Corning Glass Research Articles

Structural And Optical Properties Of VOx Thin Films

Abstract VOx thin films were deposited on Corning glass, fused silica and Ti foils by means of rf reactive sputtering from a metallic vanadium target. Argon-oxygen gas mixtures of different compositions controlled by the flow rates were used for sputtering. Influence of the oxygen partial pressure in the sputtering chamber on the structural and optical properties of thin films has been investigated. Structural properties of as-sputtered thin films were studied by X-ray diffraction at glancing incidence, GIXD. Optical transmittance and reflectance spectra were recordedwith a Lambda 19 Perkin-Elmer double spectrophotometer. Thickness of the films was determined from the profilometry. It has been confirmed by XRD that the deposited films are composed mainly of V2O5 phase. The estimated optical band gap of 2.5 eV corresponds to V2O5.

Pyrex At 100

Before heading out the door after a day of research at Corning Glass Works in 1913, physicist Jesse T. Littleton grabbed the sawed-off bottom of a round borosilicate glass battery jar. He did so at the behest of his wife, Bessie, who had broken her ceramic baking dish. Bessie used the ersatz dish to cook up a sponge cake, one that turned out uniformly shaped and so light and perfectly browned that Littleton knew he had something special on his hands. Corning took the baking discovery and turned it into Pyrex, a much-loved brand of glass baking dishes, measuring cups, and storage containers for the kitchen. The same qualities that made Pyrex ideal for cookware—transparency, temperature resistance, and chemical inertness—were also ideal qualities for laboratory and industrial glassware. So Corning also introduced Pyrex beakers, Erlenmeyer flasks, and graduated cylinders for the lab, as well as pipelines and reactor liners for ...

Effect of swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation on transparent conducting oxide electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cell applications

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) are used as electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) because of their properties such as high transmittance and low resistivity. In the present work, the effects of swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation on various types of TCOs are presented. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of SHI on TCOs. For the present study, three different types of TCOs are considered, namely, (a) FTO (fluorine-doped tin oxide, SnO2:F) on a Nippon glass substrate, (b) ITO (indium tin oxide, In2O3:Sn) coated on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) on a Corning glass substrate, and (c) ITO on a Corning glass substrate. These films are irradiated with 120MeV Ag+9 ions at fluences ranging from 3.0×1011ions/cm2 to 3.0×1013ions/cm2. The structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties are studied via X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy and four-probe resistivity measurements, respectively. The ITO-PET electrode is found to exhibit superior conductivity and transmittance properties in comparison with the others after irradiation and, therefore, to be the most suitable for solar cell applications.

Computational and experimental study of copper–gold nitride formation

This work investigates the formation of a Cu3Au-nitride alloy using experimental and computational methods. For this purpose, we prepared a custom-made Cu–Au target and then hit it with argon ions in the presence of molecular nitrogen that produced a film on Corning glass. This film was analyzed using spectroscopic and diffraction techniques. The four-point-probe method and Tauc plots were applied to determine the electrical and optical properties of this thin film. Using first principle calculations a structural model was constructed that validated our observations. The crystalline system that we used was cubic (Pm3m space group) with half the sites filled with Au randomly. The composition was close to Cu3Au0.5N. In agreement with the electrical measurements and calculations, the Cu3Au0.5N band structure was highly affected by the Au incorporation since the electrical resistance and carrier density were in the 10−3Ωcm and 1022cm−3 ranges, respectively, and the optical gap decreased 0.61eV with respect to the Cu3N. The material was a pseudo-gap conductor with conductance as good as a heavily-doped semiconductor at room temperature; this should give it great potential for use in the optoelectronics industry.

Thermal conductivity estimation of inkjet-printed silver nanoparticle ink during continuous wave laser sintering

We determined the thermal conductivity of silver nanoparticle ink during laser sintering by applying the Wiedemann–Franz law to two-dimensional heat conduction equations. Ink with 34wt% silver (Ag) nanoparticles with an average size of approximately 50nm was printed on Eagle-XG (Samsung–Corning) glass substrate by inkjet printing. Inkjet-printed patterns were irradiated with a 532nm continuous wave laser at various laser intensities. To obtain a transient thermal conductivity trace of the ink during the laser sintering process, in-situ electrical resistance data were measured to estimate the thermal conductivity of the inkjet-printed ink using the Wiedemann–Franz law. Two-dimensional heat conduction equations were iteratively solved to obtain transient temperature information about the sintered ink. As the laser sintering temperature increased, the surface morphology of the sintered ink affected the thermal conductivity of the laser-sintered ink. Thermal conductivity of the laser-sintered Ag nanoparticle ink was estimated by considering the thermal conductivity of the air confined in pores.

Texture and Magnetism of Nanocrystalline Ni Films and Multilayers

Nickel films are grown by radio frequency magnetron sputtering on Corning glass, polyimide foils and on the native oxide of Si (100) wafers at low (1x10-3 mbar) and relatively high (2.5x10-2 mbar) Argon pressure at 100 °C. The base pressure of the high vacuum chamber is 1x10-7 mbar. X-ray diffraction experiments are performed to reveal the different texture of various Ni films. Magneto-optical Kerr effect hysteresis loops and magnetic force microscopy images show correlation between Argon pressure, texture and magnetic anisotropy of the films. The results are discussed with respect to relevant measurements of Ni/NiO magnetic multilayers prepared under similar experimental conditions.

AFM applications to study the morphology of HfO2 multilayer thin films

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a technique that has extensively been used to reveal details on surfaces using different scanning techniques. Multilayer hafnium oxide (HfO2) thin films deposited by electron beam evaporation at room temperature on three different glass substrates (including Corning, commercial and wind screen glasses) are discussed for their surface analysis using atomic force microscopy. AFM characterization involves structural morphology, grain size and grain distribution, etc. AFM micrographs show that the films are uniform and crack-free. The average roughness, maximum peak to valley height, root mean square (RMS) roughness, surface skewness and kurtosis parameters are investigated to analyze the surface morphology of HfO2 multilayer thin films. Results show that the RMS surface roughness decreases for commercial glass substrate to Corning to wind screen glass. On the other hand grain size demonstrates an opposite trend. Thus an increase in grain boundary area with decreasing grain size might be associated with the rise in RMS surface roughness. These films show an almost homogeneous and uniform distribution of grains according to AFM images.

The study of structure and optical properties of Nanoparticles(NPs)-Cu/SiO2 multilayer films deposited alternately by magnetron sputtering technique

NPs-Cu/SiO2 multilayer films were deposited alternately by magnetron sputtering on single silicon and Corning glass substrate with different Cu target power at room temperature (RT) and 400°C. The structure of the NPs-Cu/SiO2 films was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The optical absorption property was investigated by Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis). The results of XRD and TEM indicate that Cu nanoparticles are basically spherical and disperse in the SiO2 matrix. The optical absorption peaks due to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Cu nanoparticles are observed in the wavelength range of 590–650nm. The SPR peak for NPs-Cu/SiO2 multilayer films shows the red-shift trend with increasing Cu target power, however, the SPR peak shows the blue-shift trend with increasing the substrate temperature and the number of Cu layers.

Electrical properties of FePc organic semiconductor thin films obtained by CSP technique for photovoltaic applications

Iron–phthalocyanine (FePc) organic semiconductor thin films were prepared on Corning glass and c-Si substrates at a substrate temperature of 150°C by a chemical spray pyrolysis (CSP) technique. The structural properties of the FePc thin films were determined by an X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis and Raman Spectroscopy. Surface morphology of FePc films was determined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The XRD pattern indicated that the films were microcrystalline in nature of FePc thin films that crystallized in the orthorhombic α-phase structure with preferential orientation along the (200) direction. We determined 22 Raman active peaks belonging to FePc thin films and our results are compatible with polarized Raman spectra. The electrical properties of FePc organic thin films were investigated by Hall Effect measurements. The electrical parameters of FePc films such as Carrier concentrations, Conductivity (σ), Resistivity (ρ), Mobility (µ) and Hall coefficient were determined from the Hall measurements at room temperature. The electrical transport and diode parameters of FePc/c-Si organic–inorganic hybrid heterojunctions were investigated by current–voltage (I–V) measurements at room temperature under dark condition. The current–voltage characteristics of FePc/c-Si hybrid heterojunctions demonstrated good rectifying behavior and have good photosensitivity under light conditions. The barrier heights and ideality factor values of FePc/n-Si and FePc/p-Si hybrid heterojunctions were found to be 1.54, 4.07 and 0.97, 1.1eV, respectively.

A Double Energy Transition of Nanocrystalline CdxZn1-xS Films Deposited by Chemical Bath

Ternary films of CdxZn1-xS were deposited on Corning glass substrates by the chemical bath deposition technique at 80°C. A process for depositing thin films of the ternary CdxZn1-xS is proposed. Different induction times in the methodology for films deposition were included. The chemical bath was composed of zinc chloride, thiourea, and cadmium chloride as source of the main ions, ammonium nitrate as complexing agent, and potassium hydroxide for pH control. Groups of samples with different conditions were deposited to obtain the ternary material. The manufacturing processes as well as the chemical reactions that take place during preparation are discussed. The morphology, the crystalline structure, and the optical properties of the deposited films were obtained. X-ray diffraction results revealed hexagonal structures of the CdxZn1-xS material in all the deposited samples and structures of ZnO in some cases. Energy dispersive spectroscopy results show the presence of Cd, Zn, and S as main components of the material. A double transition on the absorption measurements were obtained on the produced ternary films which is associated with a double bandgap energy.

The lunar surface-exosphere connection: Measurement of secondary-ions from Apollo soils

Low energy secondary ions ejected by the solar wind are an important component of tenuous exospheres surrounding airless bodies, since these ions carry information on the planetary surface composition. In this work we examine the dependence of secondary-ion abundance, as a function of energy and mass, on surface composition. The surface compositions of two Apollo soils (10084 and 62231) and a synthetic Corning glass lunar simulant were measured with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and correlated with the spectra of secondary-ions ejected from the same soils by 4keV He ions. XPS spectra for lunar soils show that the surface compositions are similar to the bulk, but enriched in Fe and O, while depleted in Mg and Ca. 4keV He irradiation on the lunar soils and a glass simulant preferentially removes O and Si, enriching the surface in Al, Ti, Mg, and Ca. Secondary-ion species ejected from the Apollo soils by 4keV He include: Na+, Mg+, Al+, Si+, Ca+, Ca++, Ti+, Fe+, and molecular species: NaO+, MgO+ and SiO+. Secondary ion energy distributions for lunar soil 10084 and 62231 rise rapidly, reach a maxima at ∼5eV for molecular ions and Na+, ∼7.5eV for Fe+, and ∼10eV for Mg+, Al+, Si+, Ca+ and Ti+, then decrease slowly with energy. We present species-dependent relative conversion factors for the derivation of atomic surface composition from secondary-ion count rates for 4keV He irradiation of lunar soils 10084 and 62231, as well as the Corning glass lunar simulant.

Radiation optical effects in commercial SiO2:Ge fibers

Present work is dedicated to investigation of radiation optical properties of SiO2:Ge glass fibers produced by Fujikura and Corning Glass. Distribution of Ge dopant characteristics in core and cladding of quartz fibers have been determined. Ge dopant rings shaped luminescence in optical fibers has been observed. New method of determination the Ge dopant distribution in core and cladding cross sectional profile of silica glass fibers is presented. The thermoluminescence and light storage processes in fibers affected by x-ray radiation have been investigated. The photoluminescence investigations shows that there are two bands of luminescence with 400 nm and 550 nm maxima, which appear in different temperature stimulation conditions. Obtained results are discussed.

Gordon Scott Fulcher: Renaissance Man of Glass Science

To a glass scientist, the name “Fulcher” conjures images of viscosity vs. temperature diagrams for glass-forming liquids. Indeed, Gordon Fulcher’s seminal 1925 publication, in which he proposed his three-parameter model of viscosity, is one of the most significant and influential papers ever published in the field of glass science. Fulcher developed this equation during the early part of his 14-year career at Corning Glass Works (1920-1934). However, Fulcher’s work in viscosity represents a small fraction of his highly diverse and accomplished career, which included pioneering the field of electrocast ceramics and developing the modern system of scientific abstracting that it still in use today. Fulcher also had a keen interest in social and economic problems, and his latter research focused heavily on the field of metacognition, i.e., the process of thinking.

Photoelectromagnetic Investigations of Graphene

The photoelectromagnetic (PEM) investigations of graphene has been done using noncontact technique. In a graphene illuminated by a circular spot, free electrons and holes are photogenerated in a region from which they diffuse in all directions in the sheet. When a magnetic field is applied perpendicularly to the graphene surface, diffusing carriers are deflected owing to the Lorentz force and so-called PEM current flows. Under amplitudemodulated illumination of a sample the PEM circulating current varies, and consequently the changing magnetic flux, caused by it, can induce a measurable voltage in suitably placed pick-up coils. The investigated samples of graphene were supplied by Graphene Supermarket. Monolayer graphene films were grown by CVD processing on a cooper foil and transferred onto a Corning EAGLE XGTM AMLCD glass substrate. The dependence of PEM response on magnetic field induction, illumination intensity for different photon energies, and frequency of illumination chopping is presented. Fitting of the experimental results with theoretical dependences have allowed determination of carrier lifetimes. Mapping of the PEM response over the investigated sample is shown, too. We anticipate our paper to be a starting point for PEM investigations of minority carrier lifetime and carrier diffusion length in graphene. Such investigations should be essential for development of graphene electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Optical and electrical properties of (Ti-V)Ox thin film as n-type Transparent Oxide Semiconductor

Abstract In this paper, the influence of vanadium doping on optical and electrical properties of titanium dioxide thin films has been discussed. The (Ti-V)Ox thin films was deposited on silicon and Corning glass substrates using high energy reactive magnetron sputtering process. Measurements performed with the aid of x-ray diffraction revealed, that deposited thin film was composed of nanocrystalline mixture of TiO2-anatase, V2O3 and β-V2O5 phases. The amount of vanadium in the thin film, estimated on the basis of energy dispersive spectroscopy measurement, was equal to 3 at. %. Optical properties were evaluated based on transmission and reflection measurements. (Ti-V)Ox thin film was well transparent and the absorption edge was shifted by only 11 nm towards longer wavelengths in comparison to undoped TiO2. Electrical measurements revealed, that investigated thin film was transparent oxide semiconductors with n-type electrical conduction and resistivity of about 2.7 · 105 Ωcm at room temperature. Additionally, measured I-V characteristics of TOS-Si heterostructure were nonlinear and asymmetrical.

Synthesis and characterization of thermally evaporated Cu2SnSe3 ternary semiconductor

Copper Tin Selenide (CuSnSe) powder was mechanically alloyed by high energy planetary ball milling, starting from elemental powders. Synthesis time and velocity have been optimized to produce Cu2SnSe3 materials. Thin films were prepared by thermal evaporation on Corning glass substrate at Ts=300°C. The structural, compositional, morphological and optical properties of the synthesized semiconductor have been analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy. The analyzed powder exhibited a cubic crystal structure, with the presence of Cu2Se as a secondary phase. On the other hand, the deposited films showed a cubic Cu2SnSe3 ternary phase and extra peaks belonging to some binary compounds. Furthermore, optical measurements showed that the deposited layers have a relatively high absorption coefficient of 105cm−1 and present a band gap of 0.94eV.

Charge carrier transport in boron doped poly-Si

The influence of the used substrate and the boron doping concentration of the charge-transport properties of solid-phase crystallized polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) is explored. The samples were characterized using temperature dependent transport measurements to determine mobility, carrier concentration, and conductivity. While Arrhenius plots of the hole concentration cannot be used to determine the position of the Fermi energy, a detailed analysis of the temperature dependent carrier concentration shows a Meyer–Neldel and an anti-Meyer–Neldel rule. Charge transport in poly-Si on SiN coated Borofloat glass with a boron concentraion [B] < 1016 cm–3 is limited by phonon scattering. On the other hand, for all poly-Si samples on Corning glass and poly-Si on SiN coated Borofloat glass with [B] > 1016 cm–3 charge-carrier transport is governed by thermionic emission over potential barriers. The data are discussed in terms of the Baccarani transport model.

Crystallized silicon nanostructures — experimental characterization and atomistic simulations

We have synthesized silicon nanocrystalline structures from thermal annealing of thin film amorphous silicon-based multilayers. The annealing procedure that was carried out in vacuum at temperatures up to 1100 °C is integrated in a X-ray diffraction (XRD) setup for real-time monitoring of the formation phases of the nanostructures. The microstructure of the crystallized films is investigated through experimental measurements combined with atomistic simulations of realistic nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) models. The multilayers consisting of uniformly alternating thicknesses of hydrogenated amorphous silicon and silicon oxide (SiO2) were deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition on crystalline silicon and Corning glass substrates. The crystallized structure consisting of nc-Si structures embedded in an amorphous matrix were further characterized through XRD, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared measurements. We are able to show the different stages of nanostructure formation and how the sizes and the crystallized mass fraction can be controlled in our experimental synthesis. The crystallized silicon structures with large crystalline filling fractions exceeding 50% have been simulated with a robust classical molecular dynamics technique. The crystalline filling fractions and structural order of nc-Si obtained from this simulation are compared with our Raman and XRD measurements.

All oxide ultraviolet photodetectors based on a p-Cu2O film/n-ZnO heterostructure nanowires

All-oxide ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors based on a p-Cu2O thin film and n-ZnO nanowires were fabricated on Corning glass substrates. The p-Cu2O film was fabricated by a sol–gel method and two-step thermal treatment on the ZnO nanowire arrays grown on ZnO doped with 5at.% Al bottom electrode/glass for the formation of a p–n diode. The sol–gel coating of a Cu2O layer produced the thin p-Cu2O film with good uniformity on the ZnO nanowires and polycrystals with the (111) preferred orientation. It resulted in continuous interconnection of the ZnO nanowire arrays despite the solution process. The current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of the fabricated p–n heterostructure showed a typical rectifying behavior with a current rise at about 2V and an I (illumination)/I (dark) ratio of about 3.89×102 at −6V. The p-Cu2O/n-ZnO nanowire-based UV photodetectors show the responsivity of ~50A/W with a peak position at 360nm in reverse bias, together with weak photoresponse in the visible region. Consequently, we found that the introduction of the p-type Cu2O layer in the ZnO nanowire-based UV photodetectors provided effective all-oxide p–n junctions without degrading UV/visible selectivity.

Effect of molybdenum doping on the electrochromic properties of tungsten oxide thin films by RF magnetron sputtering

Thin films of pure and molybdenum (Mo)-doped tungsten trioxide (WO3) were deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass and Corning glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering technique. The effect of Mo doping on the structural, morphological, optical and electrochromic properties of WO3 films was studied systematically. The energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) revealed that the films consist of molybdenum concentrations from 0 to 2 at.%. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies indicated that with the increase of Mo concentration the structural phase transformation takes place from polycrystalline to amorphous phase. The crystallite size of the films decreased from 24 to 12 nm with increase of doping concentration of Mo in WO3. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis revealed that Mo dopant led to significant changes in the surface morphology of the films. The electrochemical and electrochromic performance of the pure and Mo-doped WO3 were studied. The WO3 films formed with 1.3 at.% Mo dopant concentration exhibited high optical modulation of 44.3 % and coloration efficiency of 42.5 cm2/C.