Study of phase separation in Ga25Se75 xTex chalcogenide thin films

The effects of composition and thermal annealing in between glass transition and crystallization temperature on the optical and structural properties of Ga25Se75-xTex were investigated. The glass transition and crystallization temperature of the synthesized samples was measured by non-isothermal DSC measurements. Amorphous thin films of Ga25Se75-xTex glasses were grown onto ultra clean glass/Si wafer (100) substrates using the vacuum evaporation technique. The effect of thermal annealing on the optical gap (Eg) for Ga25Se75-xTex thin films in the temperature range 358-388K is studied. As-prepared and annealed thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and optical absorption. Thermal annealing was found to be accompanied by structural effects, which in turn, lead to changes in the optical constants. The optical absorption coefficient (a) for as-deposited and thermally annealed films was calculated from the absorbance data. From the knowledge of absorption coefficient at different wavelengths, the optical band gap (Eg) was calculated for all compositions of Ga25Se75-xTex thin films before and after thermal annealing. Results indicate that allowed indirect optical transition is predominated in as-deposited and thermally annealed thin films. The influence of Te incorporation and thermal annealing in Ga25Se75-xTex thin films results in a gradual decrease in the indirect optical gap, this behaviorcan be explained as increased tailing. The decrease in optical band gap and an increase in absorption coefficient and extinction coefficient with thermal annealing can be attributed to transformation from amorphous to crystalline phase.     

Improvement in the intense pulsed emission stability of grown CNT films via an electroless plated Ni layer

Carbon nanotube(CNT)films were grown on silicon wafers with and without a nickel layer(Si-CNT and Ni-CNT)via the pyrolysis of iron phthalocyanine.The nickel layer was prepared using the electroless plating method.To study the emission stability of Si-CNT and Ni-CNT cathodes during intense pulsed emission,emission characteristics were measured repeatedly with a diode structure using a Marx generator as a voltage source.For the peak values of the pulsed voltage,which were in the range between 1.62-1.66 MV(corresponding to electric field intensities between 11.57-11.85 V/μm),the first cycle emission current was 109.4 A for Si-CNT and 180.5 A for Ni-CNT.By comparing the normalized emission currents of the Si-CNT and Ni-CNT cathodes,the improvement in the emission stability can be easily quantified.The number of emission cycles necessary for the peak current to decay from 100%to 50%increased from~3 for Si-CNT to~11 for a Ni-CNT film.     

Synthesis of CNT film on the surface of micro-pyramid array and its intense pulsed emission characteristics

We developed a new scheme to suppress the electric-field-screening effect in high growth density of a carbon nanotube(CNT) film during its intense pulsed emission.We synthesize the CNT film on a tridimensional surface(t-CNT film).The tridimensional surface includes wet etched silicon pyramids,and the Ni layer is electroless plated thereon.The intense pulsed emission characteristics of the t-CNT and planar-grown CNT(p-CNT) films were measured using a diode structure in single-pulse mode.The even turn-on field decreased from 5.5 V/μm for p-CNTs to 2.8 V/m for t-CNTs,and the peak emission current increased from 232 A for p-CNTs to 324 A for t-CNTs at a peak field intensity ～12.2 V/m.The peak current of the t-CNT film increased by ～39.7% over the p-CNT film.It is clear that the micro-pyramid array can effectively suppress the field screening effect to improve the electron-emission of CNT films.     

Simple method to rapidly fabricate chain-like carbon nanotube films and its field emission properties

A simple process to fabricate chain-like carbon nanotube (CNT) films by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) was developed successfully. Prior to deposition, the Ti/Al₂O₃ substrates were ground with Fe-doped SiO₂ powder. The nano-structure of the deposited films was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Raman spectroscopy. The field electron emission characteristics of the chain-like carbon nanotube films were measured under the vacuum of 10-5 Pa. The low turn-on field of 0.80 V/μm and the emission current density of 8.5 mA/cm2 at the electric field of 3.0 V/μm are obtained. Based on the above results, chain-like carbon nanotube films probably have important applications in cold cathode materials and electrode materials.     

Fabrication and field emission performance of arrays of vacuum microdiodes containing CuO nanowire emitters grown directly on glass without a catalyst

Arrays of vacuum microelectronic sources are fabricated on a glass substrate using cupric oxide (CuO) nanowire emitters. The arrays of electron sources possess a microdiode structure, which can effectively induce field emission and control the delivery of emitted electrons to the anode in a triode-type device operation. A technique for precisely growing CuO nanowires at the centre of microcavities in an array without using a catalyst and at temperatures as low as 400°C is presented. Such a simplified fabrication procedure results in improved field emission performance from the array compared with previous vacuum microelectronic devices. Typical prototype devices have turn-on gate voltages as low as 169 V to give emission current densities of 10 μA/cm2 at the anode. The ratio of anode current to cathode current reaches ~0.85, and the maximum change in emission current density per volt is 1 μA/cm2. Electron emission from the arrays is stable and reproducible under either pulsed or direct current fields. These characteristics indicate that microgate-controlled CuO nanowire emitters may find application in practical devices.     

Photo-induced optical changes in GexAs40Se60-x thin films

Ge-As-Se chalcogenide thin films show a wide range of photosensitivity, which is utilized for the fabrication of micro-optical elements for integrated optics. The photosensitivity of GexAs40Se60?x(x=0,15) chalcogenide thin films for UV light was presented. For that purpose, the bulk samples of GexAs40Se60?x(x=0,15) chalcogenide glasses were prepared using conventional melt quenching technique, and thin films were prepared using thermal evaporation technique. These thin films were exposed to UV light for two hours. Amorphous natures of bulk samples and thin films were verified by XRD and chemical compositions were verified by EDX measurements. The thicknesses of the thin films were measured using a thickness profilometer. Linear optical analysis of these thin films was done using transmission spectra in wavelength range of 300?900 nm. Optical bandgap was determined by first peak of transmission derivative as well as extrapol ation of Tauc’s plot. R2 analysis was done using R software to ensure that the material is indirect bandgap material. It is observed that two hours UV exposure causes photo-darkening along with photo-expansion in As40Se60 thin films, while photo-bleach ing and photo-densification for Ge15As40Se45 thin films. However, the amounts of photo-induced optical changes for Ge15As40Se45 thin films are smaller than those for As40Se60 thin films. The changes in optical absorption, bandgap and thickness are understood base d on the bonding rearrangement caused by UV exposure.     

Preparation of silicon carbide nitride films on Si substrate by pulsed high-energy density plasma

Thin films of silicon carbide nitride (SiCN) were prepared on (111) oriented silicon substrates by pulsed high-energy density plasma (PHEDP). The evolution of the chemical bonding states between silicon, nitrogen and carbon was investigated as a function of discharge voltage using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. With an increase in discharge voltage both the C 1s and N 1s spectra shift to lower binding energy due to the formation of C-Si and N-Si bonds. The Si-C-N bonds were observed in the deconvolved C 1s and N 1s spectra. The X-ray diffractometer (XRD) results show that there were no crystals in the films. The thickness of the films was approximately 1-2 μm with scanning electron microscopy (SEM).     

Electrodeposition and characterization of thermoelectric Bi_2Se_3 thin films

Bi2Se3 thin films were electrochemically deposited on Ti and indium tin oxide-coated glass substrates,respectively,at room temperature,using Bi(NO3)3·5H2O and SeO2 as starting materials in diluted HNO 3 solution.A conventional three-electrode cell was used with a platinum sheet as a counter electrode,and a saturated calomel electrode was used as a reference electrode.The films were annealed in argon atmosphere.The influence of cold isostatic pressing before annealing on the microstructure and thermoelectric properties of the films was investigated.X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that the film grown on the indium tin oxide-coated glass substrate is pure rhombohedral Bi 2 Se 3,and the film grown on the Ti substrate consists of both rhombohedral and orthorhombic Bi 2 Se 3.     

Deformation and failure of stratified weak roof strata of longwall roadway

A comprehensive underground monitoring was conducted in a coal mine. The purpose of this research was to clarify the deformation and failure behavior of stratified weak roof strata of longwall roadway in adverse ground conditions. The field investigation incorporating a range of geotechnical instrumentation was conducted over a period of time ever since the formation of opening the site was buried into the goaf of a retreating longwall panel. The roof layer deformation and failure characteristics associated with the three stages of heading development, after development and before extraction, as well as after longwall extraction were identified on the basis of field investigation and analytical study, the results clearly demonstrated that how the roof deformation and failure progress were strongly related to these three stages of the mining activities mentioned.     

Optical parameters induced by phase transformation in RF magnetron sputtered TiO2nanostructured thin films

Pure TiO2 thin films were deposited onto quartz substrates using a ceramic TiO2 target at an elevated substrate temperature of 573 K by RF magnetron sputtering, and an analysis of structural, optical and photoluminescence characteristics of the films upon phase transformation is reported in this paper. Structural investigations using X-ray diffraction revealed that the as-deposited film was amorphous in nature. Thermal annealing for 2 h at 873 K in air resulted in the formation of anatase phase, and a phase transformation to rutile was observed at 1073 K.An increase in grain size and an improvement in crystallinity were also observed on annealing. Rod- like rutile crystallites were observed in the SEM images of the film annealed at 1273 K. As-deposited films and films annealed up to 1073 K were highly transparent in the visible region with a transparency 480%. Optical band gap of the films decreased upon thermal annealing which is attributed to phase transformation from amorphous to anatase and then to rutile. Optical parameters such as refractive index, optical conductivity and optical dielectric constant increased with increase in annealing temperature. Since rutile is the optically active phase, the superior refractive index of the film annealed at 1073 K along with its high transparency in visible region suggests the application of this film in antireflective coatings. Photoluminescence emission of maximum intensity was observed for the film annealed at 873 K, which exhibits anatase phase. Intense blue emission observed in this film makes it suitable for use in optoelectronic display devices.     

Analytical optimization for field emission of carbon nanotube array

To optimize field emission （FE） property of carbon nanotube （CNT） array on a planar cathode surface, the Fowler-Nordheim formula has been used to discuss the maximum of the emission current density with the floating sphere model in this paper. The emission current density is dominating as the analytical Fowler-Nordheim function of the intertube distance, and the maximum of the emission current density is deduced and discussed. The results indicate that the intertube distance in CNT array critically affects the field enhancement factor and the emission current density, whose maximum occurs at the intertube distance approximating a tenth of the tube height. Considering the emission current density and the field enhancement factor, the FE can be optimized analytically when the intertube distance is about a tenth of the tube height.     

Effects of magnetic fields on Fe-Si composite electrodeposition

Coatings containing Fe-Si particles were electrodeposited on 3.0wt% Si steel sheets under magnetic fields. The effects of magnetic flux density (MFD), electrode arrangement and current density on the surface morphology, the silicon content in the coatings and the cathode current efficiency were investigated. When a magnetic field was applied parallel to the current and when the MFD was less than 0.5 T, numerous needle-like structures appeared on the coating surface. With increasing MFD, the needle-like structures weakened and were transformed into dome-shaped structures. Meanwhile, compared to results obtained in the absence of a magnetic field, the silicon content in the coatings significantly increased as the MFD was increased for all of the samples obtained using a vertical electrode system. However, in the case of an aclinic electrode system, the silicon content decreased. Furthermore, the cathode current efficiency was considerably diminished when a magnetic field was applied. A possible mechanism for these phenomena was discussed.     

Silicon dots films deposited by spin-coating as a generated carrier addition layer of third generation photovoltaics

In this work, silicon ink composing of silicon powder and zinc oxide solution was formulated and spin-coated on quartz and n/p-Si substrates followed by drying the films under atmosphere at the temperature of 550°C. The results showed that this top-addition layer could be the highly promising layer for photo-generating carriers in third-generation photovoltaics to enhance blue-light absorption. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques were used to study the presence of silicon and zinc oxide nano-crystallites. The thin films consisting of different energy bandgap of Si nanocrystals(～100 nm) with narrow bandgap and spherical Zn O:Bi nanocrystal(～20 nm) with wider bandgap could be obtained from the evidence of bandgap enlargement. The band gaps of the thin films were tunable by adjusting silicon dots density in Zn O:Bi film. Energy upshift of light absorption edge depended on the silicon dots density was observed in the range 1.6–3.3 eV related band gap enlargement by Tauc plot. Under illumination, a high photocurrent gain of the thin film comprised of low Si dots density coated on a quartz substrate was about 10~3 times higher compared with its dark current. This result is agreeably explained in terms of its lower superficial trap states at the interface between silicon and zinc oxide matrix. The composite layer can be applied to a third-generation solar cell with the efficiency 1.50% higher than that with a typical crystalline-Si solar cell.     

Preparation and magnetic properties of Co-P thin films

Magnetic Co-P thin films were prepared by electroless deposition. The experiment results show that the film thickness has a significant influence on the coercivity. While the film thickness varied from 300 nm to 5 μm,the coercivity dropped sharply from 45.36 to 22.28 kA/m. As the film thickness increased further,the coercivity varied slowly. When the thickness of the film was 300 nm,the deposited film could realize the coercivity as high as 45.36 kA/m,and the remanent magnetization as high as 800 kA/m.The Co-P films were deposited on the surface of magnetic drums of encoders,whose diameter was 40 mm,and then 512 magnetic poles were recorded,meaning that the magnetizing pitch was 0.245 mm. The testing results indicate that the output signals are perfect,the output waveforms are steady and the pulses account is integral. Compared with the γ-Fe₂O₃ coating,the Co-P thin film is suitable to be the magnetic recording media for the high resolution magnetic rotary encoder.     

Enhanced Field Emission Performance and Better Emitting Current Stability of Mixed Multilayer Carbon Nanotube Cathode

With screen printing technique,a new mixed multilayer carbon nanotube( CNT) cathode was proposed. The Zn O layer was fabricated on the bottom electrode surface,by which the electron emission current could be adjusted. The middle CNT layer was adopted as a buffer layer between the top CNT layer and the Zn O layer,which was used to improve the electron emission capability and the adhesion performance of CNT. The sintering treatment was performed for enhancing the field emission characteristics. The triode field emission display with the mixed multilayer CNT cathode was fabricated,which demonstrated better field emission properties.In the aging testing course,the field emission display with mixed multilayer CNT cathode showed good ageing properties,in which the better electron emission current stability had been proved. By comparing with the usual cold cathode field emission display,the maximum electron emission current could be enhanced from 2 056 to2 675 μA,and the turn-on electric field could be decreased from1. 99 to 1. 79 V / μm.     

Enhanced Field Emission from Printed Carbon Nanotubes by Hard Hairbrush

A method, the morphology of screen printed carbon nanotube pastes is modified using a hard hairbrush, is presented. In this way, the organic matrix material is preferentially removed. Compared to those untreated films, the turn-on electric field of the treated film decreases from 2.2V/μm to 1.6V/μm, while the total emission current of the treated increases from 0.6mA/cm2 to 3mA/cm2, and uniform emission site density image has also been observed.     

低能质子对辐照富镍TiNi合金薄膜显微组织、马氏体转变和力学性能的影响

Ni–48.5at%Ti thin films were irradiated in the austenite phase by different energy-level protons at a dose rate of 1.85 × 1012 p/(cm2·s), and the total dose was 2.0 × 1016 p/cm2. The microstructures of the thin films before and after irradiation were evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), which showed that the volume fraction of Ti₃Ni₄ phase elevated with proton energy level. The influence of proton irradiation on the transformation behavior of the TiNi thin films was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Compared with the unirradiation film, the reverse transformation start temperatures (A_s) decreased by about 3°C after 120 keV proton-irradiation. The proton irradiation also had a significant effect on the mechanical properties of the TiNi thin films. After 120 keV energy proton-irradiation, the fracture strength increased by 8.44%, and the critical stress increased by 21.1%. In addition, the nanoindenter measurement image showed that the hardness of the thin films increased with the increase of proton-irradiation energy. This may be due to the defects caused by irradiation, which strengthen the matrix.     

Electrical properties of sulfur-implanted cubic boron nitride thin films

Cubic boron nitride(c-BN)thin films were deposited on Si substrates by applying ion beam assisted deposition and then doped by S ion implantation.To produce a uniform depth profile of S ions in c-BN films,the implantation was carried out for the multiple energies.A slight degradation of c-BN crystallinity resulted from ion implantation can be recovered by thermal annealing,keeping the cubic phase content as high as 92%.The resistance reduces from 1010X for the as-deposited c-BN film to 108X after an S implantation of 5 9 1014ions cm-2and annealing at 1,173 K,suggesting an electrical doping effect of S dopant.The electrical resistance of the S-doped c-BN thin film decreases with increasing temperature,indicating semiconductor characteristics.The activation energy of S dopant is estimated to be 0.28±0.01 eV from the temperature dependence of resistance.     

Effect of low-energy proton on the microstructure,martensitic transformation and mechanical properties of irradiated Ni-rich TiNi alloy thin films

Ni–48.5 at%Ti thin films were irradiated in the austenite phase by different energy-level protons at a dose rate of 1.85 × 10~(12)p/(cm~2·s), and the total dose was 2.0 × 10~(16)p/cm~2. The microstructures of the thin films before and after irradiation were evaluated by transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction(GIXRD), which showed that the volume fraction of Ti_3Ni_4 phase elevated with proton energy level. The influence of proton irradiation on the transformation behavior of the Ti Ni thin films was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC). Compared with the unirradiation film, the reverse transformation start temperatures(As) decreased by about 3°C after 120 ke V proton-irradiation. The proton irradiation also had a significant effect on the mechanical properties of the Ti Ni thin films. After 120 ke V energy proton-irradiation, the fracture strength increased by 8.44%, and the critical stress increased by 21.1%. In addition,the nanoindenter measurement image showed that the hardness of the thin films increased with the increase of proton-irradiation energy. This may be due to the defects caused by irradiation, which strengthen the matrix.     

Effect of chlorine doping on the structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of spray deposited CdS thin films

CdS and chlorine doped CdS(CdS:Cl) thin films with different Cl-doping levels(0,2,4,6 and 8 at%) have been deposited on glass substrates by a spray pyrolysis technique using a perfume atomizer.The effect of Cl doping on the structural,morphological,optical and electrical properties of the films was investigated.XRD patterns revealed that all the films exhibit hexagonal crystal structure with a preferential orientation along the(0 0 2) plane irrespective of the Cl doping level.The particle size value decreases from 22.03 nm to 18.12 nm with increase in Cl concentration.Optical band gap is blue-shifted from 2.48 eV to 2.73 eV with increase in Cl doping concentration.All the films have resistivity in the order of 10~4 Ω cm.The obtained results confirm that chlorine as an anionic dopant material can enhance the physical properties of CdS thin films to a large extent.