Showing papers on "Thin film published in 1996"

A ferroelectric transparent thin‐film transistor

Abstract: Operation is demonstrated of a field‐effect transistor made of transparant oxidic thin films, showing an intrinsic memory function due to the usage of a ferroelectric insulator. The device consists of a high mobility Sb‐doped n‐type SnO2 semiconductor layer, PbZr0.2Ti0.8O3 as a ferroelectric insulator, and SrRuO3 as a gate electrode, each layer prepared by pulsed laser deposition. The hysteresis behavior of the channel conductance is studied. Using gate voltage pulses of 100 μs duration and a pulse height of ±3 V, a change of a factor of two in the remnant conductance is achieved. The dependence of the conductance on the polarity of the gate pulse proves that the memory effect is driven by the ferroelectric polarization. The influence of charge trapping is also observed and discussed.

Organic field‐effect transistors with high mobility based on copper phthalocyanine

Abstract: Organic field‐effect transistors that employ copper phthalocyanine (Cu–Pc) as the semiconducting layer can function as p‐channel accumulation‐mode devices. The charge carrier mobility of such devices is strongly dependent on the morphology of the semiconducting thin film. When the substrate temperature for deposition of Cu–Pc is 125 °C, a mobility of 0.02 cm2/V s and on/off ratio of 4×105 can be obtained. These features along with the highly stable chemical nature of Cu–Pc make it an attractive candidate for device applications.

Molecular beam deposited thin films of pentacene for organic field effect transistor applications

Abstract: Pentacene films deposited with molecular beam deposition have been fabricated and characterized with respect to structure and morphology using x‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Metal‐insulator semiconductor field‐effect transistor devices based on such films were used to study their transport properties. A maximum field‐effect mobility of 0.038 cm−2 V−1 s−1 is reported for devices incorporating pentacene films deposited at room temperature. The structural characterization revealed the coexistence of two phases: the thermodynamically stable single‐crystal phase and the kinetically favored, metastable thin‐film phase. Such mixed phase films were produced when low deposition rates were used in combination with a substrate temperature of 55 °C. Mixed phase films had transport properties inferior to films consisting solely of one phase, while amorphous films deposited at low surface mobility conditions had extremely low conductivity. Use of prepurified pentacene as source material resulted in...

Langmuir-Blodgett Films: An Introduction

Abstract: 1. The bulk phases of matter 2. Monolayers: two-dimensional phases 3. Film deposition 4. Monolayer materials 5. Langmuir-Blodgett film structure 6. Electrical phenomena 7. Optical properties Appendices Materials index Subject index.

Work function of indium tin oxide transparent conductor measured by photoelectron spectroscopy

Abstract: We used ultraviolet and x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and (UPS) techniques to directly measure absolute values of vacuum work function of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films. We obtained a work function of 4.4–4.5 eV which is lower than the commonly cited value. These values do not change substantially by heating and Ar ion sputtering. The atomic concentrations of each element in ITO, measured with XPS, are also quite stable under heat treatment and ion sputtering.

Influence of postdeposition annealing on the structural and optical properties of sputtered zinc oxide film

Abstract: The influence of postdeposition annealing on the structural and optical properties of rf sputtered insulating zinc oxide films has been investigated. The as‐grown films deposited on quartz substrates were highly c‐axis oriented and in a state of stress. These films become almost stress free after a postdeposition annealing treatment at 673 K for 1 h in air. Above 673 K, a process of coalescence was observed which causes major grain growth resulting in microcrack formation and surface roughness. The refractive index shows a strong frequency dispersion below the interband absorption edge. The optical dispersion data have been fitted to (1) a single oscillator model and (2) the Pikhtin–Yas’kov model. The origin of optical dispersion at different annealing temperatures has been discussed in the light of these models. A packing density of more than 99% is estimated in the film annealed at 673 K, indicating that these films are almost void free.

Polymer Light-Emitting Electrochemical Cells: In Situ Formation of a Light-Emitting p-n Junction.

Abstract: Solid-state polymer light-emitting electrochemical cells have been fabricated using thin films of blends of poly(1,4-phenylenevinylene) and poly(ethylene oxide) complexed with lithium trifluoromethanesulfonate. The cells contain three layers: the polymer film (as the emissive layer) and indium-tin oxide and aluminum films as the two contact electrodes. When externally biased, the conjugated polymers are p-doped and n-doped on opposite sides of the polymer layer, and a light-emitting p-n junction is formed in between. The admixed polymer electrolyte provides the counterions and the ionic conductivity necessary for doping. The p-n junction is dynamic and reversible, with an internal built-in potential close to the band gap of the redox-active conjugated polymer (2.4 eV for PPV). Green light emitted from the p-n junction was observed with a turn-on voltage of about 2.4 V. The devices reached 8 cd/m(2) at 3 V and 100 cd/m(2) at 4 V, with an external quantum efficiency of 0.3-0.4% photons/electron. The response speed of these cells was around 1 s, depending on the diffusion of ions. Once the light-emitting junction had been formed, the subsequent operation had fast response (microsecond scale or faster) and was no longer diffusion-controlled.

Synthesis of Novel Thin-Film Materials by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Abstract: Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is a conceptually and experimentally simple yet highly versatile tool for thin-film and multilayer research. Its advantages for the film growth of oxides and other chemically complex materials include stoichiometric transfer, growth from an energetic beam, reactive deposition, and inherent simplicity for the growth of multilayered structures. With the use of PLD, artificially layered materials and metastable phases have been created and their properties varied by control of the layer thicknesses. In situ monitoring techniques have provided information about the role of energetic species in the formation of ultrahard phases and in the doping of semiconductors. Cluster-assembled nanocrystalline and composite films offer opportunities to control and produce new combinations of properties with PLD.

Thin film shape memory alloy microactuators

Abstract: Thin film shape memory alloys (SMAs) have the potential to become a primary actuating mechanism for mechanical devices with dimensions in the micron-to-millimeter range requiring large forces over long displacements. The work output per volume of thin film SMA microactuators exceeds that of other microactuation mechanisms such as electrostatic, magnetic, thermal bimorph, piezoelectric, and thermopneumatic, and it is possible to achieve cycling frequencies on the order of 100 Hz due to the rapid heat transfer rates associated with thin film devices. In this paper, a quantitative comparison of several microactuation schemes is made, techniques for depositing and characterizing Ni-Ti-based shape memory films are evaluated, and micromachining and design issues for SMA microactuators are discussed. The substrate curvature method is used to investigate the thermo-mechanical properties of Ni-Ti-Cu SMA films, revealing recoverable stresses up to 510 MPa, transformation temperatures above 32/spl deg/C, and hysteresis widths between 5 and 13/spl deg/C. Fatigue data shows that for small strains, applied loads up to 350 MPa can be sustained for thousands of cycles. Two micromachined shape memory-actuated devices-a microgripper and microvalve-also are presented.

Mechanism of Optically Inscribed High-Efficiency Diffraction Gratings in Azo Polymer Films

Abstract: A series of amorphous azobenzene-containing polymers were cast as thin films and shown to produce both reversible volume diffraction gratings and high-efficiency surface gratings by laser irradiation at an absorbing wavelength. The latter process involves localized mass transport of the polymer chains to a high degree, as atomic force microscopy reveals surface profile depths near that of the original film thickness. A mechanism for this phenomenon is proposed which involves pressure gradients as a driving force, present due to different photochemical behaviors of the azo chromophores at different regions of the interference pattern. The phase addition of the two beams in the interference pattern leads to regions of high trans-cis-trans isomerization by the absorbing azo groups, bordered by regions of low isomerization. As the geometrical isomerization requires free volume in excess of that available in the cast films, the photochemical reaction in these areas produces a laser-induced internal pressure ab...

Colloidal chemical synthesis and characterization of InAs nanocrystal quantum dots

Abstract: InAs nanocrystal quantum dots have been prepared via colloidal chemical synthesis using the reaction of InCl3 and As[Si(CH3)3]3. Sizes ranging from 25 to 60 A in diameter are produced and isolated with size distributions of ±10%–15% in diameter. The nanocrystals are crystalline and generally spherical with surfaces passivated by trioctylphosphine giving them solubility in common organic solvents. The dots have been structurally characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and powder x‐ray diffraction (XRD) and the optical absorption and emission have been examined. Quantum confinement effects are evident with absorption onsets well to the blue of the bulk band gap and size dependent absorption and emission features. The emission is dominated by band edge luminescence. These quantum dots are particularly interesting as they provide an opportunity to make important comparisons with comparably sized InAs quantum dots synthesized by molecular beam epitaxy techniques.

Structure in Thin and Ultrathin Spin-Cast Polymer Films

Abstract: The molecular organization in ultrathin polymer films (thicknesses less than 1000 angstroms) and thin polymer films (thicknesses between 1000 and 10,000 angstroms) may differ substantially from that of bulk polymers, which can lead to important differences in resulting thermophysical properties. Such constrained geometry films have been fabricated from amorphous poly(3-methyl-4-hydroxy styrene) (PMHS) and semicrystalline poly(di-n-hexyl silane) (PD6S) by means of spin-casting. The residual solvent content is substantially greater in ultrathin PMHS films, which suggests a higher glass transition temperature that results from a stronger hydrogen-bonded network as compared with that in thicker films. Crystallization of PD6S is substantially hindered in ultrathin films, in which a critical thickness of 150 angstroms is needed for crystalline morphology to exist and in which the rate of crystallization is initially slow but increases rapidly as the film approaches 500 angstroms in thickness.

Synthesis of Luminescent Thin-Film CdSe/ZnSe Quantum Dot Composites Using CdSe Quantum Dots Passivated with an Overlayer of ZnSe

Abstract: Electronic and chemical passivation of CdSe nanocrystals (quantum dots) has been achieved with a thin ZnSe overlayer grown in solution from trioctylphosphine selenide and diethylzinc. Layered particles with a [ZnSe/CdSe] ratio ranging from 0 to ∼5.0 were prepared and characterized by optical absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and X-ray scattering. The overgrown particles were crystalline and displayed band-edge absorption and emission characteristic of the initial CdSe nuclei. Thin-film quantum dot composites incorporating bare and overcoated CdSe nanocrystals in a ZnSe matrix were synthesized by electrospray organometallic chemical vapor deposition (ES-OMCVD). The photoluminescence spectra of the composites with bare CdSe dots were dominated by broad deep-level emission and the photoluminescence yield deteriorated with increasing deposition temperature. In contrast, the composites incorporating the overcoated dots sho...

Pulsed laser deposition of thin films of (

Abstract: Manganites of the series , with x = 0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 and 1.0, have been characterized in ceramic form and thin films have been prepared by pulsed laser deposition. Characterization techniques included x-ray diffraction, conductivity and magnetoresistance, magnetization and susceptibility, optical spectroscopy and the Faraday effect. Both the films and ceramics exhibit a maximum low-temperature conductivity at which is coexistent with ferromagnetic order. The negative magnetoresistance effect is qualitatively different for the x = 0.3 and x = 0.5 compositions. For x = 0.3 the magnetoresistance peak occurs around the Curie point, whereas for x = 0.5 the onset of magnetoresistance is somewhat below and increases monotonically as . The applied field appears to modify the magnetic order (on the scale of the spin diffusion length) down to the lowest temperatures for x = 0.5, but for x = 0.3 the ferromagnetic order is essentially complete and collinear below the Curie point.

Chemical Solution Routes to Single-Crystal Thin Films

Abstract: Epitaxial thin films of inorganic single crystals can be grown on single-crystal substrates with a variety of different solution chemistries. This review emphasizes chemical solution deposition, in which a solution is used to deposit a layer of precursor molecules that decompose to low-density, polycrystalline films during heating. Ways to control film cracking during deposition and heat treatment and why many precursors synthesize metastable crystalline structures are discussed, and the different mechanisms that convert the polycrystalline film into a single crystal are reviewed. Hydrothermal epitaxy, in which single crystal thin films are directly synthesized on templating substrates in an aqueous solution at temperatures <150°C, is also discussed.

Magnetic thin films of cobalt nanocrystals encapsulated in graphite-like carbon

Abstract: A VARIETY of crystalline materials have now been encapsulated in nanometre-scale graphitic cages1–8 and tubules9–11. For magnetic materials, encapsulation should serve the dual role of protecting air-sensitive particles against degradation and reducing the magnetic coupling between individual particles, thus potentially opening the way for applications of these composite materials as ultra-high-density magnetic recording media12,13. But to realize this potential, the materials must be available in the form of thin, smooth films, with precise control of the size of the individual magnetic crystallites. Here we report the fabrication and characterization of magnetic thin films, consisting of cobalt nanocrystals encapsulated in graphite-like carbon cages, that meet these structural requirements.

Defect structure of metal‐organic chemical vapor deposition‐grown epitaxial (0001) GaN/Al2O3

Abstract: Defect structures were investigated by transmission electron microscopy for GaN/Al2O3 (0001) epilayers grown by metal‐organic chemical vapor deposition using a two‐step process. The defect structures, including threading dislocations, partial dislocation bounding stacking faults, and inversion domains, were analyzed by diffraction contrast, high‐resolution imaging, and convergent beam diffraction. GaN film growth was initiated at 600 °C with a nominal 20 nm nucleation layer. This was followed by high‐temperature growth at 1080 °C. The near‐interfacial region of the films consists of a mixture of cubic and hexagonal GaN, which is characterized by a high density of stacking faults bounded by Shockley and Frank partial dislocations. The near‐interfacial region shows a high density of inversion domains. Above ∼0.5 μm thickness, the film consists of isolated threading dislocations of either pure edge, mixed, or pure screw character with a total density of ∼7×108 cm−2. The threading dislocation reduction in the...

Sequential lateral solidification of thin silicon films on SiO2

Abstract: We report on a low‐temperature excimer‐laser‐crystallization process that produces a previously unattainable directionally solidified microstructure in thin Si films. The process involves (1) inducing complete melting of selected regions of the film via irradiation through a patterned mask, and (2) precisely controlled between‐pulse microtranslation of the sample with respect to the mask over a distance shorter than the single‐pulse lateral solidification distance, so that lateral growth can be extended over a number of iterative steps. Grains up to 200 μm in length were demonstrated; in principle, grains of unlimited length can be produced. We discuss how the technique can be extended to produce large single‐crystal regions on glass substrates.

Spatial distribution of the luminescence in GaN thin films

Abstract: The spatial dependence of the luminescence intensities at the band edge (364 nm) and at the ‘‘yellow’’ defect‐band (centered at 560 nm) regions for epitaxial GaN films have been studied using cathodoluminescence microscopy at room temperature. The films were grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on (0001) sapphire substrates and were not intentionally doped. Significant nonuniformities in the band‐to‐band and in the yellow band emissions were observed. Yellow luminescence in small crystallites appears to originate from extended defects inside the grains and at low‐angle grain boundaries. The size of band‐to‐band emission sites correlates with low‐angle grain sizes observed by transmission electron microscopy.

Oxygen diffusion barrier properties of transparent oxide coatings on polymeric substrates

Abstract: Gas diffusion properties of transparent thin film coatings have been under investigation by a number of workers for application in food and medical packaging. Work on the oxygen permeation properties of high barrier thin film coatings is reviewed, with emphasis on the coating thickness dependence of the oxygen permeation rate. Comparison of the coating thickness dependence of the oxygen permeation properties of evaporated, sputtered and plasma-deposited transparent oxide and organic coatings suggests that the reduction in permeation due to the coatings is limited by transport through coating defects (e.g. pinholes, grain boundaries or microcracks). The usefulness of such measurements as a probe of coating microstructure is assessed by reviewing structural and permeation investigations of metallized coatings on polymers.

Absorption enhancement in silicon‐on‐insulator waveguides using metal island films

Abstract: We report the degree to which the resonances associated with metal island films can be used to enhance the sensitivity of very thin semiconductor photodetectors. The island films can couple incident light into the waveguide modes of the detector, resulting in increased absorption. To characterize the coupling, silver‐, gold‐, and copper‐island layers were formed on the surface of a thin‐film photodetector fabricated in the 0.16 μm thick silicon layer of a silicon‐on‐insulator (SOI) wafer. The copper islands gave the best result, producing more than an order of magnitude enhancement in the photocurrent for light of wavelength 800 nm. The enhancements appear to be due primarily to coupling between the metal island resonances and the waveguide modes supported by the SOI structure.

Chemistry and electronic properties of metal-organic semiconductor interfaces: Al, Ti, In, Sn, Ag, and Au on PTCDA.

Abstract: The chemistry and electronic properties of interfaces formed between thin films of the archetype molecular organic semiconductor 3, 4, 9, 10 perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) and reactive and nonreactive metals are investigated via synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy. In, Al, Ti, and Sn react at room temperature with the anhydride group of the PTCDA molecule, producing heavily oxidized interface metal species and thick interfacial layers with a high density of states in the PTCDA band gap. The penetration of the reactive metal species in the PTCDA film is found to be inversely related to their first ionization energy. The noble metals Ag and Au form abrupt, unreacted interfaces. The chemical and structural results correlate well with the electrical properties of the interfaces that show Ohmic behavior with the reactive metal contacts and blocking characteristics with the noble metals. The Ohmic behavior of the reactive metal contacts is ascribed to carrier hopping and/or tunneling through the reaction-induced interface states. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.

On the measurement of thin liquid overlayers with the quartz-crystal microbalance

Abstract: We present a simple model that predicts the changes in resonance frequency and dissipation factor for a quartz-crystal microbalance (QCM) when it is coated with a viscous film that may or may not slip on the crystal. In this context, the validity of the Sauerbrey equation (change in resonance frequency α change in applied mass) is discussed. The Sauerbrey equation gives an accurate estimate of the film thickness, tf, only if (i) the film is thin compared to the shear-wave penetration depth, δ, into the liquid, i.e., tf ⪡ δ, and (ii) the film does not slide on the QCM electrode (s). We have shown that by measuring both the QCM resonance frequency and the dissipation factor simultaneously, the thickness range over which tf can be measured accurately can be extended to about 2δ for non-slipping films. If the film slips, which we have only observed for molecularly thin films, changes in dissipation factor can be used to calculate the coefficient of friction between the film and the substrate. We also show the usefulness of measuring the dissipation factor of the QCM when studying solid to liquid phase transitions.

Tailoring the dielectric properties of HfO2–Ta2O5 nanolaminates

Abstract: Dielectric thin films applicable, for instance, as insulating layers in electroluminescent display devices have been studied. In order to improve dielectric characteristics HfO2–Ta2O5 nanolaminates were prepared by atomic layer epitaxy at 325 °C. The nanolaminates were evaluated in capacitance and current–voltage measurements. By optimizing the layer thicknesses in the nanolaminate structures the dielectric properties, especially leakage current densities, could be tailored remarkably. The best nanolaminates showed charge storage factors improved up to 8 times when compared with those of the single oxide films. The presence of nanosize crystallites of monoclinic and metastable tetragonal HfO2 was observed by x‐ray diffraction analysis.

Epitaxially grown YMnO3 film: New candidate for nonvolatile memory devices

Abstract: We have proposed ReMnO3 (Re:rare earth) thin films as a new candidate for nonvolatile memory devices. In this letter, we report on fabrication of (0001) YMnO3 films on (111)MgO, (0001)ZnO:Al/(0001) sapphire, and (111)Pt/(111)MgO using rf magnetron sputtering. We succeeded in obtaining (0001) epitaxial YMnO3 films on (111) MgO and (0001)ZnO:Al/(0001) sapphire substrate, and polycrystalline films on (111)Pt/(111)MgO. The dielectric properties of the epitaxial and polycrystalline YMnO3 films are almost the same. The dielectric permittivities of both films are smaller than those reported for YMnO3 single crystal.