Sb Films Research Articles

Element-specific study of the temperature dependent magnetization of Co–Mn–Sb thin films

Magnetron sputtered thin Co–Mn–Sb films were investigated with respect to their element-specific magnetic properties. Stochiometric Co1Mn1Sb1 crystallized in the C1b structure has been predicted to be half-metallic and is therefore of interest for spintronic applications. It should show a characteristic antiferromagnetic coupling of the Mn and Co magnetic moments and a transition temperature TC of about 480 K. Although the observed transition temperature of our 20 nm thick Co32.4Mn33.7Sb33.8, Co37.7Mn34.1Sb28.2, and Co43.2Mn32.6Sb24.2 films is in quite good agreement with the expected value, we found a ferromagnetic coupling of the Mn and Co magnetic moments which indicates that the films do not crystallize in the C1b structure and are probably not fully spin polarized. The ratio of the Co and Mn moments does not change up to the transition temperature and the temperature dependence of the magnetic moments can be well described by the mean-field theory.

The electron dynamics of semimetal Sb films

The time resolved pump-probe spectroscopy was used to study the ultrafast carrier dynamics of semimetal Sb films at different wavelengths and pump fluences. The profiles of differential transmission versus delayed time showed sharp oscillation near the zero-time_delayed point. A positive absorption saturation peak turned into a negative absorption peak in subpicosecond time. Then the latter began to attenuate and again showed absorption saturation eventually in several picoseconds. The amplitudes of the positive and negative peaks were proportional to the pump fluence and wavelength. These phenomena are analyzed in this article and explained reasonably and semi-quantitatively by introducing the “defect model" and considering fast capture and release by “defect states" of hot electrons.

Deposition and characterization of highly p-type antimony doped ZnTe thin films

We report deposition of highly p-type antimony doped ZnTe films onto glass substrates using ZnTe and Sb effusion cells in ultra-high-vacuum environment of an MBE system. It was found that the widely-used conventional co-evaporation technique does not produce highly p-type films. Through a series of deposition experiments, a 4-step method consisting deposition of the layers followed by a post annealing process was developed. The maximum carrier concentration was 3 × 10 19 cm −3 which is the highest reported for ZnTe:Sb films. The surface morphology and the structure of the films were analyzed using AFM and XRD. Electrical properties of Sb doped films were investigated by four-point probe and room temperature Hall effect measurements.

Preparation of Antimony Films by Cyclic Pulsed Chemical Vapor Deposition

Cyclic-pulsed plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) for the formation of antimony (Sb) thin films was investigated using Sb(i-C3H7)3 and H2 plasma at temperatures of 200-275 degrees C. The effects of deposition temperature on the film properties, such as resistivity, surface roughness, and crystallinity were examined. The film growth rate (thickness/cycle) was found to be in the range of 0.10-0.5 nm/cycle. High substrate temperatures tended to promote low resistivity, high purity, and smooth surface morphology of the films, compared to low substrate temperatures. All of the deposited films were polycrystalline, with higher deposition temperatures yielding a higher crystallinity in the Sb films.

Preparation and characterization of CeO2-TiO2/SnO2:Sb films deposited on glass substrates by R.F. sputtering

CeO2-TiO2 films and CeO2-TiO2/SnO2:Sb (6 mol%) double films were deposited on glass substrates by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering (R.F. Sputtering), using SnO2:Sb(6 mol%) target, and CeO2-TiO2 targets with different molar ratio of CeO2 to TiO2 (CeO2:TiO2=0:1.0; 0.1:0.9; 0.2:0.8; 0.3:0.7; 0.4:0.6; 0.5:0.5; 0.6:0.4; 0.7:0.3; 0.8:0.2; 0.9:0.1; 1.0:0). The films are characterized by UV-visible transmission and infrared reflection spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The obtained results show that the amorphous phases composed of CeO2-TiO2 play an important role in absorbing UV, there are Ce(superscript 3+), Ce(superscript 4+) and Ti(superscript 4+) on the surface of the films; the glass substrates coated with CeO2-TiO2 (Ce/Ti=0.5:0.5; 0.6:0.4)/SnO2:Sb(6 mol%) double films show high absorbing UV(＞99), high visible light transmission (75%) and good infrared reflection (＞70%). The sheet resistance of the films is 30-50 Ω/(subscript □). The glass substrates coated with the double functional films can be used as window glass of buildings, automobile and so on.

The role of annealing temperature on the optical energy gap and Urbach energy of Se:2%Sb thin films

The optical energy gap(Eopt) and the width of the tails of localized states in the band gap (?E) for Se:2%Sb thin films prepared by thermal co-evaporation method as a function of annealing temperature are studied in the photon energy range ( 1 to 5.4)eV.Se2%Sb film was found to be indirect transition with energy gap of (1.973,2.077, 2.096, 2.17) eV at annealing temperature (295,370,445,520)K respectively. The Eopt and ?E of Se:2%Sb films as a function of annealing temperature showed an increase in Eopt and a decrease in ?E with increasing the annealing temperature. This behavior may be related to structural defects and dangling bonds.

The role of annealing temperature on the optical energy gap and Urbach energy of Se:2%Sb thin films

The optical energy gap(Eopt) and the width of the tails of localized states in the band gap (?E) for Se:2%Sb thin films prepared by thermal co-evaporation method as a function of annealing temperature are studied in the photon energy range ( 1 to 5.4)eV.Se2%Sb film was found to be indirect transition with energy gap of (1.973,2.077, 2.096, 2.17) eV at annealing temperature (295,370,445,520)K respectively. The Eopt and ?E of Se:2%Sb films as a function of annealing temperature showed an increase in Eopt and a decrease in ?E with increasing the annealing temperature. This behavior may be related to structural defects and dangling bonds.

Thin films of Cu 2Sb and Cu 9Sb 2 as anode materials in Li-ion batteries

Thin Cu 2Sb films have been prepared by heat-treating Sb films, electrodeposited on Cu substrates. The influence of the electrodeposition conditions and the heat-treatment period on composition and morphology of the films were investigated (SEM and XRD) and the obtained films were tested as anode materials for Li-ion batteries. The Cu 2Sb material showed a stable capacity of 290 mAh g −1 (close to the theoretical capacity of 323 mAh g −1) during more than 60 cycles. The presence of 9–11% (w/w) Sb 2O 3 in the electrodeposited films resulted in smaller particles but also slowed down formation of Cu 2Sb during the heat-treatment step. The presence of Sb 2O 3 was found to decrease the cycling stability although structural reversibility of Cu 2Sb was obtained both with and without Sb 2O 3. Longer heat-treatments of pure Sb films resulted in the formation of Cu 9Sb 2 which was shown to be reduced at a lower potential than Cu 2Sb. The Cu 9Sb 2 was converted to Cu 2Sb during repeated cycling and the capacity of the latter Cu 2Sb material was found to be 230 mAh g −1. While reduction of the materials was complicated by simultaneous formation of an SEI layer, three plateaus could be identified during the oxidation of Li 3Sb, indicating the presence of three separate one-electron oxidation reactions.

Preparation and characterization of antimony-doped SnO 2 thin films on gold and silver substrates for electrochemical and surface plasmon resonance studies

The paper reports on the deposition of thin antimony (Sb)-doped SnO 2 films onto gold and silver substrates using magnetron sputtering. The influence of the SnO 2:Sb film on the electrochemical and surface plasmon resonance properties is investigated. The best results in terms of stability, electrochemical and plasmonic characteristics are obtained for SnO 2:Sb of 8.5 nm thickness deposited on silver substrates.

Surface phase diagram and alloy formation for antimony on Au(110)

The authors have evaporated submonolayer to monolayer Sb films on the clean Au(110) surface and investigated the resultant Sb-induced reconstructions using low energy electron diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and surface x-ray diffraction. They discovered a sequence of reconstructions, namely, c(2×2), (3×3)R54.7°, (2−112), and p(5×6), with increasing coverage of Sb. The well-known (2×1) reconstruction of the clean Au(110) surface changes to c(2×2) at an Sb coverage of θ≈0.5 ML. At higher Sb coverages, there is a phase transition from c(2×2) to (3×3)R54.7°, with the (3×3)R54.7° pattern emerging at an Sb coverage of θ≈0.7 ML. Upon further deposition, the superstructure spots of the (3×3)R54.7° reconstruction each split into two, resulting in the (2−112) pattern at a coverage of θ≈0.8 ML. Finally, an Sb∕Au(110)-p(5×6) reconstruction emerges at coverages in excess of 1 ML. They have also studied the temperature dependence of the c(2×2) surface phase.

Highly thermal stable transparent conducting SnO 2:Sb epitaxial films prepared on α-Al 2O 3 (0 0 0 1) by MOCVD

Antimony-doped tin oxide (SnO 2:Sb) single crystalline films have been prepared on α-Al 2O 3 (0 0 0 1) substrates by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The antimony doping was varied from 2% to 7% (atomic ratio). Post-deposition annealing of the SnO 2:Sb films was carried out at 700–1100 °C for 30 min in atmosphere ambient. The effect of annealing on the structural, electrical and optical properties of the films was investigated in detail. All the SnO 2:Sb films had good thermal stability under 900 °C, and the 5% Sb-doped SnO 2 film exhibited the best opto-electrical properties. Annealed above 900 °C, the 7% Sb-doped SnO 2 film still kept high thermal stability and showed good electrical and optical properties even at 1100 °C.

Conducting antimony-doped tin oxide films derived from stannous oxalate by aqueous sol–gel method

Nanocrystalline SnO 2:Sb films were prepared by a sol–gel route using C 6H 8O 7–triethanolamine (TEA) mixing aqueous solution with pH 6.5–7.0. Stannous oxalate and antimony trichloride were used as tin and antimony sources. IR, XRD FESEM, FETEM, UV–vis and four-point probe measurement were used to characterize sol–gel chemistry, structure, morphologies, optical and electrical properties. Mechanism of sol–gel reaction illuminated that existence of TEA supplied large numbers of active tin hydrate and ionized state carboxyl groups for tin and antimony chelation through the amido association with the ionized H + on –COOH of H 3L and H 2C 2O 4. The 6 at.% Sb-doped films with film thickness of 600 nm had sheet resistance as low as 42.85 Ω / when annealed at 450 °C for 10 min. Annealing temperature intensively altered sheet resistance and optimum was in the range of 450–500 °C. The longer annealing time caused Sb volatilization which led to the optimum doping level shifted from 6 to 12 at.%.

Ti/SnO[sub 2]–Sb Electrodes for Pollutant Degradation Prepared Using Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis

Antimony-doped tin oxide Ti/SnO 2 -Sb films were successfully deposited on Ti substrates by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis at 600°C. The physicochemical and electrochemical properties as well as the electrocatalytic activity of Ti/SnO 2 -Sb electrodes were investigated. It was found that the Ti/SnO 2 -Sb electrodes prepared had compact microstructure, high overpotential for O 2 evolution, and superior activity for pollutant degradation. Over 95% chemical oxygen demand removal was achieved for degradation of phenol, with current efficiency of 53% obtained.

P-Type Sb-Doped ZnO Thin Films Prepared by Metallorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition Using Metallorganic Dopant

Reproducible p-type Sb-doped ZnO thin films were fabricated on c-plane sapphire substrates by the metallorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) technique using trimethylantimony as the doping precursor. Sb was introduced into ZnO thin films as a p-type dopant without any phase separation. Obvious donor-acceptor pair emissions were observed from photoluminescence spectra of ZnO:Sb films at 10 K. The acceptor binding energy is estimated to be ∼ 124 meV. Using the metallorganic source as the dopant of p-type ZnO thin films by the MOCVD technique is beneficial for the industrialized production of ZnO light-emitting diodes.

Inelastic scattering and spin polarization in dilute magnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)Sb

The point contact Andreev reflection technique has already been used to measure the spin polarization of some of the dilute magnetic semiconductors, such as narrow-band (In,Mn)Sb, as well as wider gap (Ga,Mn)As. While conventional Andreev reflection has been demonstrated in (In,Mn)Sb, quasiparticle density of states broadening has been observed in (Ga,Mn)As, possibly due to inelastic scattering effects. Here, we investigate the spin polarization, magnetic, and transport properties of epitaxially grown (Ga,Mn)Sb films with the Curie temperature of ∼10K. The spin polarization of 57±5% was measured. Spectrum broadening in (Ga,Mn)Sb has also been observed.

Surface second harmonic generation of Se–Te–Sb films

We present the first report for the investigation on surface second harmonic generation (SSHG) of thin films of Se80−xSbxTe20 (0 ≤ x ≤ 9 at.%) system. SSHG measurements were made using a confocal microscope system and a mode locked Ti:Saphire pulsed laser (785 nm) probe beam with 100 fs pulses. A remarkable difference in the magnitude of the signal generated between the samples with antimony content ≤4 at.% and those containing antimony >4 at.% has been explained based on charge distribution associated with structural changes in these materials for different compositions. The results have been discussed on the basis of relatively isolated atomic events that occur at short length scales mainly due to spatial redistribution of covalent bonds and the rational changes in the electric dipole moment arising from the change in the distribution of the lone pair electrons inherent in chalcogenide glasses. The analysis of the results is supported by the variation of the glass transition temperature obtained from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results. The electronic structure has been calculated using the density functional theory (DFT) modified by the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) for the exchange correlation energy.

Synthesis and characterization of SnO2 :Sb film by dc magnetron sputtering method for applications to transparent electrodes

Transparent conducting Sb-doped SnO2 (antimony-doped tin oxide: ATO) films were prepared on Corning glass substrate by dc magnetron sputtering using SnO2 mixed with 6 wt.% of Sb at various substrate temperatures of 100–600 °C and dc powers of 100–200 W. All ATO films were deposited with a thickness of 300 nm. X-ray defractometer (XRD) measurements showed the ATO films to be crystallized with strong (101) orientation as substrate temperature increases over 300 °C. Grain size was calculated from the XRD spectra using the Scherrer equation. The ATO film in this work had a resistivity of order 10− 3 and carrier concentration of order 1020.

Transparent conducting SnO 2:Sb epitaxial films prepared on α-Al 2O 3 (0001) by MOCVD

Antimony-doped tin oxide (SnO 2:Sb) single crystalline films have been prepared on α-Al 2O 3 (0001) substrates by the metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) method. The antimony doping was varied from 0 to 7% (atomic ratio). The structural, electrical and optical properties of the films were investigated in detail. The prepared samples were epitaxial single crystalline films with the rutile structure of pure SnO 2. Film with resistivity of 9.1 × 10 − 4 Ω cm, carrier concentration of 5.33 × 10 20 cm − 3 and Hall mobility of 12.73 cm 2 v − 1 s − 1 was obtained at 5% of Sb concentration. The average transmittance for the SnO 2:Sb films in the visible range was over 90%.

Thermal Conductivity Measurements of Sb–Te Alloy Thin Films Using a Nanosecond Thermoreflectance Measurement System

Using a nanosecond thermoreflectance measurement system, which enables the measurement of the thermal conductivity of nanometer-scale thin films, we have measured the thermal conductivities of Sb2Te, Sb2Te3, SbTe9, Sb, and Te thin films at room temperature. We clarified that the thermal conductivities of Sb–Te alloys depend on the Sb and Te atomic ratios. A large change in thermal conductivity was observed in the vicinity of the composition ratio of Sb2Te3. We proposed that this large change may be attributable to the formation of an Sb atomic network in the crystalline structure of the Sb–Te alloy.

What Affects the Performance of Electrodeposited Thin Films of Cu2Sb and Sb as Anode Materials for Li-Ion Batteries?

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