Characterization Of Thin Films Research Articles

Determination of Optical and Structural Parameters of Thin Films with Differently Rough Boundaries

The optical characterization of non-absorbing, homogeneous, isotropic polymer-like thin films with correlated, differently rough boundaries is essential in optimizing their performance in various applications. A central aim of this study is to derive the general formulae necessary for the characterization of such films. The applicability of this theory is illustrated through the characterization of a polymer-like thin film deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition onto a silicon substrate with a randomly rough surface, focusing on the analysis of its rough boundaries over a wide range of spatial frequencies. The method is based on processing experimental data obtained using variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry and spectroscopic reflectometry. The transition layer is considered at the lower boundary of the polymer-like thin film. The spectral dependencies of the optical constants of the polymer-like thin film and the transition layer are determined using the Campi–Coriasso dispersion model. The reflectance data are processed using a combination of Rayleigh–Rice theory and scalar diffraction theory in the near-infrared and visible spectral ranges, while scalar diffraction theory is used for the processing of reflectance data within the ultraviolet range. Rayleigh–Rice theory alone is sufficient for the processing of the ellipsometric data across the entire spectral range. We accurately determine the thicknesses of the polymer-like thin film and the transition layer, as well as the roughness parameters of both boundaries, with the root mean square (rms) values cross-validated using atomic force microscopy. Notably, the rms values derived from optical measurements and atomic force microscopy show excellent agreement. These findings confirm the reliability of the optical method for the detailed characterization of thin films with differently rough boundaries, supporting the applicability of the proposed method in high-precision film analysis.

Correction: Fabrication and Characterization of Boron-Implanted Silicon Superconducting Thin Films on SOI Substrates for Low-Temperature Detectors

Correction: Fabrication and Characterization of Boron-Implanted Silicon Superconducting Thin Films on SOI Substrates for Low-Temperature Detectors

Thermal characterization of Ge-rich GST thin films for phase change memories by Raman thermometry

Thermal characterization of Ge-rich GST thin films for phase change memories by Raman thermometry

Thickness dependent crystallinity, hydrophilicity, and surface microtexture in CaF2 thin films deposited via thermal evaporation method

This study investigates the deposition and characterization of CaF₂ thin films with thicknesses ranging from 40 to 320 nm, fabricated via thermal evaporation onto glass substrates. X-ray diffractometry (XRD) revealed that increased film thickness leads to enhanced crystallinity, with larger crystallite sizes and reduced lattice strain. Wettability analysis demonstrated a transition from hydrophobic behavior (contact angle ∼70° for 40 nm) to hydrophilic behavior (contact angle ∼52° for 320 nm) as film thickness increased. Surface morphology, examined via atomic force microscopy (AFM), showed a significant reduction in surface roughness in thicker films, with smoother, more coalesced surfaces observed for films over 160 nm. Monofractal analysis further confirmed the evolution of surface microtexture, with thicker films exhibiting higher uniformity and reduced surface complexity. These findings provide critical insights into optimizing CaF₂ thin films for applications in optics, electronics, and surface coatings, where improved crystallinity and surface properties are essential.

Investigation of Microstructure and Physical Characteristics of Eco-Friendly Piezoelectric Composite Thin Films Based on Chitosan and Ln2O3-Doped Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-BaTiO3 Nanoparticles.

This paper investigates the synthesis and characterization of eco-friendly piezoelectric composite thin films composed of chitosan and Ln2O3-doped Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-BaTiO3 (NBT-BT) nanoparticles. The films were fabricated using a solution-casting technique, successfully embedding the particles into the chitosan matrix, which resulted in enhanced piezoelectric properties compared to pure chitosan. Characterization methods, such as photoluminescence spectroscopy and piezo-response force microscopy (PFM) which revealed strong electromechanical responses, with notable improvements in piezoelectric performance due to the inclusion of NBT-BT nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed a pure perovskite phase with the space group R3c for NBT-BT and NBT-BT-Ln particles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed a non-uniform distribution of NBT-BT particles within the chitosan matrix. The results also suggest that the incorporation of rare earth elements further enhances the electrical and piezoelectric properties of the composites, highlighting their potential in flexible and smart device applications. Overall, these findings underscore the potential of chitosan-based composites in addressing environmental concerns while offering effective solutions for energy harvesting and biomedical applications.

Synthesis and Characterization of TiO2 Thin Films Modified with Anderson-Type Polyoxometalates (Ni, Co, and Fe)

In this work, TiO2 and Anderson-type polyoxometalates (Ni, Co, and Fe) thin-film composites were fabricated. The composites were characterized by FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance, and scanning electronic microscopy. The methylene blue (MB) photocatalytic degradation on the composites under UV irradiation was studied. Spectroscopic results verified the modification of TiO2 thin films. Optical and morphological properties changed after TiO2 modification. The largest change in the optical band gap was observed for the FePOM/TiO2 system, which reported a value of 3.05 eV. The POM/TiO2 systems were more efficient in methylene blue (MB) adsorption than bare TiO2. Furthermore, the modified films were more efficient than bare TiO2 during MB photodegradation tests. The NiPOM/TiO2 and the CoPOM/TiO2 were the most efficient in the MB adsorption, reaching ~20%. The NiPOM/TiO2 and the CoPOM/TiO2 composites were the most efficient in the photodegradation process, reaching ~50% of MB removal. The stability tests indicated that composite films were moderately stable after the three performed reusability cycles. Thus, these results suggest that POM modification of TiO2 can improve the adsorption and photodegradation capacity of semiconductors.

Trends Research Characterization of TiO2 Thin Films as Solar Cell Materials (2015-2024): A Systematic Review

Research in the field of solar cells continues to increase along with the development of the times and human needs for renewable energy sources. One of the fields of study that is often used as a research topic is the development of Thin Film Solar Cells or known as Thin Film Solar Cells (TFSC). This research aims to identify and analyze research trends of synthesis of Ti02 thin films as solar cell materials. This research method is descriptive and analytical. The data used in this research was obtained from documents indexed by Google Scholar from 2015-2024 using Publish or Perish and Dimension.ai. Research procedures use PRISMA guidelines. The data identified and analyzed are the type of publication, publication source, and the title of research on synthesis of Ti02 thin films as solar cell materials that is widely cited. The data analysis method uses bibliometric analysis assisted by VOS viewer software. The results of the analysis show that research trend on synthesis of TiO2 thin films as solar cell materials indexed by Google Scholar from 2015 to 2024 has experienced increases and decreases. There are many documents in the form of articles, proceedings, chapters, preprints, monograph and edited books that discuss research about synthesis of Ti02 thin films as solar cell materials. Key words that are often used in research about it are dye sensitized cell, electrode, electron, characterization, etc.

Effect of Deposition Temperature on Zn Interstitials and Oxygen Vacancies in RF-Sputtered ZnO Thin Films and Thin Film-Transistors.

ZnO thin films were deposited using RF sputtering by varying the argon:oxygen gas flow rates and substrate temperatures. Structural, optical and electrical characterization of ZnO thin films were systematically carried out using X-Ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-visible spectroscopy, X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Hall measurements. Film deposited at room temperature and annealed at 300 °C exhibited low O2 incorporation with localized defects and a high percentage of Zn interstitials. A large crystalline size and fewer grain boundaries resulted in a high Hall mobility of 46.09 cm2/V-s Deposition at higher substrate temperatures resulted in improvement in O2 incorporation through the annihilation of localized defects and decrease in oxygen vacancies and Zn interstitials. Urbach tails within the bandgap were identified using the absorption spectrum and compared with the % defects from XPS. Bottom-gate thin-film transistors were subsequently fabricated on a SiO2/p-Si substrate using the combination of RF sputtering, wet etching and photolithography. Variation in the substrate temperature showed performance enhancement in terms of the leakage current, threshold voltage, sub-threshold swing and ION/IOFF ratio. Thin-film transistor (TFT) devices deposited at 300 °C resulted in an O2-rich surface through chemisorption, which led to a reduction in the leakage current of up to 10-12 A and a 10-fold reduction in the sub-threshold swing (SS) from 30 V to 2.8 V. Further TFT optimization was carried out by reducing the ZnO thickness to 50 nm, which resulted in a field-effect mobility of 1.1 cm2/V-s and ION/IOFF ratio of 105.

Preparation and Characterization of Nanostructured ITO Thin Films by Spray Pyrolysis Technique: Dependence on Annealing Temperature

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) like Indium tin oxide (ITO) have wide attention from all scientists which have low resistance and high visible light transmittance, used as transparent electrodes in many optoelectronic devices such as liquid crystal displays, touch screens, light emitting diodes, and solar cells. In this research, the relationship between the crystallization, optical transmittance, and surface roughness of nanostructured ITO thin films and the change in annealing temperature was investigated. To enhance the efficiency of this material in optoelectronic applications, both the optical transmittance in the visible region and the crystallite size must be increased. These results can be obtained by the heat treatment of the films. Nanostructured ITO thin layer films have been successfully prepared at a substrate temperature equal to (350)℃ by chemical spray pyrolysis (CSP) technique. The physical characterizations of nanostructured ITO thin layer films were investigated at different annealing temperatures (400,450 and 500)℃. The presence of diffraction peaks indicates that the as-deposited and post annealed films are polycrystalline cubic structure and the peak (400) is a preferred growth orientation. For all samples the value of intensity of diffraction peaks increases with increasing substrate temperature. The crystallite size of nanostructured ITO thin films is strongly related to the annealing temperature. The crystallite size estimated from XRD was found to rise with rising annealing temperature. The surface roughness of nanostructured ITO thin layer films increases with rising annealing temperature. High values of transmittance have been measured in the visible region 550 nm equal to (70, 82, 84 and 88)% corresponding to annealing temperature (350,400,450 and 500)℃ respectively.

Fabrication and Characterization of Aluminum-Doped Nickel Oxide Thin Films for Optoelectronic Applications using the SILAR Method

Study’s Excerpt The effect of varying annealing times on 10% Aluminum-doped Nickel Oxide (ANO) thin films, deposited via the SILAR technique is presented. SEM and RBS analyses were used for detailed correlation between annealing time and the film's microstructural improvements. ANO thin films could be used for advanced technological applications. Full Abstract The effect of varying the annealing time of %10 aluminium-doped Nickel Oxide thin film was studied to understand the possible effect on the optical, structural, and electrical properties of %10 aluminium-doped Nickel Oxide (ANO) for possible application. The thin films were deposited on glass substrates using the successive ionic layer adsorption reaction (SILAR) deposition technique. The samples formed were annealed at 3000C, and the annealing time varied at 1.35 hrs., 1.45 hrs., 1.55 hrs., and 2 hrs, respectively. The deposited films were characterized to obtain the optical, electrical, and structural characteristics and the compositional constituent of the film using the double beam photo spectrometer, Four-Point Probe, Scanned electron Microscope, Energy Dispersion Spectroscopy, and X-ray Diffractometer. The films were observed to have low absorbance in the range of 0.1 to 0.01 and high % transmittance within the range of 80% - 98% in the visible region of the spectrum. The reflectance of the film was observed to decrease with an increase in annealing time in the range of 10% - 2.5%, all in the visible region of the spectrum. The crystallite size of the deposited films decreased with increased annealing time with the structural formation of simple cubic phase NiO thin film. SEM micrograph of the thin films reveals that an increase in annealing time improved the crystallinity of the films with the grain size evenly distributed. The EDS result of the deposited films revealed the presence of nickel, aluminum and Oxygen as the major constituent of the deposited films. The Ruther Ford Backscattering (RBS) analysis of the thickness of the films shows an increase in the thickness with an increase in annealing time. Clearer compositions of the films were also seen from the RBS analysis. Their electrical properties revealed that the films formed had low electrical resistivity and high conductivity, so they could be useful in making optoelectronics devices and corrosion resistance.

Synthesize and Investigate Structural, Surface Morphology, Optical, and Electrical Characterization of Cu2Se Thin Films by Thermal Evaporation Technique

Synthesize and Investigate Structural, Surface Morphology, Optical, and Electrical Characterization of Cu2Se Thin Films by Thermal Evaporation Technique

Electrosynthesis and characterization of nanostructured manganese dioxide thin film on stainless steel electrode for electrochemical degradation of phenol

Electrosynthesis and characterization of nanostructured manganese dioxide thin film on stainless steel electrode for electrochemical degradation of phenol

Optical and nonlinear characterization of Er-doped SnO2 thin films fabricated by thermal evaporation: potential for advanced optical device applications

Optical and nonlinear characterization of Er-doped SnO2 thin films fabricated by thermal evaporation: potential for advanced optical device applications

Synthesis and sensing characterizations of nanostructured tin-doped Fe2O3 thin films

Synthesis and sensing characterizations of nanostructured tin-doped Fe2O3 thin films

Sol-Gel Spin Coating Synthesis and Characterization of Cadmium Zinc Phosphate Thin Films: Structural, Optical, and Electrical Properties

This study successfully implemented the sol-gel and spin coating technique to grow cadmium zinc phosphate cadmium zinc phosphate (CZP) thin films on a glass substrate and p-Si wafer. Structural and morphological analyses were conducted via X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Additionally, the films’ linear and nonlinear optical properties, encompassing absorbance performance, energy gap, refractive index, dielectric, conductivity, and electronegativity, were systematically studied through UV–vis spectroscopy. XRD analysis uncovers the zinc ions substitution by cadmium ions in zinc phosphate’s unit cell, generating oxygen vacancies crucial for maintaining charge neutrality. SEM images then showcase the intricate and organized nano CZP framework. Shifting to optical studies, CZP film analysis spanning 190–2500 nm reveals an indirect energy band gap of 2.92 eV. Transitioning to electrical characteristics, the CZP/p-Si junction undergoes dark mode I-V-T analysis, elucidating the ideality factor, series resistance, and barrier height.

Effect of oxidation times on Gas sensitivity and characterization for (In2O3) thin films produced by thermal evaporated

Abstract thin films were prepared by the thermal evaporated method of Indium metal on a glass substrate, then conventional oxides in the presence of O2 at 400° C. The indium thin films have a thickness of 400nm and different oxidation times (60, 90, and 120) min. The findings from X-ray diffraction (XRD) pertain to the polycrystalline phase. The films (In2O3) had a polycrystalline cubic structure The films have prominent peaks that match (112), (222), and (004) planes at 21.448°, 30.515, 35.38 in the order mentioned. Change with increasing oxidation time each of The amounts The text refers to the number of crystallites, the dimensions of the crystallites, the density of dislocations inside the crystallites, and the level of microstrain present in the crystallites. The UV-vis spectra were used to investigate the optical characteristics such as(The transmittance and absorbance spectra, the absorption coefficient (α) and from there, the energy gap was computed. with different times are 3.1,3.3 and 3.05 eV, respectively. The film’s gas sensing performance approaches CO2 Gas measurements were made at many oxidation times. The performance of the gas detecting system was found to have significantly improved.

Characterization of degenerate Zn-doped CdO thin films for optoelectronic devices

Characterization of degenerate Zn-doped CdO thin films for optoelectronic devices

Characterization of ZnSe Thin Film Electrodeposited at Room Temperature in Aqueous Medium without Complexing Agents

This study includes a simple electrodeposition technique for the fabrication of ZnSe thin film at room temperature and in an aqueous medium without additional complexing agents. Comprehensive analysis of the optical, structural, and morphological characteristics of the ZnSe thin film electrodeposited onto an ITO substrate was conducted using UV-Vis spectrometry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and field emission–scanning electron microscopy (FE–SEM). Furthermore, the photoelectrochemical properties were evaluated through current-time (I-t) measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) under light on/off conditions. Mott-Schottky analysis was also performed to determine the conductivity type, carrier concentration, and flat band potential of the ZnSe thin film. Structural investigations revealed that the ZnSe thin film has a hexagonal structure, the longitudinal optical (LO) phonon mode, stretching and bending vibration modes of Zn-Se. The carrier type of the ZnSe thin film was identified as n- type semiconductor and photoelectrochemical measurements exhibited a photoresponse under the light illumination

Influence of d-d transition electrons and thickness variations on the excited-state optical properties: Nonlinear optical characterization of Cr2O3 thin film

The structural, morphological, linear, and nonlinear optical properties of Cr2O3 thin films with different thicknesses deposited by the thermal deposition, were measured. The structural and morphological parameters of films, determined by XRD, FESEM, and AFM images, are compared to the linear and nonlinear optical characteristics of these media. The bandgap of prepared thin films was obtained from DRS spectra. The electron effective mass (me∗/m0), linear refractive index (n0), optical static, and high frequency dielectric constant (ε0 , ε∞) values were calculated by using the band gap energy values. Increasing the thicknesses of thin films causes to decrease the band gap, an increase RMS, increase the size of nanoparticles and the nonlinear responses of thin films. The high magnitude of n2, and β belonged to the Cr2O3 (300 nm-thickness) in the order of 10−5 cm2/W, and 10−1 cm/W respectively. The fluctuations in nonlinear responses observed at different thicknesses are attributed to d-d transitions and intraband scattering of equilibrium electrons influenced by laser radiation, as indicated by the nonlinearity data. The considerably elevated refractive non-linearity values in the analyzed film materials suggest their potential for practical applications in optoelectronic devices.

Preparation and optical characterization of 3D-TiO2 thin films with brilliant colors

In this paper, three-dimensional titanium dioxide (3D-TiO2) thin films with periodic structure were obtained by periodic pulse anodization of high-purity titanium wafers under specific alternating voltage (AV) using asymmetric sawtooth waveforms. The effect of voltage amplitude and electrolyte concentration on the structural color of the 3D-TiO2 thin films were investigated. It is shown that the nanotubes grown by asymmetric sawtooth wave at a specific AV have a “bamboo” shape, and the cycle length, as well as the inner and outer tube diameters of the nanotubes are closely related to the AV. The structural color of the samples was different at varying voltages and electrolyte concentrations for the same oxidation cycle time. The structural color of films grown under low voltage is analyzed to be related to the scattering and absorption of light on their surfaces. The thickness of the film grown under high voltage satisfies the conditions for light interference. The maximum reflected wavelength is red-shifted and then blue-shifted as the electrolyte concentration decreases. The study shows that the microstructure is the main influence on the color change of 3D-TiO2 thin films.