Abstract
In this paper, we describe the device developed to control the deposition parameters to manage the glancing angle deposition (GLAD) process of metal-oxide thin films for gas-sensing applications. The GLAD technique is based on a set of parameters such as the tilt, rotation, and substrate temperature. All parameters are crucial to control the deposition of nanostructured thin films. Therefore, the developed GLAD controller enables the control of all parameters by the scientist during the deposition. Additionally, commercially available vacuum components were used, including a three-axis manipulator. High-precision readings were tested, where the relative errors calculated using the parameters provided by the manufacturer were 1.5% and 1.9% for left and right directions, respectively. However, thanks to the formula developed by our team, the values were decreased to 0.8% and 0.69%, respectively.
Highlights
The industrial revolution would not be possible without developments in nanotechnology, including both the design and fabrication process of thin films
Of the various techniques, glancing angle deposition (GLAD) offers the possibility to fabricate nanostructured columnar thin films such as metallic films, metal oxides, and metal nitrides and, GLAD can be applied in every fabrication process where the nanocolumnar shape is needed
Unstable conditions during the GLAD process could result in an uneven buildup of material as the tallest columns grew at the expense of the smaller elements [41]
Summary
Our work focuses on the fabrication of metal oxides such as TiO2 [1], WO3 [2], and CuO [3] using GLAD These are used in manufacturing gas-sensing materials for the detection of several gases such as ammonia [4], acetone [4], and ozone [5]; they are used in humidity sensors [6,7,8,9]. A good example is monitoring for diabetics, whose blood glucose measurements can be replaced by a sensor that detects diabetes biomarkers in exhaled air Another application is the attempt to provide the public with a sense of security by installing fire-detection sensors [10]. Another example of compounds used in GLAD are metal sulphides, such as CdS, for which the properties of the obtained film are used in photovoltaics, due to them having a wide band gap, and in optical sensors as a photoconductive material [11]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
