Glass Slide Substrates Research Articles

Investigation of the lattice defects density and optical characteristics for the anatase phase of titanium dioxide nanocrystalline films

The spin-coating sol-gel method was used and the nanocrystallines of titanium dioxide were deposited on the ordinary glass slide substrates. The films were annealed in air at temperature range between 350 and \(550\,\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) and the scanning electron microscopy images of them were analyzed to study the morphology as well as the thickness of films in terms of shape and size distribution behavior of embedded nanoparticles. The behavior of distribution functions was applied; the X-ray diffraction patterns were simulated and compared to the measured \(\hbox {TiO}_2\) peak profiles, using the advanced X-ray diffraction analysis. The volume weighted average crystallite size and the density of linear lattice defects were investigated as a function of annealing temperature. The transmittance spectra of our \(\hbox {TiO}_2\) films were taken by spectrophotometer and the film thicknesses as well as the optical energy gap were calculated. It is found that the film thickness of our samples is in the range of 343–397 nm which is in agreement with the SEM-cross section results. It is also seen that with the elevation of annealing temperature, the energy gap of films decreases. Finally, the correlation between the optical band gap and microstructure parameters (i.e., crystallite size, dislocation density as well as the strain along the z direction) and optical characteristics was studied.

Optoelectronic and Electrothermal Properties of Transparent Conductive Silver Nanowires Films.

Silver nanowires (AgNWs) show promise for fabricating flexible transparent conductors owing to their excellent conductivity, high transparency, and good mechanical properties. Here, we present the fabrication of transparent films composed of AgNWs with diameters of 20–30 nm and lengths of 25–30 μm on polyethylene terephthalate substrates and glass slides substrates using the Meyer rod method. We systematically investigated the films’ optoelectronic and electrothermal properties. The morphology remained intact when heated at 25–150 °C and the AgNWs film showed high conductivity (17.6–14.3 Ω∙sq−1), excellent transmittance (93.9–91.8%) and low surface roughness values (11.2–14.7 nm). When used as a heater, the transparent AgNW conductive film showed rapid heating at low input voltages owing to a uniform heat distribution across the whole substrate surface. Additionally, the conductivity of the film decreased with increasing bending cycle numbers; however, the film still exhibited a good conductivity and heating performances after repeated bending.

Formation of textured Al thin film on periodic microswelling structure fabricated on silicone rubber surface to realize superhydrophobicity

AbstractPeriodic microswelling structure was fabricated on silicone rubber by the 193‐nm ArF excimer laser induced photodissociation of silicone; subsequent deposition of Al thin film on the sample surface significantly improved the superhydrophobicity. To discuss the improvement, Al thin film was deposited on a flat slide glass, silicone rubber, and silicone resin substrates. Under a scanning electron microscope, textured structure of Al thin film was found only on the silicone rubber. As a result, contact angle of water on the sample with the textured Al indicated to be approximately 165°, compared with the case of 155° before Al deposition.

Analysis of solar cells interconnected by electrically conductive adhesives for high-density photovoltaic modules

Interconnection of solar cells by an electrically conductive adhesive (ECA) can replace the use of conventional metal ribbon connections for photovoltaic module fabrication. This technology increases the active area for photocurrent generation because the cells are connected in a busbar-less structure, and high-power, high-efficiency modules can be manufactured. In this study, we investigated the influence of the curing conditions on the characteristics of the ECA film and interconnected cell. In addition, this paper presents a new method for extracting the resistance contribution of the ECA to the interconnected cell. A low sheet resistance of <0.023 Ω/sq was observed when an ECA film on a slide glass substrate was cured for >60 s, regardless of the curing temperature. In addition, the sheet resistance was <0.02 Ω/sq at a curing temperature of 150 °C even for a short curing time of 5 s. At curing temperatures above 120 °C, the ECA resistance component of the interconnected cell was reduced to 0.2 mΩ or less, and the efficiency was increased by 0.4% or more. However, a curing time of >60 s was required for a similar efficiency improvement at lower temperatures. Notably, the characteristics of the interconnected cell simulated using the extracted ECA resistance values were similar to the measurement results.

Transparent and Conducting Oxide Films: SiO₂-Doped ZnO.

(SiO₂)x(ZnO)100-x films with x = 2, 3, 4, and 5 wt.% were deposited on slide glass substrates at room temperature by the conventional Rf magnetron sputtering method. Their resistivities were investigated as a function of SiO₂ content. The lowest resistivity of 4.5×10-3 Ω.· cm was obtained for the (SiO₂)x(ZnO)100-x film with x = 2 wt.%. This film showed an excellent average transmittance of 85% in the visible range with a wide band gap over 3.4 eV and a high refractive index of 2.1. In addition, the electrical conductivity of the films was improved by annealing at a temperature films decrease range from 100 °C to 400 °C in vacuum. The resistivities of (SiO₂)x(ZnO)100-x with increasing annealing temperature. In particular, SZO film with x = 2 wt.% shows a minimum resistivity of ~10-3 Ω.cm after the heat treatment for 30 min at 300 °C in vacuum. Thus, we suggest that (SiO₂)x(ZnO)100-x films being sufficiently transparent and having a high conductivity, are suitable for application as transparent and conductive oxide films.

Cu2O porous nanostructured films fabricated by positive bias sputtering deposition

In this work, the authors fabricated Cu2O porous nanostructured films (PNFs) on glass slide substrates by the newly developed positive bias deposition approach in a balanced magnetron sputtering (MS) system. It was found that the surface morphology, crystal structure and optical property of the as-deposited products were greatly dependent on the applied positive substrate bias. In particular, when the substrate was biased at +50 and +150 V, both of the as-prepared Cu2O PNFs exhibited a unique triangular pyramids-like structure with obvious edges and corners and little gluing, a preferred orientation of (111) and a blue shift of energy band gap at 2.35 eV. Quantitative calculation results indicated that the traditional bombardment effects of electrons and sputtering argon ions were both negligible during the bias deposition in the balanced MS system. Instead, a new model of tip charging effect was further proposed to account for the controllable formation of PNFs by the balanced bias sputtering deposition.

Optical and Structural Properties of Chemical Bath Deposited Cadmium Sulphur Selenide (CdS1–xSex (0 ≤ x ≤ 1)) Thin Films

The tuneable band gap property of Cadmium-sulphur-selenide (CdS1–xSex) thin film makes it an appropriate material for a wide range of optoelec-tronic applications and this has aroused a lot of interest. In this paper, we report the study of Cadmium-sulphur-selenide (CdS1–xSex) thin films, successfully grown on commercial glass slide substrate by the chemical bath deposition technique. The effect of selenium content (x value) on the structural, and some optical properties have been studied. The bath solution contained cadmium acetate dehydrate [Cd(CH3COO)2·2H2O], so-dium selenosulphate [Na2SeSO3] and thiourea [CS(NH2)2] were used as the sources of Cd2+, Se2﹣ and S2+, respectively. Tartaric acid (C4H6O6) was used as a complexing agent. The pH of the solution was adjusted to 12 by drop-wise addition of ammonia. The bath temperature was kept at 90°C for a deposition time of 1 hour. Post deposition annealing processes of the thin films were performed in a furnace at a temperature of 400°C for two hours. Both as-deposited and annealed films were characterised by Powder X-Ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, UV-Visible Optical Absorption Spectroscopy and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis. Optical absorption data analysis indicates that direct allowed transitions occur in the films. The band gap of the as-deposited CdS1–xSex decreased linearly from 2.34 eV to 1.48 eV, with increasing selenium content, and in the annealed samples, decreased from 1.84 eV to 1.36 eV. X-ray diffrac-tion measurements revealed, that pure CdS, and CdSe had mixed hexago-nal and cubic phases. All the remaining ternary compounds were com-posed of cubic CdS and hexagonal CdSe phases. The annealed samples showed well defined and more intense peaks, suggesting an improvement in crystallinity. The average grain size increased slightly with increasing selenium content. SEM micrographs showed that the films were compact with a smooth texture and good coverage across the entire area of the substrate.

Nonlinear Optical Properties of Zinc Oxide Thin Films Produced by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Abstract In this work, the nonlinear optical properties of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) thin films produced on microscope slide glass substrates at room temperature (RT) using Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) method has been presented. PLD system consists of a vacuum chamber (pumped by a turbo molecular pump, backed with a rotary pump), rotating sample and substrate holders, optical thickness measurement system, infrared temperature measurement system and a nanosecond laser system. Previously deposition vacuum chamber evacuated down to ∼10-8 mbar and deposition was taken place about 1.3×10-1 mbar oxygen background gas pressure value. Morphological properties of thin films were obtained by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) that shows homogenous and smooth film structure. Thin films crystallinity were investigated by using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) method and showed that polycrystalline ZnO structure with the largest peak corresponding to (002) orientation but some films contain Zn with (101) orientation . The thicknesses of the films were deduced from reflectance measurement using a fitting software and crosschecked with profilometer and AFM measurements. The thickness of the films ranged between 10 nm and 220 nm. Linear optical properties were obtained by using UV-VIS Spectrometer. Furthermore, we presented the nonlinear optical properties of the ZnO thin films that were obtained by the z-scan method

Formation of textured Al thin film on silicone rubber to obtain superhydrophobic property

Silicone rubber, which is widely used in electrical and biomedical applications, was modified into superhydrophobic property by the formation of a textured Al thin film on the periodic microswelling structure fabricated on silicone rubber by the 193 nm ArF excimer laser-induced photodissociation of silicone. The texturing of Al thin film occurred automatically during the vacuum evaporation only on the silicone rubber, compared with the cases of a slide glass or silicone resin substrate, which were observed by the scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope. As a result, contact angle of water on the samples with 10- and 30-nm-thick, textured Al thin films was estimated to be approximately 162° in both cases, compared to the sample without Al of approximately 155°. Moreover, a large air gap was remarkably formed between the Al-deposited sample and water; a droplet of colored water was successfully confined in the air gap and it was released into the water when and where need.

Preparation and Studying the Optical Properties of (Sb2o3) Thin Films

In this paper I present the preparation of (Sb2o3) thin films using thermal evaporation in vacuum, procedure with different thickness (100 ,150 ,200 ,and 250) nm, by using ( hot plate) from Molybdenum matter at temperature in ( 9000c) and the period of time (15mint) ,the prepared in a manner thermal evaporation in a vacuum and precipitated on glass bases, pure Antimony Trioxide (sb2o3 ) thin films with various condition have been successfully deposited by (T.E.V) on glass slide substrates. The substrates temperature of about 100oC and the vacuum of about 10-6 torr, to investigated oxidation of evaporated, measure spectra for prepared films in arrange of wavelength (250 – 1100 nm). The following optical properties have been calculated: the absorption coefficient, the forbidden (Eg) for direct and indirect transitions "absorbance, refractive index, extinction coefficient, real and imaginary parts" of the dielectric constant.

Influence of Biopolymer Carrageenan and Glycerine on the Properties of Extrusion Printed Inks of Carbon Nanotubes.

This article focuses on the preparation of extrusion printing composite inks of multiwall carbon nanotube (MWNT) dispersed separately in iota-carrageenan (IC) and glycerine (G) solution. Both composites (IC-MWNT and G-MWNT) showed shear-thinning behavior when their flow characteristics were tested. Conductive solid tracks/patterns of both printed composite inks were deposited on glass slide, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) sheet, and IC gel films substrates. The conductive patterns were characterized with microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and profilometer. Moreover, their contact angle and electrical conductivity were measured. Profilometry showed that increased number of extruded layers gave increased cross-sectional area. SEM study showed that printing ink is embedded into the surface of IC film, discontinuous on glass slide and smoother on PET sheet. Conductivity of IC-MWNT track was 9 ± 1 S/m and that of G-MWNT was 2942 ± 84 S/m on glass substrate of one layer thick. This is because fewer carbon nanotubes (CNT) are present in G-MWNT track as confirmed by SEM study. The nature of substrate also affects the conductivity of printed patterns. The impressive result of conductivity of printed patterns of composite inks can make them useful for bioelectronic application.

Study of the physical properties of CuO thin films grown by modified SILAR method for solar cells applications

CuO has attracted much interest owing to its appropriate material properties, inexpensive fabrication cost and potential applications including energy devices. In this study, copper oxide CuO thin films were deposited on glass slides substrates by the simple and economical modified successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (modified SILAR). Properties of synthesized films were studied as a function numbers of deposition cycles and immersion time in the anionic solution (reaction time). The structural, surface morphology, chemical compositions and optical properties of the films have been investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy SEM, EDX and UV-vis spectrophotometry.

Cadmium sulphide (CdS) thin films deposited by chemical bath deposition (CBD) and dip coating techniques—a comparative study

The CdS thin films were deposited on glass slide substrates by Chemical Bath Deposition and dip coating techniques. The films thickness variation with deposition time showed maximum films deposition at 35 min for both the films. The energy dispersive analysis of x-ray showed both the films to be stoichiometric. The x-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the films possess hexagonal crystal structure. The transmission electron, scanning electron and optical microscopy study showed the films deposition to be uniform. The selected area electron diffraction exhibited ring patterns stating the films to be polycrystalline in nature. The atomic force microscopy images showed surface formed of spherical grains, hills and valleys. The recorded optical absorbance spectra analysis revealed the films possess direct optical bandgap having values of 2.25 eV for CBD and 2.40 eV for dip coating. The refractive index (η), extinction coefficient (k), complex dielectric constant (ε) and optical conductivity (σ0) variation with wavelength showed maximum photon absorption till the respective wavelengths corresponding to the optical bandgap energy values. The recorded photoluminescence spectra showed two emission peaks. All the obtained results have been discussed in details.

Effects of silver segregation on sputter deposited antibacterial silver-containing diamond-like carbon films

Silver-containing diamond-like carbon (DLC) films for antibacterial applications were prepared on 316L stainless steel and slide glass substrates by magnetron sputtering at different silver target current. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy analyses show that the film surface becomes rough due to the formation of nanoparticles/clusters and even a surface layer with the increase of silver target current. The Ag content was measured as 0, 2.1, 6.1 and 14.3 at.%, respectively by energy dispersive X-ray analysis. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveal the dominant metallic nature of silver for the Ag-containing films. Silver segregation from the carbon matrix to film surface is confirmed by the above analyses. Microhardness indentation, contact angle measurement and potentiodynamic polarization test in a Ca-free Hank's balanced salt solution indicate that the addition of silver has decreased hardness, elastic modulus, H/E and H3/E2 ratios, wettability, surface energy and corrosion resistance of the DLC films, respectively. The antibacterial tests by agar disk diffusion assay and agar plate counting method against Escherichia coli demonstrate long-lasting and reusable antibacterial activity of the Ag-containing films. The study shows that silver segregation plays a crucial role in microstructure, mechanical, chemical and biological properties of the antibacterial Ag-containing DLC films.

Effect of annealing treatment on sputtered copper oxide thin film

Copper oxide thin films were prepared on silicon wafer and glass slide substrate by dc reactive magnetron sputtering using a copper target without substrate heating. As-deposited CuO thin films were then annealed at various the temperatures in air ambient. The effects of annealing treatment on the physical morphology, optical property of the prepared samples were studied by glancing incident X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer. The results shown that the crystallinity of the CuO thin films was significantly improved as an annealing temperature increased. Additionally, the sheet resistance measurements were characterized on as-deposited and annealed samples in order to discuss the electrical properties.

DC reactive sputter deposition of CuO thin films at different operating pressures

Copper oxide (CuO) thin films were prepared on glass slide and silicon wafer substrates using dc reactive magnetron sputtering at different operating pressure. The high purity Cu target was used, and sputtering was carried out in argon and oxygen atmosphere. The operating pressure was varied from 10 to 40 mTorr. The physical microstructure and optical properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and spectrophotometer. For the crystal structure, the XRD results indicated that the prepared CuO thin films were polycrystalline with monoclinic structure. The FE-SEM results demonstrated the increased of the dense pack structure for the films deposited at low operating pressure. The average optical transmittance at visible region of the film was about ∼50%.

Influence on distance between substrate and target on the properties of CuO thin film prepared by DC reactive magnetron sputtering

The Copper thin films were grown on glass slide and silicon wafer substrate by DC reactive magnetron sputtering with a 99.995% pure copper target. The distance between substrate and target was varied from 87 to 117 mm. The structural, morphology and electrical properties of the prepared samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission electron microscope (FE-SEM) and four-point-probe, respectively. All of the prepared samples were polycrystalline with a monoclinic tenorite. In addition, as the distance from substrate and target decreases further, the grain size increases and sheet resistance decreases.

Hydrothermal synthesis and photoluminescent properties of hierarchical GdPO4·H2O:Ln3+ (Ln3+ = Eu3+, Ce3+, Tb3+) flower-like clusters

3D hierarchical GdPO4·H2O:Ln3+ (Ln3+ = Eu3+, Ce3+, Tb3+) flower clusters were successfully prepared on glass slide substrate by a simple, economical hydrothermal process with the assistance of disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (Na2H2L, where L4− = (CH2COO)2N(CH2)2N(CH2COO)24−). In this process, Na2H2L was used as both a chelating agent and a structure-director. The hierarchical flower clusters have an average diameter of 7–12 μm and are composed of well-aligned microrods. The influence of the molar ratio of Na2H2L/Gd3+ and reaction time on the morphology was systematically studied. A possible crystal growth and formation mechanism of hierarchical flower clusters is proposed based on the evolution of morphology as a function of reaction time. The self-assembled GdPO4·H2O:Ln3+ superstructures exhibit strong orange-red (Eu3+, 5D0 → 7F1), green (Tb3+, 5D4 → 7F5) and near ultraviolet emissions (Ce3+, 5d → 7F5/2) under ultraviolet excitation, respectively. This study may provide a new channel for building hierarchically superstructued oxide micro/nanomaterials with optical and new properties.

Characterization of CBD deposited CuInSe2 thin film

Ternary CuInSe2 chalcopyrite semiconductor thin films have been deposited on glass slide substrates by chemical bath deposition technique. The chemical composition of the as-deposited thin film by energy dispersive analysis of X-ray technique showed the film to be near stoichiometric. The X-ray diffraction analysis of the thin film confirmed the tetragonal unit cell structure. All the obtained lattice parameters were in good agreement with the reported data. The crystallite size determined by Scherrer's formula and Hall-Williamsons relation using X-ray diffraction data were in good agreement with each other. The microtopograph study of the as-deposited thin film surfaces by optical and scanning electron microscopy showed that the thin film uniformly covers the entire substrate surface. The atomic force microscopy of the thin film surface showed grains and coalescence between them. The as-deposited thin film possesses direct optical bandgap having value of 1.39eV being analyzed by Ultra violet-Visible-Near infra red spectroscopy. The optical parameters like reflectance R, transmittance T variation with wavelength and extinction coefficient k, dielectric constant εc and refractive index η variation with incident photons hν showed the as-deposited thin film can be used as an absorber in the visible region of spectrum. The electrical transport properties study confirmed the semiconducting and p-type nature of the as-deposited thin film. The obtained results are comprehensively discussed in this paper.

Sol-Gel PMMA-ZrO2 Hybrid Layers as Gate Dielectric for Low-Temperature ZnO-Based Thin-Film Transistors.

We report a simple sol–gel process for the deposition of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)–ZrO2 organic–inorganic hybrid films at low temperature and studied their properties as a function of the molar ratios of the precursors in the hybrid sol–gel solution, which included zirconium propoxide as the inorganic (zirconia) source, methyl methacrylate as the organic source, and 3-trimethoxy-silyl-propyl-methacrylate (TMSPM) as the coupling agent to enhance the compatibility between the organic and inorganic phases. The hybrid thin-film deposition was done on glass slide substrates by the dip-coating method. After deposition, the films were heat-treated at 100 °C for 24 h. The analysis of the hybrid films included Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to identify their chemical groups and thermogravimetric analysis to determine the content of their organic and inorganic components. In addition, capacitance–voltage (C–V) and current–voltage (I–V) curves in metal–insulator–metal structures, using gold as metal contacts, were measured to find the dielectric constant and leakage current of the PMMA–ZrO2 hybrid films. Finally, because of their adequate dielectric characteristics, single hybrid layers were deposited on indium tin oxide-coated glass substrates and were tested as gate dielectric in thin-film transistors (TFTs), using sputtered ZnO layers as the semiconductor active channel. We measured the output electrical response and transfer characteristics of these hybrid dielectric gate-based devices and determined their main electrical parameters as a function of the TMSPM content in the hybrid dielectric gate layer. The better TFT electrical behavior presents field effect mobility of 0.48 cm2/V s, low threshold voltage of 3.3 V, and on/off current ratio of 105, and it was obtained by using PMMA–ZrO2 with 0.3 TMSPM content as the gate dielectric layer. The values obtained for the electrical parameters show that PMMA–ZrO2 hybrid films are quite suitable for dielectric gate applications in TFTs