Ar Pressure Research Articles

Synthesis and characterization of TiBx (1.2 ≤ x ≤ 2.8) thin films grown by DC magnetron co-sputtering from TiB2 and Ti targets

Titanium boride, TiBx, thin films were grown by direct current magnetron co-sputtering from a compound TiB2 target and a Ti target at an Ar pressure of 2.2 mTorr (0.3 Pa) and substrate temperature of 450 °C. While keeping the power of the TiB2 target constant at 250 W, and by varying the power on the Ti target, PTi, between 0 and 100 W, the B/Ti ratio in the film could be continuously and controllably varied from 1.2 to 2.8, with close-to-stoichiometric diboride films achieved for PTi = 50 W. This was done without altering the deposition pressure, which is otherwise the main modulator for the composition of magnetron sputtered TiBx diboride thin films. The film structure and properties of the as-deposited films were compared to those after vacuum-annealing for 2 h at 1100 °C. As-deposited films consisted of small (≲50 nm) randomly oriented TiB2 crystallites, interspersed in an amorphous, sometimes porous tissue phase. Upon annealing, some of the tissue phase crystallized, but the diboride average grain size did not change noticeably. The near-stoichiometric film had the lowest resistivity, 122 μΩcm, after annealing. Although this film had growth-induced porosity, an interconnected network of elongated crystallites provides a path for conduction. All films exhibited high hardness, in the 25–30 GPa range, where the highest value of ~32 GPa was obtained for the most Ti-rich film after annealing. This film had the highest density and was nano-crystalline, where dislocation propagation is interrupted by the off-stoichiometric grain boundaries.

Field-induced self-assembly formation of carbon nanotube filaments triggered via gas discharge breakdown

Self-assembly formation of dense carbon nanotube (CNT) filaments is demonstrated with gas discharge breakdown. CNT filament formation is triggered by irradiation of ions generated by gas discharge breakdown on a CNT mat placed on a cathode. The ion irradiation causes detachment of CNTs from the CNT mat on the cathode. Those CNTs are collected on a counter electrode and reassembled into filaments from the effect of an electric field. We examined the CNT filament formation characteristics using the combination of a plate-shaped cathode covered with a CNT mat and a wire-shaped anode as the discharge electrodes. CNT filament formation strongly depended on the discharge gas (Ar) pressure. Low Ar gas pressure of 4–6 kPa resulted in dense tree-like CNT filament formation on the anode. Addition of a collection electrode to the anode and cathode resulted in drastic enhancement of CNT filament formation. Dense and long filaments, approximately 10 mm in length, formed on the collection electrode. These results indicate that CNT filament formation by discharge breakdown can be used as a versatile dry spinning method for various kinds of CNTs that are unspinnable by conventional methods.

Properties of AZO thin films prepared by stationary and rotating RF magnetized plasma sputtering source

The aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) films were deposited with a star-shaped plasma using a high-density radio frequency (RF) magnetized sputtering source to develop well-consistent target utilization. The deposited AZO film characteristics were investigated using stationary and rotational modes with a velocity of 40 rpm, Ar pressure of 1.0 Pa, and RF power of 40 W with a deposition time of 1.0 h. The deposition rate profile of stationary mode with a roughness of ±30.18% was more fluctuating than that of rotational mode with a roughness of ±10.90%. The lowest electrical resistivities of the AZO films were obtained as 3.8 × 10−4 and 3.6 × 10−4 Ω cm at r = 0 mm for the stationary and rotational modes, respectively. According to the AFM and SEM results, the surface profile of the rotational mode grown AZO film was more uniform and smoother than that of the stationary mode. The intensity of x-ray diffraction peaks (002) of the grown AZO film was decreased from the center to the edge of the vessel. Most of the films showed two broad Raman peaks at about 274 and 575 cm−1, representing additional mode and longitudinal optical phonons of the wurtzite ZnO crystal. All the AZO films showed a high transmittance in the visible range, and the average transmittance of the AZO films in the visible range was ∼84%.

Understanding pulsed laser deposition process of copper halides via plasma diagnostics techniques

Due to the raised interest in copper halides for optoelectronic applications, a wide range of plasma diagnostic tools based on Langmuir probe (LP) and optical emission spectroscopy (OES) were implemented to investigate the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) process of selected copper halides. This represents the first report of complete diagnostics of copper halide plasma generated by laser ablation. High plasma potential and electron temperature were observed by a time-resolved LP analysis, which affected the kinetic energy of the ejected ions during expansion. The effect of argon gas addition on the copper halide plasma dynamics was investigated. Angle-resolved measurements revealed a narrow cone plasma expansion with a dual peak charge particle distribution, which was affected only above 2 Pa of Ar atmosphere. Plasma potential, charge density, and electron excitation temperature were increasing with Ar pressure, while electron temperature and expansion velocities were decreasing. Using a semi-empirical model, the estimation of an ion acceleration field, neutral temperature, and densities were computed. Space- and time-resolved OES confirmed the plume splitting indicated by LP measurements and provided insight into the composition of the two-plasma structure. All the plasma parameters were investigated in conditions similar to those used for thin film growth, and the results were discussed with respect to the PLD technology.

Study of DC Magnetron Sputtered Nb Films

As Nb films are widely used as superconducting electrodes of Josephson junctions, it is important to investigate the properties of Nb films in order to fabricate high-quality Josephson junctions. In this work, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the relationships among the properties of DC magnetron sputtered Nb films with a constant power fabricated at the National Institute of Metrology (China). The film properties, including superconductivity, stress, lattice constant, and surface roughness, were investigated. It was found that in the case of constant power and Ar pressure, the stress and other parameters of the Nb films can maintain a relatively stable state during the continuous consumption of the target material.

Characterizing the stress and electrical properties of superconducting molybdenum films

In the process of minimizing stress in sputtered molybdenum (Mo) films for fabricating transition-edge sensor devices, we have investigated correlations between the stress and film deposition parameters. At a fixed sputtering power, the tensile stress of our film samples decreases toward both low and high ends of Ar pressure, suggestive of two physical mechanisms at work: an ‘atomic peening’ effect at low Ar pressure and the development of voids at high Ar pressure. We have also carried out correlative studies of the stress and electrical properties (including superconducting critical temperature and residual resistivity) of the film samples, and found that the results are complex. We have made extensive comparisons with the published results, and attempted to explain the discrepancies in terms of film deposition techniques, sample preparation and treatment, and dynamical ranges of measurements. It is fairly clear that the microscopic properties, including porosity and disorder, of Mo films may have significant impact on the correlations.

Fabrication of Novel Chitosan–Hydroxyapatite Nanostructured Thin Films for Biomedical Applications

In this study, we develop chitosan–hydroxyapatite (CS–HAp) composite layers that were deposited on Si substrates in radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering discharge in argon gas. The composition and structure of CS–HAp composite layers were investigated by analytical techniques, such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), metallographic microscopy (MM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). On the other hand, in the present study the second order derivative of FT-IR–ATR spectra, for compositional analyses of CS–HAp, were used. The SEM, MM, and AFM data have shown the formation of CS–HAp composite layers. The surface of CS–HAp composite layers showed uniform growth (at an Ar gas working pressure of p = 2 × 10−3 mbar). The surface of the CS–HAp composites coatings became more nanostructured, becoming granular as the gas pressure increased from 5 × 10−3 to 1.2 × 10−2 mbar. However, our studies revealed that the surface morphology of the CS–HAp composite layers varies with the Ar gas working pressure. At the same time, optical properties are slightly influenced by Ar pressure. Their unique physicochemical properties make them suitable for various applications in the biomedical field, if we consider the already proven antimicrobial properties of chitosan. The antifungal properties and the capacity of the CS–HAp composite layers to inhibit the development of fungal biofilms were also demonstrated using the Candida albicans ATCC 10231 (C. albicans) fungal strain.

The effect of sputtering Ar gas pressure on optical and electrical properties of flexible ECD device with WO3 electrode deposited by RF magnetron sputtering on ITO/PET substrate

In this study, the electro-optical properties of a flexible electrochromic device (ECD) with WO3 film were investigated according to the pressure of Ar gas during RF magnetron sputtering process. The ECD was fabricated using WO3 film as the cathode electrode and NiO as the anode electrode. Both electrodes were deposited using RF magnetron sputtering over indium tin oxide coated on polyethylene terephthalate film (PET/ITO). The electrolyte for the ECD used the lithium percolate mixed with poly methyl methacrylate and propylene carbonate to form the gel type electrolyte. The sputtering time was controlled while measuring with a thickness/rate monitor (Sycon STM-100) to have the identical WO3 film thickness at different Ar pressures. Also, argon working gas pressure in sputtering chamber was varied at 5 mTorr, 10 mTorr, and 15mTorr, respectively. The deposition rate of WO3 film was 14 nm/min for Ar gas pressure 5 mTorr then after the pressure was increased until 15 mTorr the deposition rate was 8.6 nm/min. The sputtering process was operated until the thickness of the WO3 film reach 250 nm. In order to investigate electro-optical properties of the ECD, such as coloration efficiency (CE), transmittance of bleached state (Tb), transmittance of coloured state (Tc), optical modulation, bleaching time, and coloration time were analyzed. The ECD with Ar pressure at 5 m Torr for WO3 film shows the coloration efficiency was 57.58 cm2C-1, Tb was 17%, Tc was 5%. Also, the bleaching time was 15 s, and coloration time was 30 s. When the sputtering pressure was increased to 15 mTorr, the ECD showed the better optical properties but the bleaching time and coloration time was rise to 50 s, and 58 s, respectively. The ECD at 15mTorr show the higher optical modulation of 55%.

Production of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural from glucose using Al2O3-TiO2-ZrO2 ternary catalysts

In this work, mixed oxides Al2O3-TiO2-ZrO2 were evaluated varying their composition (% w/w) for the conversion of monosaccharides (fructose and glucose) to 5-hydroxymethylfural (HMF). Materials were characterized using Thermogravimetric Analysis and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (TGA-DSC), Nitrogen Physisorption (N2), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), RAMAN Spectroscopy, DRS UV-Vis Spectroscopy, Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), SEM, TEM, FTIR-Pyridine and Temperature Programmed Desorption of CO2 (TPD-CO2). The reactions were carried out at 175 °C and 30 bar of Ar pressure in a biphasic system (THF/H2O) for 3 h, obtaining a 78% maximum yield of HMF from the glucose and 63% yield from fructose. The materials studied carried out a direct dehydration of the monosaccharides to HMF in 30 min of reaction and were obtained as intermediates to dehydrate levulinic acid (LA) and formic acid (FA), these intermediates were analyzed and eluted using 1H NMR technique.

The nucleation and growth of graphene under a controlled atmosphere during radio frequency-plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) has emerged as a potential method for the industrial synthesis of graphene due to its low growth temperature, energy savings and in situ graphene growth. Unlike traditional thermal chemical vapor deposition (TCVD), PECVD usually leads to rapid nucleation and growth of graphene from the promoting effect of plasma on the dissociation of the hydrocarbon precursor, resulting in a significantly higher nucleation density of graphene and small grain size, which reduces its electrical performance. Understanding and controlling graphene nucleation and growth during PECVD are of great significance for the synthesis of high-quality graphene. In this study, we noted that the nucleation density and grain size of graphene were significantly affected by various atmospheric conditions, including the Ar flow, H2/CH4 ratio and pressure. In particular, a higher H2/CH4 ratio notably decreased the nucleation density and enlarged the grain size from the effect of the H2 plasma. Furthermore, we studied the energies of the nucleation density, grain size and growth rate of graphene under various pressures by measuring the activation energy and demonstrated that low pressure and high growth temperature enabled to the growth of graphene with low nucleation and large grain size.

Evaluation of Mo(1-x)W x s Alloy Fabricated By Combinatorial Film Deposition

Recently, research on two-dimensional layered materials is progressing rapidly. Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) show bandgap, which is bringing high expectations for a variety of applications such as electronics and optoelectronics. Mo(1-x)W x S2 is an alloy semiconductor of MoS2 and WS2, two of the most representative TMD materials, and it is possible to modulate physical properties such as optical characteristics by changing the W concentration x [1-3]. In this study, we performed a combinatorial film deposition in which the W concentration changes from 0 to 100% within one sample using RF magnetron sputtering method [4]. Since the combinatorial film deposition can form a continuous compositional gradient in the sample, continuous modulation of physical properties is expected. There have been different reports on the fabrication of the alloy with chemical vapor transport followed by exfoliation, or chemical vapor deposition [5]. However, in this study single-step fabrication of the alloy with sputtering was achieved. The physical properties such as the band structure of the fabricated sample were investigated.MoS2 and WS2 targets were used for the fabrication of the alloy. The substrate temperature was 300 °C, Ar pressure was 0.3 Pa, and the RF power applied to the MoS2 and WS2 targets were 80 W and 50 W, respectively. The film thickness was adjusted to approximately 100 nm by controlling the deposition time. Surface oxidized Si was used as the substrate. A schematic diagram of the sample is shown in Fig. 1. Using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for quantitative analysis of the sample, the W concentration x and the sulfur to metal ratio S / (Mo + W) were calculated by determining the peak area ratios of Mo 3d, W 4f, and S 2p. In addition, spectroscopic ellipsometry analysis was carried out to calculate the bandgap for each concentration region.Figure 2 shows the in-plane composition distribution determined by line measurement with XPS. From Fig. 2, it can be seen that the W concentration changes almost linearly, and the stoichiometric ratio was achieved. The linearly changing composition gradient allowed us to accurately select the composition of the alloy for the other evaluation. The bandgap with respect to W concentration using spectroscopic ellipsometry is shown in Fig. 3. It was confirmed that the band gap can be controlled by changing the W concentration. In addition, the change was accompanied by bowing which is a unique behavior often observed in the alloy materials. Figure 4 shows the band alignment of different W concentration x determined by using XPS and spectroscopic ellipsometry. From this result, it was found that the band structure can be controlled according to the requirements of the devices. We believe that this opens new opportunity for the TMD in electronic device applications.This work was partly supported by JST CREST Number JPMJCR16F4, Japan. This work was also partly supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 18J22879.REFERENCES Y. Chen, J. Xi, D. O. Dumcenco, Z. Liu, K. Suenaga, D. Wang, Z. Shuai, Y. S. Huang, and L. Xie, ACS Nano 7, 4610 (2013).H. -P. Komsa, and A. V. Krasheninnikov, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 3, 3652 ( 2012).P. M. Jahani, S. T., H. Beitollahi, S. Mohammadi, and M. R. Aflatoonian, Research on Chemical Intermediates 46, 837(2020).S. Noda, H. Sugime, T. Osawa, Y. Tsuji, S. Chiashi, Y. Murakami, and S. Maruyama. Carbon 44, 8 (2006).Z. Wang, P. Liu, Y. Ito, S. Ning, Y. Tan, T. Fujita, A. Hirata, and M. Chen. Sci. Reports 6, 21536 (2016). Figure 1

Cr-Based Sputtered Decorative Coatings for Automotive Industry.

The present work aims to study the impact of O and N addition on Cr-sputtered coatings on plastic (polycarbonate, PC) used in automobile parts, as a promisor alternative for auto part metallization, while eliminating the usage of toxic hexavalent chromium. The coatings were deposited using DC magnetron sputtering from a single pure Cr target in a reactive atmosphere (N2 and/or O2). The deposition of the coatings was performed maintaining the total pressure constant and close to 1 Pa by tuning Ar pressure while reactive gases were added. The target current density was kept at JW = 20 mA·cm−2. Structural characterization revealed a mixture of α-Cr, δ-Cr, β-Cr2N, and CrN crystalline structures as well as amorphous oxides. The coating hardness ranged from 9 GPa for the CrON coating to 15 GPa for the CrN coating. All deposited coatings showed a particularly good interface adhesion; adjusting the amount of O and N made it possible to tune the optical properties of the Cr-based coatings as desired. The promising results open future industrialization of sputtered Cr-based coatings for automotive industries.

TEM study of bubble formation in Ti–Ta–Si–Ni metallic glass surface alloy on TiNi SMA substrate during additive thin-film electron-beam synthesis

Recently, Ti–Ta-based metallic glass surface alloys (MGSAs) with attractive surface properties were successfully synthesized on TiNi substrates by additive pulsed melting of film/substrate systems. However, undesirable nanobubbles are often formed in the amorphous matrix. In this work, to reveal bubble characteristics and clarify the origin of its formation, the ∼1.5-μm thick Ti–Ta–Si–Ni MGSA was synthesized by 10-fold alternating of magnetron co-deposition of Ti60Ta30Si10 thin (100 nm) film and its pulsed e-beam (∼2.5 μs, ∼15 keV, 1.7 J/cm2) melting with a TiNi substrate. Transmission electron microscopy was utilized for quantitative analysis of bubbles. It has been shown that the Ar trapped during film deposition is the majority gas inside the bubbles. The Ar pressure inside the bubbles with mean diameter in range of ∼9 ÷ 16 nm predicted from the equation of state for Ar at 300 K varies in depth from ∼100 to 50 MPa. Experimental results and estimates of diffusion of Ar atoms in the surface melt indicate that nucleation and growth of bubbles occur in the Ar supersaturated liquid phase at the solidification/glass transition front. A high bubble-forming ability of Ti–Ta–Si–Ni system is consistent with the facts that Si addition decreases the melt surface tension and increases the Ar diffusivity due to eutectic reactions.

Indium tin oxide obtained by high pressure sputtering for emerging selective contacts in photovoltaic cells

This article studies the physical and electrical behavior of indium tin oxide layers (ITO) grown by an unconventional technique: High Pressure Sputtering (HPS), from a ceramic ITO target in a pure Ar atmosphere. This technique has the potential to reduce plasma induced damage to the samples. The aim is to obtain, at low temperature via HPS, good quality transparent conductive oxide layers for experimental photovoltaic cells with emerging selective contacts such as transition metal oxides, alkaline metal fluorides, etc. We found that the resistivity of the films was strongly dependent on Ar pressure. To obtain device-quality resistivity without intentional heating during deposition a pressure higher than 1.0 mbar was needed. These films deposited on glass were amorphous, presented a high electron mobility (up to 45 cm2V−1s−1) and a high carrier density (2.9 × 1020 cm−3 for the sample with the highest mobility). The optimum Ar pressure range was found at 1.5–2.3 mbar. However, the resistivity degraded with a moderate annealing temperature in air. Finally, the feasibility of the integration with photovoltaic cells was assessed by depositing on Si substrates passivated by a-Si:H. The film deposited at 1.5 mbar was uniform and amorphous, and the carrier lifetime obtained was 1.22 ms with an implied open circuit voltage of 719 mV after a 215 °C air anneal. The antireflective properties of HPS ITO were also demonstrated. These results show that ITO deposited by HPS is adequate for the research of solar cells with emerging selective contacts.

In situ optical and electrical analysis of transient plasmas generated by ns-laser ablation for Ag nanostructured film production

The continuous effort for transitioning pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique from an experimental tool into an industrial one can be sustained by the use of complex tools for in situ real-time monitoring of the deposition process. Langmuir Probe (LP) and optical emission spectroscopy (OES) measurements were used for plasma monitoring during PLD of silver films under various Ar pressure conditions. The LP measurements revealed a multi-structured distribution of the ions, which was strongly influenced by the increase of Ar pressure. The generation of highly energetic ions with the addition of Ar and the degree of Ar gas ionization was confirmed by OES measurements. A perturbative effect was seen under pressures higher than 10 Pa, where the presence of high electronic charges leads to an unstable behavior of plasma in the vicinity of the LP. The effect of these complex dynamics on the structure and quality of the deposited thin film was investigated revealing a strong correlation between the electronic distribution in plasma and thin film thickness profile.

Evaluation and measurement of laser induced Zr-plasma parameters along with self-generated electric and magnetic fields under various pressures of Ar environment

Nd:YAG (532 nm, 6 ns) laser generated Zr plasma parameters under various pressure of Ar at irradiance of 17 GWcm−2 have been investigated and their correlation with the estimated Self-Generated Electric and Magnetic fields (SGEMF’s) has been established. Faraday Cup is used for measurements of Kinetic Energy (K.E) and fluence, whereas, electric and magnetic probes have been employed for the measurements of SGEMFs of Zr plasma. Under various Ar pressures ranging from 1 Torr to 200 Torr, an increasing trend of K.E and decreasing trend for the fluence of Zr plasma ions have been observed. The K.E of Zr ions increases from 15.6 keV to 140.8 keV, whereas, fluence decreases from 1.2×1012 cm−2 to 6.8×1011 cm−2 by increasing the Ar pressures. The electron fluence increases up to 4.25×1013 cm−2 and then decreases from 3.4×1013 cm−2 to 9.1×1012 cm−2 by increasing Ar gas pressure. Similarly, the self-generated electric field (SGEF) of Zr plasma decreases form 95 Vm−1 to 0 and self-generated -magnetic-field (SGMF) initially increases from 100 G to 340 G and then decreases to 145 G. The monotonic decrease in electric field with increasing the Ar gas pressure is attributed to the monotonic decrease of ion fluence due to ambipolar diffusion and decrease in charge separation by recombination losses. Similarly, the initial increase and then a decrease of magnetic field along with reversal is related to initial increase and then decrease of electron fluence and non-parallel density and temperature gradients (∇ne×∇Te≠ 0) of Zr plasma.

Composite rods by high-temperature gas extrusion of steel cartridges stuffed with reactive Ni–Al powder compacts: Influence of process parameters

Steel clad NiAl rods were prepared by high-temperature gas extrusion (HTGE) of steel cartridges stuffed with reactive Ni–Al powder compacts upon variation in warmup temperature Tw (600–780 °C) and gas (Ar) pressure P (200–480 MPa). A largest amount of NiAl and Ni3Al intermetallics in rod core was obtained at Tw = 780°С and P = 200 MPa. For Tw < 660°С (m.p. of Al), the rod core was found to contain significant amounts of unreacted Al and Ni. A transition zone of Al–Fe intermetallics (10 μm thick) was found only in the rod obtained at Tw = 780°С and P = 200 MPa. The core material of such rods exhibited a largest mean value of hardness (1050 HV). It is suggested that the yield of target intermetallics can be improved by using charge compacts prepared from mechanically activated Ni–Al blends. Combined use of (a) in-situ synthesis of target product in a core and (b) extrusion of the entire fixture seem promising for fabrication of composite materials with unique properties.

Study on pressurized upgradation of pyrolysis oil for high-value liquid products.

Upgradation of pyrolysis oil is a key process to achieve high-quality biofuel. In this study, the effects of different Ar pressures and H2/Ar ratios in the presence and absence of catalysts on deoxygenation of pyrolysis oil were investigated by autoclaving. When the initial pressure of the reaction is 6MPa and without catalyst addition, the content of carboxylic acid decreases from 51.52 to 41.54%, whereas with the addition of catalyst (10 % Ni/C), the deoxygenation and hydrocarbon content in the product were significantly improved. Hence, 6 MPa was found to be optimum and above which failed to induce such useful changes but can lead to lower high heating value (HHV). However, the presence of hydrogen affects the content of alkanes and olefins in the product.

Waste-polystyrene foams-derived magnetic carbon material for adsorption and redox supercapacitor applications

The current impact of plastic waste on the environment and nature pushes for coming up with methods for their efficient reuse and recycle. Expanded polystyrene waste, massively produced worldwide, is presented in this work as a novel precursor of magnetic activated carbons (MAC) for the first time. A simple methodology based on the impregnation of EPS samples with Fe3+ in solution, followed by pyrolysis under Ar pressure and chemical activation is proposed. The as-prepared carbonaceous magnetic materials present nanometric phases of Fe0, Fe3C, and Fe3O4, and showed high specific surface area (672 m2 g−1) and total pore volume (0.35 cm3 g−1), one of the highest found in the carbonaceous magnetic materials literature. Their excellent textural, chemical and electrical properties, combined with the possibility of magnetically collection and regeneration after operation guaranteed an excellent performance of MAC in two different applications: as adsorbents of organic contaminants and as electrodes of redox supercapacitors.

Measurements of N2, CO2, Ar, O2 and Air Pressure Broadening Coefficients of the HCl P(5) Line in the 1–0 Band Using an Interband Cascade Laser

We determine the CO2, N2, Ar, O2 and air pressure broadening coefficients of the H35Cl P(5) absorption line at 2775.77 cm−1 in the fundamental (1←0) band using a newly developed direct tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (dTDLAS)-based spectrometer employing a mid-IR interband cascade laser (ICL). For the first time, a reliable and consistent set of five different foreign pressure broadening coefficients for the same HCl P(5) line has been measured by a consistent metrological approach covering pressures from 100 to 600 hPa at temperatures of 294 and 295 K. The relative uncertainties of the stated CO2, N2, Ar, O2 and Air pressure broadening coefficients are in 1–3% range. The results are compared to previously available literature data—two broadening coefficients have been improved in accuracy and two have been determined for the first time in the sub 1000 hPa pressure range.