Corning Glass Substrates Research Articles

Temperature-Dependent Localized Surface Plasmon Resonances of Noble Nanoparticles Covered with Polymers

Self-assembled gold and silver nanoparticles were fabricated in medium vacuum conditions on Corning glass substrates by means of DC magnetron sputtering. The samples were deposited either at 420 °C or 440 °C, or they were initially deposited at room temperature followed by post annealing. Subsequently, they were covered with three different polymers, namely Polystyrene-block-polybutadiene-blockpolystyrene (PS-b-PBD-b-PS), Polystyrene-co-methyl methacrylate (PS-co-PMMA) and Polystyreneblock-polyisoprene-block-polystyrene (PS-b-PI-b-PS), using spin coating. Localized surface plasmon resonances were recorded in the temperature range of −25 °C–100 °C. We show that the resonance position changes systematically as a function of temperature. Theoretical calculations carried out via the Rigorous Coupled Wave Analysis support the experimental results. Based on these findings, the investigated materials demonstrate potential as components for the development of temperature sensors.

Giant persistent photoconductivity of VO2 device by single-pulse femtosecond laser

The manifestation of giant persistent photoconductivity (GPPC) is demonstrated with a fs (femtosecond) Ti:sapphire laser pulse that has a duration of 40 fs and a central wavelength of 400 nm. The femtosecond laser pulse was irradiated on a two-terminal VO2 device fabricated on a corning glass substrate. Under the applied voltages of 9–12 V, the GPPC takes place within 8.6–15 μs after the laser irradiation. The photocurrent from the GPPC in the VO2 device remains stable with the current decreasing slope of ∼0.003%/minute. With one-dimensional thermal model, the temperature (TIR) of the irradiated area is estimated as a function of time, indicating that TIR is above the insulation-to-metal transition temperature of VO2 thin film prior to the onset of GPPC. The ultrafast onset of GPPC of VO2 device can be utilized for ultrafast optoelectronic switch and memory device.

Silver Nanoparticles’ Localized Surface Plasmon Resonances Emerged in Polymeric Environments: Theory and Experiment

Considering that the plasmonic properties of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) are strongly influenced by their dielectric environment, comprehension and manipulation of this interplay are crucial for the design and optimization of functional plasmonic systems. In this study, the plasmonic behavior of silver nanoparticles encapsulated in diverse copolymer dielectric environments was investigated, focusing on the analysis of the emerging localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) through both experimental and theoretical approaches. Specifically, two series of nanostructured silver ultrathin films were deposited via magnetron sputtering on heated Corning Glass substrates at 330 °C and 420 °C, respectively, resulting in the formation of self-assembled NPs of various sizes and distributions. Subsequently, three different polymeric layers were spin-coated on top of the silver NPs. Optical and structural characterization were carried out by means of UV–Vis spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy, respectively. Rigorous Coupled Wave Analysis (RCWA) was employed to study the LSPRs theoretically. The polymeric environment consistently induced a red shift as well as various alterations in the LSPR amplitude, suggesting the potential tunability of the system.

PREPARATION AND CHARACTERISATION OF ZnO THIN FILMS DEPOSITED BY RF SPUTTERING METHOD

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films deposited on corning glass substrates at 100ºC substrate temperature by radio frequency deposition were annealed the open air and icrowave oven at 150ºC. The influence of open-air annealing (OAA) and microwave annealing (MWA) were studied. The results obtained showed that MWA annealing can improve not only the crystal but also the optical properties of the ZnO thin films. A high transmittance is obtained in all the annealed samples (S1, S2, S4 and S5) demonstrating >90% at 650 nm wavelength. Reflectance in all the samples was < 29% with a minimum standing at 23.78% as recorded for sample S5. The band gap for the annealed samples (S1, S2, S4 and S5) was determined at 3.26 eV, 3.32 eV, 3.29 eV and 3.34 eV respectively. Absorption coefficient stood at 0.0225 cm-1, 0.0179 cm-1, 0.0180 cm-1, 0.0186 cm-1 and 0.0181 cm-1 for the as-deposited sample and the respectively. The optical and structural properties analysis showed that OAA and MWA annealing at suitable temperatures considered can significantly improve some properties of the ZnO thin films making the films suitable for applications in optoelectronics and photovoltaics.

ZnO Matrices as a Platform for Tunable Localized Surface Plasmon Resonances of Silver Nanoparticles

In this study, the localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in ZnO dielectric matrices were studied. Initially, continuous Ag thin films were deposited on Corning glass substrates via magnetron sputtering, followed by post annealing, resulting in the formation of self-assembled nanoparticles. In some cases, a heated substrate holder was employed to induce NP formation during the deposition. The morphology of nanoparticles was studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) probed the LSPRs. Subsequently, a 70 nm thick ZnO layer was deposited on top of the Ag thin films. For the Ag films, LSPR characteristics were found to depend on the initial film thickness. The ZnO capping layer induced an intense red shift, suggesting its potential as a mechanism for tailoring LSPRs. Lastly, theoretical calculations with the rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) method were carried out for comparison with the experimental results.

Analog resistive switching behavior in BiCoO3 thin film

In this work, resistive switching behaviour of BiCoO3 (BCO) thin film has been reported. The BCO thin film was grown on ITO coated corning glass substrate using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique at a substrate temperature of 550 ˚C in the presence of oxygen ambient pressure of 200 mT. The Al/BCO/ITO device was found to exhibit analog bipolar resistive switching behaviour, as no electroforming was needed in this study. The device was found to be compliance free. The current voltage characteristics was studied and found it follows Ohmic and SCLC conduction mechanism in LRS mode and Ohmic, SCLC and Schottky emission conductions in HRS mode for both positive and negative cycles respectively. The endurance test of the Al/BCO/ITO device was performed to study the switching capability of the fabricated device upto 103 cycles and found stable. Retention characteristics were also studied and found stable over a period of time > 103 s. The device active area dependent studies was included and found that the device shows interface type RS for both LRS and HRS mode at 0.5 V and −0.5 V the resistance was found to be decreasing on increasing device active area. A conduction model was included to justify the interfacial conduction in the present device. Thus, non-volatile nature and stablility of the present Al/BCO/ITO RRAM device makes it a potential candidate to future analog RRAM devices.

Influence of microstructure on dielectric function and plasmonic properties of silver nanoparticles grown by solid state dewetting: a spectroscopic ellipsometry study

This work reports the microstructure influence on dielectric function and plasmonic properties of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). Ag NPs with varying microstructures were grown on corning glass substrate by solid-state dewetting (SSD) of sputtered silver thin films deposited by varying RF power. Dielectric function and plasmonic properties of Ag NPs were investigated from spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) data using a quite unique model in terms of the combination of different oscillators. Drude–Lorentz model along with two Gauss oscillators was used to account for intraband, interband transitions and different modes of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of Ag NPs. It was observed that peak of imaginary part of pseudo dielectric function, which is due to LSPR of Ag NPs, shifted towards the lower energy at higher RF power due to increase in thickness of precursor films which subsequently resulted in to increase in particle size. A shift in the LSPR peak in absorbance spectra in UV–Vis-NIR spectroscopy was also observed. No LSPR peak is observed in SE or UV–Vis absorbance spectra for thick films deposited at high RF power due to the presence of continuous silver film even after annealing. This change in microstructure from nanoparticle formation to continuous films is also reflected in the values of void fraction and surface roughness calculated from SE using Bruggeman Effective Medium Approximation (BEMA). Field Emission Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to probe the microstructure of Ag NPs. Root mean square (RMS) roughness evaluated from AFM matched well with surface roughness measured from SE.

Anti-icing, wettability and structural characterization of Zirconia thin films

Radio frequency magnetron sputtering was used to produce the zirconium oxide thin films on corning glass substrates using oxygen as reactive gas andargon as inert gas, respectively. Working pressures were changedbetween 1 and 3.5 Pa, and their effects on the anti-icing, wettability, and structuralattributes of the deposited films were studied. The coating structure was determined with the help of X-ray diffraction, and it was found that the (111) peak becomes more prominent with decreasing working pressure. Results obtained with an atomic force microscope revealed that surface roughness values climbed in accordance with the working pressure. The films are hydrophobic, as determined by observations performed with a contact angle goniometer. It was found that the developedthin films had a maximum contact angle of 105.3°. Zirconium oxide thin film-coated samples were found to delay the ice formation when compared to the untreated samples in an anti-icing investigation.

Analysis of structural and optical properties in co doped Mn,Gd in bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) thin films prepared by sol-gel technique

In this paper, we reported the structural and optical properties of co-doped bismuth ferrite (Bi0.99Gd0.01Fe0.99Mn0.01 O3) thin films that were fabricated on corning glass substrates by sol-gel spin coating technique. The thin films were deposited in different layers on the glass substrates(3,4,5-layers) and annealed at 550 °C in a muffle furnace for 2 hrs in air. The effect of co-doping and thickness on structural and optical properties of bismuth ferrite perovskite thin film was systematically studied and analyzed. The X-ray diffraction pattern of the sample films fabricated confirms the existence of a Rhombohedral structure with space group (RE). Transmittance spectra and absorption spectra were determined by Ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectrophotometer. The optical band gap of films with different coating layers was estimated from Tauc’s plot of the optical data.

Nitrogen doping for effective enhancement of optoelectronic performance of ASnO3 (A-Ca, Sr, Ba) transparent conducting oxides deposited by doctor blade method

In an effort to obtain efficient transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films using simple chemical methods, in this work, CaSnO3, SrSnO3 and BaSnO3 thin films were deposited on Corning glass substrates through doctor blade technique using hydrothermally treated precursors. Performance of the films annealed in ambient and nitrogen atmospheres were evaluated and compared by means of structural, morphological, optical and electrical characterisations. Transparency (>90%), band gap (3.23–3.43 eV), mobility (80–186 cm2/Vs), carrier concentration (2.7×1018 to 8.12×1019 cm−3) and resistivity (2.37×10−3 to 15.56×10−3 Ω.cm) values confirmed that the thin films can be promising TCOs for several optoelectronic applications. Figure of merit value (0.42×10−3 to 1.18×10−3 Ω−1) suggest that the stannate films deposited in this work are comparable to the widely used In:ZnO and other state of the art TCOs. The TCOs investigated in this research are comprised of non-toxic, earth abundant elements and are deposited by using the Doctor Blade method suitable for scalability.

Impact of top metal electrodes on current conduction in WO3 thin films

Abstract Using radio-frequency (rf) sputtering technique tungsten oxide (WO3) thin films (∼150 nm) were deposited in a gas mixture of Ar and O2 at 10 mTorr pressure on indium tin oxide (ITO) and corning glass substrates. The films were annealed at 400 °C. Structural and optical properties of films were studied. Metal–insulator–metal (MIM) structure was made by depositing metal electrode (Ag, Al, Au) on the prepared WO3 thin films (on ITO substrate) using thermal evaporation technique. Electrical properties of the MIM structure were studied by plotting current versus voltage (I–V) curves for Ag, Al and Au metal electrodes. Current conduction mechanism in WO3 film was determined by plotting and fitting I–V data in different equations of current mechanisms.

Plasmon-enhanced photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy of silver nanoparticles grown by solid state dewetting

The growth of the metallic nanoparticles (NPs) on the solid substrate with the desired shape and size is a critical issue for application of these NPs in solid-state devices. Solid state dewetting (SSD) technique is simple, low cost and can be used to fabricate the metallic NPs with control on the shape and size on different substrates. In this work, silver NPs (Ag NPs) were grown on corning glass substrate by SSD of silver precursor thin film deposited at different substrate temperatures by RF sputtering. The influence of the substrate temperature on the growth of Ag NPs and their several properties like localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), photoluminescence (PL), and Raman spectroscopy is studied. The size of the NPs was found to vary from 25 nm to 70 nm with the variation in substrate temperature from room temperature (RT) to . For the RT films, the LSPR peak position of Ag NPs is around 474 nm. A red shift in LSPR peak for films deposited at higher temperature is observed due to change in the particle size and interparticle separation. Photoluminescence spectra suggests the presence of two photoluminescence bands at 436 and 474 nm corresponding to Ag NPs radiative interband transition and LSPR band. An intense Raman peak was observed at 1587 cm−1. Enhancement in PL peak intensity and Raman peak intensity is found to be in accordance with the LSPR of Ag NPs.

Investigation of TiO2 Deposit on SiO2 Films: Synthesis, Characterization, and Efficiency for the Photocatalytic Discoloration of Methylene Blue in Aqueous Solution.

TiO2-SiO2 thin films were created on Corning glass substrates using a simple method. Nine layers of SiO2 were deposited; later, several layers of TiO2 were deposited, and their influence was studied. Raman spectroscopy, high resolution transmission electron spectroscopy (HRTEM), an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to describe the sample's shape, size, composition, and optical characteristics. Photocatalysis was realized through an experiment involving the deterioration of methylene blue (MB) solution exposed to UV-Vis radiation. With the increase of TiO2 layers, the photocatalytic activity (PA) of the thin films showed an increasing trend, and the maximum degradation efficiency of MB by TiO2-SiO2 was 98%, which was significantly higher than that obtained by SiO2 thin films. It was found that an anatase structure was formed at a calcination temperature of 550 °C; phases of brookite or rutile were not observed. Each nanoparticle's size was 13-18 nm. Due to photo-excitation occurring in both the SiO2 and the TiO2, deep UV light (λ = 232 nm) had to be used as a light source to increase photocatalytic activity.

Interpretation of Localized Surface Plasmonic Resonances of Gold Nanoparticles Covered by Polymeric Coatings

Plasmonic materials currently have a plethora of applications. How would a dielectric matrix, such as diblock copolymers, tune plasmonic properties? In this work, self-assembled gold nanoparticles were fabricated in medium vacuum conditions on heated Corning glass substrates (kept at 440 °C) under the coexistence of argon and air by means of DC magnetron sputtering. These samples were compared structurally and optically to samples deposited at room temperature and post annealed. Subsequently, the better of the two preparations, those deposited on heated glass, were covered with three different polymers, namely: Polystyrene-block-polybutadiene-block-polystyrene (PS-b-PBD-b-PS); Polystyrene-co-methyl methacrylate (PS-co-PMMA); and Polystyrene-block-polyisoprene-block-polystyrene (PS-b-PI-b-PS), by means of spin coating. Localized surface plasmon resonances were recorded and analyzed, respectively, for polymer-covered gold nanoparticles, with the width, intensity, and position of the resonances changing according to multiple factors, such as the nanoparticles size and the refractive index of each polymer. Lastly, for purposes of justification and comparison with the experimental results, rigorous theoretical calculations have been carried out.

Effective role of vacuum annealing in improving structural, optical, and electrical properties of SiO2/Ag/ZnO multilayers deposited by RF sputtering for optoelectronic applications

Transparent conductive thin films require multilayer coatings involving metals and dielectrics with high refractive indices. Radiofrequency (RF) magnetron sputtering technique was used to accurately fabricate the SiO2/Ag/ZnO multilayers on the corning glass substrates at 298 K to be used in Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) reflectors, solar cell, and photovoltaic applications. This method optimizes coating processes in a uniform, homogeneous manner, resulting in improved optical and electrical properties, thermal endurance, and long-term stability. The technique was used to synthesize highly translucent and conductive multilayers. The structural, optical, and electrical properties as a function of temperature in the range from 25 °C to 450 °C were detailed. The crystallite size (D cry ), lattice microstrain (ε), dislocation density (δ), and crystallites per unit surface area (N) were calculated. The values of (D cry ) increased while the other parameters decreased with increasing temperature. The linear optical parameters were calculated. The optical results demonstrated that temperature had an impact on the studied multilayers’ optical properties. The dielectric constants, the loss factor, the AC electrical conductivity, the exponential factor, and the activation energy for the dominant conductivity mechanism were all calculated using the capacitance and conductance pathways.

Prospects of non-linear optical behaviour of PZT/ZnO heterostructures

PZT and ZnO heterostructures were fabricated by using the sol-gel spin-coating method on two different substrates, viz., ITO-coated glass and Corning glass. UV–Vis spectroscopy of these heterostructures showed 80% transparency in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum, which is desirable for optical device applications. Tauc's relation was used to calculate the energy bandgap, which was found to be blue shifted to 3.96 eV in the case of the heterostructure on ITO-coated glass and 3.9 eV for that on Corning glass, indicating a difference of ΔE = 0.06 eV due to the change in substrate. The refractive index (n), extinction coefficient (k), and the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant (ε1 and ε2) of the heterostructures were estimated. The second order non-linear refractive index (n2) and the third order non-linear optical susceptibility (χ(3)) were determined by generalized Miller's rule in the photon energy range of 0.5–6.5 eV by using the UV–Vis spectroscopic data. The respective values of χ(1) and χ(3) values were found to be in the range 0.10–0.45 and 3.88 × 10−13–6.0 × 10−12. The optical and structural studies established that the nanocrystalline PZT-ZnO heterostructure on ITO-coated glass was more optically transparent and had better non-linear properties as compared to that on the corning glass substrate. These properties are advantageous for optoelectronic device applications.

Solution-processed CZTS thin films and its simulation study for solar cell applications with ZnTe as the buffer layer.

Using zinc tellurium (ZnTe) as the buffer layer in the Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS)-based solar cells showed an improvement in overall efficiency. ZnTe is investigated as an alternative to replace the conventional toxic Cd-contained buffer layers. It may also reduce the overall cost of these cells as both layers (ZnTe and CZTS) have eco-friendly and earth-abundant constituents. The sol-gel spin coating method is used for the deposition of CZTS thin films on the corning glass substrates. The X-ray diffraction studies showed the peaks corresponding to (112), (200), (220), and (312) planes which confirmed the formation of the essential kesterite phase. The optical band gap of the deposited films was found at around 1.45eV by the UV-visible-NIR spectrophotometer. The optimum thickness of the absorber layer (CZTS) and buffer layer (ZnTe) was investigated based on the performance of the ZnO:Al/ZnO/ZnTe/CZTS/Mo cell structure by using the AMPS-1D simulation tool. In contrast, the tool was molded by the experimentally investigated data for the constituent materials of the cell structure. The solar cells' efficiency was increased by 23.47% at 2500nm and 50nm thickness of the CZTS and ZnTe layers, respectively. In addition, it was analyzed and found that the current density value showed an improvement with operating temperature as it is one of the requirements in the high solar radiation areas where the temperature even rises more than 50°C in the summer.

Impact of annealing on the growth dynamics of indium sulphide buffer layers

Thin films of Indium sulphide are deposited on corning glass substrate by thermal evaporation at room temperature (300 K). The as-deposited films were annealed from 373 to 723 K under vacuum ∼1 × 10−3 mbar. An amorphous phase is obtained from 300 to 473 K; the polycrystalline β-In2S3 emerges at 523 K, and In2O3 is grown at 723 K. The intermediary phases of β-In2S3 and In2O3 are perceived from 573 to 673 K. A clear distinction between the morphology of β-In2S3 and In2O3 was observed in the micrographs of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The β-In2S3 dominated films provide absorption coefficient (α) from 18 to 25 × 104 cm−1, while α values of In2O3 layers lie within 1–5 × 104 cm−1. The bandgap (Eg) of β-In2S3 thin films is low (2.34 eV), and that of In2O3 is high (3.47 eV); however, the intermediary phases of β-In2S3 and In2O3 exhibit bandgap tunning from 2.30 to 3.14 eV. Moreover, the β-In2S3 shows the highest carrier concentration (Nd; 3.25 × 1018 cm−3), In2O3 provides the highest mobility (μ; 228 Cm2/V.s), and intermediary phases exhibit the lowest resistivity (ρ; 1.27 × 103 Ω/cm) within the existing forms. The thin films β-In2S3 phase grown at 523 and 573 K meet its stoichiometric ratio. In comparison, the In2O3 phase emerges under high oxygen and sulphur deficit conditions. The films are suitable for photo-conduction devices and in the buffer/window layer of PV solar cell design.

Growth and Optical Properties of MoO<sub>3 </sub>thin Films

Thin Mo films in the thickness range between 1 and 164 nm have been deposited on high-quality quartz and Corning glass substrates by Radio Frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering under high vacuum (base pressure ~ 3 × 10-7 mbar). The sputtering target was metallic Mo. Subsequent short annealing of Mo at temperatures between about 400 °C - 600 °C in a muffle furnace in air produced MoO3 thin films. Heating even to 400°C resulted in significant growth of crystal size. Surprisingly, films thinner than about 50 nm could not be heated at higher temperatures due to the evaporation of the oxide. Ultraviolet – visible light absorption spectroscopy experiments were employed for the determination of the optical band gap. The results for direct and indirect allowed transitions are discussed.

Improved Optoelectronic Characteristics of Ga-In co-Doped ZnO UV Photodetectors by Asymmetric Metal Contact Structure

Transparent Ga and In co-doped ZnO (ZnO:Ga-In) semiconductor thin films were deposited on Corning glass substrates by the sol-gel spin-coating process. The ZnO:Ga-In thin films were used as the sensing layer of metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM)-type ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors (PDs). In this study, the optoelectronic characteristics of ZnO:Ga-In MSM PDs with symmetrical interdigital electrodes (Al–Al) and asymmetrical interdigital electrodes (Al–Au) were compared. The as-prepared ZnO:Ga-In thin films were polycrystalline, and they had a single-phase hexagonal wurtzite structure and high transparency (~88.4%) in the visible region. The MSM-PDs with asymmetric electrodes had significantly reduced dark current (9.6 × 10−5 A at 5 V) according to the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics and higher photoresponse properties than those of the MSM-PDs with symmetric electrodes, according to the current-time (I-t) characteristics. In addition, the Al–Au devices were self-powered without an applied bias voltage. The photocurrent was 6.0 × 10−5 A; the sensitivity and responsivity were 0.25 and 0.03 mA/W, respectively, under UV illumination.