy discloses that the films are composed of grains of 30 nm average size and 0.63 nm RMS roughness. The films' measured resistivity, mobility and charge carrier concentration were 5.8 x 10 -3 Ω cm, 2.9 cm 2 /V s and - 3.5 x 10 20 /cm 3 , respectively. While the low mobility value can be related to the small grain size, the charge carrier concentration value can be explained in terms of the high oxygen concentration level resulting from the thermal treatment process performed in air. The experimental conditions are being refined to improve the electrical characteristics of the films while good optical, chemical, structural and morphological qualities already achieved are maintained

  17. Low field critical currents and ac losses of thin film niobium--tin superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Howard, R.E.

    1977-01-01

    The results of a study of the low field critical current and ac loss properties of niobium-tin thin films and layered composites fabricated by electron-beam coevaporation are presented. Particular emphasis is placed upon determining the suitability of this material for use as a conductor in a superconducting power transmission line. Chapter I contains a summary of this work and its major results together with an introduction to the scientific and engineering concepts associated with a superconducting power transmission line. Chapter II is a discussion of the physics of current transport and the associated loss mechanisms in a type-II superconductor. Chapter III gives the details of the electron-beam coevaporation technique developed to fabricate the samples for this study. Also discussed in this chapter are the effects of the evaporation conditions on the growth morphology of the niobium-tin films. Chapter IV presents the details of the experimental techniques developed to measure the ac loss and critical current in these samples as a function of temperature. Chapter V shows the dependence of the critical current of these films and composites on temperature, magnetic field, and on the number of artificially introduced pinning centers in the layered composites. Experimental results are also presented concerning the stability of these conductors against flux jumps. Chapter VI is a discussion of the ac losses in these samples. Detailed comparisons are made between the measured loss and the predictions of the critical state model

  18. Structural, optical and electrochemical properties of F-doped vanadium oxide transparent semiconducting thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mousavi, M.; Khorrami, G.H. [University of Bojnord, Department of Physics, Faculty of Basic Science, Bojnord (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Kompany, A. [Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Department of Physics, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Yazdi, S.T. [Payame Noor University (PNU), Department of Physics, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2017-12-15

    In this study, F-doped vanadium oxide thin films with doping levels up to 60 at % were prepared by spray pyrolysis method on glass substrates. To measure the electrochemical properties, some films were deposited on fluorine-tin oxide coated glass substrates. The effect of F-doping on the structural, electrical, optical and electrochemical properties of vanadium oxide samples was investigated. The X-ray diffractographs analysis has shown that all the samples grow in tetragonal β-V{sub 2}O{sub 5} phase structure with the preferred orientation of [200]. The intensity of (200) peak belonging to β-V{sub 2}O{sub 5} phase was strongest in the undoped vanadium oxide film. The scanning electron microscopy images show that the samples have nanorod- and nanobelt-shaped structure. The size of the nanobelts in the F-doped vanadium oxide films is smaller than that in the pure sample and the width of the nanobelts increases from 30 to 70 nm with F concentration. With increasing F-doping level from 10 to 60 at %, the resistivity, the transparency and the optical band gap decrease from 111 to 20 Ω cm, 70 to 50% and 2.4 to 2.36 eV, respectively. The cyclic voltammogram (CV) results show that the undoped sample has the most extensive CV and by increasing F-doping level from 20 to 60 at %, the area of the CV is expanded. The anodic and cathodic peaks in F-doped samples are stronger. (orig.)

  19. Polycrystalline Mn-alloyed indium tin oxide films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scarlat, Camelia; Schmidt, Heidemarie; Xu, Qingyu; Vinnichenko, Mykola; Kolitsch, Andreas; Helm, Manfred; Iacomi, Felicia

    2008-01-01

    Magnetic ITO films are interesting for integrating ITO into magneto-optoelectronic devices. We investigated n-conducting indium tin oxide (ITO) films with different Mn doping concentration which have been grown by chemical vapour deposition using targets with the atomic ratio In:Sn:Mn=122:12:0,114:12:7, and 109:12:13. The average film roughness ranges between 30 and 50 nm and XRD patterns revealed a polycrystalline structure. Magnetotransport measurements revealed negative magnetoresistance for all the samples, but high field positive MR can be clearly observed at 5 K with increasing Mn doping concentration. Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) has been used to prove the existence of midgap states in the Mn-alloyed ITO films revealing a transmittance less than 80%. A reasonable model for the ca. 250 nm thick Mn-alloyed ITO films has been developed to extract optical constants from SE data below 3 eV. Depending on the Mn content, a Lorentz oscillator placed between 1 and 2 eV was used to model optical absorption below the band gap

  20. Modulating indium doped tin oxide electrode properties for laccase electron transfer enhancement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Diaconu, Mirela [National Institute for Biological Sciences, Centre of Bioanalysis, 296 Spl. Independentei, Bucharest 060031 (Romania); Chira, Ana [National Institute for Biological Sciences, Centre of Bioanalysis, 296 Spl. Independentei, Bucharest 060031 (Romania); Politehnica University of Bucharest, Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science, 1-7 Polizu Str., 011061 (Romania); Radu, Lucian, E-mail: gl_radu@chim.upb.ro [Politehnica University of Bucharest, Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science, 1-7 Polizu Str., 011061 (Romania)

    2014-08-28

    Indium doped tin oxide (ITO) electrodes were functionalized with gold nanoparticles (GNPs) and cysteamine monolayer to enhance the heterogeneous electron transfer process of laccase from Trametes versicolor. The assembly of GNP on ITO support was performed through generation of H{sup +} species at the electrode surface by hydroquinone electrooxidation at 0.9 V vs Ag/AgCl. Uniform distribution of gold nanoparticle aggregates on electrode surfaces was confirmed by atomic force microscopy. The size of GNP aggregates was in the range of 200–500 nm. The enhanced charge transfer at the GNP functionalized ITO electrodes was observed by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Electrocatalytic behavior of laccase immobilized on ITO modified electrode toward oxygen reduction reaction was evaluated using CV in the presence of 2,2′-azino-bis 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfuric acid (ABTS). The obtained sigmoidal-shaped voltammograms for ABTS reduction in oxygen saturated buffer solution are characteristic for a catalytic process. The intensity of catalytic current increased linearly with mediator concentration up to 6.2 × 10{sup −4} M. The registered voltammogram in the absence of ABTS mediator clearly showed a significant faradaic current which is the evidence of the interfacial oxygen reduction. - Highlights: • Assembly of gold nanoparticles on indium tin oxide support at positive potentials • Electrochemical and morphological evaluation of the gold nanoparticle layer assembly • Bioelectrocatalytic oxygen reduction on laccase modified electrode.

  1. Study on influences of TiN capping layer on time-dependent dielectric breakdown characteristic of ultra-thin EOT high- k metal gate NMOSFET with kMC TDDB simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Hao; Yang Hong; Luo Wei-Chun; Xu Ye-Feng; Wang Yan-Rong; Tang Bo; Wang Wen-Wu; Qi Lu-Wei; Li Jun-Feng; Yan Jiang; Zhu Hui-Long; Zhao Chao; Chen Da-Peng; Ye Tian-Chun

    2016-01-01

    The thickness effect of the TiN capping layer on the time dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) characteristic of ultra-thin EOT high- k metal gate NMOSFET is investigated in this paper. Based on experimental results, it is found that the device with a thicker TiN layer has a more promising reliability characteristic than that with a thinner TiN layer. From the charge pumping measurement and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) analysis, it is indicated that the sample with the thicker TiN layer introduces more Cl passivation at the IL/Si interface and exhibits a lower interface trap density. In addition, the influences of interface and bulk trap density ratio N it / N ot are studied by TDDB simulations through combining percolation theory and the kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) method. The lifetime reduction and Weibull slope lowering are explained by interface trap effects for TiN capping layers with different thicknesses. (paper)

  2. Influence of growth temperature of transparent conducting oxide layer on Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin-film solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Dae-Hyung; Chung, Yong-Duck; Lee, Kyu-Seok; Park, Nae-Man; Kim, Kyung-Hyun; Choi, Hae-Won; Kim, Jeha

    2012-01-01

    We have studied the influence of growth temperature (T G ) in the deposition of an indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent conducting oxide layer on Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 (CIGS) thin-film solar cells. The ITO films were deposited on i-ZnO/glass and i-ZnO/CdS/CIGS/Mo/glass substrates using radio-frequency magnetron sputtering at various T G up to 350 °C. Both the resistivity of ITO and the interface quality of CdS/CIGS strongly depend on T G . For a T G ≤ 200 °C, a reduction in the series resistance enhanced the solar cell performance, while the p–n interface of the device was found to become deteriorated severely at T G > 200 °C. CIGS solar cells with ITO deposited at T G = 200 °C showed the best performance in terms of efficiency.

  3. Technical problems associated with the production of technetium Tc 99m tin(II) pyrophosphate kits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kowalsky, R.J.; Dalton, D.R.

    1981-01-01

    The amount of tin(II) required for adequate reduction, complexation, and stability of technetium Tc 99m pertechnetate in radiopharmaceutical kits, and methods of preventing the loss of tin(II) during formulation of these lyophilized kits are investigated. Tin(II) loss from stannous chloride solutions was studied under several conditions, including room air versus nitrogen atmospheres, during vial filling in a laminar-flow hood with samples frozen on dry ice versus samples at room temperature, during lyophilization, and during storage under refrigerated, ambient, and elevated temperatures. Various amounts of stannous chloride, ranging from 5 to 1000 microgram/ml, were used in formulating sodium pertechnetate Tc 99m kits containing 100 mCi technetium Tc 99m and 0.4 microgram total technetium. Samples were removed at various times; hydrolyzed technetium, pertechnetate, and technetium Tc 99m pyrophosphate were isolated on instant thin-layer chromatography-silica gel and quantified with a scintillation counter. The time necessary to deoxygenate distilled water by nitrogen purging was measured. Several sources of stannous chloride were assayed for tin(II) content. Tin(II) loss occurs rapidly in solution (15% in one hour) unless continuously protected with nitrogen, and during vial filling in a laminar-flow hood unless frozen with dry ice. No substantial loss of tin(II) was detected during lyophilization or during storage of lyophilized product at any of the three temperatures. A minimum of 400 microgram tin(II) was required to provide 90% technetium Tc 99m pyrophosphate at six hours after preparation. Adequate deoxygenation of small quantities (450 ml) of water was accomplished in less than one hour. Some stannous chloride salts were highly oxidized in the dry state, and only high-purity elemental tin wire gave acceptable yields of tin

  4. Morphology, structural and optical properties of iron oxide thin film photoanodes in photoelectrochemical cell: Effect of electrochemical oxidation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maabong, Kelebogile; Machatine, Augusto G.; Hu, Yelin; Braun, Artur; Nambala, Fred J.; Diale, Mmantsae

    2016-01-01

    Hematite (α-Fe2O3) is a promising semiconductor as photoanode in solar hydrogen production from photoelectrolysis of water due to its appropriate band gap, low cost and high electrochemical stability in aqueous caustic electrolytes. Operation of such photoanode in a biased photoelectrochemical cell constitutes an anodization with consequent redox reactions at the electrode surface. α-Fe2O3 thin film photoanodes were prepared by simple and inexpensive dip coating method on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrate, annealed in air at 500 °C for 2 h, then electrochemically oxidized (anodized) in 1 M KOH at 500 mV for 1 min in dark and light conditions. Changes in structural properties and morphology of α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles films were investigated by XRD, Raman spectroscopy and a high resolution FE-SEM. The average grain size was observed to increase from 57 nm for pristine samples to 73 and 77 nm for anodized samples in dark and light respectively. Broadening and red shift in Raman spectra in anodized samples may be attributed to lattice expansion upon oxidation. The UV-visible measurements revealed enhanced absorption in the photoanodes after the treatment. The findings suggest that the anodization of the photoelectrode in a biased cell causes not only changes of the molecular structure at the surface, but also changes in the crystallographic structure which can be detected with x-ray diffractometry.

  5. Morphology, structural and optical properties of iron oxide thin film photoanodes in photoelectrochemical cell: Effect of electrochemical oxidation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maabong, Kelebogile; Machatine, Augusto G.; Hu, Yelin; Braun, Artur; Nambala, Fred J.; Diale, Mmantsae

    2016-01-01

    Hematite (α-Fe_2O_3) is a promising semiconductor as photoanode in solar hydrogen production from photoelectrolysis of water due to its appropriate band gap, low cost and high electrochemical stability in aqueous caustic electrolytes. Operation of such photoanode in a biased photoelectrochemical cell constitutes an anodization with consequent redox reactions at the electrode surface. α-Fe_2O_3 thin film photoanodes were prepared by simple and inexpensive dip coating method on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrate, annealed in air at 500 °C for 2 h, then electrochemically oxidized (anodized) in 1 M KOH at 500 mV for 1 min in dark and light conditions. Changes in structural properties and morphology of α-Fe_2O_3 nanoparticles films were investigated by XRD, Raman spectroscopy and a high resolution FE-SEM. The average grain size was observed to increase from ~57 nm for pristine samples to 73 and 77 nm for anodized samples in dark and light respectively. Broadening and red shift in Raman spectra in anodized samples may be attributed to lattice expansion upon oxidation. The UV–visible measurements revealed enhanced absorption in the photoanodes after the treatment. The findings suggest that the anodization of the photoelectrode in a biased cell causes not only changes of the molecular structure at the surface, but also changes in the crystallographic structure which can be detected with x-ray diffractometry.

  6. Morphology, structural and optical properties of iron oxide thin film photoanodes in photoelectrochemical cell: Effect of electrochemical oxidation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maabong, Kelebogile [Department of Physics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002 (South Africa); Laboratory of High Ceramics, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, CH-8600 Dübendorf (Switzerland); Department of Physics, University of Botswana, Private Bag 002, Gaborone (Botswana); Machatine, Augusto G. [Department of Physics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002 (South Africa); Hu, Yelin [Laboratory of High Ceramics, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, CH-8600 Dübendorf (Switzerland); Laboratory for Photonics and Interfaces, EPFL, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne (Switzerland); Braun, Artur [Laboratory of High Ceramics, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, CH-8600 Dübendorf (Switzerland); Nambala, Fred J. [Department of Physics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002 (South Africa); University of Zambia, Box 32379, Great East Road Campus, Lusaka (Zambia); Diale, Mmantsae, E-mail: mmantsae.diale@up.ac.za [Department of Physics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002 (South Africa); Laboratory of High Ceramics, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, CH-8600 Dübendorf (Switzerland)

    2016-01-01

    Hematite (α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}) is a promising semiconductor as photoanode in solar hydrogen production from photoelectrolysis of water due to its appropriate band gap, low cost and high electrochemical stability in aqueous caustic electrolytes. Operation of such photoanode in a biased photoelectrochemical cell constitutes an anodization with consequent redox reactions at the electrode surface. α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin film photoanodes were prepared by simple and inexpensive dip coating method on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrate, annealed in air at 500 °C for 2 h, then electrochemically oxidized (anodized) in 1 M KOH at 500 mV for 1 min in dark and light conditions. Changes in structural properties and morphology of α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanoparticles films were investigated by XRD, Raman spectroscopy and a high resolution FE-SEM. The average grain size was observed to increase from ~57 nm for pristine samples to 73 and 77 nm for anodized samples in dark and light respectively. Broadening and red shift in Raman spectra in anodized samples may be attributed to lattice expansion upon oxidation. The UV–visible measurements revealed enhanced absorption in the photoanodes after the treatment. The findings suggest that the anodization of the photoelectrode in a biased cell causes not only changes of the molecular structure at the surface, but also changes in the crystallographic structure which can be detected with x-ray diffractometry.

  7. Morphology and phase transformations of tin oxide nanostructures synthesized by the hydrothermal method in the presence of dicarboxylic acids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zima, Tatyana; Bataev, Ivan

    2016-01-01

    A new approach to the synthesis of non-stoichiometric tin oxide structures with different morphologies and the phase compositions has been evaluated. The nanostructures were synthesized by hydrothermal treatment of the mixtures of dicarboxylic acids ― aminoterephthalic or oxalic ― with nanocrystalline SnO 2 powder, which was obtained via the sol-gel technology. The products were characterized by Raman and IR spectroscopy, SEM, HRTEM, and XRD analysis. It was shown that the controlled addition of a dicarboxylic acid leads not only to a change in the morphology of the nanostructures, but also to SnO 2 –SnO 2 /Sn 3 O 4 –Sn 3 O 4 –SnO phase transformations. A single-phase Sn 3 O 4 in the form of the well-separated hexagonal nanoplates and mixed SnO 2 /Sn 3 O 4 phases in the form of hierarchical flower-like structures were obtained in the presence of organic additives. The effects of concentration, redox activity of the acids and heat treatment on the basic characteristics of the synthesized tin oxide nanostructures and phase transformations in the synthesized materials are discussed. - Graphical abstract: The controlled addition of aminoterephthalic or oxalic acid leads not only to a change in the morphology of the nanostructures, but also to SnO 2 –SnO 2 /Sn 3 O 4 –Sn 3 O 4 –SnO phase transformations. - Highlights: • A new approach to the synthesis of non-stoichiometric tin oxide structures is studied. • Tin oxide structures are synthesized via hydrothermal method with dicarboxylic acids. • Morphology and phase composition are changed with redox activity and dosage of acid. • The redox activity of acid has an effect on ratio of SnO and SnO 2 in crystal structure. • A pure phase Sn 3 O 4 nanoplates and SnO 2 /Sn 3 O 4 hierarchical structures are formed.

  8. Preparation and characterization of SnO2 thin film by chemical bath deposition method for solar cell application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wan Mohd Zin Wan Yunus; Saeideh Ebrahimiasl; Anuar Kassim

    2009-01-01

    Full text: Tin oxide thin films were synthesized by chemical bath deposition method on glass substrate .The as-deposited thin films were characterized for compositional, structural, surface morphological, optical and electrical properties. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the sample indicate that all samples are polycrystalline structure. AFM images show that the films consist of small uniform grains and are free of pinholes. (author)

  9. Deposition and surface treatment of Ag-embedded indium tin oxide by plasma processing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jun Young; Kim, Jae-Kwan; Kim, Ja-Yeon; Kwon, Min-Ki; Yoon, Jae-Sik; Lee, Ji-Myon

    2013-01-01

    Ag-embedded indium tin oxide (ITO) films were deposited on Corning 1737 glass by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering under an Ar or Ar/O 2 mixed gas ambient with a combination of ITO and Ag targets that were sputtered alternately by switching on and off the shutter of the sputter gun. The effects of a subsequent surface treatment using H 2 and H 2 + O 2 mixed gas plasma were also examined. The specific resistance of the as-deposited Ag-embedded ITO sample was lower than that of normal ITO. The transmittance was quenched when Ag was incorporated in ITO. To enhance the specific resistance of Ag-embedded ITO, a surface treatment was conducted using H 2 or H 2 + O 2 mixed gas plasma. Although all samples showed improved specific resistance after the H 2 plasma treatment, the transmittance was quenched due to the formation of agglomerated metals on the surface. The specific resistance of the film was improved without any deterioration of the transmittance after a H 2 + O 2 mixed gas plasma treatment. - Highlights: • Ag-embedded indium tin oxide was deposited. • The contact resistivity was decreased by H 2 + O 2 plasma treatment. • The process was carried out at room temperature without thermal treatment. • The mechanism of enhancing the contact resistance was clarified

  10. Influence of substrate material on the microstructure and optical properties of hot wall deposited SnS thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bashkirov, S.A.; Gremenok, V.F.; Ivanov, V.A.; Shevtsova, V.V.; Gladyshev, P.P.

    2015-01-01

    Tin monosulfide SnS raises an interest as a promising material for photovoltaics. The influence of the substrate material on the microstructure and optical properties of SnS thin films with [111] texture obtained by hot wall vacuum deposition on glass, molybdenum and indium tin oxide substrates is reported. The lattice parameters for layers grown on different substrates were determined by X-ray diffraction and their deviations from the data reported in the literature for single α-SnS crystals were discussed. The change in the degree of preferred orientation of the films depending on the substrate material is observed. The direct nature of the optical transitions with the optical band gap of 1.15 ± 0.01 eV is reported. - Highlights: • SnS thin films were hot wall deposited on glass, molybdenum and indium tin oxide. • Physical properties of the films were studied with respect to the substrate type. • The SnS lattice parameter deviations were observed and the explanation was given. • The direct optical transitions with the band gap of 1.15 ± 0.01 eV were observed

  11. Amplified electrochemical determination of maltol in food based on graphene oxide-wrapped tin oxide@carbon nanospheres.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gan, Tian; Sun, Junyong; Yu, Miaomiao; Wang, Kaili; Lv, Zhen; Liu, Yanming

    2017-01-01

    The study presents a new approach for rapid and ultrasensitive detection of maltol using a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with graphene oxide-wrapped tin oxide@carbon nanospheres (SnO2@C@GO). The morphological and components properties of SnO2@C@GO nanocomposites were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. SnO2@C@GO nanocomposite on a GCE had a synergetic effect on the electrochemical oxidation of maltol by means of square wave voltammetry. Under the optimum conditions, anodic peak current response of maltol was linear with its concentration in the range of 80nM-10μM, and a detection limit of 12nM was achieved for maltol. The experiment results presented that the method showed good selectivity, sensitivity, reproducibility, and long-term stability, as well as excellent potential for use as an ideal inexpensive voltammetric method applicable for complex food matrices. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Venting temperature determines surface chemistry of magnetron sputtered TiN films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Greczynski, G. [Thin Film Physics Division, Department of Physics (IFM), Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping (Sweden); Materials Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Kopernikusstr. 10, D-52074 Aachen (Germany); Mráz, S.; Schneider, J. M. [Materials Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Kopernikusstr. 10, D-52074 Aachen (Germany); Hultman, L. [Thin Film Physics Division, Department of Physics (IFM), Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping (Sweden)

    2016-01-25

    Surface properties of refractory ceramic transition metal nitride thin films grown by magnetron sputtering are essential for resistance towards oxidation necessary in all modern applications. Here, typically neglected factors, including exposure to residual process gases following the growth and the venting temperature T{sub v}, each affecting the surface chemistry, are addressed. It is demonstrated for the TiN model materials system that T{sub v} has a substantial effect on the composition and thickness-evolution of the reacted surface layer and should therefore be reported. The phenomena are also shown to have impact on the reliable surface characterization by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

  13. Characterizations of photoconductivity of graphene oxide thin films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shiang-Kuo Chang-Jian

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Characterizations of photoresponse of a graphene oxide (GO thin film to a near infrared laser light were studied. Results showed the photocurrent in the GO thin film was cathodic, always flowing in an opposite direction to the initial current generated by the preset bias voltage that shows a fundamental discrepancy from the photocurrent in the reduced graphene oxide thin film. Light illumination on the GO thin film thus results in more free electrons that offset the initial current. By examining GO thin films reduced at different temperatures, the critical temperature for reversing the photocurrent from cathodic to anodic was found around 187°C. The dynamic photoresponse for the GO thin film was further characterized through the response time constants within the laser on and off durations, denoted as τon and τoff, respectively. τon for the GO thin film was comparable to the other carbon-based thin films such as carbon nanotubes and graphenes. τoff was, however, much larger than that of the other's. This discrepancy was attributable to the retardation of exciton recombination rate thanks to the existing oxygen functional groups and defects in the GO thin films.

  14. Optically active polyurethane@indium tin oxide nanocomposite: Preparation, characterization and study of infrared emissivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Yong; Zhou, Yuming; Ge, Jianhua; Yang, Xiaoming

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Silane coupling agent of KH550 was used to connect the ITO and polyurethanes. ► Infrared emissivity values of the hybrids were compared and analyzed. ► Interfacial synergistic action and orderly secondary structure were the key factors. -- Abstract: Optically active polyurethane@indium tin oxide and racemic polyurethane@indium tin oxide nanocomposites (LPU@ITO and RPU@ITO) were prepared by grafting the organics onto the surfaces of modified ITO nanoparticles. LPU@ITO and RPU@ITO composites based on the chiral and racemic tyrosine were characterized by FT-IR, UV–vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), SEM, TEM, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and the infrared emissivity values (8–14 μm) were investigated in addition. The results indicated that the polyurethanes had been successfully grafted onto the surfaces of ITO without destroying the crystalline structure. Both composites possessed the lower infrared emissivity values than the bare ITO nanoparticles, which indicated that the interfacial interaction had great effect on the infrared emissivity. Furthermore, LPU@ITO based on the optically active polyurethane had the virtue of regular secondary structure and more interfacial synergistic actions between organics and inorganics, thus it exhibited lower infrared emissivity value than RPU@ITO based on the racemic polyurethane.

  15. Work function tuning of tin-doped indium oxide electrodes with solution-processed lithium fluoride

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ow-Yang, C.W., E-mail: cleva@sabanciuniv.edu [Materials Science and Engineering Program, Sabanci University, Orhanli, Tuzla, 34956 Istanbul (Turkey); Nanotechnology Application Center, Sabanci University, Orhanli, Tuzla, 34956 Istanbul (Turkey); Jia, J. [Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Aoyama Gakuin University, 5-10-1 Fuchinobe, Chuo, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5258 (Japan); Aytun, T. [Materials Science and Engineering Program, Sabanci University, Orhanli, Tuzla, 34956 Istanbul (Turkey); Zamboni, M.; Turak, A. [Department of Engineering Physics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L8 (Canada); Saritas, K. [Materials Science and Engineering Program, Sabanci University, Orhanli, Tuzla, 34956 Istanbul (Turkey); Shigesato, Y. [Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Aoyama Gakuin University, 5-10-1 Fuchinobe, Chuo, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5258 (Japan)

    2014-05-30

    Solution-processed lithium fluoride (sol-LiF) nanoparticles synthesized in polymeric micelle nanoreactors enabled tuning of the surface work function of tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) films. The micelle reactors provided the means for controlling surface coverage by progressively building up the interlayer through alternating deposition and plasma etch removal of the polymer. In order to determine the surface coverage and average interparticle distance, spatial point pattern analysis was applied to scanning electron microscope images of the nanoparticle dispersions. The work function of the sol-LiF modified ITO, obtained from photoelectron emission yield spectroscopy analysis, was shown to increase with surface coverage of the sol-LiF particles, suggesting a lateral depolarization effect. Analysis of the photoelectron emission energy distribution in the near threshold region revealed the contribution of surface states for surface coverage in excess of 14.1%. Optimization of the interfacial barrier was achieved through contributions from both work function modification and surface states. - Highlights: • Work function of indium tin oxide increased with LiF nanoparticle coverage. • Work function was analyzed via photoelectron emission yield (PEYS). • At higher surface coverage, the energy distribution of PEYS increased. • Pre-threshold increase in PEYS consistent with emission from surface states.

  16. Plasma vapor deposited n-indium tin oxide/p-copper indium oxide heterojunctions for optoelectronic device applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaya, T. P.; Pradyumnan, P. P.

    2017-12-01

    Transparent crystalline n-indium tin oxide/p-copper indium oxide diode structures were fabricated on quartz substrates by plasma vapor deposition using radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The p-n heterojunction diodes were highly transparent in the visible region and exhibited rectifying current-voltage (I-V) characteristics with a good ideality factor. The sputter power during fabrication of the p-layer was found to have a profound effect on I-V characteristics, and the diode with the p-type layer deposited at a maximum power of 200 W exhibited the highest value of the diode ideality factor (η value) of 2.162, which suggests its potential use in optoelectronic applications. The ratio of forward current to reverse current exceeded 80 within the range of applied voltages of -1.5 to +1.5 V in all cases. The diode structure possessed an optical transmission of 60-70% in the visible region.

  17. Optical properties of tin oxide nanoparticles prepared by laser ablation in water: Influence of laser ablation time duration and laser fluence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Desarkar, Himadri Sankar; Kumbhakar, P.; Mitra, A.K.

    2012-01-01

    Colloidal tin oxide nanoparticles are prepared by laser (having a wavelength of 1064 nm) ablation of tin metallic target immersed in pure deionized water. The influences of laser ablation time and laser fluence on the size and optical properties of the synthesized nanoparticles are studied. Prepared tin oxide nanoparticles are characterized by transmission electron microscope, selected area electron diffraction and UV–Visible absorption spectroscopy. The morphology of prepared tin oxide nanoparticles is found to be mostly spherical and with sizes in the nanometric range (mean radius of 3.2 to 7.3 nm). The measured UV–Visible absorption spectra show the presence of absorption peaks in the ultraviolet region. The band gap energy of samples prepared with different laser ablation time duration is calculated and is found to be increased with decrease in size (radius) of the prepared nanoparticles. Photoluminescence emission measurements at room temperature show that all the samples exhibit photoluminescence in the visible region. The peak photoluminescence emission intensity in the sample prepared with 50 min of laser ablation time is 3.5 times larger than that obtained in the sample prepared with 10 min of laser ablation time. - Highlights: ► SnO 2 nanoparticles (6.4–14.6 nm) are prepared by laser ablation in liquid technique. ► The influences of laser ablation time and laser fluence are studied. ► Samples are characterized by TEM and UV–Visible absorption spectroscopy. ► UV–Visible absorption spectra exhibit quantum confinement effect. ► Samples exhibit enhanced photoluminescence emissions in the visible region.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2010-01-01

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

  19. The acidic properties of mixed tin and antimony oxide catalysts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Irving, E.A.; Taylor, D.

    1978-01-01

    The acidic properties of mixed tin + antimony oxide catalysts were studied in the isomerization of 3,3-dimethyl-1-butene, cyclopropane, 1-butene, and cis-2-butene and the dehydration of isopropanol over the mixed oxides outgassed at room temperature and 698/sup 0/K. Only the zero-order portions of the reaction were used for calculations. With catalysts outgassed at room temperature, weakly acidic sites were present, and all the reactions probably occurred by a carbonium ion mechanism with Broensted acid sites as a source of protons. The rates increased with increasing antimony content to a maximum at approx. 50 at. % and then decreased with further increase in the antimony content. Outgassing of the catalysts at 698/sup 0/K increased the isomerization rate of 3,3-dimethyl-1-butene, but decreased those for cyclopropane and isopropanol due to poisoning by the propylene produced. For 1-butene and cis-2-butene and catalysts outgassed at 698/sup 0/K, only catalysts with less than 50Vertical Bar3< antimony were active. The catalysts were poisoned by treatment with bases or with sodium acetate. A proposed correlation between rates and acidity led to the conclusion that the catalyst composition corresponding to maximum acidity differs from that for maximum selective oxidation activity. Graphs and 10 references.

  20. Microstructure and growth mechanism of tin whiskers on RESn3 compounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Caifu; Liu Zhiquan

    2013-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Large amount of intact tin whiskers were firstly prepared without post handling, and their microstructures were investigated systematically with TEM. A growth model was proposed to explain the observed growth characteristics from Sn–RE alloys. - Abstract: An exclusive method was developed to prepare intact tin whiskers as transmission electron microscope specimens, and with this technique in situ observation of tin whisker growth from RESn 3 (RE = Nd, La, Ce) film specimen was first achieved. Electron irradiation was discovered to have an effect on the growth of a tin whisker through its root. Large quantities of tin whiskers with diameters from 20 nm to 10 μm and lengths ranging from 50 nm to 500 μm were formed at a growth rate of 0.1–1.8 nm s −1 on the surface of RESn 3 compounds. Most (>85%) of these tin whiskers have preferred growth directions of 〈1 0 0〉, 〈0 0 1〉, 〈1 0 1〉 and 〈1 0 3〉, as determined by statistics. This kind of tin whisker is single-crystal β-Sn even if it has growth striations, steps and kinks, and no dislocations or twin or grain boundaries were observed within the whisker body. RESn 3 compounds undergo selective oxidation during whisker growth, and the oxidation provides continuous tin atoms for tin whisker growth until they are exhausted. The driving force for whisker growth is the compressive stress resulting from the restriction of the massive volume expansion (38–43%) during the oxidation by the surface RE(OH) 3 layer. Tin atoms diffuse and flow to feed the continuous growth of tin whiskers under a compressive stress gradient formed from the extrusion of tin atoms/clusters at weak points on the surface RE(OH) 3 layers. A growth model was proposed to discuss the characteristics and growth mechanism of tin whiskers from RESn 3 compounds.

  1. Structural, photoconductivity, and dielectric studies of polythiophene-tin oxide nanocomposites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Murugavel, S., E-mail: starin85@gmail.com; Malathi, M., E-mail: mmalathi@vit.ac.in

    2016-09-15

    Highlights: • Synthesis of polythiophene-tin oxide nanocomposites confirmed by FTIR and EDAX. • SEM shows SnO{sub 2} nanoparticles embedded within polythiophene matrix. • Stability and isoelectric point suggest nanoparticle–matrix interaction. • High dielectric constant due to high Maxwell–Wagner interfacial polarization. - Abstract: Polythiophene-tinoxide (PT-SnO{sub 2}) nanocomposites were prepared by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization, in the presence of various concentrations of SnO{sub 2} nanoparticles. Samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Zeta potential measurements. Morphologies and elemental compositions were investigated by transmission electron microscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The photoconductivity of the nanocomposites was studied by field-dependent dark and photo conductivity measurements. Their dielectric properties were investigated using dielectric spectroscopy, in the frequency range of 1kHz–1 MHz. The results indicated that the SnO{sub 2} nanoparticles in the PT-SnO{sub 2} nanocomposite were responsible for its enhanced dielectric performance.

  2. Inkjet printed ambipolar transistors and inverters based on carbon nanotube/zinc tin oxide heterostructures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Bongjun; Jang, Seonpil; Dodabalapur, Ananth, E-mail: ananth.dodabalapur@engr.utexas.edu [Microelectronics Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78758 (United States); Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States); Geier, Michael L.; Prabhumirashi, Pradyumna L. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208 (United States); Hersam, Mark C. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208 (United States); Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208 (United States); Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208 (United States)

    2014-02-10

    We report ambipolar field-effect transistors (FETs) consisting of inkjet printed semiconductor bilayer heterostructures utilizing semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and amorphous zinc tin oxide (ZTO). The bilayer structure allows for electron transport to occur principally in the amorphous oxide layer and hole transport to occur exclusively in the SWCNT layer. This results in balanced electron and hole mobilities exceeding 2 cm{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1} at low operating voltages (<5 V) in air. We further show that the SWCNT-ZTO hybrid ambipolar FETs can be integrated into functional inverter circuits that display high peak gain (>10). This work provides a pathway for realizing solution processable, inkjet printable, large area electronic devices, and systems based on SWCNT-amorphous oxide heterostructures.

  3. Improved ITO thin films for photovoltaic applications with a thin ZnO layer by sputtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herrero, J.; Guillen, C.

    2004-01-01

    The improvement of the optical and electrical characteristics of indium tin oxide (ITO) layers is pursued to achieve a higher efficiency in its application as frontal electrical contacts in thin film photovoltaic devices. In order to take advantage of the polycrystalline structure of ZnO films as growth support, the properties of ITO layers prepared at room temperature by sputtering onto bare and ZnO-coated substrates have been analyzed using X-ray diffraction, optical and electrical measurements. It has been found that by inserting a thin ZnO layer, the ITO film resistivity can be reduced as compared to that of a single ITO film with similar optical transmittance. The electrical quality improvement is related to ITO grain growth enhancement onto the polycrystalline ZnO underlayer

  4. Electrochemical migration of tin in electronics and microstructure of the dendrites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Minzari, Daniel, E-mail: dmin@mek.dtu.d [Section for Materials and Surface Technology, Department for Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark (Denmark); Grumsen, Flemming Bjerg; Jellesen, Morten S.; Moller, Per; Ambat, Rajan [Section for Materials and Surface Technology, Department for Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)

    2011-05-15

    Graphical abstract: The electrochemical migration of tin in electronics forms dendritic structures, consisting of a metallic tin core, which is surrounded by oxide layers having various thickness. Display Omitted Research highlights: Electrochemical migration occurs if two conductors are connected by condensed moisture. Metallic ions are dissolved and grow in a dendritic structure that short circuit the electrodes. The dendrite consists of a metallic tin core with oxide layers of various thickness surrounding. Detailed microstructure of dendrites is investigated using electron microscopy. The dendrite microstructure is heterogeneous along the growth direction. - Abstract: The macro-, micro-, and nano-scale morphology and structure of tin dendrites, formed by electrochemical migration on a surface mount ceramic chip resistor having electrodes consisting of tin with small amounts of Pb ({approx}2 wt.%) was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy including Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron diffraction. The tin dendrites were formed under 5 or 12 V potential bias in 10 ppm by weight NaCl electrolyte as a micro-droplet on the resistor during electrochemical migration experiments. The dendrites formed were found to have heterogeneous microstructure along the growth direction, which is attributed to unstable growth conditions inside the micro-volume of electrolyte. Selected area electron diffraction showed that the dendrites are metallic tin having sections of single crystal orientation and lead containing intermetallic particles embedded in the structure. At certain areas, the dendrite structure was found to be surrounded by an oxide crust, which is believed to be due to unstable growth conditions during the dendrite formation. The oxide layer was found to be of nanocrystalline structure, which is expected to be formed by the dehydration of the hydrated oxide originally formed in solution ex-situ in ambient air.

  5. Sulfated tin oxide (STO – Structural properties and application in catalysis: A review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ravi Varala

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Catalysis is an important area of chemistry, with an extensive amount of work going on in this area of sciences, toward synthesis and evaluation of newer catalysts. There are many reports for different conversion reactions such as oxidation, reduction, coupling, alkylation, and acylation for which various catalysts have been used such as mixed metal oxides, metal nanoparticles, metal organic complexes and many others. Among the many catalysts reported, the one catalyst that caught our attention due to its exploitation for a plethora of organic conversions is the sulfated tin oxide (STO, which is due to the low cost, greater stability and high efficiency of the catalyst. In this review, we have attempted to compile data about the structural properties of STO, and its applications as catalysts in various organic synthesis are presented. The literature data up to 2014 were collected and considered for the review.

  6. Electrical and optical properties of nitrogen doped SnO2 thin films deposited on flexible substrates by magnetron sputtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fang, Feng; Zhang, Yeyu; Wu, Xiaoqin; Shao, Qiyue; Xie, Zonghan

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: The best SnO 2 :N TCO film: about 80% transmittance and 9.1 × 10 −4 Ω cm. - Highlights: • Nitrogen-doped tin oxide film was deposited on PET by RF-magnetron sputtering. • Effects of oxygen partial pressure on the properties of thin films were investigated. • For SnO 2 :N film, visible light transmittance was 80% and electrical resistivity was 9.1 × 10 −4 Ω cm. - Abstract: Nitrogen-doped tin oxide (SnO 2 :N) thin films were deposited on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates at room temperature by RF-magnetron sputtering. Effects of oxygen partial pressure (0–4%) on electrical and optical properties of thin films were investigated. Experimental results showed that SnO 2 :N films were amorphous state, and O/Sn ratios of SnO 2 :N films were deviated from the standard stoichiometry 2:1. Optical band gap of SnO 2 :N films increased from approximately 3.10 eV to 3.42 eV as oxygen partial pressure increased from 0% to 4%. For SnO 2 :N thin films deposited on PET, transmittance was about 80% in the visible light region. The best transparent conductive oxide (TCO) deposited on flexible PET substrates was SnO 2 :N thin films preparing at 2% oxygen partial pressure, the transmittance was about 80% and electrical conductivity was about 9.1 × 10 −4 Ω cm

  7. Effect of annealing temperature on optical properties of binary zinc tin oxide nano-composite prepared by sol-gel route using simple precursors: structural and optical studies by DRS, FT-IR, XRD, FESEM investigations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Habibi, Mohammad Hossein; Mardani, Maryam

    2015-02-25

    Binary zinc tin oxide nano-composite was synthesized by a facile sol-gel method using simple precursors from the solutions consisting of zinc acetate, tin(IV) chloride and ethanol. Effect of annealing temperature on optical and structural properties was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). XRD results revealed the existence of the ZnO and SnO2 phases. FESEM results showed that binary zinc tin oxide nano-composites ranges from 56 to 60 nm in diameter at 400°C and 500°C annealing temperatures respectively. The optical band gap was increased from 2.72 eV to 3.11 eV with the increasing of the annealing temperature. FTIR results confirmed the presence of zinc oxide and tin oxide and the broad absorption peaks at 3426 and 1602 cm(-1) can be ascribed to the vibration of absorptive water, and the absorption peaks at 546, 1038 and 1410 cm(-1) are due to the vibration of Zn-O or Sn-O groups in binary zinc tin oxide. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Thin metal electrodes for semitransparent organic photovoltaics

    KAUST Repository

    Lee, Kyusung

    2013-08-01

    We demonstrate semitransparent organic photovoltaics (OPVs) based on thin metal electrodes and polymer photoactive layers consisting of poly(3-hexylthiophene) and [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester. The power conversion efficiency of a semitransparent OPV device comprising a 15-nm silver (Ag) rear electrode is 1.98% under AM 1.5-G illumination through the indium-tin-oxide side of the front anode at 100 mW/cm2 with 15.6% average transmittance of the entire cell in the visible wavelength range. As its thickness increases, a thin Ag electrode mainly influences the enhancement of the short circuit current density and fill factor. Its relatively low absorption intensity makes a Ag thin film a viable option for semitransparent electrodes compatible with organic layers. © 2013 ETRI.

  9. Wafer-level hermetic vacuum packaging by bonding with a copper-tin thin film sealing ring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akashi, Teruhisa; Funabashi, Hirofumi; Takagi, Hideki; Omura, Yoshiteru; Hata, Yoshiyuki

    2018-04-01

    A wafer-level hermetic vacuum packaging technology intended for use with MEMS devices was developed based on a copper-tin (CuSn) thin film sealing ring. To allow hermetic packaging, the shear strength of the CuSn thin film bond was improved by optimizing the pretreatment conditions. As a result, an average shear strength of 72.3 MPa was obtained and a cavity that had been hermetically sealed using wafer-level packaging (WLP) maintained its vacuum for 1.84 years. The total pressures in the cavities and the partial pressures of residual gases were directly determined with an ultra-low outgassing residual gas analyzer (RGA) system. Hermeticity was evaluated based on helium leak rates, which were calculated from helium pressures determined with the RGA system. The resulting data showed that a vacuum cavity following 1.84 years storage had a total pressure of 83.1 Pa, contained argon as the main residual gas and exhibited a helium leak rate as low as 1.67  ×  10-17 Pa · m3 s-1, corresponding to an air leak rate of 6.19  ×  10-18 Pa · m3 s-1. The RGA data demonstrate that WLP using a CuSn thin film sealing ring permits ultra-high hermeticity in conjunction with long-term vacuum packaging that is applicable to MEMS devices.

  10. Nanostructured tin oxide films: Physical synthesis, characterization, and gas sensing properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ingole, S M; Navale, S T; Navale, Y H; Bandgar, D K; Stadler, F J; Mane, R S; Ramgir, N S; Gupta, S K; Aswal, D K; Patil, V B

    2017-05-01

    Nanostructured tin oxide (SnO 2 ) films are synthesized using physical method i.e. thermal evaporation and are further characterized with X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy measurement techniques for confirming its structure and morphology. The chemiresistive properties of SnO 2 films are studied towards different oxidizing and reducing gases where these films have demonstrated considerable selectivity towards oxidizing nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) gas with a maximum response of 403% to 100ppm @200°C, and fast response and recovery times of 4s and 210s, respectively, than other test gases. In addition, SnO 2 films are enabling to detect as low as 1ppm NO 2 gas concentration @200°C with 23% response enhancement. Chemiresistive performances of SnO 2 films are carried out in the range of 1-100ppm and reported. Finally, plausible adsorption and desorption reaction mechanism of NO 2 gas molecules with SnO 2 film surface has been thoroughly discussed by means of an impedance spectroscopy analysis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Investigation of thermal and hot-wire chemical vapor deposition copper thin films on TiN substrates using CupraSelect as precursor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papadimitropoulos, G; Davazoglou, D

    2011-09-01

    Copper films were deposited on oxidized Si substrates covered with TiN using a novel chemical vapor deposition reactor in which reactions were assisted by a heated tungsten filament (hot-wire CVD, HWCVD). Liquid at room temperature hexafluoroacetylacetonate Cu(I) trimethylvinylsilane (CupraSelect) was directly injected into the reactor with the aid of a direct-liquid injection (DLI) system using N2 as carrier gas. The deposition rates of HWCVD Cu films obtained on TiN covered substrates were found to increase with filament temperature (65 and 170 degrees C were tested). The resistivities of HWCVD Cu films were found to be higher than for thermally grown films due to the possible presence of impurities into the Cu films from the incomplete dissociation of the precursor and W impurities caused by the presence of the filament. For HWCVD films grown at a filament temperature of 170 degrees C, smaller grains are formed than at 65 degrees C as shown from the taken SEM micrographs. XRD diffractograms taken on Cu films deposited on TiN could not reveal the presence of W compounds originating from the filament because the relative peak was masked by the TiN [112] peak.

  12. Chemically-modified electrodes in photoelectrochemical cells. [Tin oxide and TiO/sub 2/ semiconductor electrodes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fox, M A; Hohman, J R; Kamat, P V

    1893-01-01

    Tin oxide and titanium dioxide semiconductor electrodes hae been covalently modified by the attachment of functionalized olefins and arenes through surface silanation or via a cyanuric chloride linkage. The excited state and electrochemical properties of the molecules so attached are significantly affected by the semiconductor. Photocurrent measurements and time-resolved laser coulostatic monitoring have been employed to elucidate the mechanism of charge injection on these modified surfaces. 17 references, 7 figures.

  13. Properties of fluorine and tin co-doped ZnO thin films deposited by sol–gel method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pan, Zhanchang; Zhang, Pengwei; Tian, Xinlong; Cheng, Guo; Xie, Yinghao; Zhang, Huangchu; Zeng, Xiangfu; Xiao, Chumin; Hu, Guanghui; Wei, Zhigang

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •F and Sn co-doped ZnO thin films were synthesized by sol–gel method. •The effects of different F doping concentrations were investigated. •The co-doped nanocrystals exhibit good crystal quality. •The origin of the photoluminescence emissions was discussed. •The films showed high transmittance and low resistivity. -- Abstract: Highly transparent and conducting fluorine (F) and tin (Sn) co-doped ZnO (FTZO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by the sol–gel processing. The structure and morphology of the films are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) with various F doping concentrations. SEM images showed that the hexagonal ZnO crystals were well-arranged on the glass substrates and the HRTEM images indicated that the individual nanocrystals are highly oriented and exhibited a perfect lattice structure. Owing to its high carrier concentration and mobility, as well as good crystal quality, a minimum resistivity of 1 × 10 −3 Ω cm was obtained from the FTZO thin film with 3% F doping, and the average optical transmittance in the entire visible wavelength region was higher than 90%. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study confirmed the substitution of Zn 2+ by Sn ions and Room temperature photoluminescence (PL) observed for pure and FTZO thin films suggested the films exhibit a good crystallinity with a very low defect concentration

  14. Dependence of the optical constants and the performance in the SPREE gas measurement on the thickness of doped tin oxide over coatings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fischer, D.; Hertwig, A.; Beck, U.; Negendank, D.; Lohse, V.; Kormunda, M.; Esser, N.

    2017-11-01

    In this study, thickness related changes of the optical properties of doped tin oxide were studied. Two different sets of samples were prepared. The first set was doped with iron or nickel on silicon substrate with thicknesses of 29-56 nm, the second was iron doped on gold/glass substrate with 1.6-6.3 nm. The optical constants were determined by using spectral ellipsometry (SE) followed by modelling of the dielectric function with an oscillator model using Gaussian peaks. The analysis of the optical constants shows a dependence of the refraction and the absorption on the thickness of the doped tin oxide coating. In addition to the tin oxide absorption in the UV, one additional absorption peak was found in the near-IR/red which is related to plasmonic effects due to the doping. This peak shifts from the near-IR to the red part of the visible spectrum and becomes stronger by reducing the thickness, probably due to the formation of metal nanoparticles in this layer. These results were found for two different sets of samples by using the same optical model. Afterwards the second sample set was tested in the Surface Plasmon Resonance Enhanced Ellipsometric (SPREE) gas measurement with CO gas. It was found that the thickness has significant influence on the sensitivity and thus the adsorption of the CO gas. By increasing the thickness from 1.6 nm to 5.1 nm, the sensing ability is enhanced due to a higher coverage of the surface with the over coating. This is explained by the high affinity of CO molecules to the incorporated Fe-nanoparticles in the tin oxide coating. By increasing the thickness further to 6.3 nm, the sensing ability drops because the layer disturbs the SPR sensing effect too much.

  15. Electrical and optical properties of indium tin oxide/epoxy composite film

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo Xia; Guo Chun-Wei; Chen Yu; Su Zhi-Ping

    2014-01-01

    The electrical and optical properties of the indium tin oxide (ITO)/epoxy composite exhibit dramatic variations as functions of the ITO composition and ITO particle size. Sharp increases in the conductivity in the vicinity of a critical volume fraction have been found within the framework of percolation theory. A conductive and insulating transition model is extracted by the ITO particle network in the SEM image, and verified by the resistivity dependence on the temperature. The dependence of the optical transmittance on the particle size was studied. Further decreasing the ITO particle size could further improve the percolation threshold and light transparency of the composite film. (condensed matter: structural, mechanical, and thermal properties)

  16. The optical and structural properties of graphene nanosheets and tin oxide nanocrystals composite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farheen, Parveen, Azra; Azam, Ameer

    2018-05-01

    A nanocomposite material consisting of metal oxide and reduced graphene oxide was prepared via simple, economic, and effective chemical reduction method. The synthesis strategy was based on the reduction of GO with Sn2+ ion that combines tin oxidation and GO reduction in one step, which provides a simple, low-cost and effective way to prepare graphene nanosheets/SnO2 nanocrystals composites because no additional chemicals were needed. SEM and TEM images shows the uniform distribution of the SnO2 nanocrystals on the Graphene nanosheets (GNs) surface and transmission electron microscope shows an average particle size of 2-4 nm. The mean crystallite size was calculated by Debye Scherrer formula and was found to be about 4.0 nm. Optical analysis was done by using UV-Visible spectroscopy technique and the band gap energy of the GNs/SnO2 nanocomposite was calculated by Tauc relation and came out to be 3.43eV.

  17. Surface modification of indium tin oxide for direct writing of silver nanoparticulate ink micropatterns

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vunnam, Swathi; Ankireddy, Krishnamraju; Kellar, Jon; Cross, William

    2013-01-01

    Surface treatment techniques were deployed to alter the surface of indium tin oxide (ITO) samples to attain a favorable interface between printed nano-inks and ITO surface. Surface free energy components of treated ITO substrates were calculated for each treatment using the van Oss–Chaudhury–Good method. The surface treatments of ITO changed the Lifshitz–van der Waals and Lewis acid–base components, and contact angle hysteresis significantly. Among all the surface treatments, air plasma treated samples showed high polar in nature, whereas dodecyltrichlorosilane self-assembled monolayer treated sample showed the lowest. In addition to the polarity and homogeneity, the surface roughness of the ITO was studied with respect to the surface treatment. Silver nanoparticulate ink was printed on treated ITO surfaces using aerosol jet printing system. Printed silver nano-ink line width and morphology strongly depended on the surface treatment of the ITO, ink properties and printing parameters. - Highlights: ► Surface treatments on indium tin oxide (ITO) altered its surface free energy. ► Surface free energies were studied in terms of acid–base components. ► ITO surface morphology and roughness were changed with the surface treatment. ► Silver ink was printed on treated ITO samples using aerosol jet printing system. ► Line widths of printed patterns clearly depended on the surface free energy of ITO

  18. Surface modification of indium tin oxide for direct writing of silver nanoparticulate ink micropatterns

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vunnam, Swathi, E-mail: swathi.vunnam@mines.sdsmt.edu [Nanoscience and Nanoengineering Department, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD-57701 (United States); Ankireddy, Krishnamraju; Kellar, Jon; Cross, William [Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD-57701 (United States)

    2013-03-01

    Surface treatment techniques were deployed to alter the surface of indium tin oxide (ITO) samples to attain a favorable interface between printed nano-inks and ITO surface. Surface free energy components of treated ITO substrates were calculated for each treatment using the van Oss–Chaudhury–Good method. The surface treatments of ITO changed the Lifshitz–van der Waals and Lewis acid–base components, and contact angle hysteresis significantly. Among all the surface treatments, air plasma treated samples showed high polar in nature, whereas dodecyltrichlorosilane self-assembled monolayer treated sample showed the lowest. In addition to the polarity and homogeneity, the surface roughness of the ITO was studied with respect to the surface treatment. Silver nanoparticulate ink was printed on treated ITO surfaces using aerosol jet printing system. Printed silver nano-ink line width and morphology strongly depended on the surface treatment of the ITO, ink properties and printing parameters. - Highlights: ► Surface treatments on indium tin oxide (ITO) altered its surface free energy. ► Surface free energies were studied in terms of acid–base components. ► ITO surface morphology and roughness were changed with the surface treatment. ► Silver ink was printed on treated ITO samples using aerosol jet printing system. ► Line widths of printed patterns clearly depended on the surface free energy of ITO.

  19. Multiferroic BiFeO{sub 3} thin films: Structural and magnetic characterization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ali, Z. [Physics Department, Faculty of Science (Girls Branch), Al-Azhar University, Cairo (Egypt); Atta, A. [National Center for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Nasr City, Cairo (Egypt); Abbas, Y. [Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia (Egypt); Sedeek, K.; Adam, A.; Abdeltwab, E. [Physics Department, Faculty of Science (Girls Branch), Al-Azhar University, Cairo (Egypt)

    2015-02-27

    BiFeO{sub 3} (BFO) film has been deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate by a simple sol–gel spin-coating technique. The crystal phase composition, surface morphology, topography and magnetization measurements of the BFO thin film were investigated using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), scanning electronic microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope and vibrating sample magnetometer, respectively. GIXRD analysis revealed that the film was fully crystallized and no impure phase was observed. Cross-section SEM results indicated that compact and homogeneous BFO thin film was deposited on ITO with a thickness of about 180 nm. Moreover, most of A and E-symmetry normal modes of R3c BFO were assigned by Raman spectroscopy. We report here that the pure phase BFO film shows ferromagnetism at room temperature with remarkably high saturation magnetization of 63 kA m{sup −1}. Our results are discussed mainly in correlation with the condition of processing technique and destruction of the spiral spin cycloid at interface layers and grain boundaries. - Highlights: • Multiferroic BiFeO{sub 3} (BFO) thin film was prepared by sol–gel spin-coating method. • BFO film w asdeposited on indium tin oxide substrate with a thickness of 180 nm. • The film exhibits pure rhombohedral perovskite structure. • High saturation magnetization was recorded for our film at room temperature.

  20. Respiration sensor made from indium tin oxide-coated conductive fabrics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Sun Hee; Lee, Joo Hyeon; Jee, Seung Hyun

    2015-02-01

    Conductive fabrics with new properties and applications have been the subject of extensive research over the last few years, with wearable respiration sensors attracting much attention. Different methods can be used to obtain fabrics that are electrically conducting, an essential property for various applications. For instance, fabrics can be coated with conductive polymers. Here, indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated conductive fabrics with cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol (C-PVA) were prepared using a doctor-blade. The C-PVA was employed in the synthesis to bind ITO on the fabrics with the highest possible mechanical strength. The feasibility of a respiration sensor prepared using the ITO-coated conductive fabric was investigated. The ITO-coated conductive fabric with the C-PVA was demonstrated to have a high potential for use in respiration sensors.

  1. In-plane conductance of thin films as a probe of surface chemical environment: Adsorbate effects on film electronic properties of indium tin oxide and gold

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swint, Amy Lynn

    Changes in the in-plane conductance of conductive thin films are observed as a result of chemical adsorption at the surface. Reaction of the indium tin oxide (ITO) surface with Bronsted acids (bases) leads to increases (decreases) in its in-plane conductance as measured by a four-point probe configuration. The conductance varies monotonically with pH suggesting that the degree of surface protonation or hydroxylation controls the surface charge density, which in turn affects the width of the n-type depletion layer, and ultimately the in-plane conductance. Measurements at constant pH with a series of tetraalkylammonium hydroxide species of varying cation size indicate that surface dipoles also affect ITO conductance by modulating the magnitude of the surface polarization. Modulating the double layer with varying aqueous salt solutions also affects ITO conductance, though not to the same degree as strong Bronsted acids and bases. Solvents of varying dielectric constant and proton donating ability (ethanol, dimethylformamide) decrease ITO conductance relative to H2O. In addition, changing solvent gives rise to thermally-derived conductance transients, which result from exothermic solvent mixing. The self-assembly of alkanethiols at the surface increases the conductance of ITO films, most likely through carrier population effects. In all cases examined the combined effects of surface charge, adsorbed dipole layer magnitude and carrier injection are responsible for altering the ITO conductance. Besides being directly applicable to the control of electronic properties, these results also point to the use of four-point probe resistance measurements in condensed phase sensing applications. Ultrasensitive conductance-based gas phase sensing of organothiol adsorption to gold nanowires is accomplished with a limit of detection in the 105 molecule range. Further refinement of the inherently low noise resistance measurement may lead to observation of single adsorption events at

  2. Characterization of ZnO:SnO{sub 2} (50:50) thin film deposited by RF magnetron sputtering technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cynthia, S. R.; Sanjeeviraja, C.; Ponmudi, S. [Department of Physics, Alagappa Chettiar College of Engineering and Technology, Karaikudi-630004 (India); Sivakumar, R., E-mail: krsivakumar1979@yahoo.com [Directorate of Distance Education, Alagappa University, Karaikudi-630004 (India)

    2016-05-06

    Zinc oxide (ZnO) and tin oxide (SnO{sub 2}) thin films have attracted significant interest recently for use in optoelectronic application such as solar cells, flat panel displays, photonic devices, laser diodes and gas sensors because of their desirable electrical and optical properties and wide band gap. In the present study, thin films of ZnO:SnO{sub 2} (50:50) were deposited on pre-cleaned microscopic glass substrate by RF magnetron sputtering technique. The substrate temperature and RF power induced changes in structural, surface morphological, compositional and optical properties of the films have been studied.

  3. Metalorganic atomic layer deposition of TiN thin films using TDMAT and NH3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Hyo Kyeom; Kim, Ju Youn; Park, Jin Yong; Kim, Yang Do; Kim, Young Do; Jeon, Hyeong Tag; Kim, Won Mok

    2002-01-01

    TiN films were deposited by using the metalorganic atomic layer deposition (MOALD) method using tetrakis-dimethyl-amino-titanium (TDMAT) as the titanium precursor and ammonia (NH 3 ) as the reactant gas. Two saturated TiN film growth regions were observed in the temperature ranges from 175 and 190 .deg. C and from 200 and 210 .deg. C. TiN films deposited by the MOALD technique showed relatively lower carbon content than films deposited by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) method. TiN films deposited at around 200 .deg. C under standard conditions showed the resistivity values as low as 500 μΩ-cm, which is about one order lower than the values for TiN films deposited by MOCVD using TDMAT or TDMAT with NH 3 . Also, the carbon incorporation and the resistivity were further decreased with increasing Ar purge time and flow rate. TiN films deposited at temperature below 300 .deg. C showed amorphous characteristics. TiN film deposited on contact holes, about 0.4-μm wide and 0.8-μm deep, by using the MOALD method showed excellent conformal deposition with almost 100% step coverage. This study demonstrates that the processing parameters need to be carefully controlled to optimize the film properties that the processing parameters need to be carefully controlled to optimize the film properties when using the ALD technique and that TiN films deposited by using the MOALD method exhibited excellent film properties compared to those of films deposited by using other CVD methods

  4. Valence control of cobalt oxide thin films by annealing atmosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Shijing; Zhang Boping; Zhao Cuihua; Li Songjie; Zhang Meixia; Yan Liping

    2011-01-01

    The cobalt oxide (CoO and Co 3 O 4 ) thin films were successfully prepared using a spin-coating technique by a chemical solution method with CH 3 OCH 2 CH 2 OH and Co(NO 3 ) 2 .6H 2 O as starting materials. The grayish cobalt oxide films had uniform crystalline grains with less than 50 nm in diameter. The phase structure is able to tailor by controlling the annealing atmosphere and temperature, in which Co 3 O 4 thin film was obtained by annealing in air at 300-600, and N 2 at 300, and transferred to CoO thin film by raising annealing temperature in N 2 . The fitted X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra of the Co2p electrons are distinguishable from different valence states of cobalt oxide especially for their satellite structure. The valence control of cobalt oxide thin films by annealing atmosphere contributes to the tailored optical absorption property.

  5. Immobilization of azurin with retention of its native electrochemical properties at alkylsilane self-assembled monolayer modified indium tin oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashur, Idan; Jones, Anne K.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Immobilization of azurin at indium tin oxide causes modification of the native redox properties. ► Azurin was immobilized at alkylsilane self-assembled monolayer on indium tin oxide. ► Native, solution redox properties are retained for the immobilized protein on the SAM. ► Technique should be widely applicable to other redox proteins. - Abstract: Indium tin oxide (ITO) is a promising material for developing spectroelectrochemical methods due to its combination of excellent transparency in the visible region and high conductivity over a broad range of potential. However, relatively few examples of immobilization of redox proteins at ITO with retention of the ability to transfer electrons with the underlying material with native characteristics have been reported. In this work, we utilize an alkylsilane functionalized ITO surface as a biocompatible interface for immobilization of the blue copper protein azurin. Adsorption of azurin at ITO as well as ITO coated with self-assembled monolayers of (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) and n-decyltrimethoxysilane (DTMS) was achieved, and immobilized protein probed using protein film electrochemistry. The native redox properties of the protein were perturbed by adsorption directly to ITO or to the MPTMS layer on an ITO surface. However, azurin adsorbed at a DTMS covered ITO surface retained native electrochemical properties (E 1/2 = 122 ± 5 mV vs. Ag/AgCl) and could exchange electrons directly with the underlying ITO layer without need for an intervening chemical mediator. These results open new opportunities for immobilizing functional redox proteins at ITO and developing spectroelectrochemical methods for investigating them.

  6. Tin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamilli, Robert J.; Kimball, Bryn E.; Carlin, James F.; Schulz, Klaus J.; DeYoung,, John H.; Seal, Robert R.; Bradley, Dwight C.

    2017-12-19

    Tin (Sn) is one of the first metals to be used by humans. Almost without exception, tin is used as an alloy. Because of its hardening effect on copper, tin was used in bronze implements as early as 3500 B.C. The major uses of tin today are for cans and containers, construction materials, transportation materials, and solder. The predominant ore mineral of tin, by far, is cassiterite (SnO2).In 2015, the world’s total estimated mine production of tin was 289,000 metric tons of contained tin. Total world reserves at the end of 2016 were estimated to be 4,700,000 metric tons. China held about 24 percent of the world’s tin reserves and accounted for 38 percent of the world’s 2015 production of tin.The proportion of scrap used in tin production is between 10 and 25 percent. Unlike many metals, tin recycling is relatively efficient, and the fraction of tin in discarded products that get recycled is greater than 50 percent.Only about 20 percent of the world’s identified tin resources occur as primary hydrothermal hard-rock veins, or lodes. These lodes contain predominantly high-temperature minerals and almost invariably occur in close association with silicic, peraluminous granites. About 80 percent of the world’s identified tin resources occur as unconsolidated secondary or placer deposits in riverbeds and valleys or on the sea floor. The largest concentration of both onshore and offshore placers is in the extensive tin belt of Southeast Asia, which stretches from China in the north, through Thailand, Burma (also referred to as Myanmar), and Malaysia, to the islands of Indonesia in the south. Furthermore, tin placers are almost always found closely allied to the granites from which they originate. Other countries with significant tin resources are Australia, Bolivia, and Brazil.Most hydrothermal tin deposits belong to what can be thought of as a superclass of porphyry-greisen deposits. The hydrothermal tin deposits are all characterized by a close spatial

  7. Effect of tin oxide nano particles and heat treatment on decay resistance and physical properties of beech wood (Fagus orientalis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maryam Ghorbani

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available This research was conducted to investigate the effect of Tin oxide nanoparticles and heat treatment on decay resistance and physical properties of beech wood. Biological and physical test samples were prepared according to EN-113 and ASTM-D4446-05 standards respectively. Samples were classified into 4 groups: control, impregnation with Tin oxide nanoparticles, heat treatment and nano-heat treatment. Impregnation with Tin oxide nano at 5000ppm concentration was carried out in the cylinder according to Bethell method. Then, samples were heated at 140, 160 and 185˚C for 2 and 4 hours. According to results, decay resistance improved with increasing time and temperature of heat treatment. Least weight loss showed 46.39% reduction in nano-heat samples treated at 180˚C for 4 hours in comparison with control at highest weight loss. Nano-heat treated samples demonstrated the maximum amount of water absorption without significant difference with control and nanoparticles treated samples. Increase in heat treatment temperature reduced water absorption so that it is revealed 47.8% reduction in heat treated samples at 180°C for 4h after 24h immersion in water. In nano-heat treated samples at 180˚C for 2h was measured least volume swelling. Volume swelling in nano-treated samples decreased 8.7 and 22.76% after 2 and 24 h immersion in comparison with the control samples respectively.

  8. Effect of Temperature on Nucleation of Nanocrystalline Indium Tin Oxide Synthesized by Electron-Beam Evaporation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Yan; Zhao, Yujun; Shen, Jianxing; Xu, Xiangang

    2017-07-01

    Indium tin oxide (ITO) has been widely applied as a transparent conductive layer and optical window in light-emitting diodes, solar cells, and touch screens. In this paper, crystalline nano-sized ITO dendrites are obtained using an electron-beam evaporation technique. The surface morphology of the obtained ITO was studied for substrate temperatures of 25°C, 130°C, 180°C, and 300°C. Nano-sized crystalline dendrites were synthesized only at a substrate temperature of 300°C. The dendrites had a cubic structure, confirmed by the results of x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The growth mechanism of the nano-crystalline dendrites could be explained by a vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth model. The catalysts of the VLS process were indium and tin droplets, confirmed by varying the substrate temperature, which further influenced the nucleation of the ITO dendrites.

  9. Effects of a base coating used for electropolymerization of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) on indium tin oxide electrode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, X.J.; Wong, K.Y.

    2006-01-01

    Electropolymerization of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) films on indium tin oxide (ITO), using a very thin PEDOT:poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) film as a base coating, was carried out in a non-aqueous solution containing the monomer, an electrolyte and propylene carbonate by a two-electrode system. For comparison, PEDOT film electrodeposited on bare ITO substrate under the same condition was also presented. The PEDOT films deposited on these two substrates were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy disperse X-ray spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The results indicate that the PEDOT film electrodeposited on bare ITO was not uniform, while the PEDOT film electrodeposited on PEDOT:PSS/ITO has better uniformity. The compositions of the different regions of PEDOT film electrodeposited on bare ITO and PEDOT:PSS/ITO were studied and discussed. Electrochromic devices (ECDs) based on PEDOT films electrodeposited on bare ITO and PEDOT:PSS/ITO were fabricated and characterized by UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometric study. The results show that the display contrast of the ECD based on PEDOT film electrodeposited on PEDOT:PSS/ITO was improved over that on a bare ITO substrate

  10. Photoinduced conductivity in tin dioxide thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muraoka, Y.; Takubo, N.; Hiroi, Z.

    2009-01-01

    The effects of ultraviolet light irradiation on the conducting properties of SnO 2-x thin films grown epitaxially on TiO 2 or Al 2 O 3 single-crystal substrates are studied at room temperature. A large increase in conductivity by two to four orders of magnitude is observed with light irradiation in an inert atmosphere and remains after the light is removed. The high-conducting state reverts to the original low-conducting state by exposing it to oxygen gas. These reversible phenomena are ascribed to the desorption and adsorption of negatively charged oxygen species at the grain boundaries, which critically change the mobility of electron carriers already present inside grains by changing the potential barrier height at the grain boundary. The UV light irradiation provides us with an easy and useful route to achieve a high-conducting state even at low carrier density in transparent conducting oxides and also to draw an invisible conducting wire or a specific pattern on an insulating film.

  11. Inverted bulk-heterojunction organic solar cell using chemical bath deposited titanium oxide as electron collection layer

    OpenAIRE

    Kuwabara, Takayuki; Sugiyama, Hirokazu; Kuzuba, Mitsuhiro  ; Yamaguchi, Takahiro; Takahashi, Kohshin

    2010-01-01

    Chemical bath deposited titanium oxide (TiOx ) as an electron collection layer is introduced between the organic layer and the indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode for improving the performance of inverted bulk-heterojunction organic thin film solar cells with 1 cm2 active area, where regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) were mainly used as the photo-active layer. The uniform and thin TiOx film was easily prepared onto the ITO electrode ...

  12. Metallic and Ceramic Thin Film Thermocouples for Gas Turbine Engines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Otto J. Gregory

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Temperatures of hot section components in today’s gas turbine engines reach as high as 1,500 °C, making in situ monitoring of the severe temperature gradients within the engine rather difficult. Therefore, there is a need to develop instrumentation (i.e., thermocouples and strain gauges for these turbine engines that can survive these harsh environments. Refractory metal and ceramic thin film thermocouples are well suited for this task since they have excellent chemical and electrical stability at high temperatures in oxidizing atmospheres, they are compatible with thermal barrier coatings commonly employed in today’s engines, they have greater sensitivity than conventional wire thermocouples, and they are non-invasive to combustion aerodynamics in the engine. Thin film thermocouples based on platinum:palladium and indium oxynitride:indium tin oxynitride as well as their oxide counterparts have been developed for this purpose and have proven to be more stable than conventional type-S and type-K thin film thermocouples. The metallic and ceramic thin film thermocouples described within this paper exhibited remarkable stability and drift rates similar to bulk (wire thermocouples.

  13. Characterization of low-temperature microwave loss of thin aluminum oxide formed by plasma oxidation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Deng, Chunqing, E-mail: cdeng@uwaterloo.ca; Otto, M.; Lupascu, A., E-mail: alupascu@uwaterloo.ca [Institute for Quantum Computing, Department of Physics and Astronomy, and Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 (Canada)

    2014-01-27

    We report on the characterization of microwave loss of thin aluminum oxide films at low temperatures using superconducting lumped resonators. The oxide films are fabricated using plasma oxidation of aluminum and have a thickness of 5 nm. We measure the dielectric loss versus microwave power for resonators with frequencies in the GHz range at temperatures from 54 to 303 mK. The power and temperature dependence of the loss are consistent with the tunneling two-level system theory. These results are relevant to understanding decoherence in superconducting quantum devices. The obtained oxide films are thin and robust, making them suitable for capacitors in compact microwave resonators.

  14. Indium tin oxide refractometer in the visible and near infrared via lossy mode and surface plasmon resonances with Kretschmann configuration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Torres, V.; Beruete, M.; Sánchez, P.; Del Villar, I.

    2016-01-01

    An indium tin oxide (ITO) refractometer based on the generation of lossy mode resonances (LMRs) and surface plasmon resonances (SPRs) is presented. Both LMRs and SPRs are excited, in a single setup, under grazing angle incidence with Kretschmann configuration in an ITO thin-film deposited on a glass slide. The sensing capabilities of the device are demonstrated using several solutions of glycerin and water with refractive indices ranging from 1.33 to 1.47. LMRs are excited in the visible range, from 617 nm to 682 nm under TE polarization and from 533 nm to 637 nm under TM polarization, with a maximum sensitivity of 700 nm/RIU and 1200 nm/RIU, respectively. For the SPRs, a sensing range between 1375 nm and 2494 nm with a maximum sensitivity of 8300 nm/RIU is measured under TM polarization. Experimental results are supported with numerical simulations based on a modification of the plane-wave method for a one-dimensional multilayer waveguide

  15. Indium tin oxide refractometer in the visible and near infrared via lossy mode and surface plasmon resonances with Kretschmann configuration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Torres, V. [Antenna Group–TERALAB, Public University of Navarra, 31006 Pamplona (Spain); Beruete, M. [Antenna Group–TERALAB, Public University of Navarra, 31006 Pamplona (Spain); Institute of Smart Cities, Public University of Navarra, 31006 Pamplona (Spain); Sánchez, P. [Department of Electric and Electronic Engineering, Public University of Navarra, Pamplona 31006 (Spain); Del Villar, I. [Institute of Smart Cities, Public University of Navarra, 31006 Pamplona (Spain); Department of Electric and Electronic Engineering, Public University of Navarra, Pamplona 31006 (Spain)

    2016-01-25

    An indium tin oxide (ITO) refractometer based on the generation of lossy mode resonances (LMRs) and surface plasmon resonances (SPRs) is presented. Both LMRs and SPRs are excited, in a single setup, under grazing angle incidence with Kretschmann configuration in an ITO thin-film deposited on a glass slide. The sensing capabilities of the device are demonstrated using several solutions of glycerin and water with refractive indices ranging from 1.33 to 1.47. LMRs are excited in the visible range, from 617 nm to 682 nm under TE polarization and from 533 nm to 637 nm under TM polarization, with a maximum sensitivity of 700 nm/RIU and 1200 nm/RIU, respectively. For the SPRs, a sensing range between 1375 nm and 2494 nm with a maximum sensitivity of 8300 nm/RIU is measured under TM polarization. Experimental results are supported with numerical simulations based on a modification of the plane-wave method for a one-dimensional multilayer waveguide.

  16. Ethylene Gas Sensing Properties of Tin Oxide Nanowires Synthesized via CVD Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akhir, Maisara A. M.; Mohamed, Khairudin; Rezan, Sheikh A.; Arafat, M. M.; Haseeb, A. S. M. A.; Uda, M. N. A.; Nuradibah, M. A.

    2018-03-01

    This paper studies ethylene gas sensing performance of tin oxide (SnO2) nanowires (NWs) as sensing material synthesized using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique. The effect of NWs diameter on ethylene gas sensing characteristics were investigated. SnO2 NWs with diameter of ∼40 and ∼240 nm were deposited onto the alumina substrate with printed gold electrodes and tested for sensing characteristic toward ethylene gas. From the finding, the smallest diameter of NWs (42 nm) exhibit fast response and recovery time and higher sensitivity compared to largest diameter of NWs (∼240 nm). Both sensor show good reversibility features for ethylene gas sensor.

  17. Multi - pulse tea CO2 laser beam interaction with the TiN thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gakovic, B.; Trtica, M.; Nenadovic, T.; Pavlicevic, B.

    1998-01-01

    The interaction of various types of energetic beams including a laser beam with the high-hardness coatings is of great fundamental and technological interest. The Nd:YAG, excimer and CO 2 are frequently used laser beams for this purpose. The interaction of a laser beam with low thickness coatings, deposited on austenitic stainless steel, is insufficiently known in the literature. Titanium nitride (TiN) possess the excellent physico-chemical characteristics. For this reason TiN films/coatings are widely used. The purpose of this article is a consideration of the effect of TEA C0 2 laser radiation on the TiN film deposited on austenitic stainless steel substrate (AISI 316). Investigation of TiN morphological changes, after multipulse laser irradiation, shown dependence on laser fluence, number of laser pulses and the laser pulse shape. Subsequently fast heating and cooling during multi-pulse laser bombardment cause the grain growth of TiN layer. Both laser pulses (pulses with tail and tail-free pulses) produced periodical wave like structure on polished substrate material. Periodicity is observed also on AISI 316 protected with TiN layer, but only with laser pulse with tail. (author)

  18. Study on Optoelectronic Characteristics of Sn-Doped ZnO Thin Films on Poly(ethylene terephthalate) and Indium Tin Oxide/Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Flexible Substrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Chi-Hwa; Chen, Mi; Chiou, Chin-Lung; Liu, Xing-Yang; Weng, Lin-Song; Koo, Horng-Show

    2013-05-01

    Transparent conductive oxides of Sn-doped ZnO (SZO) films with doping weight ratios of 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0 wt % have been deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO)/poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and PET flexible substrates at room temperature by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Resultant films of SZO on ITO/PET and PET flexible substrates are amorphous in phase. It is found that undoped and SZO films on ITO/PET is anomalously better than films on PET in optical transmittance in the range of longer wavelength, possibly due to the refraction index difference between SZO, ITO films, and PET substrates, Burstein-Moss effect and optical interference of SZO/ITO bilayer films and substrate materials, and furthermore resulting in the decrement of reflection. The lowest electrical resistivity (ρ) of 4.0 wt % SZO films on flexible substrates of PET and ITO/PET are 3.8×10-2 and ρ= 1.2×10-2 Ω.cm, respectively. It is found that electrical and optical properties of the resultant films are greatly dependent on various amount of Sn element doping effect and substrate material characteristics.

  19. Device quality InOx:Sn and InOx thin films deposited at room temperature with different rf-power densities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amaral, A.; Brogueira, P.; Conde, O.; Lavareda, G.; Nunes de Carvalho, C.

    2012-01-01

    The influence of tin doping on the electrical, optical, structural and morphological properties of indium oxide films produced by radio-frequency plasma enhanced reactive thermal evaporation is studied, as transport properties are expected to improve with doping. Undoped and tin doped indium oxide thin films are deposited at room temperature using both pure In rods and (95–80) % In:(5–20) % Sn alloys as evaporation sources and 19.5 mW/cm 2 and 58.6 mW/cm 2 as rf-power densities. The two most important macroscopic properties – visible transparency and electrical resistivity – are relatively independent of tin content (0–20%). Visible transmittance of about 75% and electrical resistivity around 5 × 10 −4 Ω·cm can be observed in the films. The structural features are similar for all samples. Nevertheless, the surface morphology characterization shows that the homogeneity of the films varies according to the tin content. Moreover this variation is a balance between the rf-power and the tin content in the alloy: i) films with small and compact grains are produced at 58.6 mW/cm 2 from a 5% Sn alloy or at 19.5 mW/cm 2 from a 15% Sn alloy and consequently, smooth surfaces with reduced roughness and similar grain size and shape are obtained; ii) films showing the presence of aggregates randomly distributed above a tissue formed of thinner grains and higher roughness are produced at the other deposition conditions. - Highlights: ► InO x :Sn and InO x thin films were deposited at room temperature. ► Transparency and electrical resistivity are relatively independent of Sn content. ► Device quality material was obtained. ► The surface morphology homogeneity of the films varies with tin content.

  20. Enhanced diode characteristics of organic solar cell with silanized fluorine doped tin oxide electrode

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sachdeva, Sheenam; Sharma, Sameeksha; Singh, Devinder; Tripathi, S. K.

    2018-05-01

    To investigate the diode characteristics of organic solar cell based on the planar heterojunction of 4,4'- cyclohexylidenebis[N,N-bis(4-methylphenyl)benzenamine] (TAPC) and fullerene (C70), we report the use of silanized fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) anode with N1-(3-trimethoxysilylpropyl)diethyltriamine (DETA) forming monolayer. The use of silanized FTO results in the decrease of saturation current density and diode ideality factor of the device. Such silanized FTO anode is found to enhance the material quality and improve the device properties.

  1. Oxidation of Hydrocarbons on the Surface of Tin Dioxide Chemical Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Izabela Polowczyk

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the results of our investigation on the effect of the molecular structure of organic vapors on the characteristics of resistive chemical gas sensors. The sensors were based on tin dioxide and prepared by means of thick film technology. The electrical and catalytic examinations showed that the abstraction of two hydrogen atoms from the organic molecule and formation of a water in result of reaction with a chemisorbed oxygen ion, determine the rate of oxidation reactions, and thus the sensor performance. The rate of the process depends on the order of carbon atoms and Lewis acidity of the molecule. Therefore, any modification of the surface centers of a sensor material, modifies not only the sensor sensitivity, but also its selectivity.

  2. Photoelectrochemical performance of Mn-TiO{sub 2} thin films mounted on FTO prepared by sol-gel spin coating

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, J.C.; Song, G.H. [National Central Univ., Taoyuan, Taiwan (China). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; Lu, C.W. [Jen-Teh Junior College, Hou- Lung, Taiwan (China). Dept. of Information Management; Tseng, C.J. [National Central Univ., Chung-Li, Taoyuan County, Taiwan (China). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; Cheng, K.W. [Chang Gung Univ., Tao-Yuan, Taiwan (China). Dept. of Chemical and Materials Engineering

    2009-07-01

    Tin oxide (TiO{sub 2}) sol-gels with Mn{sup 2+} molar ratios ranging from 0 to 0.1 per cent were used to form nano-structured Mn(x)Ti(1-x)O(2) thin films. A layer-by-layer spincoating (LLSC) technique was used, in which 10 very thin and uniform coating layers of Mn(x)Ti(1-x)O(2) were deposited on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass. Properties of the thin films were determined as a function of annealing temperature and molar ratio of the Mn{sup 2+} ions by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force microscopy (AFM) and photoelectrochemical (PEC) measurements. The PEC measurements were obtained in a dry-type three-electrode cell consisting of sample, platinized and reference Ag/AgCl electrodes. The results revealed that the Mn(x)Ti(1-x)O(2) thin films have better structure and electrochemical characteristics when the annealing temperature is 550 degrees C. The TiO{sub 2} thin films with Mn{sup 2+} ions also had higher photocurrent than undoped TiO{sub 2}. The optimum Mn{sup 2+} loading in this study was found to be 0.1 ml per cent. The maximum photocurrent of Mn(0.1)Ti(0.9)O(2) thin films is about 0.68 mA/cm2 when the bias potential is 0.8 V (vs.Ag/AgCl).

  3. Indium tin oxide surface smoothing by gas cluster ion beam

    CERN Document Server

    Song, J H; Choi, W K

    2002-01-01

    CO sub 2 cluster ions are irradiated at the acceleration voltage of 25 kV to remove hillocks on indium tin oxide (ITO) surfaces and thus to attain highly smooth surfaces. CO sub 2 monomer ions are also bombarded on the ITO surfaces at the same acceleration voltage to compare sputtering phenomena. From the atomic force microscope results, the irradiation of monomer ions makes the hillocks sharper and the surfaces rougher from 1.31 to 1.6 nm in roughness. On the other hand, the irradiation of CO sub 2 cluster ions reduces the height of hillocks and planarize the ITO surfaces as smooth as 0.92 nm in roughness. This discrepancy could be explained by large lateral sputtering yield of the cluster ions and re-deposition of sputtered particles by the impact of the cluster ions on surfaces.

  4. Valence control of cobalt oxide thin films by annealing atmosphere

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang Shijing [School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, No. 30 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100083 (China); Zhang Boping, E-mail: bpzhang@ustb.edu.cn [School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, No. 30 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100083 (China); Zhao Cuihua; Li Songjie; Zhang Meixia; Yan Liping [School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, No. 30 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100083 (China)

    2011-02-01

    The cobalt oxide (CoO and Co{sub 3}O{sub 4}) thin films were successfully prepared using a spin-coating technique by a chemical solution method with CH{sub 3}OCH{sub 2}CH{sub 2}OH and Co(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}.6H{sub 2}O as starting materials. The grayish cobalt oxide films had uniform crystalline grains with less than 50 nm in diameter. The phase structure is able to tailor by controlling the annealing atmosphere and temperature, in which Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} thin film was obtained by annealing in air at 300-600, and N{sub 2} at 300, and transferred to CoO thin film by raising annealing temperature in N{sub 2}. The fitted X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra of the Co2p electrons are distinguishable from different valence states of cobalt oxide especially for their satellite structure. The valence control of cobalt oxide thin films by annealing atmosphere contributes to the tailored optical absorption property.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    1994-01-01

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

  6. Fundamental electrochemiluminescence characteristics of fluorine-doped tin oxides synthesized by sol-gel combustion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moon, B H; Chaoumead, A; Sung, Y M

    2013-10-01

    Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) materials synthesized by sol-gel combustion method were investigated for electrochemical luminescence (ECL) application. Effects of sol-gel combustion conditions on the structures and morphology of the porous FTO (p-FTO) materials were studied. ECL efficiency of p-FTO-based cell was about 251 cd/m2 at 4 V bias, which is higher than the sell using only FTO electrodes (102.8 cd/m2). The highest intensity of the emitting light was obtained at the wavelength of about 610 nm. The porous FTO layer was effective for increasing ECL intensities.

  7. Low Reflectivity and High Flexibility of Tin-Doped Indium Oxide Nanofiber Transparent Electrodes

    KAUST Repository

    Wu, Hui

    2011-01-12

    Tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) has found widespread use in solar cells, displays, and touch screens as a transparent electrode; however, two major problems with ITO remain: high reflectivity (up to 10%) and insufficient flexibility. Together, these problems severely limit the applications of ITO films for future optoelectronic devices. In this communication, we report the fabrication of ITO nanofiber network transparent electrodes. The nanofiber networks show optical reflectivity as low as 5% and high flexibility; the nanofiber networks can be bent to a radius of 2 mm with negligible changes in the sheet resistance. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

  8. Tin-oxide-coated single-walled carbon nanotube bundles supporting platinum electrocatalysts for direct ethanol fuel cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hsu, Ryan S; Higgins, Drew; Chen Zhongwei

    2010-01-01

    Novel tin-oxide (SnO 2 )-coated single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) bundles supporting platinum (Pt) electrocatalysts for ethanol oxidation were developed for direct ethanol fuel cells. SnO 2 -coated SWNT (SnO 2 -SWNT) bundles were synthesized by a simple chemical-solution route. SnO 2 -SWNT bundles supporting Pt (Pt/SnO 2 -SWNTs) electrocatalysts and SWNT-supported Pt (Pt/SWNT) electrocatalysts were prepared by an ethylene glycol reduction method. The catalysts were physically characterized using TGA, XRD and TEM and electrochemically evaluated through cyclic voltammetry experiments. The Pt/SnO 2 -SWNTs showed greatly enhanced electrocatalytic activity for ethanol oxidation in acid medium, compared to the Pt/SWNT. The optimal SnO 2 loading of Pt/SnO 2 -SWNT catalysts with respect to specific catalytic activity for ethanol oxidation was also investigated.

  9. Tin-oxide-coated single-walled carbon nanotube bundles supporting platinum electrocatalysts for direct ethanol fuel cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Ryan S; Higgins, Drew; Chen, Zhongwei

    2010-04-23

    Novel tin-oxide (SnO(2))-coated single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) bundles supporting platinum (Pt) electrocatalysts for ethanol oxidation were developed for direct ethanol fuel cells. SnO(2)-coated SWNT (SnO(2)-SWNT) bundles were synthesized by a simple chemical-solution route. SnO(2)-SWNT bundles supporting Pt (Pt/SnO(2)-SWNTs) electrocatalysts and SWNT-supported Pt (Pt/SWNT) electrocatalysts were prepared by an ethylene glycol reduction method. The catalysts were physically characterized using TGA, XRD and TEM and electrochemically evaluated through cyclic voltammetry experiments. The Pt/SnO(2)-SWNTs showed greatly enhanced electrocatalytic activity for ethanol oxidation in acid medium, compared to the Pt/SWNT. The optimal SnO(2) loading of Pt/SnO(2)-SWNT catalysts with respect to specific catalytic activity for ethanol oxidation was also investigated.

  10. Fabrication of flexible polymer dispersed liquid crystal films using conducting polymer thin films as the driving electrodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Yang-Bae; Park, Sucheol; Hong, Jin-Who

    2009-01-01

    Conducting polymers exhibit good mechanical and interfacial compatibility with plastic substrates. We prepared an optimized coating formulation based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl acrylate and fabricated a transparent electrode on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate. The surface resistances and transmittance of the prepared thin films were 500-600 Ω/□ and 87% at 500 nm, respectively. To evaluate the performance of the conducting polymer electrode, we fabricated a five-layer flexible polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) device as a PET-PEDOT-PDLC-PEDOT-PET flexible film. The prepared PDLC device exhibited a low driving voltage (15 VAC), high contrast ratio (60:1), and high transmittance in the ON state (60%), characteristics that are comparable with those of conventional PDLC film based on indium tin oxide electrodes. The fabrication of conducting polymer thin films as the driving electrodes in this study showed that such films can be used as a substitute for an indium tin oxide electrode, which further enhances the flexibility of PDLC film

  11. Amorphous semiconducting and conducting transparent metal oxide thin films and production thereof

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perkins, John; Van Hest, Marinus Franciscus Antonius Maria; Ginley, David; Taylor, Matthew; Neuman, George A.; Luten, Henry A.; Forgette, Jeffrey A.; Anderson, John S.

    2010-07-13

    Metal oxide thin films and production thereof are disclosed. An exemplary method of producing a metal oxide thin film may comprise introducing at least two metallic elements and oxygen into a process chamber to form a metal oxide. The method may also comprise depositing the metal oxide on a substrate in the process chamber. The method may also comprise simultaneously controlling a ratio of the at least two metallic elements and a stoichiometry of the oxygen during deposition. Exemplary amorphous metal oxide thin films produced according to the methods herein may exhibit highly transparent properties, highly conductive properties, and/or other opto-electronic properties.

  12. Investigations of electrical and optical properties of functional TCO thin films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Domaradzki Jarosław

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Transparent conducting oxide (TCO films of indium-tin-oxide were evaporated on the surface of silicon wafers after phosphorous diffusion and on the reference glass substrates. The influence of deposition process parameters (electron beam current, oxygen flow and the substrate temperature on optical and electrical properties of evaporated thin films were investigated by means of resistivity measurements and optical spectrophotometry. The performance of prepared thin films was judged by calculated figure of merit and the best result was obtained for the sample deposited on the substrate heated to the 100 °C and then removed from the deposition chamber and annealed in an air for 5 minutes at 400 °C. Refractive index and extinction coefficient were evaluated based on measured transmission spectra and used for designing of antireflection coating for solar cell. The obtained results showed that prepared TCO thin films are promising as a part of counter electrode in crystalline silicon solar cell construction.

  13. Laser deposition of SnO2 thin films by continuous CO2 laser and their characterizations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kayed, K.; Awad, F.; Saiof, F.

    2003-01-01

    There are wide uses of tin oxide thin films, especially in the field of transparent conductors, solar cells, gas sensors and piezoelectric materials. Laser deposition is considered one of the most important techniques followed to obtain these films. In this research, we developed a technique to obtain homogeneous thin films of tin oxide depending on vaporization of pile targets of this oxide by continuous CO 2 laser in the atmosphere, with a fan which guarantees obtaining homogenous films. Some of these films were annealed in different conditions. The optical microscope images revealed the presence of high degree of homogeneity, while the x-ray study showed different crystallization grain orientations which depend on the preparation conditions. The preferred direction is (110). The optical absorption gives information about the value of the effective band gal for the samples before and after thermal annealing. We have found that some films E g =3.2 eV before annealing, and after long annealing they have E g =1.3 eV. In addition, the hard annealed thin films reveal anisotropy in the optical and electrical characteristics, they have different absorption coefficients in two perpendicular directions, also there is an electrical resistance anisotropy along these two directions especially after hard annealing. The E b was 0.73 eV before annealing, it became 0.37 eV for one direction and 0.32 eV for the other direction. (Authors)

  14. TRANSPARENT CONDUCTING OXIDE SYNTHESIS OF ALUMINIUM DOPED ZINC OXIDES BY CHEMICAL COPRECIPITATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvia Maioco

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Aluminium doped zinc oxides (AZO are promising replacements for tin doped indium oxides (ITO but thin films show a wide range of physical properties strongly dependent on deposition process conditions. Submicrometric 1% aluminum doped zinc oxide ceramics (AZO are examined, prepared by coprecipitation, from Zn(NO32 and Al(NO33 aqueous solutions, sintered at 1200°C and subsequently annealed in 10-16 atm controlled oxygen fugacity atmospheres, at 1000°C. Electrical resistivity diminishes by two orders of magnitude after two hours of annealing and the Seebeck coefficient gradually changes from -140 to -50 µV/K within 8 h. It is concluded that increased mobility is dominant over the increased carrier density, induced by changes in metal-oxygen stoichiometry

  15. Ion beam-based characterization of multicomponent oxide thin films and thin film layered structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krauss, A.R.; Rangaswamy, M.; Lin, Yuping; Gruen, D.M.; Schultz, J.A.; Schmidt, H.K.; Chang, R.P.H.

    1992-01-01

    Fabrication of thin film layered structures of multi-component materials such as high temperature superconductors, ferroelectric and electro-optic materials, and alloy semiconductors, and the development of hybrid materials requires understanding of film growth and interface properties. For High Temperature Superconductors, the superconducting coherence length is extremely short (5--15 Angstrom), and fabrication of reliable devices will require control of film properties at extremely sharp interfaces; it will be necessary to verify the integrity of thin layers and layered structure devices over thicknesses comparable to the atomic layer spacing. Analytical techniques which probe the first 1--2 atomic layers are therefore necessary for in-situ characterization of relevant thin film growth processes. However, most surface-analytical techniques are sensitive to a region within 10--40 Angstrom of the surface and are physically incompatible with thin film deposition and are typically restricted to ultra high vacuum conditions. A review of ion beam-based analytical methods for the characterization of thin film and multi-layered thin film structures incorporating layers of multicomponent oxides is presented. Particular attention will be paid to the use of time-of-flight techniques based on the use of 1- 15 key ion beams which show potential for use as nondestructive, real-time, in-situ surface diagnostics for the growth of multicomponent metal and metal oxide thin films

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2009-01-01

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

  17. Surface passivation function of indium-tin-oxide-based nanorod structural sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, Tzu-Shun; Lee, Ching-Ting; Lee, Hisn-Ying; Lin, Chih-Chien

    2012-01-01

    Employing self-shadowing traits of an oblique-angle electron-beam deposition system, various indium tin oxide (ITO) nanorod arrays were deposited on a silicon substrate and used as extended-gate field-effect-transistor (EGFET) pH sensors. The length and morphology of the deposited ITO nanorod arrays could be changed and controlled under different deposition conditions. The ITO nanorod structural EGFET pH sensors exhibited high sensing performances owing to the larger sensing surface area. The sensitivity of the pH sensors with 150-nm-length ITO nanorod arrays was 53.96 mV/pH. By using the photoelectrochemical treatment of the ITO nanorod arrays, the sensitivity of the pH sensors with 150-nm-length passivated ITO nanorod arrays was improved to 57.21 mV/pH.

  18. High quality aluminium doped zinc oxide target synthesis from nanoparticulate powder and characterisation of sputtered thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Isherwood, P.J.M., E-mail: P.J.M.Isherwood@lboro.ac.uk [Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3TU (United Kingdom); Neves, N. [Innovnano, S. A., Rua Coimbra Inovação Parque, IParque Lote 13, 3040-570 Antanhol, Coimbra (Portugal); Bowers, J.W. [Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3TU (United Kingdom); Newbatt, P. [Innovnano, S. A., Rua Coimbra Inovação Parque, IParque Lote 13, 3040-570 Antanhol, Coimbra (Portugal); Walls, J.M. [Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3TU (United Kingdom)

    2014-09-01

    Nanoparticulate aluminium-doped zinc oxide powder was synthesised through detonation and subsequent rapid quenching of metallic precursors. This technique allows for precise compositional control and rapid nanoparticle production. The resulting powder was used to form sputter targets, which were used to deposit thin films by radio frequency sputtering. These films show excellent sheet resistance and transmission values for a wide range of deposition temperatures. Crystal structure analysis shows that crystals in the target have a random orientation, whereas the crystals in the films grow perpendicular to the substrate surface and propagate preferentially along the (002) axis. Higher temperature deposition reduces crystal quality with a corresponding decrease in refractive index and an increase in sheet resistance. Films deposited between room temperature and 300 °C were found to have sheet resistances equivalent to or better than indium tin oxide films for a given average transmission value. - Highlights: • Nanoparticulate AZO powder was used to produce sputter targets. • The powder synthesis technique allows for precise compositional control. • Sputtered films show excellent optical, electronic and structural properties. • High temperature films show reduced electrical and structural quality. • For a given transmission, films show equivalent sheet resistances to ITO.

  19. Cadmium-manganese oxide composite thin films: Synthesis, characterization and photoelectrochemical properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mansoor, M.A. [Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603 (Malaysia); Low Dimensional Materials Research Centre, Department of Physics, University of Malaya, Faculty of Science, Kuala Lumpur 50603 (Malaysia); Ebadi, M. [Solar Energy Research Institute, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor (Malaysia); Mazhar, M., E-mail: mazhar42pk@yahoo.com [Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603 (Malaysia); Huang, N.M. [Low Dimensional Materials Research Centre, Department of Physics, University of Malaya, Faculty of Science, Kuala Lumpur 50603 (Malaysia); Mun, L.K.; Misran, M. [Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603 (Malaysia); Basirun, W.J. [Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603 (Malaysia); Institute of Nanotechnology and Catalysis (NanoCat), University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603 (Malaysia)

    2017-01-15

    Ceramic composite CdO–Mn{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films have been deposited on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrates by aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD) using a 1:1 mixture of cadmium complex, [Cd(dmae){sub 2}(OAc){sub 2}]·H{sub 2}O (1) (where dmae = 2-dimethylaminoethanolato and OAc = acetato), and diacetatomanganese (II). The phase purity, stoichiometry and thickness of the films were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infra-red (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), UV–Vis spectroscopy and profilometer. The FEG-SEM analysis illustrated that the morphology of the fabricated films was influenced by the type of solvent. The optical direct band gap of the film fabricated from THF solution was 1.95 eV. From the current–voltage characteristics it is evident that the CdO–Mn{sub 2}O{sub 3} composite semiconductor electrode exhibits n-type behaviour and the photocurrent density was found to be dependent on the deposition medium. The film deposited from THF solution displayed maximum photocurrent density of 4.80 mA cm{sup −2} at 0.65 V vs. Ag/AgCl/3 M KCl (∼1.23 V vs. RHE) in 0.5 M NaOH electrolyte. - Highlights: • Single crystal X-ray structure of [Cd(dmae){sub 2}(OAc){sub 2}]·H{sub 2}O (1). • CdO-Mn{sub 2}O{sub 3} composite photoanode thin films. • Optical band gap of CdO-Mn{sub 2}O{sub 3} photoanode. • Photoelectrochemical and EIS studies.

  20. An oxidation-resistant indium tin oxide catalyst support for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chhina, H.; Campbell, S. [Ballard Power Systems Inc., 9000 Glenlyon Parkway, Burnaby, BC V5J 5J8 (Canada); Kesler, O. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4 (Canada)

    2006-10-27

    The oxidation of carbon catalyst supports causes degradation in catalyst performance in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Indium tin oxide (ITO) is considered as a candidate for an alternative catalyst support. The electrochemical stability of ITO was studied by use of a rotating disk electrode (RDE). Oxidation cycles between +0.6 and +1.8V were applied to ITO supporting a Pt catalyst. Cyclic voltammograms (CVs) both before and after the oxidation cycles were obtained for Pt on ITO, Hispec 4000 (a commercially available catalyst), and 40wt.% Pt dispersed in-house on Vulcan XC-72R. Pt on ITO showed significantly better electrochemical stability, as determined by the relative change in electrochemically active surface area after cycling. Hydrogen desorption peaks in the CVs existed even after 100 cycles from 0.6 to 1.8V for Pt on ITO. On the other hand, most of the active surface area was lost after 100 cycles of the Hispec 4000 catalyst. The 40wt.% Pt on Vulcan made in-house also lost most of its active area after only 50 cycles. Pt on ITO was significantly more electrochemically stable than both Hispec 4000 and Pt on Vulcan XC-72R. In this study, it was found that the Pt on ITO had average crystallite sizes of 13nm for Pt and 38nm for ITO. Pt on ITO showed extremely high thermal stability, with only {approx}1wt.% loss of material for ITO versus {approx}57wt.% for Hispec 4000 on heating to 1000{sup o}C. The TEM data show Pt clusters dispersed on small crystalline ITO particles. The SEM data show octahedral shaped ITO particles supporting Pt. (author)