Spray Assisted Vapour Deposition Method Research Articles

Fabrication and characterization of kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4thin films deposited by electrostatic spray assisted vapour deposition method

Most of the high efficiency kesterite solar cells are fabricated by vacuum or hydrazine-based solution methods which have drawbacks, such as high cost, high toxicity or explosivity. In our contribution, an alternative non-vacuum and environmental friendly deposition technology called electrostatic spray assisted vapour deposition (ESAVD) has been used for the cost-effective growth of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films with well controlled structure and composition. CZTS films have been characterized using a combination of XRD, XPS, SEM-EDX, AFM, and Raman spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that adherent, uniform and homogeneous CZTS films without apparent secondary phases have been produced by ESAVD. The atomic ratios measured by EDX are Cu/(Zn + Sn) = 0.88 and Zn/Sn = 1.17,which are very close with the reported high efficiency solar cells and can be finely tuned by formulating the precursor.CZTS films exhibited a typical optical band gap of 1.53 eV from UV–Vis analysis. Cu2ZnSnS4 produced by the ESAVD are being optimized towards the fabrication of high efficiency photovoltaic devices.

Fabrication of Organic Small Molecular Thin Films based on Ultrasonic Spray-Assisted Vapor-Deposition Method

ABSTRACTSmall molecular thin films using solution-based method is a challengeable subject in organic optical and electronic devices. In our previous research, we successfully deposited aluminum tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) (Alq3) films on glass substrate. In this paper, aiming at future exploration of electroluminescent devices, we deposited N, N ’-Bis(3-methylphenyl)-N,N’- diphenylbenzidine) (TPD) films on indium-tin-oxide (ITO) substrates using the vapor-deposition method. Photoluminescence characteristics evidenced the actual formation of TPD thin films. Together with the good surface morphology and low leakage current of the films, the results are promising for actual device fabrication at low cost and low material loss.

Processing and in vitro behavior of hydroxyapatite coatings prepared by electrostatic spray assisted vapor deposition method

Hydroxyapatite (HA) bioactive coatings are often used to improve bone attachment and reduce corrosion of metal prosthesis implants. This paper reports the preparation of HA coatings onto titanium substrates using a novel electrostatic spray assisted vapor deposition (ESAVD)-based method. The deposited coatings are characterized using a combination of Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and scratch test. The results confirm that well-crystallized HA coatings can be produced directly via the single-step ESAVD process, without further heat-treatment. The in vitro behavior of the as-deposited HA coating in simulated body fluid (SBF) is also presented. After 14-day immersion in SBF, the adhesion of the HA coating to the substrate increases significantly.

Epitaxial growth of CeO2/yttria-stabilized ZrO2 double layer films on biaxially textured Ni tape via electrostatic spray assisted vapour deposition

Epitaxial growth of CeO2 and yttria-stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ) double layer films has been successfully carried out on biaxially textured nickel substrates at a temperature between 400 and 600 °C using electrostatic spray assisted vapour deposition method. The structure of the double layer was characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The results show that highly oriented CeO2/YSZ double buffer films were formed epitaxially onto biaxially textured Ni substrates. The orientation relationships between YSZ layer and Ni substrate are 001YSZ//001Ni and 110YSZ//100Ni, while the orientation relationships between CeO2 and YSZ are 001CeO2//001YSZ and 100CeO2//100YSZ.

Deposition of Highly Oriented ZnS Thin Films on Si(100) Substrate Using Electrostatic Spray Assisted Vapor Deposition

Highly oriented ZnS thin films have been deposited on Si (100) using a mixture of zinc chloride and thiourea as precursors and a simple and effective electrostatic spray assisted vapor deposition method. XRD analysis indicated that deposited films are highly 100 oriented in contrast to ZnS films deposited on glass substrates, which are known to have a preferred (111) orientation. HRTEM analysis showed the presence of an amorphous interface layer and high degree of orientation, which is attributed to the interaction of the charged precursor with the single crystal substrate under the high electric field.