Optical Properties Of Films Research Articles

Effect of particle size on optical and electrical properties of thin films – a simulation approach

This paper presents a simulated investigation of the relationship between surface roughness and particle size as well as the resulting impact of the both on the thin film’s physical and optical properties. Non-porous thin films are created through computer simulation for a range of particle sizes following the random deposition with a surface relaxation approach. For the deposited thin films different fundamental parameters like transmittance, reflectance, absorption coefficients, frequency dependent dielectric constants, loss angle, refractive indices, optical band gap have all been calculated and in this process of calculation the fundamental values of two different materials; zinc oxide (ZnO and cadmium selenide (CdSe) are taken. It has been seen that when the particle sizes are comparable the calculated values of optical band gap of both ZnO and CdSe matches well with the experimental values of the same reported by others. This is probably the first effort to develop a direct relation between the particle size with different fundamental optical properties of different materials through simple simulation which agrees well with the experimental result. This would definitely help the experimental researchers in the field of material science to design their experiments as per the desired requirements.

Enhanced optical, dielectric, and mechanical properties of starch-based nanocomposite films reinforced with layered double hydroxide

In this study, we present the optical, electrical, dielectric, and mechanical properties of nanocomposite films containing different inorganic filler content. Starch is used as the biopolymer while the carbonate intercalated Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) is used as the inorganic filler. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS) are used to characterize and evaluate the dispersion of LDH in the biopolymer matrix. Increasing the filler content was found to improve the optical properties by increasing the light absorption coefficients, reducing the optical gap energy and increasing the refractive index. Improved dielectric properties were demonstrated by the significant decrease in the dielectric energy dissipation with increasing filler content. In addition, mechanical properties were enhanced by increasing the Young’s modulus when the filler content reached 5 wt %.

The effect of methyl yellow concentrations on the optical properties of polyvinyl chloride-methyl yellow film as a radiation dosimeter

A dosimetry system's ability to monitor absorbed doses is crucial for the quality assurance and control of products that have been exposed to radiation. Here, we propose a polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-methyl yellow (MY) film as a potential dosimeter for irradiation facilities. The PVC-MY film was prepared with a simple solvent-casting method at different MY concentrations from 0.3 to 1.2 mM. To evaluate the dosimeter's performance, the film was exposed to gamma-irradiation with irradiation doses of 0–25 kGy. The optical characteristics of the films examined using a UV–Vis spectrophotometer showed that the color of the films changed from yellow to red with increasing irradiation doses, and the color change sensitivity of the films increased with increasing MY concentrations. The absorption spectra of the irradiated PVC-MY films showed three maximum absorption peaks at 417, 522, and 547 nm. As irradiation doses increased, the film absorption at 417 nm decreased, while the film absorption at 522 and 547 nm increased. The film's stability studies suggest storage of the irradiated film in a cold-dark conditions is recommended to prevent damage and maintain response stability. The findings in this study emphasize the potential of the PVC-MY film as a dosimeter for irradiation facilities.

Effect of annealing process on structural and optical properties of Au-doped thin films (NiO:WO3) fabricated by PLD technique

Effect of annealing process on structural and optical properties of Au-doped thin films (NiO:WO3) fabricated by PLD technique

Cu-doped NiO thin film's structural, optical, and electrical properties and its negative absorption behaviour in the Infra-Red region

NiO undoped and Cu-doped thin films on FTO-coated glass (fluorine-doped tin oxide) are prepared by employing the sol-gel spin coating method. The Cu-doping effect was observed in all the characterized reports such as absorption, transmittance, field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), Grazing Incidence X-ray Diffraction (GIXRD), photoluminescence (PL), Raman spectra, current-voltage measurement (IV), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Enhancement in electrical conductivity due to Cu doping and IR illumination has been found. Band gap can also be tuned by varying doping concentrations. One new phenomenon called negative absorption (NA) has been found while investigating the optical properties in the infrared (IR) region for both undoped and Cu-doped NiO on the FTO substrate, which opens a new door for advanced research. The multifarious properties of NiO thin films offer various applications in many different fields.

Study of surface structure and interfacial effects on optical and magnetic properties of un-doped and Si-doped hematite films

Thermal evaporation technique has been used to synthesize the α-Fe2O3 (hematite) and Si-doped hematite films on three different substrates (SiO2/Si, Al2O3 and quartz). The post-deposition heat treatment at 800 °C has further improved the crystalline nature of the films. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy has provided information for surface elemental composition and depth profile. Raman spectra have supported the formation of rhombohedral phase and inter-layer diffusion between substrate and films. The x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has confirmed the mixed-valence oxidation states for Fe ions and +4 state for the Si ions in Si-doped hematite films. The optical reflectance spectra in the UV–Visible region indicated contributions from the films and film-substrate interface. The Si-doping has enhanced soft ferromagnetic properties in the hematite film with noticeable decrease of the magnetic coercivity and increase of the magnetic moment. The films showed blocking of magnetization at lower temperatures, typically below 125 K, and a wide thermomagnetic irreversibility between zero-field cooled and field cooled magnetization curves. The modified surface chemical structure, ferromagnetism and optical properties in the Si doped hematite films promise their potential applications in spintronics.

Exploring the Post-Annealing Influence on Stannous Oxide Thin Films via Chemical Bath Deposition Technique: Unveiling Structural, Optical, and Electrical Dynamics

Stannous oxide (SnO2) thin films have garnered significant attention for their promising applications in various electronic and optoelectronic devices. In this study, we investigate the impact of post-annealing on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of stannous oxide thin films deposited using the chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique. The thin films were prepared on a Borosilicate glass substrate, followed by a controlled annealing process to enhance their performance. Structural analysis was conducted using techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) to examine the cubic crystalline structure and the crystallite size increase induced by post-annealing. The results revealed alterations in grain size from the SEM and the purity of samples confirmed from EDX results. The optical properties of the Stannous oxide thin films were examined using UV-Vis spectroscopy. The optical absorption and bandgap characteristics were analyzed to understand how post-annealing influences the optical behavior of the thin films. Where the optical absorption was 320nm and the bandgap ranges were 3.86eV to 3.83eV. Furthermore, the electrical properties of the thin films were evaluated semiconducting nature, and conductivity increased with rising post-annealing. The findings from this study contribute to the understanding of the role of post-annealing in tailoring the properties of Stannous oxide thin films. The optimization of structural, optical, and electrical characteristics is crucial for their successful integration into electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Microstructure and optical properties of ZnAlO films prepared by Magnetron sputtering

ZnAlO thin films with different Al concentrations were prepared on glass and silicon substrates by Magnetron sputtering in this paper. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), spectrometer and other instruments were used to analyze the surface morphology, microstructure, transmittance and Raman spectrum of the films. The results showed that trace Al doping significantly increased the surface morphology and size of ZnAlO thin films; The low doped ZnAlO thin film exhibits a good preferred orientation. As the Al doping concentration increases, the main growth direction of the crystal gradually shifts from (101) to (103), and the grain size decreases with the increase of doping concentration during low doping; When the wavelength of ZnAlO film is less than 330 nm, the transmittance of the film is almost zero; When the wavelength is greater than 350 nm, the transmittance of the thin film decreases with the increase of Al doping concentration, and there is a blue shift trend with the increase of Al concentration. When the wavelength is between 420-900nm, the average transmittance of ZnAlO thin film can reach over 90%, and the transmission performance is good; The ZnAlO thin films all have structural characteristic peaks of wurtzite with a frequency of about 437 cm−1, and the Raman peak position does not move with the increase of Al concentration.

Effect of hydrogen flow rate on properties of silicon oxycarbide thin films via hot wire chemical vapor deposition

AbstractThis study explores the impact of hydrogen flow as a carrier gas on silicon oxycarbide thin films produced via hot wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) using tetraethyl orthosilicate as a precursor. Systematically varying the hydrogen flow rates, the influence on thin film composition, microstructure, and optical properties is investigated. Employing diverse characterization techniques, such as X‐ray diffraction, field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM), energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ellipsometry, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, it is revealed that there is a correlation between hydrogen flow rate and thin film elemental composition. Higher hydrogen flow rates result in increased silicon content and reduced contributions of oxygen and carbon. FE‐SEM images show agglomerates with improved homogeneity at higher flow rates. FTIR spectra highlight distinctive vibrational modes, including Si–H bonds. XPS confirms the emergence of Si–H bonds at elevated hydrogen flow rates. Ellipsometry indicates increased thickness and refractive index. PL spectra exhibit a broadband across the visible spectrum, influenced by hydrogen‐related defects and electronic transitions. This study provides findings for optimizing HWCVD parameters to tailor thin films for specific applications, emphasizing the important role of hydrogen flow as a carrier gas.

Optical, Electrical, Structural, and Thermo-Mechanical Properties of Undoped and Tungsten-Doped Vanadium Dioxide Thin Films.

The undoped and tungsten (W)-doped vanadium dioxide (VO2) thin films were prepared by electron beam evaporation associated with ion-beam-assisted deposition (IAD). The influence of different W-doped contents (3-5%) on the electrical, optical, structural, and thermo-mechanical properties of VO2 thin films was investigated experimentally. Spectral transmittance results showed that with the increase in W-doped contents, the transmittance in the visible light range (400-750 nm) decreases from 60.2% to 53.9%, and the transmittance in the infrared wavelength range (2.5 μm to 5.5 μm) drops from 55.8% to 15.4%. As the W-doped content increases, the residual stress in the VO2 thin film decreases from -0.276 GPa to -0.238 GPa, but the surface roughness increases. For temperature-dependent spectroscopic measurements, heating the VO2 thin films from 30 °C to 100 °C showed the most significant change in transmittance for the 5% W-doped VO2 thin film. When the heating temperature exceeds 55 °C, the optical transmittance drops significantly, and the visible light transmittance drops by about 11%. Finally, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to evaluate the microstructure characteristics of VO2 thin films.

Preparation of UV Topcoat Microcapsules and Their Effect on the Properties of UV Topcoat Paint Film.

An orthogonal experiment was designed to prepare different UV topcoat microcapsules by adjusting the mass ratio of wall material to core material, HLB value of emulsifier, reaction temperature, and reaction time of UV topcoat microcapsule. By testing the morphology and multiple properties of UV topcoat microcapsules, it was found that the biggest factor affecting the synthesis of UV topcoat microcapsules is the emulsifier HLB value. In order to further optimize the performance of UV topcoat microcapsules, a single-factor experiment was conducted with the emulsifier HLB value as the variable, and it was found that the UV topcoat microcapsules achieved the best performance when the emulsifier HLB value was 10.04. The optimal UV topcoat microcapsules were added to the UV topcoat at different amounts to prepare UV topcoat paint films. Through testing the various properties of the UV topcoat paint film, it was determined that the performance of the UV topcoat paint film was optimal when the amount of UV topcoat microcapsules added to the UV topcoat was 4.0%. The optical properties of the UV topcoat paint film were tested, and the effect of UV topcoat microcapsules on the color difference and glossiness of the UV topcoat paint film was not significant. The tensile and self-healing performance of UV topcoat microcapsules were tested. UV topcoat microcapsules can enhance the toughness of the UV topcoat paint film to a certain extent, suppress the generation of microcracks, and have a good self-healing effect. The results provide experimental support for the preparation of microcapsules using UV coatings as core materials for the self-healing of UV coatings.

A study on the influence of thermoforming process on the optical properties of polycarbonate films

A study on the influence of thermoforming process on the optical properties of polycarbonate films

Structural, optical, and electrical analysis of tailoring Bi2-xSbxTe3 thin films

Bismuth antimony telluride (Bi2-xSbxTe3) thin films were synthesized using chemical bath deposition (CBD) with various amounts of antimony. The structural, morphological, and optical properties of Bi2-xSbxTe3 thin films have been scrutinized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), UV-Vis spectrophotometry. A higher amount of Sb contents can be observed the Sb0.405Te0.595, BiTe, and Bi4Te3 phases consisted in the pattern. Meanwhile, the energy band gaps are tuned in the range of 2.95 to 3.30 eV. Finally, measurement of resistance with various temperatures for activation energy (EAC) estimation was performed. The highest EAC value was equal to 0.654 eV for 0.8 g SbCl3 as a precursor of Sb atom incorporated in the Bi2Te3 lattice.

Influence of annealing temperature on nano crystalline description for CuZnS thin films

Copper Zinc Sulphide (Cu0.5Zn0.5S) alloy and thin films were fabricated in a vacuum. Nano crystallized (CZS) film with thick 450±20 nm was deposit at substrates glasses using thermal evaporation technique below ~ 2 × 10− 5 mbar vacuum to investigated the films structural, morphological and optical properties depended on annealing temperatures ( as-deposited, 423, 523 and 623) K for one hour. The influences annealed temperature on structurally besides morphologically characteristics on these films were investigated using XRD and AFM respectively. XRD confirms the formation a mixed hexagonal phase of CuS-ZnS in (102) direction with polycrystalline in nature having very fine crystallites size varying from (5.5-13.09) nm. AFM analysis shows the uniform distribution of closely packed grains, grain size for that film diverge on ranges as of (52.37 to 89.25) nm after annealed. The optical properties of all films prepared had been examined for the wavelength range 400 - 1000 nm using UV-Vis-NIR spectrometer. The band gaps of (Cu0.5Zn0.5S) films are obtained in the range of 2.4 to 1.9 eV, which makes it a suitable absorber as well as buffer/window layer for solar cell applications.

Structural, Optical, and Thermal Properties of PVA/SrTiO3/CNT Polymer Nanocomposites.

Successful preparation of PVA/SrTiO3/CNT polymer nanocomposite films was accomplished via the solution casting method. The structural, optical, and thermal properties of the films were tested by XRD, SEM, FTIR, TGA, and UV-visible spectroscopy. Inclusion of the SrTiO3/CNT nanofillers with a maximum of 1 wt% drastically improved the optical and thermal properties of PVA films. SrTiO3 has a cubic crystal structure, and its average crystal size was found to be 28.75 nm. SEM images showed uniform distribution in the sample with 0.3 wt% of SrTiO3/CNTs in the PVA film, while some agglomerations appeared in the samples of higher SrTiO3/CNT content, i.e., at 0.7 and 1.0 wt%, in the PVA polymer films. The inclusion of SrTiO3/CNTs improved the thermal stability of PVA polymer films. The direct and indirect optical band gaps of the PVA films decreased when increasing the mass of the SrTiO3/CNTs, while the single-oscillator energy (E0) and dispersion energy (Ed) increased. The films' refractive indices were gradually increased upon increasing the nanofillers' weight. In addition, improvements in the optical susceptibility and nonlinear refractive indices' values were also obtained. These films are qualified for optoelectronic applications due to their distinct optical and thermal properties.

Optical properties of cerium-doped SiNx thin films containing silicon nanocrystals

Optical properties of cerium-doped SiNx thin films containing silicon nanocrystals

Structural and optical properties of sulfurized Cu2ZnSnS4 films grown by one step method using calcined powders for electrical properties study of Al/p-Cu2ZnSnS4 Schottky diode

Structural and optical properties of sulfurized Cu2ZnSnS4 films grown by one step method using calcined powders for electrical properties study of Al/p-Cu2ZnSnS4 Schottky diode

The structural, optical, electrical and radiation shielding properties of Co-doped ZnO thin films

Co:ZnO thin films are promising due to the similar ionic radii of cobalt and ZnO, and their potential for carrier spin injection, transfer, and detection. This study aims to investigate the structural, optical, electrical, and radiation shielding properties of Co-doped zinc oxide (Co:ZnO) thin films for potential applications in various fields such as semiconductors, solar cells, spintronics, and radiation shielding. The effect of commercially available Cobalt acetate tetrahydrate and Cobalt complex (Co with conjugated NN ligand) as cobalt additives on the synthesis of ZnO thin films is compared, aiming to discern their respective impacts. The dopants are incorporated in 2, 4, and 6 wt%, employing the sol-gel spin coating method.Applying cobalt complex additive as Co precursor resulted in ZnO:Co films with a superior enhancement of the electronic band gap of 2.84–3.00 eV compared to cobalt acetate precursor (2.62–2.84 eV). With the introduction of Cobalt, there is a notable change in the electrical conductivity, showcasing a decrease from 1.5x10−7 to 2.11x10−10 (S/cm). Also, radiation shielding parameters were experimentally measured in the energy range of 186.1–1764.5 keV within the scope of gamma ray spectral analysis. Exposure buildup factors (EBF) in the energy range of 15–15,000 keV were calculated up to 1–40 mean free path (mfp). Mass stopping power (MSP) and projected range values (PR) for nuclear safety applications were calculated for protons and alpha particles using the SRIM code. Thin film thicknesses were determined by using Lambert-Beer law. It was observed that the thin film thicknesses obtained from gamma spectrometry (2.090–2.628 μm) and SEM (2.157–2.725 μm) were compatible with each other.

Effect of Mo and W co-doping on optical, morphological, electrical and electrochemical properties of Co3O4 thin film

In this study, it was aimed to produce cobalt oxide (Co3O4) thin films with improved optical, electrical, and electrochemical properties for device applications with a simple and low-cost method. Mo, W, and dual Mo and W at the ratio 10 wt% of Co3O4 were added into the solutions. The prepared solutions were coated on glass substrates by spin coating method. The produced thin films' structural, morphological, optical, electrical, and electrochemical properties were examined. As a result of doping, the optical, morphological, conductivity, and electrochemical properties of Co3O4 thin films improved and more stable structures were formed. The Mo and W co-doping provided the most improvement in the properties of the Co3O4 thin film. The results obtained showed that the Mo and W co-doped Co3O4 thin film is a potential candidate for highly efficient electrochemical applications.

Deposition time dependent structural and optical properties of polycrystalline [formula omitted] films

Sputtering-derived InGaZnO4 (IGZO) thin films were grown on quartz substrates and undergone post-deposition annealing at 700 °C for 2hr in N2 ambient. The influence of deposition time or film thickness on the morphological, structural and optical properties of polycrystalline IGZO thin films has been systematically investigated by means of characterization from field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), high resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) and ultraviolet–visible–near infrared (UV–Vis–NIR) spectrophotometer. Results of AFM have shown that the root-mean-square (RMS) surface roughness of the IGZO films increases from 0.888 to 2.640 nm as the deposition time is extended from 50 to 250min. Analysis of XRD indicates that all the films are in polycrystalline phase, with crystallites growing into larger size accordingly to increasing deposition time. Appealingly and scarcely ever reported, the XRD diffraction planes can be separated into three domains, such as (0 0 l), (1 0 l) and (1 1 l) with different growth thicknesses. Optical measurement suggests that the optical bandgap have redshifted from 3.55 to 3.31eV at longer deposition time. Related mechanics about the change in physical properties against deposition time have been elaborated in detail. The validity of Swanepoel method, 1983 in deriving the refractive index of thick IGZO films has also been discussed.