In-situ spectro-microscopy on organic films: Mn-Phthalocyanine on Ag(100)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Mahboob, Abdullah; Sadowski, Jerzy T.; Vescovo, Elio

2013-03-01

Metal phthalocyanines are attracting significant attention, owing to their potential for applications in chemical sensors, solar cells and organic magnets. As the electronic properties of molecular films are determined by their crystallinity and molecular packing, the optimization of film quality is important for improving the performance of organic devices. Here, we present the results of in situ low-energy electron microscopy / photoemission electron microscopy (LEEM/PEEM) studies of incorporation-limited growth of manganese-phthalocyanine (MnPc) on Ag(100) surfaces. MnPc thin films were grown on both, bulk Ag(100) surface and thin Ag(100)/Fe(100) films, where substrate spin-polarized electronic states can be modified through tuning the thickness of the Ag film. We also discuss the electronic structure and magnetic ordering in MnPc thin films, investigated by angle- and spin-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Research carried out at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials and National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory, which are supported by the U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-98CH10886.

Anomalous photoelectric emission from Ag on zinc-phthalocyanine film

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tanaka, Senku, E-mail: senku@ele.kindai.ac.jp; Otani, Tomohiro; Fukuzawa, Ken

2014-05-12

Photoelectric emission from organic and metal thin films is generally observed with irradiation of photon energy larger than 4 eV. In this paper, however, we report photoelectric emission from Ag on a zinc-phthalocyanine (ZnPc) layer at a photon energy of 3.4 eV. The threshold energy for this photoelectric emission is much smaller than the work function of Ag estimated by conventional photoelectron spectroscopy. The photoelectric emission by low-energy photons is significant for Ag thicknesses of less than 1 nm. Photoelectron spectroscopy and morphological study of the Ag/ZnPc suggest that the anomalous photoelectric emission from the Ag surface is caused by a vacuum levelmore » shift at the Ag/ZnPc interface and by surface plasmons of the Ag nanoparticles.« less

Development of the α-IGZO/Ag/α-IGZO Triple-Layer Structure Films for the Application of Transparent Electrode.

PubMed

Chen, Kun-Neng; Yang, Cheng-Fu; Wu, Chia-Ching; Chen, Yu-Hsin

2017-02-24

We investigated the structural, optical, and electrical properties of amorphous IGZO/silver/amorphous IGZO (α-IGZO/Ag/α-IGZO) triple-layer structures that were deposited at room temperature on Eagle XG glass and flexible polyethylene terephthalate substrates through the sputtering method. Thin Ag layers with different thicknesses were inserted between two IGZO layers to form a triple-layer structure. Ag was used because of its lower absorption and resistivity. Field emission scanning electron microscopy measurements of the triple-layer structures revealed that the thicknesses of the Ag layers ranged from 13 to 41 nm. The thickness of the Ag layer had a large effect on the electrical and optical properties of the electrodes. The optimum thickness of the Ag metal thin film could be evaluated according to the optical transmittance, electrical conductivity, and figure of merit of the electrode. This study demonstrates that the α-IGZO/Ag/α-IGZO triple-layer transparent electrode can be fabricated with low sheet resistance (4.2 Ω/□) and high optical transmittance (88.1%) at room temperature without postannealing processing on the deposited thin films.

Development of the α-IGZO/Ag/α-IGZO Triple-Layer Structure Films for the Application of Transparent Electrode

PubMed Central

Chen, Kun-Neng; Yang, Cheng-Fu; Wu, Chia-Ching; Chen, Yu-Hsin

2017-01-01

We investigated the structural, optical, and electrical properties of amorphous IGZO/silver/amorphous IGZO (α-IGZO/Ag/α-IGZO) triple-layer structures that were deposited at room temperature on Eagle XG glass and flexible polyethylene terephthalate substrates through the sputtering method. Thin Ag layers with different thicknesses were inserted between two IGZO layers to form a triple-layer structure. Ag was used because of its lower absorption and resistivity. Field emission scanning electron microscopy measurements of the triple-layer structures revealed that the thicknesses of the Ag layers ranged from 13 to 41 nm. The thickness of the Ag layer had a large effect on the electrical and optical properties of the electrodes. The optimum thickness of the Ag metal thin film could be evaluated according to the optical transmittance, electrical conductivity, and figure of merit of the electrode. This study demonstrates that the α-IGZO/Ag/α-IGZO triple-layer transparent electrode can be fabricated with low sheet resistance (4.2 Ω/□) and high optical transmittance (88.1%) at room temperature without postannealing processing on the deposited thin films. PMID:28772586

Studies on Magnetron Sputtered ZnO-Ag Films: Adhesion Activity of S. aureus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geetha, S. R.; Dhivya, P.; Raj, P. Deepak; Sridharan, M.; Princy, S. Adline

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films have been deposited onto thoroughly cleaned stainless steel (AISI SS 304) substrates by reactive direct current (dc) magnetron sputtering and the films were doped with silver (Ag). The prepared thin films were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) to investigate the structural and morphological properties. The thickness values of the films were in the range of 194 to 256nm. XRD results revealed that the films were crystalline with preferred (002) orientation. Grain size values of pure ZnO films were found to be 19.82-23.72nm. On introducing Ag into ZnO film, the micro-structural properties varied. Adhesion test was carried out with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in order to know the adherence property of the deposited films. Colony formation units (CFU) were counted manually and bacterial adhesion inhibition (BAI) was calculated. We observed a decrease in the CFU on doping Ag in the ZnO films. BAI of the film deposited at - 100 V substrate bias was found to be increased on Ag doping from 69 to 88%.

Study on swift heavy ions induced modifications of Ag-ZnO nanocomposite thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, S. K.; Singhal, R.; Siva Kumar, V. V.

2017-03-01

In the present work, swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation induced modifications in structural and optical properties of Ag-ZnO nanocomposite thin films have been investigated. Ag-ZnO nanocomposite (NCs) thin films were synthesized by RF magnetron sputtering technique and irradiated with 100 MeV Ag7+ ions at three different fluences 3 × 1012, 1 × 1013 and 3 × 1013 ions/cm2. Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry revealed Ag concentration to be ∼8.0 at.%, and measured thickness of the films was ∼55 nm. Structural properties of pristine and irradiated films have been analyzed by X-ray diffraction analysis and found that variation in crystallite size of the film with ion irradiation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicates the formation of Ag-ZnO nanocomposite thin film with presence of Ag, Zn and O elements. Oxidation state of Ag and Zn also estimated by XPS analysis. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Ag nanoparticle has appeared at ∼475 nm in the pristine thin film, which is blue shifted by ∼30 nm in film irradiated at fluence of 3 × 1012 ions/cm2 and completely disappeared in film irradiated at higher fluences, 1 × 1013 and 3 × 1013 ions/cm2. A marginal change in the optical band gap of Ag-ZnO nanocomposite thin film is also found with increasing ion fluence. Surface morphology of pristine and irradiated films have been studied using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Raman and Photo-luminance (PL) spectra of nanocomposite thin films have been investigated to understand the ion induced modifications such as lattice defects and disordering in the nanocomposite thin film.

Photochemistry on ultrathin metal films: Strongly enhanced cross sections for NO2 on Ag /Si(100)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wesenberg, Claudia; Autzen, Olaf; Hasselbrink, Eckart

2006-12-01

The surface photochemistry of NO2 on ultrathin Ag(111) films (5-60nm ) on Si(100) substrates has been studied. NO2, forming N2O4 on the surface, dissociates to release NO and NO2 into the gas phase with translational energies exceeding the equivalent of the sample temperature. An increase of the photodesorption cross section is observed for 266nm light when the film thickness is decreased below 30nm despite the fact that the optical absorptivity decreases. For 4.4nm film thickness this increase is about threefold. The data are consistent with a similar effect for 355nm light. The reduced film thickness has no significant influence on the average translation energy of the desorbing molecules or the branching into the different channels. The increased photodesorption cross section is interpreted to result from photon absorption in the Si substrate producing electrons with no or little momenta parallel to the surface at energies where this is not allowed in Ag. It is suggested that these electrons penetrate through the Ag film despite the gap in the surface projected band structure.

Ambient-Stable and Durable Conductive Ag-Nanowire-Network 2-D Films Decorated with a Ti Layer.

PubMed

Kim, Yoon-Mi; Hwang, Bu-Yeon; Lee, Ki-Wook; Kim, Jin-Yeol

2018-05-11

Highly stable and durable conductive silver nanowire (Ag NW) network electrode films were prepared through decoration with a 5-nm-thick Ti layer. The Ag NW network 2-D films showed sheet resistance values as low as 32 ohm/sq at 88% transparency when decorated with Ti. These 2-D films exhibited a 30% increase in electrical conductivity while maintaining good stability of the films through enhanced resistance to moisture and oxygen penetration as a result of the protective effect of the Ti layer.

Growth model and structure evolution of Ag layers deposited on Ge films.

PubMed

Ciesielski, Arkadiusz; Skowronski, Lukasz; Górecka, Ewa; Kierdaszuk, Jakub; Szoplik, Tomasz

2018-01-01

We investigated the crystallinity and optical parameters of silver layers of 10-35 nm thickness as a function 2-10 nm thick Ge wetting films deposited on SiO 2 substrates. X-ray reflectometry (XRR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements proved that segregation of germanium into the surface of the silver film is a result of the gradient growth of silver crystals. The free energy of Ge atoms is reduced by their migration from boundaries of larger grains at the Ag/SiO 2 interface to boundaries of smaller grains near the Ag surface. Annealing at different temperatures and various durations allowed for a controlled distribution of crystal dimensions, thus influencing the segregation rate. Furthermore, using ellipsometric and optical transmission measurements we determined the time-dependent evolution of the film structure. If stored under ambient conditions for the first week after deposition, the changes in the transmission spectra are smaller than the measurement accuracy. Over the course of the following three weeks, the segregation-induced effects result in considerably modified transmission spectra. Two months after deposition, the slope of the silver layer density profile derived from the XRR spectra was found to be inverted due to the completed segregation process, and the optical transmission spectra increased uniformly due to the roughened surfaces, corrosion of silver and ongoing recrystallization. The Raman spectra of the Ge wetted Ag films were measured immediately after deposition and ten days later and demonstrated that the Ge atoms at the Ag grain boundaries form clusters of a few atoms where the Ge-Ge bonds are still present.

Ag implantation-induced modification of Ni-Ti shape memory alloy thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, V.; Singhal, R.; Vishnoi, R.; Banerjee, M. K.; Sharma, M. C.; Asokan, K.; Kumar, M.

2017-08-01

Nanocrystalline thin films of Ni-Ti shape memory alloy are deposited on an Si substrate by the DC-magnetron co-sputtering technique and 120 keV Ag ions are implanted at different fluences. The thickness and composition of the pristine films are determined by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS). X-Ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and four-point probe resistivity methods have been used to study the structural, morphological and electrical transport properties. XRD analysis has revealed the existence of martensitic and austenite phases in the pristine film and also evidenced the structural changes in Ag-implanted Ni-Ti films at different fluences. AFM studies have revealed that surface roughness and grain size of Ni-Ti films have decreased with an increase in ion fluence. The modifications in the mechanical behaviour of implanted Ni-Ti films w.r.t pristine film is determined by using a Nano-indentation tester at room temperature. Higher hardness and the ratio of higher hardness (H) to elastic modulus (Er) are observed for the film implanted at an optimized fluence of 9 × 1015 ions/cm2. This improvement in mechanical behaviour could be understood in terms of grain refinement and dislocation induced by the Ag ion implantation in the Ni-Ti thin films.

Percolation effect in thick film superconductors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sali, R.; Harsanyi, G.

1994-12-31

A thick film superconductor paste has been developed to study the properties of granulated superconductor materials, to observe the percolation effect and to confirm the theory of the conducting mechanism in the superconducting thick films. This paste was also applied to make a superconducting planar transformer. Due to high T{sub c} and advantageous current density properties the base of the paste was chosen to be of Bi(Pb)SrCaCuO system. For contacts a conventional Ag/Pt paste was used. The critical temperature of the samples were between 110 K and 115 K depending on the printed layer thickness. The critical current density atmore » the boiling temperature of the liquid He- was between 200-300 A/cm{sup 2}. The R(T) and V(I) functions were measured with different parameters. The results of the measurements have confirmed the theory of conducting mechanism in the material. The percolation structure model has been built and described. As an application, a superconducting planar thick film transformer was planned and produced. Ten windings of the transformer were printed on one side of the alumina substrate and one winding was printed on the other side. The coupling between the two sides was possible through the substrate. The samples did not need special drying and firing parameters. After the preparation, the properties of the transformer were measured. The efficiency and the losses were determined. Finally, some fundamental advantages and problems of the process were discussed.« less

Quantum-well states in thin Ag films grown on the Ga/Si(111)-√{3 }×√{3 } surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Starfelt, S.; Zhang, H. M.; Johansson, L. S. O.

2018-05-01

Silver thin films have been created by room temperature deposition on a Ga/Si(111)-√{3 }×√{3 } surface and their valence band structures and core levels have been measured by angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES). Discrete quantum-well states (QWSs) quantized from the Ag s p valence band are observed already at 3 monolayers (ML). The characteristics of the QWSs have been examined in the phase accumulation model for thicknesses between 3 and 12 ML. The phase shift and QWSs binding energies dependence with Ag film thicknesses have all been consistently derived. In-plane energy dispersion follows a parabolic curve, and the effective mass of the QWSs shows an increasing trend with binding energies as well as with reduced film thicknesses. Furthermore, the ARPES measurements reveal umklapp mediated QWSs around the M ¯ points of the Si(111) 1 ×1 surface Brillouin zone. The study confirms that the Ga/Si(111)-√{3 }×√{3 } surface is a good substrate for growing uniform ultrathin Ag films in room temperature conditions.

Tape casting and partial melting of Bi-2212 thick films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Buhl, D.; Lang, T.; Heeb, B.

1994-12-31

To produce Bi-2212 thick films with high critical current densities tape casting and partial melting is a promising fabrication method. Bi-2212 powder and organic additives were mixed into a slurry and tape casted onto glass by the doctor blade tape casting process. The films were cut from the green tape and partially molten on Ag foils during heat treatment. We obtained almost single-phase and well-textured films over the whole thickness of 20 {mu}m. The orientation of the (a,b)-plane of the grains were parallel to the substrate with a misalignment of less than 6{degrees}. At 77K/OT a critical current density ofmore » 15`000 A/cm{sup 2} was reached in films of the dimension 1cm x 2cm x 20{mu}m (1{mu}V/cm criterion, resistively measured). At 4K/OT the highest value was 350`000 A/cm{sup 2} (1nV/cm criterion, magnetically measured).« less

Tape casting and partial melting of Bi-2212 thick films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buhl, D.; Lang, TH.; Heeb, B.; Gauckler, L. J.

1995-01-01

To produce Bi-2212 thick films with high critical current densities tape casting and partial melting is a promising fabrication method. Bi-2212 powder and organic additives were mixed into a slurry and tape casted onto glass by the doctor blade tape casting process. The films were cut from the green tape and partially molten on Ag foils during heat treatment. We obtained almost single-phase and well-textured films over the whole thickness of 20 microns. The orientation of the (a,b)-plane of the grains was parallel to the substrate with a misalignment of less than 6 deg. At 77 K/0T a critical current density of 15, 000 A/sq cm was reached in films of the dimension 1 cm x 2 cm x 20 microns (1 micron V/cm criterion, resistively measured). At 4 K/0T the highest value was 350,000 A/sq cm (1 nV/cm criterion, magnetically measured).

Fabrication of Ag-Au bimetallic nanoparticles by laser-induced dewetting of bilayer films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, Yoonseok; Lee, Jeeyoung; Lee, Myeongkyu

2018-03-01

We here show that Ag-Au bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) can be produced by dewetting an Ag/Au bilayer film coated on glass using a nanosecond-pulsed laser beam. Elemental analysis revealed that the obtained bimetallic NPs are Ag-Au alloys, with two elements well mixed over the whole volume of the particle. The composition of the produced particles was controllable by changing the relative thickness of each layer. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak was red-shifted with an increasing Au content and the LSPR wavelength could be tuned from 415 to 525 nm by varying the alloy composition. A film area of several square centimeters could be transformed into Ag-Au NPs by a single laser pulse of 6 ns duration. This study provides a facile and scalable route to prepare bimetallic NPs for plasmonic and other applications.

Photovoltaic Properties and Ultrafast Plasmon Relaxation Dynamics of Diamond-Like Carbon Nanocomposite Films with Embedded Ag Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Meškinis, Šarūnas; Peckus, Domantas; Vasiliauskas, Andrius; Čiegis, Arvydas; Gudaitis, Rimantas; Tamulevičius, Tomas; Yaremchuk, Iryna; Tamulevičius, Sigitas

2017-12-01

Ultrafast relaxation dynamics of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films with embedded Ag nanoparticles (DLC:Ag) and photovoltaic properties of heterojunctions consisting of DLC:Ag and crystalline silicon (DLC:Ag/Si) were investigated by means of transient absorption (TAS) spectroscopy and photovoltaic measurements. The heterojunctions using both p type and n type silicon were studied. It was found that TAS spectra of DLC:Ag films were dependent on the used excitation wavelength. At wavelengths where Ag nanoparticles absorbed light most intensively, only DLC signal was registered. This result is in good accordance with an increase of the DLC:Ag/Si heterojunction short circuit current and open circuit voltage with the excitation wavelength in the photovoltaic measurements. The dependence of the TAS spectra of DLC:Ag films and photovoltaic properties of DLC:Ag/Si heterostructures on the excitation wavelength was explained as a result of trapping of the photoexcited hot charge carriers in DLC matrix. The negative photovoltaic effect was observed for DLC:Ag/p-Si heterostructures and positive ("conventional") for DLC:Ag/n-Si ones. It was explained by the excitation of hot plasmonic holes in the Ag nanoparticles embedded into DLC matrix. Some decrease of DLC:Ag/Si heterostructures photovoltage as well as photocurrent with DLC:Ag film thickness was observed, indicating role of the interface in the charge transfer process of photocarriers excited in Ag nanoparticles.

Photovoltaic Properties and Ultrafast Plasmon Relaxation Dynamics of Diamond-Like Carbon Nanocomposite Films with Embedded Ag Nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meškinis, Šarūnas; Peckus, Domantas; Vasiliauskas, Andrius; Čiegis, Arvydas; Gudaitis, Rimantas; Tamulevičius, Tomas; Yaremchuk, Iryna; Tamulevičius, Sigitas

2017-04-01

Ultrafast relaxation dynamics of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films with embedded Ag nanoparticles (DLC:Ag) and photovoltaic properties of heterojunctions consisting of DLC:Ag and crystalline silicon (DLC:Ag/Si) were investigated by means of transient absorption (TAS) spectroscopy and photovoltaic measurements. The heterojunctions using both p type and n type silicon were studied. It was found that TAS spectra of DLC:Ag films were dependent on the used excitation wavelength. At wavelengths where Ag nanoparticles absorbed light most intensively, only DLC signal was registered. This result is in good accordance with an increase of the DLC:Ag/Si heterojunction short circuit current and open circuit voltage with the excitation wavelength in the photovoltaic measurements. The dependence of the TAS spectra of DLC:Ag films and photovoltaic properties of DLC:Ag/Si heterostructures on the excitation wavelength was explained as a result of trapping of the photoexcited hot charge carriers in DLC matrix. The negative photovoltaic effect was observed for DLC:Ag/p-Si heterostructures and positive ("conventional") for DLC:Ag/n-Si ones. It was explained by the excitation of hot plasmonic holes in the Ag nanoparticles embedded into DLC matrix. Some decrease of DLC:Ag/Si heterostructures photovoltage as well as photocurrent with DLC:Ag film thickness was observed, indicating role of the interface in the charge transfer process of photocarriers excited in Ag nanoparticles.

Theory and practical considerations of multilayer dielectric thin-film stacks in Ag-coated hollow waveguides.

PubMed

Bledt, Carlos M; Melzer, Jeffrey E; Harrington, James A

2014-02-01

This analysis explores the theory and design of dielectric multilayer reflection-enhancing thin film stacks based on high and low refractive index alternating layers of cadmium sulfide (CdS) and lead sulfide (PbS) on silver (Ag)-coated hollow glass waveguides (HGWs) for low loss transmission at midinfrared wavelengths. The fundamentals for determining propagation losses in such multilayer thin-film-coated Ag hollow waveguides is thoroughly discussed, and forms the basis for further theoretical analysis presented in this study. The effects on propagation loss resulting from several key parameters of these multilayer thin film stacks is further explored in order to bridge the gap between results predicted through calculation under ideal conditions and deviations from such ideal models that often arise in practice. In particular, the effects on loss due to the number of dielectric thin film layers deposited, deviation from ideal individual layer thicknesses, and surface roughness related scattering losses are presented and thoroughly investigated. Through such extensive theoretical analysis the level of understanding of the underlying loss mechanisms of multilayer thin-film Ag-coated HGWs is greatly advanced, considerably increasing the potential practical development of next-generation ultralow-loss mid-IR Ag/multilayer dielectric-coated HGWs.

Physical Characterization of Orthorhombic AgInS2 Nanocrystalline Thin Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El Zawawi, I. K.; Mahdy, Manal A.

2017-11-01

Nanocrystalline thin films of AgInS2 were synthesized using an inert gas condensation technique. The grazing incident in-plane x-ray diffraction technique was used to detect the crystal structure of the deposited and annealed thin films. The results confirmed that the as-deposited film shows an amorphous behavior and that the annealed film has a single phase crystallized in an orthorhombic structure. The orthorhombic structure and particle size were detected using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The particle size ( P_{{s}}) estimated from micrograph images of the nanocrystalline films were increased from 6 nm to 12 nm as the film thickness increased from 11 nm to 110 nm. Accordingly, increasing the film thickness up to 110 nm reflects varying the optical band gap from 2.75 eV to 2.1 eV. The photocurrent measurements were studied where the fast rise and decay of the photocurrent are governed by the recombination mechanism. The electrical conductivity behavior was demonstrated by two transition mechanisms: extrinsic transition for a low-temperature range (300-400 K) and intrinsic transition for the high-temperature region above 400 K.

Use of buffy coat thick films in detecting malaria parasites in patients with negative conventional thick films.

PubMed

Duangdee, Chatnapa; Tangpukdee, Noppadon; Krudsood, Srivicha; Wilairatana, Polrat

2012-04-01

To determine the frequency of malaria parasite detection from the buffy coat blood films by using capillary tube in falciparum malaria patients with negative conventional thick films. Thirty six uncomplicated falciparum malaria patients confirmed by conventional thick and thin films were included in the study. The patients were treated with artemisinin combination therapy at Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Bangkok, Thailand for 28 day. Fingerpricks for conventional blood films were conducted every 6 hours until negative parasitemia, then daily fingerpricks for parasite checks were conducted until the patients were discharged from hospital. Blood samples were also concurrently collected in 3 heparinized capillary tubes at the same time of fingerpricks for conventional blood films when the prior parasitemia was negative on thin films and parasitemia was lower than 50 parasites/200 white blood cells by thick film. The first negative conventional thick films were compared with buffy coat thick films for parasite identification. Out of 36 patients with thick films showing negative for asexual forms of parasites, buffy coat films could detect remaining 10 patients (27.8%) with asexual forms of Plasmodium falciparum. The study shows that buffy coat thick films are useful and can detect malarial parasites in 27.8% of patients whose conventional thick films show negative parasitemia.

System for measuring film thickness

DOEpatents

Batishko, Charles R.; Kirihara, Leslie J.; Peters, Timothy J.; Rasmussen, Donald E.

1990-01-01

A system for determining the thicknesses of thin films of materials exhibiting fluorescence in response to exposure to excitation energy from a suitable source of such energy. A section of film is illuminated with a fixed level of excitation energy from a source such as an argon ion laser emitting blue-green light. The amount of fluorescent light produced by the film over a limited area within the section so illuminated is then measured using a detector such as a photomultiplier tube. Since the amount of fluorescent light produced is a function of the thicknesses of thin films, the thickness of a specific film can be determined by comparing the intensity of fluorescent light produced by this film with the intensity of light produced by similar films of known thicknesses in response to the same amount of excitation energy. The preferred embodiment of the invention uses fiber optic probes in measuring the thicknesses of oil films on the operational components of machinery which are ordinarily obscured from view.

Thick Film Interference.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trefil, James

1983-01-01

Discusses why interference effects cannot be seen with a thick film, starting with a review of the origin of interference patterns in thin films. Considers properties of materials in films, properties of the light source, and the nature of light. (JN)

Optimizing ultrathin Ag films for high performance oxide-metal-oxide flexible transparent electrodes through surface energy modulation and template-stripping procedures

PubMed Central

Yang, Xi; Gao, Pingqi; Yang, Zhenhai; Zhu, Juye; Huang, Feng; Ye, Jichun

2017-01-01

Among new flexible transparent conductive electrode (TCE) candidates, ultrathin Ag film (UTAF) is attractive for its extremely low resistance and relatively high transparency. However, the performances of UTAF based TCEs critically depend on the threshold thickness for growth of continuous Ag films and the film morphologies. Here, we demonstrate that these two parameters could be strongly altered through the modulation of substrate surface energy. By minimizing the surface energy difference between the Ag film and substrate, a 9 nm UTAF with a sheet resistance down to 6.9 Ω sq−1 can be obtained using an electron-beam evaporation process. The resultant UTAF is completely continuous and exhibits smoother morphologies and smaller optical absorbances in comparison to the counterpart of granular-type Ag film at the same thickness without surface modulation. Template-stripping procedure is further developed to transfer the UTAFs to flexible polymer matrixes and construct Al2O3/Ag/MoOx (AAM) electrodes with excellent surface morphology as well as optical and electronic characteristics, including a root-mean-square roughness below 0.21 nm, a transparency up to 93.85% at 550 nm and a sheet resistance as low as 7.39 Ω sq−1. These AAM based electrodes also show superiority in mechanical robustness, thermal oxidation stability and shape memory property. PMID:28291229

Optimizing ultrathin Ag films for high performance oxide-metal-oxide flexible transparent electrodes through surface energy modulation and template-stripping procedures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xi; Gao, Pingqi; Yang, Zhenhai; Zhu, Juye; Huang, Feng; Ye, Jichun

2017-03-01

Among new flexible transparent conductive electrode (TCE) candidates, ultrathin Ag film (UTAF) is attractive for its extremely low resistance and relatively high transparency. However, the performances of UTAF based TCEs critically depend on the threshold thickness for growth of continuous Ag films and the film morphologies. Here, we demonstrate that these two parameters could be strongly altered through the modulation of substrate surface energy. By minimizing the surface energy difference between the Ag film and substrate, a 9 nm UTAF with a sheet resistance down to 6.9 Ω sq-1 can be obtained using an electron-beam evaporation process. The resultant UTAF is completely continuous and exhibits smoother morphologies and smaller optical absorbances in comparison to the counterpart of granular-type Ag film at the same thickness without surface modulation. Template-stripping procedure is further developed to transfer the UTAFs to flexible polymer matrixes and construct Al2O3/Ag/MoOx (AAM) electrodes with excellent surface morphology as well as optical and electronic characteristics, including a root-mean-square roughness below 0.21 nm, a transparency up to 93.85% at 550 nm and a sheet resistance as low as 7.39 Ω sq-1. These AAM based electrodes also show superiority in mechanical robustness, thermal oxidation stability and shape memory property.

Single domain YBa2Cu3Oy thick films on metallic substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reddy, E. S.; Noudem, J. G.; Goodilin, E. A.; Tarka, M.; Schmitz, G. J.

2003-03-01

The fabrication of single domain YBa2Cu3Oy (123) thick films (10-100 mum) on metallic substrates is reported. The process involves the formation of the 123 phase by a peritectic reaction between an air-brushed dense Y2BaCuO5 (211) layer on a Ag12Pd substrate and infiltrated liquid phases containing barium cuprates and copper oxides. Single domain growth is achieved by seeding the green films with a c-axis oriented NdBa2Cu3Oy crystal prior to processing. The maximum processing temperatures are lowered to 970 °C by modifying the characteristics of the liquid phases meant for infiltration by addition of Ag powder. The fabrication technique, processing conditions for single domain growth and the resulting microstructures are discussed.

Dependence of Ag/Ga composition ratio in AgGaSe2 thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsuo, H.; Yoshino, K.; Ikari, T.

2006-09-01

AgGaSe2 thin film was deposited on glass substrates by vacuum evaporation method. The starting material was mixed Ag2Se and Ga2Se3 powders. Ag/Ga ratios of the samples were 1.5, 1.2, 1.0, 0.8, 0.7 and 0.4. The samples were annealed from 100 to 600 °C for 10 min. After these processes, single phase AgGaSe2 thin films could be obtained except Ag/Ga ratio of 0.4 at annealing temperature of 600 °C. Ag-rich samples had large grain. On the other hand, Ga-rich samples had small grain. Furthermore, Ga-rich and Ag-rich samples indicated p- and n-types because of Ag- and/or Ga-vacancy and Se-vacancy, respectively.

Electrical and switching properties of the Se 90Te 10-xAg x (0⩽ x⩽6) films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afifi, M. A.; Hegab, N. A.; Bekheet, A. E.; Sharaf, E. R.

2009-08-01

Amorphous Se 90Te 10-xAg x (0⩽ x⩽6) films are obtained by thermal evaporation technique under vacuum from the synthesized bulk materials on pyrographite and glass substrates. X-ray analysis shows the amorphous nature of the obtained films. The dc electrical conductivity was studied for different thicknesses (165-711 nm) as a function of temperature in the range (298-323 K) below the corresponding T g for the studied films. The obtained results show that the conduction activation energy has a single value through the investigated range of temperature which can be explained in accordance with Mott and Davis model. The I- V characteristic curves for the film compositions are found to be typical for a memory switch. The mean value of the threshold voltage Vbar increases linearly with increasing film thickness (165-711 nm), while it decreases exponentially with increasing temperature in the investigated range for the studied compositions. The results are explained in accordance with the electrothermal model for the switching process. The effect of Ag on the studied parameters is also investigated.

Resistive switching and memory effects of AgI thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, X. F.; Chen, Y.; Shi, L.; Lin, J.; Yin, J.; Liu, Z. G.

2007-08-01

A memory device has been fabricated using an AgI film sandwiched between a Pt film and an Ag film with the lateral size of the device scaled down to 300 nm. The AgI film was made by the iodination of the Ag film at room temperature and under ambient pressure. The switching between high- and low-resistance states can be realized by applying voltages of different polarities. The switching can be performed under the application of voltage pulses with a 100 Hz frequency for ~103 times. The switching times are in the order of microseconds and the retention time is about a week. The switching effects are explained as the electrochemical growth and dissolution of Ag in AgI.

The {alpha}-particle excited scintillation response of the liquid phase epitaxy grown LuAG:Ce thin films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Prusa, P.; Cechak, T.; Mares, J. A.

2008-01-28

Liquid phase epitaxy grown Lu{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12}:Ce (LuAG:Ce) 20 {mu}m thick films and plate cut from the bulk Czochralski-grown LuAG:Ce crystal were prepared for comparison of photoelectron yield (PhY) and PhY dependence on shaping time (0.5-10 {mu}s). {sup 241}Am ({alpha} particles) was used for excitation. At the 0.5 {mu}s shaping time, the best film shows comparable PhY with the bulk sample. PhY of bulk material increases noticeably more with shaping time than that of the films. Energy resolution of films is better. Influence of Pb{sup 2+} contamination in the films (from the flux) and antisite Lu{sub Al} defect inmore » bulk material is discussed.« less

Synthesis of Ag-Cu-Pd alloy thin films by DC-magnetron sputtering: Case study on microstructures and optical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rezaee, Sahar; Ghobadi, Nader

2018-06-01

The present study aims to investigate optical properties of Ag-Cu-Pd alloy thin films synthesized by DC-magnetron sputtering method. The thin films are deposited on the glass and silicon substrates using Argon gas and Ag-Cu-Pd target. XRD analysis confirms the successful growth of Ag, Cu, and Pd NPs with FCC crystalline structure. Moreover, UV-visible absorption spectroscopy is applied to determine optical properties of the prepared samples which are affected by changes in surface morphology. The existence of single surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak near 350 nm proves the formation of silver nanoparticles with a slight red shift through increasing deposition time. Ineffective thickness method (ITM) and Derivation of ineffective thickness method (DITM) are applied to extract optical band gap and transition type via absorption spectrum. SEM and AFM analyses show the distribution of near-spherical nanoparticles covering the surface of thin films. Furthermore, thickness variation affects the grain size. In addition, TEM image reveals the uniform size distribution of nanoparticles with an average particle size of about 15 nm. The findings show that increasing grain size and crystallite order along with the decrease of structural defect and disorders decrease optical band gap from 3.86 eV to 2.58 eV.

Thick film hydrogen sensor

DOEpatents

Hoffheins, Barbara S.; Lauf, Robert J.

1995-01-01

A thick film hydrogen sensor element includes an essentially inert, electrically-insulating substrate having deposited thereon a thick film metallization forming at least two resistors. The metallization is a sintered composition of Pd and a sinterable binder such as glass frit. An essentially inert, electrically insulating, hydrogen impermeable passivation layer covers at least one of the resistors.

Thick film hydrogen sensor

DOEpatents

Hoffheins, B.S.; Lauf, R.J.

1995-09-19

A thick film hydrogen sensor element includes an essentially inert, electrically-insulating substrate having deposited thereon a thick film metallization forming at least two resistors. The metallization is a sintered composition of Pd and a sinterable binder such as glass frit. An essentially inert, electrically insulating, hydrogen impermeable passivation layer covers at least one of the resistors. 8 figs.

Tunable surface plasmon resonance frequency of Au-Ag bimetallic asymmetric structure thin films in the UV and IR region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Ruijin; Ji, Jialin; Tao, Chunxian; Zhang, Dawei

2016-10-01

Au/ZnO/Ag sandwich structure films were fabricated by DC magnetron sputter at room temperature. The tunability of the surface plasmon resonance wavelength was realized by varying the thickness of ZnO thin film. The effects of ZnO layer on the optical properties of Au/ZnO/Au thin films were investigated by optical absorption and Raman scattering measurements. It has been found that both the surface plasmon resonance frequency and SERS can be controlled by adjusting the thickness of ZnO layer due to the coupling of metal and semiconductor.

Fabrication of PANI/Ag/AgCl/ITO-PET Flexible Film and Its Crystallinity and Electrical Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diantoro, M.; Rohmiani, F.; Mustikasari, A. A.; Sunaryono

2018-05-01

Abstrak. PANI as one of the conductive polymers which have been widely using in electronics or storage devices such as a supercapacitor. PANI has recently become an option because of its potential for a broad area of application. Protonation or introduce a dopant can control the electrical properties of PANI. However, researcher facing a disadvantage since PANI also active in acidic conditions. To control the conductivity and the stability in an acidic environment, the researcher has introduced Ag/AgCl to PANI. We report the synthesis and analyses of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), PANI, and PANI/Ag/AgCl/ITO-PET films. PANI was synthesized by chemical polymerization, while AgNPs were synthesized via a reductive chemical method using NaBH4 as an AgNO3 reductor. The resulting PANI was characterized using FTIR to determine the functional group, while to obtain the purity of the Ag phase was checked by using XRD. The preparation of PANi/Ag/AgCl solution was carried out by mixing method with the variation of the mass of AgNO3. The precipitate was carried out by using ITOPET substrate. PANI/Ag/AgCl/ITO-PET films were characterized by using FTIR, XRD, SEMEDX, and capacitance meters. It has was found that crystallinity increases with the addition of Ag films to PANI/Ag/AgCl/ITO-PET. The crystallinity reached 29.85 %. It was also revealed that the dielectric constant decreased with increasing Ag in PANi/Ag/AgCl/ITO-PET films.

Dielectric spectroscopy of Ag-starch nanocomposite films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meena; Sharma, Annu

2018-04-01

In the present work Ag-starch nanocomposite films were fabricated via chemical reduction route. The formation of Ag nanoparticles was confirmed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Further the effect of varying concentration of Ag nanoparticles on the dielectric properties of starch has been studied. The frequency response of dielectric constant (ε‧), dielectric loss (ε″) and dissipation factor tan(δ) has been studied in the frequency range of 100 Hz to 1 MHz. Dielectric data was further analysed using Cole-Cole plots. The dielectric constant of starch was found to be 4.4 which decreased to 2.35 in Ag-starch nanocomposite film containing 0.50 wt% of Ag nanoparticles. Such nanocomposites with low dielectric constant have potential applications in microelectronic technologies.

SERS activity studies of Ag/Au bimetallic films prepared by galvanic replacement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chaonan; Fang, Jinghuai; Jin, Yonglong

2012-10-01

Ag films on Si substrates were fabricated by immersion plating, which served as sacrificial materials for preparation of Ag/Au bimetallic films by galvanic replacement method. SEM images displayed that the sacrificial Ag films presenting island morphology experienced interesting structural evolution process during galvanic replacement reaction, and nano-scaled holes were formed in the resultant bimetallic films. SERS measurements using crystal violet as an analyte showed that SERS intensities of bimetallic films were enhanced significantly compared with that of pure Ag films and related mechanisms were discussed. Immersion plating experiment carried out on Ag films on PEN substrates fabricated by photoinduced reduction method further confirmed that galvanic replacement is an easy method to fabricate Ag/Au bimetallic and a potential approach to improve the SERS performance of Ag films.

A novel surface plasmon resonance biosensor based on the PDA-AgNPs-PDA-Au film sensing platform for horse IgG detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ning; Zhang, Di; Deng, Xinyu; Sun, Ying; Wang, Xinghua; Ma, Pinyi; Song, Daqian

2018-02-01

Herein we report a novel polydopamine-silver nanoparticle-polydopamine-gold (PDA-AgNPs-PDA-Au) film based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor for horse IgG detection. The PDA-AgNPs-PDA-Au film sensing platform was built on Au-film via layer-by-layer self-assembly. Ag ion was reduced in situ to AgNPs in presence of PDA. The top PDA layer can prevent AgNPs from being oxidized and connect with antibody via Schiff alkali reaction directly. The morphology and thickness of the modified gold film were characterized using scanning electron microscope and Talystep. Experimental results show that the PDA-AgNPs-PDA-Au film sensing platform is stable, regenerative and sensitive for horse IgG detection. The detection limit of horse IgG obtained with the present biosensor is 0.625 μg mL- 1, which is 2-fold and 4-fold lower than that obtained with biosensor based on PDA modified Au film and conventional biosensor based on MPA, respectively. Furthermore, when challenged to real serum samples, our sensor exhibited excellent specificity to horse IgG, suggesting its potential for industrial application.

Solution-Processed Ag Nanowires + PEDOT:PSS Hybrid Electrode for Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ Thin-Film Solar Cells.

PubMed

Shin, Donghyeop; Kim, Taegeon; Ahn, Byung Tae; Han, Seung Min

2015-06-24

To reduce the cost of the Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells while maximizing the efficiency, we report the use of an Ag nanowires (NWs) + poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) ( PSS) hybrid transparent electrode, which was deposited using all-solution-processed, low-cost, scalable methods. This is the first demonstration of an Ag NWs + PSS transparent electrode applied to CIGS solar cells. The spin-coated 10-nm-thick PSS conducting polymer layer in our hybrid electrode functioned as a filler of empty space of an electrostatically sprayed Ag NW network. Coating of PSS on the Ag NW network resulted in an increase in the short-circuit current from 15.4 to 26.5 mA/cm(2), but the open-circuit voltage and shunt resistance still needed to be improved. The limited open-circuit voltage was found to be due to interfacial recombination that is due to the ineffective hole-blocking ability of the CdS film. To suppress the interfacial recombination between Ag NWs and the CdS film, a Zn(S,O,OH) film was introduced as a hole-blocking layer between the CdS film and Ag NW network. The open-circuit voltage of the cell sharply improved from 0.35 to 0.6 V, which resulted in the best cell efficiency of 11.6%.

Low thermal emissivity surfaces using AgNW thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pantoja, Elisa; Bhatt, Rajendra; Liu, Anping; Gupta, Mool C.

2017-12-01

The properties of silver nanowire (AgNW) films in the optical and infrared spectral regime offer an interesting opportunity for a broad range of applications that require low-emissivity coatings. This work reports a method to reduce the thermal emissivity of substrates by the formation of low-emissivity AgNW coating films from solution. The spectral emissivity was characterized by thermal imaging with an FLIR camera, followed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In a combined experimental and simulation study, we provide fundamental data of the transmittance, reflectance, haze, and emissivity of AgNW thin films. Emissivity values were finely tuned by modifying the concentration of the metal nanowires in the films. The simulation models based on the transfer matrix method developed for the AgNW thin films provided optical values that show a good agreement with the measurements.

Plasmonic enhanced optical characteristics of Ag nanostructured ZnO thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkar, Arijit; Gogurla, Narendar; Shivakiran Bhaktha, B. N.; Ray, Samit K.

2016-04-01

We have demonstrated the enhanced photoluminescence and photoconducting characteristics of plasmonic Ag-ZnO films due to the light scattering effect from Ag nanoislands. Ag nanoislands have been prepared on ITO-coated glass substrates by thermal evaporation followed by annealing. Plasmonic Ag-ZnO films have been fabricated by depositing ZnO over Ag nanoislands by sol-gel process. The band-edge emission of ZnO is enhanced for 170 nm sized Ag nanoislands in ZnO as compared to pure ZnO. The defect emission is also found to be quenched simultaneously for plasmonic Ag-ZnO films. The enhancement and quenching of photoluminescence at different wavelengths for Ag-ZnO films can be well understood from the localized surface plasmon resonance of Ag nanoislands. The Ag-ZnO M-S-M photoconductor device showed a tenfold increment in photocurrent and faster photoresponse as compared to the control ZnO device. The enhancement in photoresponse of the device is due to the increased photon absorption in ZnO films via scattering of the incident illumination.

Work Function of Oxide Ultrathin Films on the Ag(100) Surface.

PubMed

Sementa, Luca; Barcaro, Giovanni; Negreiros, Fabio R; Thomas, Iorwerth O; Netzer, Falko P; Ferrari, Anna Maria; Fortunelli, Alessandro

2012-02-14

Theoretical calculations of the work function of monolayer (ML) and bilayer (BL) oxide films on the Ag(100) surface are reported and analyzed as a function of the nature of the oxide for first-row transition metals. The contributions due to charge compression, charge transfer and rumpling are singled out. It is found that the presence of empty d-orbitals in the oxide metal can entail a charge flow from the Ag(100) surface to the oxide film which counteracts the decrease in the work function due to charge compression. This flow can also depend on the thickness of the film and be reduced in passing from ML to BL systems. A regular trend is observed along first-row transition metals, exhibiting a maximum for CuO, in which the charge flow to the oxide is so strong as to reverse the direction of rumpling. A simple protocol to estimate separately the contribution due to charge compression is discussed, and the difference between the work function of the bare metal surface and a Pauling-like electronegativity of the free oxide slabs is used as a descriptor quantity to predict the direction of charge transfer.

Modulation of Morphology and Optical Property of Multi-Metallic PdAuAg and PdAg Alloy Nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandey, Puran; Kunwar, Sundar; Sui, Mao; Bastola, Sushil; Lee, Jihoon

2018-05-01

In this work, the evolution of PdAg and PdAuAg alloy nanostructures is demonstrated on sapphire (0001) via the solid-state dewetting of multi-metallic thin films. Various surface configurations, size, and arrangements of bi- and tri-metallic alloy nanostructures are fabricated as a function of annealing temperature, annealing duration, film thickness, and deposition arrangements such as bi-layers (Pd/Ag), tri-layers (Pd/Au/Ag), and multi-layers (Pd/Au/Ag × 5). Specifically, the tri-layers film shows the gradual evolution of over-grown NPs, voids, wiggly nanostructures, and isolated PdAuAg alloy nanoparticles (NPs) along with the increased annealing temperature. In contrast, the multi-layers film with same thickness show the enhanced dewetting rate, which results in the formation of voids at relatively lower temperature, wider spacing, and structural regularity of alloy NPs at higher temperature. The dewetting enhancement is attributed to the increased number of interfaces and reduced individual layer thickness, which aid the inter-diffusion process at the initial stage. In addition, the time evolution of the Pd150 nm/Ag80 nm bi-layer films at constant temperature show the wiggly-connected and isolated PdAg alloy NPs. The overall evolution of alloy NPs is discussed based on the solid-state dewetting mechanism in conjunction with the diffusion, inter-diffusion, alloying, sublimation, Rayleigh instability, and surface energy minimization. Depending upon their surface morphologies, the bi- and tri-metallic alloy nanostructures exhibit the dynamic reflectance spectra, which show the formation of dipolar (above 700 nm) and quadrupolar resonance peaks ( 380 nm) and wide dips in the visible region as correlated to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect. An absorption dip is readily shifted from 510 to 475 nm along with the decreased average size of alloy nanostructures.

Investigation of Electrical and Optical Properties of Highly Transparent TCO/Ag/TCO Multilayer.

PubMed

Kim, Sunbo; Lee, Jaehyeong; Dao, Vinh Ai; Ahn, Shihyun; Hussain, Shahzada Qamar; Park, Jinjoo; Jung, Junhee; Lee, Chan; Song, Bong-Shik; Choi, Byoungdeog; Lee, Youn-Jung; Iftiquar, S M; Yi, Junsin

2015-03-01

Transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) have been widely used as transparent electrodes for opto-electronic devices, such as solar cells, flat-panel displays, and light-emitting diodes, because of their unique characteristics of high optical transmittance and low electrical resistivity. Among various TCO materials, zinc oxide based films have recently received much attention because they have advantages over commonly used indium and tin-based oxide films. Most TCO films, however, exhibit valleys of transmittance in the wavelength range of 550-700 nm, lowering the average transmittance in the visible region and decreasing short-circuit current (Isc) of solar cells. A TCO/Ag/TCO multi-layer structure has emerged as an attractive alternative because it provides optical characteristics without the valley of transmittance compared with a 100-nm-thick single-layer TCO. In this article, we report the electrical, optical and surface properties of TCO/Ag/TCO. These multi-layers were deposited at room temperature with various Ag film thicknesses from 5 to 15 nm while the thickness of TCO thin film was fixed at 40 nm. The TCO/Ag/TCO multi-layer with a 10-nm-thick Ag film showed optimum transmittance in the visible (400-800 nm) wavelength region. These multi-layer structures have advantages over TCO layers of the same thickness.

Ellipsometric measurement of liquid film thickness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, Ki Joon; Frazier, D. O.

1989-01-01

The immediate objective of this research is to measure liquid film thickness from the two equilibrium phases of a monotectic system in order to estimate the film pressure of each phase. Thus liquid film thicknesses on the inside walls of the prism cell above the liquid level have been measured elliposmetrically for the monotectic system of succinonitrile and water. The thickness varies with temperature and composition of each plane. The preliminary results from both layers at 60 deg angle of incidence show nearly uniform thickness from about 21 to 23 C. The thickness increases with temperature but near 30 C the film appears foggy and scatters the laser beam. As the temperature of the cell is raised beyond room temperature it becomes increasingly difficult to equalize the temperature inside and outside the cell. The fogging may also be an indication that solution, not pure water, is adsorbed onto the substrate. Nevertheless, preliminary results suggest that ellipsometric measurement is feasible and necessary to measure more accurately and rapidly the film thickness and to improve thermal control of the prism walls.

Dissociative adsorption of water on Au/MgO/Ag(001) from first principles calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nevalaita, J.; Häkkinen, H.; Honkala, K.

2015-10-01

The molecular and dissociative adsorption of water on a Ag-supported 1 ML, 2 ML and 3 ML-a six atomic layer-thick MgO films with a single Au adatom is investigated using density functional theory calculations. The obtained results are compared to a bulk MgO(001) surface with an Au atom. On thin films the negatively charged Au strengthens the binding of the polar water molecule due to the attractive Au-H interaction. The adsorption energy trends of OH and H with respect to the film thickness depend on an adsorption site. In the case OH or H binds atop Au on MgO/Ag(001), the adsorption becomes more exothermic with the increasing film thickness, while the reverse trend is seen when the adsorption takes place on bare MgO/Ag(001). This behavior can be explained by different bonding mechanisms identified with the Bader analysis. Interestingly, we find that the rumpling of the MgO film and the MgO-Ag interface distance correlate with the charge transfer over the thin film and the interface charge, respectively. Moreover, we employ a modified Born-Haber-cycle to analyze the effect of film thickness to the adsorption energy of isolated Au and OH species on MgO/Ag(001). The analysis shows that the attractive Coulomb interaction between the negatively charged adsorbate and the positive MgO-Ag-interface does not completely account for the weaker binding with increasing film thickness. The redox energy associated with the charge transfer from the interface to the adsorbate is more exothermic with the increasing film thickness and partly compensates the decrease in the attractive Coulomb interaction.

Modulation of Morphology and Optical Property of Multi-Metallic PdAuAg and PdAg Alloy Nanostructures.

PubMed

Pandey, Puran; Kunwar, Sundar; Sui, Mao; Bastola, Sushil; Lee, Jihoon

2018-05-16

In this work, the evolution of PdAg and PdAuAg alloy nanostructures is demonstrated on sapphire (0001) via the solid-state dewetting of multi-metallic thin films. Various surface configurations, size, and arrangements of bi- and tri-metallic alloy nanostructures are fabricated as a function of annealing temperature, annealing duration, film thickness, and deposition arrangements such as bi-layers (Pd/Ag), tri-layers (Pd/Au/Ag), and multi-layers (Pd/Au/Ag × 5). Specifically, the tri-layers film shows the gradual evolution of over-grown NPs, voids, wiggly nanostructures, and isolated PdAuAg alloy nanoparticles (NPs) along with the increased annealing temperature. In contrast, the multi-layers film with same thickness show the enhanced dewetting rate, which results in the formation of voids at relatively lower temperature, wider spacing, and structural regularity of alloy NPs at higher temperature. The dewetting enhancement is attributed to the increased number of interfaces and reduced individual layer thickness, which aid the inter-diffusion process at the initial stage. In addition, the time evolution of the Pd 150 nm /Ag 80 nm bi-layer films at constant temperature show the wiggly-connected and isolated PdAg alloy NPs. The overall evolution of alloy NPs is discussed based on the solid-state dewetting mechanism in conjunction with the diffusion, inter-diffusion, alloying, sublimation, Rayleigh instability, and surface energy minimization. Depending upon their surface morphologies, the bi- and tri-metallic alloy nanostructures exhibit the dynamic reflectance spectra, which show the formation of dipolar (above 700 nm) and quadrupolar resonance peaks (~ 380 nm) and wide dips in the visible region as correlated to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect. An absorption dip is readily shifted from ~ 510 to ~ 475 nm along with the decreased average size of alloy nanostructures.

Photo- and thermally induced property change in Ag diffusion into Ag/As2Se3 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aparimita, Adyasha; Sripan, C.; Ganesan, R.; Naik, Ramakanta

2018-03-01

In the present report, we have prepared As2Se3 and bilayer Ag/As2Se3 chalcogenide thin films prepared by thermal evaporation process. The top Ag layer is being diffused into the bottom As2Se3 layer by 532 nm laser irradiation and thermal annealing process. The photo and thermal energy drives the Ag+ ions into the As2Se3 matrix that enhances the formation of As-Se-Ag solid solution which shows the changes of optical properties such as transmission, absorption power, refractive index, and optical band gap. The transmission power drastically decreased for the thermal-induced film than the laser induced one; and the reverse effect is seen for the absorption coefficient. The non-linear refractive index is found to be increased due to the Ag diffusion into As2Se3 film. The indirect allowed optical band gap is being reduced by a significant amount of 0.17 eV (thermal diffusion) and 0.03 eV (photo diffusion) from the Ag/As2Se3 film. The Ag diffusion creates chemical disorderness in the film observed from the two parameters which measures the degree of disorder such as Urbach energy and Tauc parameter. The structural change is not noticed in the studied film as seen from the X-ray diffraction pattern. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy investigations showed that the surface morphology was influenced by the diffusion phenomena. The change in optical constants in such type of film can be used in optical waveguides and optical devices.

Tailoring the structural and optical properties of TiN thin films by Ag ion implantation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popović, M.; Novaković, M.; Rakočević, Z.; Bibić, N.

2016-12-01

Titanium nitride (TiN) thin films thickness of ∼260 nm prepared by dc reactive sputtering were irradiated with 200 keV silver (Ag) ions to the fluences ranging from 5 × 1015 ions/cm2 to 20 × 1015 ions/cm2. After implantation TiN layers were annealed 2 h at 700 °C in a vacuum. Ion irradiation-induced microstructural changes were examined by using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, while the surface topography was observed using atomic force microscopy. Spectroscopic ellipsometry was employed to get insights on the optical and electronic properties of TiN films with respect to their microstructure. The results showed that the irradiations lead to deformation of the lattice, increasing disorder and formation of new Ag phase. The optical results demonstrate the contribution of surface plasmon resonace (SPR) of Ag particles. SPR position shifted in the range of 354.3-476.9 nm when Ag ion fluence varied from 5 × 1015 ions/cm2 to 20 × 1015 ions/cm2. Shift in peak wavelength shows dependence on Ag particles concentration, suggesting that interaction between Ag particles dominate the surface plasmon resonance effect. Presence of Ag as second metal in the layer leads to overall decrease of optical resistivity of TiN.

1.4 µm-Thick Transparent Radio Frequency Transmission Lines Based on Instant Fusion of Polyethylene Terephthalate Through Surface of Ag Nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sang-Woo; Kim, Kwang-Seok; Park, Myeongkoo; Nah, Wansoo; Kim, Dae Up; Lee, Cheul-Ro; Jung, Seung-Boo; Kim, Jong-Woong

2018-05-01

Though a percolated network of silver nanowires (AgNWs) has been considered the most promising flexible transparent electrode because of it high conductivity, high transmittance, and excellent flexibility, fabrication of AgNW-based transmission lines designed to conduct high frequency signals has been scarcely reported. The fabrication and performance of extremely thin (1.4 µm thick) and low lossy (smaller than - 17 dB for reflection coefficient corresponding to 2.5 GHz) transmission lines with unprecedented transparency (higher than 90% for the entire visible light spectrum) are demonstrated in this study. AgNWs deposited onto a 1.4 µm-thick polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheet were irradiated by intense-pulsed-light to selectively raise their temperature. The intensive photon energy delivered to the AgNWs simultaneously caused the active diffusion of Ag atoms and plasmonic welding, resulting in large drops in resistivity without drastic changes in their physical shape or the optical transmittance of the films. Furthermore, absorption of heat also thermally activated the underlying polymer and causing it to react with the surface of the AgNWs—this results in enhanced adhesion between the AgNWs and the PET. Measurements and simulation of specially designed coplanar waveguide circuits revealed that the fabricated electrode could simultaneously provide excellent transmission characteristics and mechanical stability and transparency.

A comparative study about electronic structures at rubrene/Ag and Ag/rubrene interfaces

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sinha, Sumona, E-mail: sumona.net.09@gmail.com; Mukherjee, M.

The contact between the electrode and the organic semiconductor is one of the most crucial factors in determining the organic device performance. The development and production technology of different organic devices require the understanding of different types of metal/organic semiconducting thin film interfaces. Comparisons about the electronic structures at Rubrene/Ag and Ag/Rubrene interfaces have been studied using photoemission spectroscopy. The Ag on rubrene interfaces is found to show more interesting and complex natures than its counterpart. The vacuum level (VL) was shifted about 0.51 eV from push back effect for deposition of 5 Å rubrene onto Ag film whereas themore » electronic features of silver was only suppressed and no energy shift was resulted. While the deposition of 5 Å Ag onto rubrene film leads to the diffusion of the Ag atoms, as a cluster with quantum size effect, inside the film. Angle dependent XPS measurement indicates that diffused metal clusters were present at entire probed depth of the film. Moreover these clusters dope the uppermost surface of the rubrene film which consequences a shift of the electronic states of thick organic film towards higher binding energy. The VL was found to shift about 0.31 eV toward higher binding energy whereas the shift was around 0.21 eV for the electronic states of rubrene layer.« less

Applications of film thickness equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamrock, B. J.; Dowson, D.

1983-01-01

A number of applications of elastohydrodynamic film thickness expressions were considered. The motion of a steel ball over steel surfaces presenting varying degrees of conformity was examined. The equation for minimum film thickness in elliptical conjunctions under elastohydrodynamic conditions was applied to roller and ball bearings. An involute gear was also introduced, it was again found that the elliptical conjunction expression yielded a conservative estimate of the minimum film thickness. Continuously variable-speed drives like the Perbury gear, which present truly elliptical elastohydrodynamic conjunctions, are favored increasingly in mobile and static machinery. A representative elastohydrodynamic condition for this class of machinery is considered for power transmission equipment. The possibility of elastohydrodynamic films of water or oil forming between locomotive wheels and rails is examined. The important subject of traction on the railways is attracting considerable attention in various countries at the present time. The final example of a synovial joint introduced the equation developed for isoviscous-elastic regimes of lubrication.

Characterization and evaluation of the Ag+-loaded soy protein isolate-based bactericidal film-forming dispersion and films.

PubMed

Sun, Qingshen; Li, Xiaodi; Wang, Pu; Du, Yiyang; Han, Dequan; Wang, Fengjiao; Liu, Xumei; Li, Pengfei; Fu, Honggang

2011-08-01

This study aims to prepare bactericidal films developed from soy protein isolate (SPI) based film-forming dispersions (FFDs) for use in the food and medical fields. The FFD and films were prepared after the incorporation of different concentrations of AgNO₃ as a bactericidal agent. The transparency, tensile strength, and antimicrobial features were evaluated. Structural characterizations were also performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, and atomic force microscopy analysis. Results showed that the opacity of these FFD was greatly decreased after the incorporation of AgNO₃. The SPI-5 film has the largest tensile strength (P < 0.05) compared with that of the other ones. Micro structural imaging analysis showed an increase in the surface irregularities with the addition of AgNO₃. The minimum inhibitory concentration of AgNO₃ was 336 μg/mL FFD for both Escherichia coli ATCC 25923 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25922. The SPI-AgNO₃ films developed from the FFD with the minimal AgNO₃ concentration at 336 μg/mL FFD also showed bactericidal effects for both the strains. These results may prove promising for the use of SPI-AgNO₃ films in the food or medical industries. The films prepared in this study are biodegradable and will be used in medical and food fields. © 2011 Institute of Food Technologists®

LTCC Thick Film Process Characterization

DOE PAGES

Girardi, M. A.; Peterson, K. A.; Vianco, P. T.

2016-05-01

Low temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) technology has proven itself in military/space electronics, wireless communication, microsystems, medical and automotive electronics, and sensors. The use of LTCC for high frequency applications is appealing due to its low losses, design flexibility and packaging and integration capability. Moreover, we summarize the LTCC thick film process including some unconventional process steps such as feature machining in the unfired state and thin film definition of outer layer conductors. The LTCC thick film process was characterized to optimize process yields by focusing on these factors: 1) Print location, 2) Print thickness, 3) Drying of tapes and panels,more » 4) Shrinkage upon firing, and 5) Via topography. Statistical methods were used to analyze critical process and product characteristics in the determination towards that optimization goal.« less

Tailoring the light absorption of Ag-PZT thin films by controlling the growth of hexagonal- and cubic-phase Ag nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Tao; Wang, Zongrong; Ma, Ning; Du, Piyi

2017-12-01

PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 thin films containing hexagonal and cubic Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) of various sizes were prepared using the sol-gel technique. During the aging process, Ag ions were photo-reduced to form hexagonal Ag NPs. These NPs were uniform in size, and their uniformity was maintained in the thin films during the heat treatment process. Both the total volume and average size of the hexagonal Ag NPs increased with an increasing Ag ion concentration from 0.02 to 0.08 mol l-1. Meanwhile, the remaining Ag ions were reduced to form unstable Ag-Pb alloy particles with Pb ions during the early heating stage. During subsequent heat treatment, these alloys decomposed to form cubic Ag NPs in the thin films. The absorption range of the thin films, quantified as the full width at half maximum in the ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrum, expanded from 6.3 × 1013 Hz (390-425 nm) to 8.4 × 1013 Hz (383-429 nm) as the Ag NPs/PZT ratio increased from 0.2 to 0.8. This work provides an effective way to broaden the absorption range and enhance the optical properties of such films.

Crystal Structure of AgBi2I7 Thin Films.

PubMed

Xiao, Zewen; Meng, Weiwei; Mitzi, David B; Yan, Yanfa

2016-10-06

Synthesis of cubic-phase AgBi 2 I 7 iodobismuthate thin films and fabrication of air-stable Pb-free solar cells using the AgBi 2 I 7 absorber have recently been reported. On the basis of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and nominal composition, it was suggested that the synthesized films have a cubic ThZr 2 H 7 crystal structure with AgBi 2 I 7 stoichiometry. Through careful examination of the proposed structure and computational evaluation of the phase stability and bandgap, we find that the reported "AgBi 2 I 7 " films cannot be forming with the ThZr 2 H 7 -type structure, but rather more likely adopt an Ag-deficient AgBiI 4 type. Both the experimental X-ray diffraction pattern and bandgap can be better explained by the AgBiI 4 structure. Additionally, the proposed AgBiI 4 structure, with octahedral bismuth coordination, removes unphysically short Bi-I bonding within the [BiI 8 ] hexahedra of the ThZr 2 I 7 model. Our results provide critical insights for assessing the photovoltaic properties of AgBi 2 I 7 iodobismuthate materials.

Fabrication and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of Ag/Au bimetallic films on Si substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chaonan; Fang, Jinghuai; Jin, Yonglong; Cheng, Mingfei

2011-11-01

Ag films on Si substrates were fabricated by immersion plating and served as sacrificial materials for preparation of Ag/Au bimetallic films by galvanic replacement reaction. The formation procedure of films on the surface of Si was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which revealed Ag films with island and dendritic morphologies experienced novel structural evolution process during galvanic replacement reaction, and nanostructures with holes were produced within the resultant Ag/Au bimetallic films. SERS activity both of sacrificial Ag films and resultant Ag/Au bimetallic films was investigated by using crystal violet as an analyte. It has been shown that SERS signals increased with the process of galvanic substitution and reached intensity significantly stronger than that obtained from pure Ag films.

Ag- and Cu-doped multifunctional bioactive nanostructured TiCaPCON films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shtansky, D. V.; Batenina, I. V.; Kiryukhantsev-Korneev, Ph. V.; Sheveyko, A. N.; Kuptsov, K. A.; Zhitnyak, I. Y.; Anisimova, N. Yu.; Gloushankova, N. A.

2013-11-01

A key property of multicomponent bioactive nanostructured Ti(C,N)-based films doped with Ca, P, and O (TiCaPCON) that can be improved further is their antibacterial effect that should be achieved without compromising the implant bioactivity and biocompatibility. The present work is focused on the study of structure, chemical, mechanical, tribological, and biological properties of Ag- and Cu-doped TiCaPCON films. The films with Ag (0.4-4 at.%) and Cu (13 at.%) contents were obtained by simultaneous sputtering of a TiC0.5-Ca3(PO4)2 target and either an Ag or a Cu target. The film structure was studied using X-ray diffraction, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy, and Raman-shift and IR spectroscopy. The films were characterized in terms of their hardness, elastic modulus, dynamic impact resistance, friction coefficient and wear rate (both in air and normal saline), surface wettability, electrochemical behavior and Ag or Cu ion release in normal saline. Particular attention was paid to the influence of inorganic bactericides (Ag and Cu ions) on the bactericidal activity against unicellular yeast fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae and gram-positive bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus, as well as on the attachment, spreading, actin cytoskeleton organization, focal adhesions, and early stages of osteoblastic cell differentiation. The obtained results show that the Ag-doped films are more suitable for the protection of metallic surfaces against bacterial infection compared with their Cu-doped counterpart. In particular, an excellent combination of mechanical, tribological, and biological properties makes Ag-doped TiCaPCON film with 1.2 at.% of Ag very attractive material for bioengineering and modification of load-bearing metal implant surfaces.

Properties of thin silver films with different thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Pei; Su, Weitao; Wang, Reng; Xu, Xiaofeng; Zhang, Fengshan

2009-01-01

In order to investigate optical properties of silver films with different film thickness, multilayer composed of thin silver film sandwiched between ZnS films are sputtered on the float glass. The crystal structures, optical and electrical properties of films are characterized by various techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), spectrum analysis, etc. The optical constants of thin silver film are calculated by fitting the transmittance ( T) and reflectance ( R) spectrum of the multilayer. Electrical and optical properties of silver films thinner than 6.2 nm exhibit sharp change. However, variation becomes slow as film thickness is larger than 6.2 nm. The experimental results indicate that 6.2 nm is the optimum thickness for properties of silver.

Raman scattering enhanced within the plasmonic gap between an isolated Ag triangular nanoplate and Ag film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Kuanguo; Jiang, Kang; Zhang, Lan; Wang, Yong; Mao, Lei; Zeng, Jie; Lu, Yonghua; Wang, Pei

2016-04-01

Enhanced electromagnetic field in the tiny gaps between metallic nanostructures holds great promise in optical applications. Herein, we report novel out-of-plane nanogaps composed of micrometer-sized Ag triangular nanoplates (AgTN) on Ag films. Notably, the new coupled plasmonic structure can dramatically enhance the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) by visible laser excitation, although the micrometer-sized AgTN has localized plasmon resonance at infrared wavelength. This enhancement is derived from the gap plasmon polariton between the AgTN and Ag film, which is excited via the antenna effect of the corner and edge of the AgTN. Systematic SERS studies indicated that the plasmon enhancement was on the order of corner > edge > face. These results were further verified by theoretical simulations. Our device paves the way for rational design of sensitive SERS substrates by judiciously choosing appropriate nanoparticles and optimizing the gap distance.

Bismuth molybdate thick films as ethanol sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, Kiran; Kumar, Vipin; Gupta, H. P.; Rastogi, A. C.

2003-10-01

Ethanol sensitivity of bismuth molybdate thick films and sintered pellets were investigated. Sintered pellets were prepared by traditional ceramic processing. Thick films were prepared by metallorganic decomposition process. Ethanol gas sensitivity was measured at various temperatures and concentrations. Thick films of alpha phase bismuth molybdate prepared by spray pyrolysis showed a very fast response to ethanol detection. The response time for the bulk samples is about 40 sec which decreased to about 6 sec for thick films at an operating temperature of 300°C. An extremely low level approximately 10 ppm detection and fast response makes this technique ideal for sensor element fabrication for detection and estimation of alcohol in breath-analyzer. Unlike SnO2, the resistance of these sensors is not affected by humidity at the operating temperature.

The Effect of Cu:Ag Atomic Ratio on the Properties of Sputtered Cu–Ag Alloy Thin Films

PubMed Central

Hsieh, Janghsing; Hung, Shunyang

2016-01-01

Cu–Ag thin films with various atomic ratios were prepared using a co-sputtering technique, followed by rapid thermal annealing at various temperatures. The films’ structural, mechanical, and electrical properties were then characterized using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), FESEM, nano-indentation, and TEM as functions of compositions and annealing conditions. In the as-deposited condition, the structure of these films transformed from a one-phase to a dual-phase state, and the resistivity shows a twin-peak pattern, which can be explained in part by Nordheim’s Rule and the miscibility gap of Cu–Ag alloy. After being annealed, the films’ resistivity followed the mixture rule in general, mainly due to the formation of a dual-phase structure containing Ag-rich and Cu-rich phases. The surface morphology and structure also varied as compositions and annealing conditions changed. The recrystallization of these films varied depending on Ag–Cu compositions. The annealed films composed of 40 at % to 60 at % Cu had higher hardness and lower roughness than those with other compositions. Particularly, the Cu50Ag50 film had the highest hardness after being annealed. From the dissolution testing, it was found that the Cu-ion concentration was about 40 times higher than that of Ag. The galvanic effect and over-saturated state could be the cause of the accelerated Cu dissolution and the reduced dissolution of the Ag. PMID:28774033

Film thickness for different regimes of fluid-film lubrication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamrock, B. J.

1980-01-01

Film thickness equations are provided for four fluid-film lubrication regimes found in elliptical contacts. These regimes are isoviscous-rigid; viscous-rigid; elastohydrodynamic lubrication of low-elastic-modulus materials (soft EHL), or isoviscous-elastic; and elastohydrodynamic lubrication of high-elastic-modulus materials (hard EHL), or viscous-elastic. The influence or lack of influence of elastic and viscous effects is the factor that distinguishes these regimes. The results are presented as a map of the lubrication regimes, with film thickness contours on a log-log grid of the viscosity and elasticity for three values of the ellipticity parameter.

The ratioed image film thickness meter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Husen, Nicholas M.; Liu, Tianshu; Sullivan, John P.

2018-06-01

A technique for measuring the thickness of a fluorescent oil film is presented. Incident light is cast upon the oil film and the intensity of the luminescent signal from the fluorescent dye is ratioed with the intensity of the incident light which is scattered from the surface of the model. The quotient is independent of the intensity of the incident light and proportional to the film thickness. Experiments are presented supporting that for sufficiently thin films the ratio is independent of the intensity of the incident light as well as independent of the angle from which the experiment is imaged and the angle from which the incident light is cast.

Particle-Film Plasmons on Periodic Silver Film over Nanosphere (AgFON): A Hybrid Plasmonic Nanoarchitecture for Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy.

PubMed

Lee, Jiwon; Zhang, Qianpeng; Park, Seungyoung; Choe, Ayoung; Fan, Zhiyong; Ko, Hyunhyub

2016-01-13

Plasmonic systems based on particle-film plasmonic couplings have recently attracted great attention because of the significantly enhanced electric field at the particle-film gaps. Here, we introduce a hybrid plasmonic architecture utilizing combined plasmonic effects of particle-film gap plasmons and silver film over nanosphere (AgFON) substrates. When gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are assembled on AgFON substrates with controllable particle-film gap distances, the AuNP-AgFON system supports multiple plasmonic couplings from interparticle, particle-film, and crevice gaps, resulting in a huge surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) effect. We show that the periodicity of AgFON substrates and the particle-film gaps greatly affects the surface plasmon resonances, and thus, the SERS effects due to the interplay between multiple plasmonic couplings. The optimally designed AuNP-AgFON substrate shows a SERS enhancement of 233 times compared to the bare AgFON substrate. The ultrasensitive SERS sensing capability is also demonstrated by detecting glutathione, a neurochemical molecule that is an important antioxidant, down to the 10 pM level.

Structural comparison of Ag-Ge-S bulk glasses and thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Fei; Jain, Mukul; Dunn, Porter; de Leo, Carter; Boolchand, Punit

2007-03-01

Ternary glasses of composition (GeS3)1-xAgx (x=0.1 and 0.2) are studied in form of bulk and thin films. Bulk glasses are synthesized and examined in Raman scattering and SEM. Raman scattering results of bulk glasses show that with increasing x, an increasing fraction of the Ag additive enters the base glass as Ag^+ with S^-anions serving to form thiogermanate species with one, two and three non-bridging S^- species. SEM measurements of the bulk glass show the material is intrinsically phase separated. White colored islands are observed distributed in a dark base. The EDS measurements show islands are Ag rich and the base is relatively Ag deficient. The Ag rich islands are expected to be mainly glassy phase Ag2S. Thin films of same compositions are fabricated using thermal evaporation. Films are evaporated following two different procedures to prevent the material from spitting. One method was preheating outgas and the other method was using tungsten mesh wrapped boats. The stoichiometry and molecular structure of films under each procedure are analyzed by Raman scattering and SEM to be compared with bulk glasses.

Epitaxial Growth of LuAG:Ce and LuAG:Ce,Pr Films and Their Scintillation Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Douissard, Paul-Antoine; Martin, Thierry; Riva, Federica; Zorenko, Yuriy; Zorenko, Tetiana; Paprocki, Kazimierz; Fedorov, Alexander; Bilski, Pawel; Twardak, Anna

2016-06-01

We performed the growth by Liquid Phase Epitaxy (LPE) of Ce and Ce-Pr doped Lu3Al5O12 (LuAG) Single Crystalline Films (SCFs) onto LuAG and Y3Al5O12 (YAG) substrates. The structural properties of LuAG:Ce and LuAG:Ce,Pr SCFs were examined by X-ray diffraction. The optical properties of the SCFs were studied through cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra, scintillation Light Yield (LY), decay kinetic under α-particle (Pu239) excitation, X-ray excited luminescence, thermostimulated luminescence (TSL) and afterglow measurements. The SCFs grown on LuAG substrates displayed good surface quality and structural perfection, whereas the SCFs grown on YAG substrates showed a rough surface and poorer crystalline quality, due to a large lattice mismatch between the film and the substrate (0.82%). Under α-particle excitation, the LY of LuAG:Ce SCF exceeded by 2 times that of the best YAG:Ce SCF sample used as reference. Under X-ray excitation, the LuAG:Ce SCF with optimized Ce concentration showed LY close (77%) to a reference YAG:Ce Single Crystal (SC) scintillator. The afterglow of LuAG:Ce and LuAG:Ce,Pr SCFs was lower (by 1 decade) than that of the tested reference LuAG:Ce SC. However there is not a complete suppression of the afterglow at room temperature (RT), despite the fact that the SCFs present much lower concentration of antisite and vacancy type defects than their SC counterparts. This can be explained by the presence in the films of other trap centers responsible for TSL above RT.

Mildly reduced graphene oxide-Ag nanoparticle hybrid films for surface-enhanced Raman scattering

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Large-area mildly reduced graphene oxide (MR-GO) monolayer films were self-assembled on SiO2/Si surfaces via an amidation reaction strategy. With the MR-GO as templates, MR-GO-Ag nanoparticle (MR-GO-Ag NP) hybrid films were synthesized by immersing the MR-GO monolayer into a silver salt solution with sodium citrate as a reducing agent under UV illumination. SEM image indicated that Ag NPs with small interparticle gap are uniformly distributed on the MR-GO monolayer. Raman spectra demonstrated that the MR-GO monolayer beneath the Ag NPs can effectively quench the fluorescence signal emitted from the Ag films and dye molecules under laser excitation, resulting in a chemical enhancement (CM). The Ag NPs with narrow gap provided numerous hot spots, which are closely related with electromagnetic mechanism (EM), and were believed to remarkably enhance the Raman signal of the molecules. Due to the co-contribution of the CM and EM effects as well as the coordination mechanism between the MR-GO and Ag NPs, the MR-GO-Ag NP hybrid films showed more excellent Raman signal enhancement performance than that of either Ag films or MR-GO monolayer alone. This will further enrich the application of surface-enhanced Raman scattering in molecule detection. PMID:22471923

Effect of geometry on hydrodynamic film thickness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brewe, D. E.; Hamrock, B. J.; Taylor, C. M.

1978-01-01

The influence of geometry on the isothermal hydrodynamic film separating two rigid solids was investigated. Pressure-viscosity effects were not considered. The minimum film thickness is derived for fully flooded conjunctions by using the Reynolds conditions. It was found that the minimum film thickness had the same speed, viscosity, and load dependence as Kapitza's classical solution. However, the incorporation of Reynolds boundary conditions resulted in an additional geometry effect. Solutions using the parabolic film approximation are compared with those using the exact expression for the film in the analysis. Contour plots are shown that indicate in detail the pressure developed between the solids.

Changes in the temperature-dependent specific volume of supported polystyrene films with film thickness.

PubMed

Huang, Xinru; Roth, Connie B

2016-06-21

Recent studies have measured or predicted thickness-dependent shifts in density or specific volume of polymer films as a possible means of understanding changes in the glass transition temperature Tg(h) with decreasing film thickness with some experimental works claiming unrealistically large (25%-30%) increases in film density with decreasing thickness. Here we use ellipsometry to measure the temperature-dependent index of refraction of polystyrene (PS) films supported on silicon and investigate the validity of the commonly used Lorentz-Lorenz equation for inferring changes in density or specific volume from very thin films. We find that the density (specific volume) of these supported PS films does not vary by more than ±0.4% of the bulk value for film thicknesses above 30 nm, and that the small variations we do observe are uncorrelated with any free volume explanation for the Tg(h) decrease exhibited by these films. We conclude that the derivation of the Lorentz-Lorenz equation becomes invalid for very thin films as the film thickness approaches ∼20 nm, and that reports of large density changes greater than ±1% of bulk for films thinner than this likely suffer from breakdown in the validity of this equation or in the difficulties associated with accurately measuring the index of refraction of such thin films. For larger film thicknesses, we do observed small variations in the effective specific volume of the films of 0.4 ± 0.2%, outside of our experimental error. These shifts occur simultaneously in both the liquid and glassy regimes uniformly together starting at film thicknesses less than ∼120 nm but appear to be uncorrelated with Tg(h) decreases; possible causes for these variations are discussed.

Effects of Ag addition on FePt L1{sub 0} ordering transition: A direct observation of ordering transition and Ag segregation in FePtAg alloy films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Lei; Yu, Youxing, E-mail: yuyouxing@buaa.edu.cn; Gao, Tenghua

FePt and (FePt){sub 91.2}Ag{sub 8.8} alloy films were deposited by magnetron sputtering. The average coercivity of (FePt){sub 91.2}Ag{sub 8.8} films reaches 8.51 × 10{sup 5} A/m, which is 0.63 × 10{sup 5} A/m higher than that of the corresponding FePt films. Ag addition effectively promotes the FePt L1{sub 0} ordering transition at a relatively low annealing temperature of 400 °C. The promotion mechanism was investigated by using in situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and ex situ X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS). The concurrence of ordering transition and Ag segregation in FePtAg alloy films was first observed by using in situ heating HRTEM. The time-resolved evolution revealsmore » more details on the role of Ag addition in FePt low-temperature ordering. Ex situ XAFS results further confirm that Ag replaces Fe sites in the as-deposited films and segregates from FePt-Ag solid solution phase through annealing at elevated temperatures. The segregation of Ag atoms leaves vacancies in the grain. The vacancy formation is believed to accelerate the diffusion of Fe and Pt atoms, which is critical for the L1{sub 0} ordering transition.« less

Study on thick film spin-on carbon hardmask

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Taeho; Kim, Youngmin; Hwang, Sunmin; Lee, Hyunsoo; Han, Miyeon; Lim, Sanghak

2017-03-01

A thick spin-on carbon hardmask (SOH) material is designed to overcome inherent problems of amorphous deposited carbon layer (ACL) and thick photoresist. For ACL in use of semiconductor production process, especially when film thickness from sub-micrometer up to few micrometers is required, not only its inherent low transparency at long wavelength light often causes alignment problems with under layers, but also considerable variation of film thickness within a wafer can also cause patterning problems. To avoid these issues, a thick SOH is designed with monomers of high transparency and good solubility at the same time. In comparison with photoresist, the SOH has good etch resistance and high thermal stability, and it provides wide process window of decreased film thickness and increased thermal budget up to 400°C after processes such as high temperature deposition of SiON. In order to achieve high thickness along with uniform film, many solvent factors was considered such as solubility parameter, surface tension, vapor pressure, and others. By optimizing many solvent factors, we were able to develop a product with a good coating performance

Thick crystalline films on foreign substrates

DOEpatents

Smith, Henry I.; Atwater, Harry A.; Geis, Michael W.

1986-01-01

To achieve a uniform texture, large crystalline grains or, in some cases, a single crystalline orientation in a thick (>1 .mu.m) film on a foreign substrate, the film is formed so as to be thin (<1 .mu.m) in a certain section. Zone-melting recrystallization is initiated in the thin section and then extended into the thick section. The method may employ planar constriction patterns of orientation filter patterns.

Integrated thick-film nanostructures based on spinel ceramics

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Integrated temperature-humidity-sensitive thick-film structures based on spinel-type semiconducting ceramics of different chemical compositions and magnesium aluminate ceramics were prepared and studied. It is shown that temperature-sensitive thick-film structures possess good electrophysical characteristics in the region from 298 to 358 K. The change of electrical resistance in integrated thick-film structures is 1 order, but these elements are stable in time and can be successfully used for sensor applications. PMID:24670141

Influence of Thickness on Ethanol Sensing Characteristics of Doctor-bladed Thick Film from Flame-made ZnO Nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Liewhiran, Chaikarn; Phanichphant, Sukon

2007-01-01

ZnO nanoparticles were produced by flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) using zinc naphthenate as a precursor dissolved in toluene/acetonitrile (80/20 vol%). The particle properties were analyzed by XRD, BET, and HR-TEM. The sensing films were produced by mixing the particles into an organic paste composed of terpineol and ethyl cellulose as a vehicle binder and were fabricated by doctor-blade technique with various thicknesses (5, 10, 15 μm). The morphology of the sensing films was analyzed by SEM and EDS analyses. The gas sensing characteristics to ethanol (25-250 ppm) were evaluated as a function of film thickness at 400°C in dry air. The relationship between thickness and ethanol sensing characteristics of ZnO thick film on Al2O3 substrate interdigitated with Au electrodes were investigated. The effects of film thickness, as well as the cracking phenomenon, though, many cracks were observed for thicker sensing films. Crack widths increased with increasing film thickness. The film thickness, cracking and ethanol concentration have significant effect on the sensing characteristics. The sensing characteristics with various thicknesses were compared, showing the tendency of the sensitivity to ethanol decreased with increasing film thickness and response time. The relationship between gas sensing properties and film thickness was discussed on the basis of diffusively and reactivity of the gases inside the oxide films. The thinnest sensing film (5 μm) showed the highest sensitivity and the fastest response time (within seconds).

Biosynthesis and Characterization of AgNPs–Silk/PVA Film for Potential Packaging Application

PubMed Central

Tao, Gang; Cai, Rui; Wang, Yejing; Song, Kai; Guo, Pengchao; Zhao, Ping; Zuo, Hua; He, Huawei

2017-01-01

Bionanocomposite packaging materials have a bright future for a broad range of applications in the food and biomedical industries. Antimicrobial packaging is one of the bionanocomposite packaging materials. Silver nanoparticle (AgNP) is one of the most attractive antimicrobial agents for its broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against microorganisms. However, the traditional method of preparing AgNPs-functionalized packaging material is cumbersome and not environmentally friendly. To develop an efficient and convenient biosynthesis method to prepare AgNPs-modified bionanocomposite material for packaging applications, we synthesized AgNPs in situ in a silk fibroin solution via the reduction of Ag+ by the tyrosine residue of fibroin, and then prepared AgNPs–silk/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composite film by blending with PVA. AgNPs were synthesized evenly on the surface or embedded in the interior of silk/PVA film. The prepared AgNPs–silk/PVA film exhibited excellent mechanical performance and stability, as well as good antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. AgNPs–silk/PVA film offers more choices to be potentially applied in the active packaging field. PMID:28773026

Low emissivity Ag/Ta/glass multilayer thin films deposited by sputtering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Park, Sun Ho; Lee, Kee Sun; Green Home Energy Technology Center, Cheonan City

Ta is deposited on a glass substrate as an interlayer for the two-dimensional growth of Ag thin films because Ta has good thermal stability and can induce a negative surface-energy change in Ag/glass. From the transmission electron microscopy results, we concluded that the Ag crystals in the bottom layer (seemingly on Ag/Ta) were flattened; this was rarely observed in the three-dimensional growth mode. Comparing Ag/Ta/glass with Ag/glass, we found that the Ta interlayer was effective in reducing both the resistance and the emissivity, accompanied by the relatively high transmittance in the visible region. In particular, Ag(9 nm)/Ta(1 nm)/glass film showedmore » 0.08 of the emissivity, including {approx}61% of the transmittance in the visible region (wavelength: 550 nm).« less

Effect of geometry on hydrodynamic film thickness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brewe, D. E.; Hamrock, B. J.; Taylor, C. M.

1978-01-01

The influence of geometry on the isothermal hydrodynamic film separating two rigid solids was investigated. Pressure-viscosity effects were not considered. The minimum film thickness is derived for fully flooded conjunctions by using the Reynolds boundary conditions. It was found that the minimum film thickness had the same speed, viscosity, and load dependence as Kapitza's classical solution. However, the incorporation of Reynolds boundary conditions resulted in an additional geometry effect. Solutions using the parabolic film approximation are compared with those using the exact expression for the film in the analysis. Contour plots are shown that indicate in detail the pressure developed between the solids.

Vacuum casting of thick polymeric films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cuddihy, E. F.; Moacanin, J.

1979-01-01

Bubble formation and layering, which often plague vacuum-evaporated films, are prevented by properly regulating process parameters. Vacuum casting may be applicable to forming thick films of other polymer/solvent solutions.

Thick crystalline films on foreign substrates

DOEpatents

Smith, H.I.; Atwater, H.A.; Geis, M.W.

1986-03-18

To achieve a uniform texture, large crystalline grains or, in some cases, a single crystalline orientation in a thick (>1 [mu]m) film on a foreign substrate, the film is formed so as to be thin (<1 [mu]m) in a certain section. Zone-melting recrystallization is initiated in the thin section and then extended into the thick section. The method may employ planar constriction patterns of orientation filter patterns. 2 figs.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy substrate based on Ag-coated self-assembled polystyrene spheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikac, Lara; Ivanda, Mile; Gotić, Marijan; Janicki, Vesna; Zorc, Hrvoje; Janči, Tibor; Vidaček, Sanja

2017-10-01

The silver (Ag) films were deposited on the monodispersed polystyrene spheres that were drop-coated on hydrophilic glass substrates in order to form a self-assembled 2D monolayer. Thus prepared Ag films over polystyrene nanospheres (AgFONs) were used to record the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of rhodamine 6G (R6G) and pyridine (λex = 514.5 nm). AgFONs were prepared by depositing 120, 180 and 240 nm thick Ag layer on the 1000 nm polystyrene spheres and 80, 120, 160 and 200 nm thick Ag layer on the 350 nm spheres as well as on their mixture (350 + 1000 nm). The silver was deposited by electron beam evaporation technique. The best enhancement of the Raman signal for both test molecules was obtained using 180 nm Ag film deposited on the 1000 nm spheres and using 80 nm Ag film deposited on the 350 nm polystyrene spheres. The lowest detectable concentrations of R6G and pyridine were 10-9 mol L-1 and 1.2 × 10-3 mol L-1, respectively. This study has shown that AgFONs could be regarded as good and reproducible SERS substrate for analytical detection of various organic molecules.

In situ electric properties of Ag films deposited on rough substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Hong; Yu, Sen-Jiang; Zhang, Yong-Ju; Chen, Miao-Gen; Jiao, Zhi-Wei; Si, Ping-Zhan

2013-01-01

Silver (Ag) films have been deposited on rough substrates (including frosted glass and silicone grease), and for comparison on flat glass, by DC-magnetron sputtering, and their sheet resistances measured in situ during deposition. It is found that the growth of Ag films proceeds through three distinct stages: discontinuous, semi-continuous, and continuous regimes. The sheet resistance on rough substrates jumps in the vicinity of the percolation threshold, whereas the resistance on flat substrates decreases monotonically during deposition. The abnormal in situ electric properties on rough substrates are well explained based on the differences of the growth mechanism and microstructure of Ag films on different substrates.

Template-Stripped Smooth Ag Nanohole Arrays with Silica Shells for Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensing

PubMed Central

Im, Hyungsoon; Lee, Si Hoon; Wittenberg, Nathan J.; Johnson, Timothy W.; Lindquist, Nathan C.; Nagpal, Prashant; Norris, David J.; Oh, Sang-Hyun

2011-01-01

Inexpensive, reproducible and high-throughput fabrication of nanometric apertures in metallic films can benefit many applications in plasmonics, sensing, spectroscopy, lithography and imaging. Here we use template stripping to pattern periodic nanohole arrays in optically thick, smooth Ag films with a silicon template made via nanoimprint lithography. Ag is a low-cost material with good optical properties, but it suffers from poor chemical stability and biocompatibility. However, a thin silica shell encapsulating our template-stripped Ag nanoholes facilitates biosensing applications by protecting the Ag from oxidation as well as providing a robust surface that can be readily modified with a variety of biomolecules using well-established silane chemistry. The thickness of the conformal silica shell can be precisely tuned by atomic layer deposition, and a 15-nm-thick silica shell can effectively prevent fluorophore quenching. The Ag nanohole arrays with silica shells can also be bonded to polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic channels for fluorescence imaging, formation of supported lipid bilayers, and real-time, label-free SPR sensing. Additionally, the smooth surfaces of the template-stripped Ag films enhance refractive index sensitivity compared with as-deposited, rough Ag films. Because nearly centimeter-sized nanohole arrays can be produced inexpensively without using any additional lithography, etching or lift-off, this method can facilitate widespread applications of metallic nanohole arrays for plasmonics and biosensing. PMID:21770414

Biosynthesis and Characterization of AgNPs-Silk/PVA Film for Potential Packaging Application.

PubMed

Tao, Gang; Cai, Rui; Wang, Yejing; Song, Kai; Guo, Pengchao; Zhao, Ping; Zuo, Hua; He, Huawei

2017-06-17

Bionanocomposite packaging materials have a bright future for a broad range of applications in the food and biomedical industries. Antimicrobial packaging is one of the bionanocomposite packaging materials. Silver nanoparticle (AgNP) is one of the most attractive antimicrobial agents for its broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against microorganisms. However, the traditional method of preparing AgNPs-functionalized packaging material is cumbersome and not environmentally friendly. To develop an efficient and convenient biosynthesis method to prepare AgNPs-modified bionanocomposite material for packaging applications, we synthesized AgNPs in situ in a silk fibroin solution via the reduction of Ag⁺ by the tyrosine residue of fibroin, and then prepared AgNPs-silk/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composite film by blending with PVA. AgNPs were synthesized evenly on the surface or embedded in the interior of silk/PVA film. The prepared AgNPs-silk/PVA film exhibited excellent mechanical performance and stability, as well as good antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. AgNPs-silk/PVA film offers more choices to be potentially applied in the active packaging field.

Stabilization of polar Mn3O4(001) film on Ag(001): Interplay between kinetic and structural stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kundu, Asish K.; Barman, Sukanta; Menon, Krishnakumar S. R.

2017-10-01

Stabilization processes of polar surfaces are often very complex and interesting. Understanding of these processes is crucial as it ultimately determines the properties of the film. Here, by the combined study of Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Ultraviolet Photoemission Spectroscopy (UPS) techniques we show that, although there can be many processes involved in the stabilization of the polar surfaces, in case of Mn3O4(001)/Ag(001), it goes through different reconstructions of the Mn2O4 terminated surface which is in good agreements with the theoretical predictions. The complex surface phase diagram has been probed by LEED as a function of film thickness, oxygen partial pressure and substrate temperature during growth, while their chemical compositions have been probed by XPS. Below a critical film thickness of ∼ 1 unit cell height (8 sublayers or 3 ML) of Mn3O4 and oxygen partial pressure range of 2 × 10-8 mbar < P(O2) ≤ 5 × 10-7 mbar, different surface structures are detected and beyond this thickness a constant evolution of apparent p(2 × 2) structure have been observed due to the coexistence of p(2 × 1) and c(2 × 2) structures. Similar apparent p(2 × 2) structure has also observed by the oxidation of Ag(001)-supported MnO(001) surface. Our study also shows that the substrate temperature during growth plays a crucial role in determining the final structure of the polar Mn3O4 film and as a consequence of that a strong interplay between structural and kinetic stability in the Mn3O4 film has been observed. Further, stripe-like LEED pattern has been observed from the Mn3O4(001) surface, for the film grown at higher oxygen partial pressure (> 5 × 10-7 mbar) and higher temperature UHV annealing. The origin of these stripes has been explained with the help of UPS results.

Thin Cu film resistivity using four probe techniques: Effect of film thickness and geometrical shapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choudhary, Sumita; Narula, Rahul; Gangopadhyay, Subhashis

2018-05-01

Precise measurement of electrical sheet resistance and resistivity of metallic thin Cu films may play a significant role in temperature sensing by means of resistivity changes which can further act as a safety measure of various electronic devices during their operation. Four point probes resistivity measurement is a useful approach as it successfully excludes the contact resistance between the probes and film surface of the sample. Although, the resistivity of bulk samples at a particular temperature mostly depends on its materialistic property, however, it may significantly differ in the case of thin films, where the shape and thickness of the sample can significantly influence on it. Depending on the ratio of the film thickness to probe spacing, samples are usually classified in two segments such as (i) thick films or (ii) thin films. Accordingly, the geometric correction factors G can be related to the sample resistivity r, which has been calculated here for thin Cu films of thickness up to few 100 nm. In this study, various rectangular shapes of thin Cu films have been used to determine the shape induced geometric correction factors G. An expressions for G have been obtained as a function of film thickness t versus the probe spacing s. Using these expressions, the correction factors have been plotted separately for each cases as a function of (a) film thickness for fixed linear probe spacing and (b) probe distance from the edge of the film surface for particular thickness. Finally, we compare the experimental results of thin Cu films of various rectangular geometries with the theoretical reported results.

Thick Films: Electronic Applications. (Latest citations from the Aerospace Database)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

The bibliography contains citations concerning the design, development, fabrication, and evaluation of thick film electronic devices. Thick film solar cells, thick films for radiation conduction, deposition processes, conductive inks are among the topics discussed. Applications in military and civilian avionics are examined.

Structural mechanical and antibacterial properties of HPMC/SF-AgNPs nanocomposite films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harish, K. V.; Rao, B. Lakshmeesha; Asha, S.; Vipin, C.; Sangappa, Y.

2018-04-01

In the present study, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose (HPMC) pure and HPMC/SF-AgNPs biopolymer nanocomposite films were prepared by simple solution casting method. The prepared nanocomposite films were characterized using UV-Visible spectroscopy(UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. The mechanical properties of HPMC/SF-AgNPs nanocomposites were found to be decrease with increase in the AgNP's concentrations. The HPMC/SF-AgNPs nanocomposites showed very good antibacterial activity against human pathogens P. aeruginosa, E.coli, and S.aureus.

Thickness Measurement, Rate Control And Automation In Thin Film Coating Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pulker, H. K.

1983-11-01

There are many processes known for fabricating thin films/1, 2.Among them the group of physical vapor deposition processes comprising evaporation, sputtering and ion plating has received special attention.Especially evaporation but also the other PVD techniques are widely used to deposit various single and multilayer coatings for optical and electrical thin film applications/3,4/.A large number of parameters is important in obtaining the required film properties in a reproducible manner when depositing thin films by such processes.Amongst the many are the film thickness, the condensation rate,the substrate temperature,as well as the qualitative and the quantitative composition of the residual gas of primary importance.First of all the film thickness is a dimension which enters in practically all equations used to characterize a thin film. However,when discussing film thickness,definitions are required since there one has to distinguish between various types of thicknesses e.g.geometrical thickness,mass thickness and optical thickness.The geometrical thickness,often also called physical thickness,is defined as the step height between the substrate surface and the film surface.This step height multiplied by the refractive index of the film is termed the optical thickness and is expressed generally in integer multiples of fractional parts of a desired wavelength.The mass thickness finally is defined as the film mass per unit area obtained by weighing.Knowing the density and the optical data of a thin film its mass thickness can be converted into the corresponding geometrical as well as optical thickness.However,with ultrathin films ranging between a few and several atomic or molecular "layers"the concept of a film thickness may become senseless since often no closed film exists of such minor deposits.Although film thickness is a length,the measurement of it can,obviously,not be accomplished with conventional methods for length determinations but requires special

Scaling of elongation transition thickness during thin-film growth on weakly interacting substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lü, B.; Souqui, L.; Elofsson, V.; Sarakinos, K.

2017-08-01

The elongation transition thickness ( θElong) is a central concept in the theoretical description of thin-film growth dynamics on weakly interacting substrates via scaling relations of θElong with respect to rates of key atomistic film-forming processes. To date, these scaling laws have only been confirmed quantitatively by simulations, while experimental proof has been left ambiguous as it has not been possible to measure θElong. Here, we present a method for determining experimentally θElong for Ag films growing on amorphous SiO2: an archetypical weakly interacting film/substrate system. Our results confirm the theoretically predicted θElong scaling behavior, which then allow us to calculate the rates of adatom diffusion and island coalescence completion, in good agreement with the literature. The methodology presented herein casts the foundation for studying growth dynamics and cataloging atomistic-process rates for a wide range of weakly interacting film/substrate systems. This may provide insights into directed growth of metal films with a well-controlled morphology and interfacial structure on 2D crystals—including graphene and MoS2—for catalytic and nanoelectronic applications.

Droplet-air collision dynamics: Evolution of the film thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Opfer, L.; Roisman, I. V.; Venzmer, J.; Klostermann, M.; Tropea, C.

2014-01-01

This study is devoted to the experimental and theoretical investigation of aerodynamic drop breakup phenomena. We show that the phenomena of drop impact onto a rigid wall, drop binary collisions, and aerodynamic drop deformation are similar if the correct scaling is applied. Then we use observations of the deforming drop to estimate the evolution of the film thickness of the bag, the value that determines the size of the fine child drops produced by bag breakup. This prediction of film thickness, based on film kinematics, is validated for the initial stage by direct drop thickness measurements and at the latest stage by the data obtained from the velocity of hole expansion in the film. It is shown that the film thickness correlates well with the dimensionless position of the bag apex.

Film thickness for different regimes of fluid-film lubrication. [elliptical contacts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamrock, B. J.; Dowson, D.

1983-01-01

Mathematical formulas are presented which express the dimensionless minimum film thickness for the four lubrication regimes found in elliptical contacts: isoviscous-rigid regime; piezoviscous-rigid regime; isoviscous-elastic regime; and piezoviscous-elastic regime. The relative importance of pressure on elastic distortion and lubricant viscosity is the factor that distinguishes these regimes for a given conjunction geometry. In addition, these equations were used to develop maps of the lubrication regimes by plotting film thickness contours on a log-log grid of the dimensionless viscosity and elasticity parameters for three values of the ellipticity parameter. These results present a complete theoretical film thickness parameter solution for elliptical constants in the four lubrication regimes. The results are particularly useful in initial investigations of many practical lubrication problems involving elliptical conjunctions.

Tuning the SERS Response with Ag-Au Nanoparticle-Embedded Polymer Thin Film Substrates.

PubMed

Rao, V Kesava; Radhakrishnan, T P

2015-06-17

Development of facile routes to the fabrication of thin film substrates with tunable surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) efficiency and identification of the optimal conditions for maximizing the enhancement factor (EF) are significant in terms of both fundamental and application aspects of SERS. In the present work, polymer thin films with embedded bimetallic nanoparticles of Ag-Au are fabricated by a simple two-stage protocol. Ag nanoparticles are formed in the first stage, by the in situ reduction of silver nitrate by the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) film through mild thermal annealing, without any additional reducing agent. In the second stage, aqueous solutions of chloroauric acid spread on the Ag-PVA thin film under ambient conditions, lead to the galvanic displacement of Ag by Au in situ inside the film, and the formation of Ag-Au particles. Evolution of the morphology of the bimetallic nanoparticles into hollow cage structures and the distribution of Au on the nanoparticles are revealed through electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) extinction of the nanocomposite thin film evolves with the Ag-Au composition; theoretical simulation of the extinction spectra provides insight into the observed trends. The Ag-Au-PVA thin films are found to be efficient substrates for SERS. The EF follows the variation of the LSPR extinction vis-à-vis the excitation laser wavelength, but with an offset, and the maximum SERS effect is obtained at very low Au content; experiments with Rhodamine 6G showed EFs on the order of 10(8) and a limit of detection of 0.6 pmol. The present study describes a facile and simple fabrication of a nanocomposite thin film that can be conveniently deployed in SERS investigations, and the utility of the bimetallic system to tune and maximize the EF.

Novel Ballistic Processing of Sn-0.7Cu Thick Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavero, D.; Stewart, K.; Morsi, K.

2017-01-01

The present paper discusses a novel process (Ballistic Processing) for the ultra-rapid processing of textured and un-textured thick and potentially thin films. The effect of processing velocity (14.6 to 36.1 m/s) on the developed external structure and internal microstructure of Sn-0.7Cu thick film is discussed. Film thicknesses ranging from 6.08 to 12.79 μm were produced and characterized by two-dimensional hypoeutectic microstructures. Both film thickness and dendrite arm spacing decreased with an increase in processing velocity.

Thickness effect of nickel oxide thin films on associated solution-processed write-once-read-many-times memory devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiao Lin; Liu, Zhen; Wen, Chao; Liu, Yang; Wang, Hong Zhe; Chen, T. P.; Zhang, Hai Yan

2018-06-01

With self-prepared nickel acetate based solution, NiO thin films with different thicknesses have been fabricated by spin coating followed by thermal annealing. By forming a two-terminal Ag/NiO/ITO structure on glass, write-once-read-many-times (WORM) memory devices are realized. The WORM memory behavior is based on a permanent switching from an initial high-resistance state (HRS) to an irreversible low-resistance state (LRS) under the application of a writing voltage, due to the formation of a solid bridge across Ag and ITO electrodes by conductive filaments (CFs). The memory performance is investigated as a function of the NiO film thickness, which is determined by the number of spin-coated NiO layers. For devices with 4 and 6 NiO layers, data retention up to 104 s and endurance of 103 reading operations in the measurement range have been obtained with memory window maintained above four orders for both HRS and LRS. Before and after writing, the devices show the hopping and ohmic conduction behaviors, respectively, confirming that the CF formation could be the mechanism responsible for writing in the WORM memory devices.

Crystallization Kinetics of Amorphous AgInS2 Film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerimova, N. K.; Mamedova, A. Ch.

2018-04-01

The paper deals with crystallization kinetics of amorphous AgInS2 film. The dependence between lnln(V0 / (V0 -Vt) and lnt is obtained for 423, 448 and 468 K temperatures, which shows a linear arrangement of points for these temperatures, i.e. 2.80 2.87 and 2.93, respectively. The approximate equality of these values indicates that during AgInS2 film crystallization, a two-dimensional crystal growth occurs and the reaction rate constant equals (1/3π) {η}_n{η}_c^2.

Microscopic image processing systems for measuring nonuniform film thickness profiles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, A.H.; Plawsky, J.L.; DasGupta, S.

1994-01-01

In very thin liquid films. transport processes are controlled by the temperature and the interfacial intermolecular force field which is a function of the film thickness profile and interfacial properties. The film thickness profile and interfacial properties can be measured most efficiently using a microscopic image processing system. IPS, to record the intensity pattern of the reflected light from the film. There are two types of IPS: an image analyzing interferometer (IAI) and/or an image scanning ellipsometer (ISE). The ISE is a novel technique to measure the two dimensional thickness profile of a nonuniform, thin film, from 1 nm upmore » to several {mu}m, in a steady state as well as in a transient state. It is a full field imaging technique which can study every point on the surface simultaneously with high spatial resolution and thickness sensitivity, i.e., it can measure and map the 2-D film thickness profile. Using the ISE, the transient thickness profile of a draining thin liquid film was measured and modeled. The interfacial conditions were determined in situ by measuring the Hamaker constant. The ISE and IAI systems are compared.« less

High-throughput measurement of polymer film thickness using optical dyes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grunlan, Jaime C.; Mehrabi, Ali R.; Ly, Tien

2005-01-01

Optical dyes were added to polymer solutions in an effort to create a technique for high-throughput screening of dry polymer film thickness. Arrays of polystyrene films, cast from a toluene solution, containing methyl red or solvent green were used to demonstrate the feasibility of this technique. Measurements of the peak visible absorbance of each film were converted to thickness using the Beer-Lambert relationship. These absorbance-based thickness calculations agreed within 10% of thickness measured using a micrometer for polystyrene films that were 10-50 µm. At these thicknesses it is believed that the absorbance values are actually more accurate. At least for this solvent-based system, thickness was shown to be accurately measured in a high-throughput manner that could potentially be applied to other equivalent systems. Similar water-based films made with poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) dyed with malachite green oxalate or congo red did not show the same level of agreement with the micrometer measurements. Extensive phase separation between polymer and dye resulted in inflated absorbance values and calculated thickness that was often more than 25% greater than that measured with the micrometer. Only at thicknesses below 15 µm could reasonable accuracy be achieved for the water-based films.

Effect of Graphene-EC on Ag NW-Based Transparent Film Heaters: Optimizing the Stability and Heat Dispersion of Films.

PubMed

Cao, Minghui; Wang, Minqiang; Li, Le; Qiu, Hengwei; Yang, Zhi

2018-01-10

To optimize the performance of silver nanowire (Ag NW) film heaters and explore the effect of graphene on a film, we introduced poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and graphene modified with ethyl cellulose (graphene-EC) into the film. The high-quality and well-dispersed graphene-EC was synthesized from graphene obtained by electrochemical exfoliation as a precursor. The transparent film heaters were fabricated via spin-coating. With the assistance of graphene-EC, the stability of film heaters was greatly improved, and the conductivity was optimized by adjusting the Ag NW concentration. The film heaters exhibited a fast and accurate response to voltage, accompanied by excellent environmental endurance, and there was no significant performance degradation after being operated for a long period of time. These results indicate that graphene-EC plays a crucial role in optimizing film stability and heat dispersion in the film. The Ag NW/PEDOT:PSS-doped graphene-EC film heaters show a great potential in low-cost indium-tin-oxide-free flexible transparent electrodes, heating systems, and transparent film heaters.

Measuring Thicknesses of Wastewater Films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schubert, F. H.; Davenport, R. J.

1987-01-01

Sensor determines when thickness of film of electrically conductive wastewater on rotating evaporator drum exceeds preset value. Sensor simple electrical probe that makes contact with liquid surface. Made of materials resistant to chemicals in liquid. Mounted on shaft in rotating cylinder, liquid-thickness sensor extends toward cylinder wall so tip almost touches. Sensor body accommodates probe measuring temperature of evaporated water in cylinder.

Spontaneous nano-gap formation in Ag film using NaCl sacrificial layer for Raman enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Min, Kyungchan; Jeon, Wook Jin; Kim, Youngho; Choi, Jae-Young; Yu, Hak Ki

2018-03-01

We report the method of fabrication of nano-gaps (known as hot spots) in Ag thin film using a sodium chloride (NaCl) sacrificial layer for Raman enhancement. The Ag thin film (20-50 nm) on the NaCl sacrificial layer undergoes an interfacial reaction due to the AgCl formed at the interface during water molecule intercalation. The intercalated water molecules can dissolve the NaCl molecules at interfaces and form the ionic state of Na+ and Cl-, promoting the AgCl formation. The Ag atoms can migrate by the driving force of this interfacial reaction, resulting in the formation of nano-size gaps in the film. The surface-enhanced Raman scattering activity of Ag films with nano-size gaps has been investigated using Raman reporter molecules, Rhodamine 6G (R6G).

Nano-sculptured Janus-like TiAg thin films obliquely deposited by GLAD co-sputtering for temperature sensing.

PubMed

Pedrosa, Paulo; Ferreira, Armando; Martin, Nicolas; Arab Pour Yazdi, Mohammad; Billard, Alain; Lanceros-Mendez, Senentxu; Vaz, Filipe

2018-06-11

Inclined, zigzag and spiral TiAg films were prepared by GLancing Angle Deposition (GLAD), using two distinct Ti and Ag targets with a particle incident angle of 80º and Ag contents ranging from 20 to 75 at. %. The effect of increasing Ag incorporation and columnar architecture change on the morphological, structural and electrical properties of the films was investigated. It is shown that inclined columnar features (β = 47º) with high porosity were obtained for 20 at. % Ag, with the column angle sharply decreasing (β = 21º) for 50 at. % Ag, and steeply increasing afterwards until 37º for the film with 75 at. % Ag. The sputtered films exhibit a rather well-crystallized structure for Ag contents ≥ 50 at. %, with a TiAg (111) preferential growth. No significant oxidation was detected in all films, except for the one with 20 at. % Ag, after two 298-473-298 K temperature cycles in air. The calculated temperature coefficient of resistivity (TCR) values vary between 1.4 and 5.5×10-4 K-1. Nano-sculptured spiral films exhibit consistently higher resistivity (ρ = 1.5×10-6 Ω m) and TCR values (2.9×10-4 K-1) than the inclined one with the same Ag content (ρ = 1.2×10-6 Ω m and TCR = 2.0×10-4 K-1). No significant changes are observed in the zigzag films concerning these properties. The effective anisotropy Aeff at 473 K changes from 1.3 to 1.7 for the inclined films. Spiral films exhibit an almost completely isotropic behavior with Aeff = 1.1. Ag-rich TiAg core + shell Janus-like columns were obtained with increasing Ag concentrations. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Two-Functional Direct Current Sputtered Silver-Containing Titanium Dioxide Thin Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musil, J.; Louda, M.; Cerstvy, R.; Baroch, P.; Ditta, I. B.; Steele, A.; Foster, H. A.

2009-04-01

The article reports on structure, mechanical, optical, photocatalytic and biocidal properties of Ti-Ag-O films. The Ti-Ag-O films were reactively sputter-deposited from a composed Ti/Ag target at different partial pressures of oxygen p_{O2} on unheated glass substrate held on floating potential U fl. It was found that addition of 2 at.% of Ag into TiO2 film has no negative influence on UV-induced hydrophilicity of TiO2 film. Thick ( 1,500 nm) TiO2/Ag films containing (200) anatase phase exhibit the best hydrophilicity with water droplet contact angle (WDCA) lower than 10° after UV irradiation for 20 min. Thick ( 1,500 nm) TiO2/Ag films exhibited a better UV-induced hydrophilicity compared to that of thinner ( 700 nm) TiO2/Ag films. Further it was found that hydrophilic TiO2/Ag films exhibit a strong biocidal effect under both the visible light and the UV irradiation with 100% killing efficiency of Escherichia coli ATCC 10536 after UV irradiation for 20 min. Reported results show that single layer of TiO2 with Ag distributed in its whole volume exhibits, after UV irradiation, simultaneously two functions: (1) excellent hydrophilicity with WDCA < 10° and (2) strong power to kill E. coli even under visible light due to direct toxicity of Ag.

Characterization and mechanical properties investigation of TiN-Ag films onto Ti-6Al-4V

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Dongxing; Liu, Daoxin; Zhang, Xiaohua; Tang, Jingang; Xiang, Dinggen

2016-03-01

To investigate their effect on fretting fatigue (FF) resistance of a Ti-6Al-4V alloy, hard solid lubricating composite films of TiN with varying silver contents (TiN-Ag) were deposited on a Ti-6Al-4V alloy using ion-assisted magnetron sputtering. The surface morphology and structure were analyzed by atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The hardness, bonding strength, and toughness of films were tested using a micro-hardness tester, scratch tester, and a repeated press-press test system that was manufactured in-house, respectively. The FF resistance of TiN-Ag composite films was studied using self-developed devices. The results show that the FF resistance of a titanium alloy can be improved by TiN-Ag composite films, which were fabricated using hard TiN coating doped with soft Ag. The FF life of Ag0.5, Ag2, Ag5, Ag10 and Ag20 composite films is 2.41, 3.18, 3.20, 2.94 and 2.87 times as great as that of the titanium alloy, respectively. This is because the composite films have the better toughness, friction lubrication, and high bonding strength. When the atomic fraction of Ag changes from 2% to 5%, the FF resistance of the composite films shows the best performance. This is attributed to the surface integrity of the composite film is sufficiently fine to prevent the initiation and early propagation of FF cracks.

Elastohydrodynamic film thickness model for heavily loaded contacts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loewenthal, S. H.; Parker, R. J.; Zaretsky, E. V.

1973-01-01

An empirical elastohydrodynamic (EHD) film thickness formula for predicting the minimum film thickness occurring within heavily loaded contacts (maximum Hertz stresses above 150,000 psi) was developed. The formula was based upon X-ray film thickness measurements made with synthetic paraffinic, fluorocarbon, Type II ester and polyphenyl ether fluids covering a wide range of test conditions. Comparisons were made between predictions from an isothermal EHD theory and the test data. The deduced relationship was found to adequately reflect the high-load dependence exhibited by the measured data. The effects of contact geometry, material and lubricant properties on the form of the empirical model are also discussed.

Self-Poling of BiFeO3 Thick Films.

PubMed

Khomyakova, Evgeniya; Sadl, Matej; Ursic, Hana; Daniels, John; Malic, Barbara; Bencan, Andreja; Damjanovic, Dragan; Rojac, Tadej

2016-08-03

Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) is difficult to pole because of the combination of its high coercive field and high electrical conductivity. This problem is particularly pronounced in thick films. The poling, however, must be performed to achieve a large macroscopic piezoelectric response. This study presents evidence of a prominent and reproducible self-poling effect in few-tens-of-micrometer-thick BiFeO3 films. Direct and converse piezoelectric measurements confirmed that the as-sintered BiFeO3 thick films yield d33 values of up to ∼20 pC/N. It was observed that a significant self-poling effect only appears in cases when the films are heated and cooled through the ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition (Curie temperature TC ∼ 820 °C). These self-poled films exhibit a microstructure with randomly oriented columnar grains. The presence of a compressive strain gradient across the film thickness cooled from above the TC was experimentally confirmed and is suggested to be responsible for the self-poling effect. Finally, the macroscopic d33 response of the self-poled BiFeO3 film was characterized as a function of the driving-field frequency and amplitude.

Critical current density and microstructure of screen-printed (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O(x) thick film sandwiched between Ag substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oota, A.; Matsui, H.; Funakura, M.; Iwaya, J.; Maeda, J.

1993-07-01

A process of combined rolling and uniaxial pressing with intermediate sintering steps for fabrication of screen-printed (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O(x) thick films sandwiched between Ag substrates yields c-axis-oriented microstructures with a high critical current density (Jc) of 1.5 x 10 exp 4 A/sq cm (77 K, 0 T) and 9.0 x 10 exp 4 A/sq cm (23 K, 0 T). The measured Jc anisotropy at 77 K, as a function of the angle Theta between B and c axis, is pronounced. An increase in B sharpens a peak at Theta = 90 deg in the Jc vs Theta curve, together with enhancement of the anisotropy ratio. In high fields above 0.5 T, the half-height angular width of the peak approaches an average misalignment angle between the grains with increasing B.

Influence of microstructure and surface topography on the electrical conductivity of Cu and Ag thin films obtained by magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polonyankin, D. A.; Blesman, A. I.; Postnikov, D. V.

2017-05-01

Conductive thin films formation by copper and silver magnetron sputtering is one of high technological areas for industrial production of solar energy converters, energy-saving coatings, flat panel displays and touch control panels because of their high electrical and optical properties. Surface roughness and porosity, average grain size, internal stresses, orientation and crystal lattice type, the crystallinity degree are the main physical properties of metal films affecting their electrical resistivity and conductivity. Depending on the film thickness, the dominant conduction mechanism can affect bulk conductivity due to the flow of electron gas, and grain boundary conductivity. The present investigation assesses the effect of microstructure and surface topography on the electrical conductivity of magnetron sputtered Cu and Ag thin films using X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron and laser interference microscopy. The highest specific conductivity (78.3 MS m-1 and 84.2 MS m-1, respectively, for copper and silver films at the thickness of 350 nm) were obtained with the minimum values of roughness and grain size as well as a high degree of lattice structuredness.

High-throughput characterization of film thickness in thin film materials libraries by digital holographic microscopy.

PubMed

Lai, Yiu Wai; Krause, Michael; Savan, Alan; Thienhaus, Sigurd; Koukourakis, Nektarios; Hofmann, Martin R; Ludwig, Alfred

2011-10-01

A high-throughput characterization technique based on digital holography for mapping film thickness in thin-film materials libraries was developed. Digital holographic microscopy is used for fully automatic measurements of the thickness of patterned films with nanometer resolution. The method has several significant advantages over conventional stylus profilometry: it is contactless and fast, substrate bending is compensated, and the experimental setup is simple. Patterned films prepared by different combinatorial thin-film approaches were characterized to investigate and demonstrate this method. The results show that this technique is valuable for the quick, reliable and high-throughput determination of the film thickness distribution in combinatorial materials research. Importantly, it can also be applied to thin films that have been structured by shadow masking.

Flexible IZO/Ag/IZO/Ag multilayer electrode grown on a polyethylene terephthalate substrate using roll-to-roll sputtering

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

We investigated the optical, electrical, structural, and surface properties of roll-to-roll [R2R] sputter-grown flexible IZO/Ag/IZO/Ag [IAIA] multilayer films on polyethylene terephthalate substrates as a function of the top indium zinc oxide [IZO] thickness. It was found that the optical transmittance of the IAIA multilayer was significantly influenced by the top IZO layer thickness, which was grown on identical AIA multilayers. However, the sheet resistance of the IAIA multilayer was maintained between the range 5.01 to 5.1 Ω/square regardless of the top IZO thickness because the sheet resistance of the IAIA multilayer was mainly dependent on the thickness of the Ag layers. Notably, the optimized IAIA multilayer had a constant resistance change (ΔR/R0) under repeated outer bending tests with a radius of 10 mm. The mechanical integrity of the R2R-sputtered IAIA multilayer indicated that hybridization of an IZO and Ag metal layer is a promising flexible electrode scheme for the next-generation flexible optoelectronics. PMID:22222144

Enhanced device performances of a new inverted top-emitting OLEDs with relatively thick Ag electrode.

PubMed

Park, So-Ra; Suh, Min Chul

2018-02-19

To improve the device performances of top-emitting organic light emitting diodes (TEOLEDs), we developed a new inverted TEOLEDs structure with silver (Ag) metal as a semi-transparent top electrode. Especially, we found that the use of relatively thick Ag electrode without using any carrier injection layer is beneficial to realize highly efficient device performances. Also, we could insert very thick overlying hole transport layer (HTL) on the emitting layer (EML) which could be very helpful to suppress the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) coupling if it is applied to the common bottom-emission OLEDs (BEOLEDs). As a result, we could realize noteworthy high current efficiency of approximately ~188.1 cd/A in our new inverted TEOLEDs with 25 nm thick Ag electrode.

Thermal-induced SPR tuning of Ag-ZnO nanocomposite thin film for plasmonic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, S. K.; Singhal, R.

2018-05-01

The formation of silver (Ag) nanoparticles in a ZnO matrix were successfully synthesized by RF-magnetron sputtering at room temperature. As prepared Ag-ZnO nanocomposite (NCs) thin films were annealed in vacuum at three different temperatures of 300 °C, 400 °C and 500 °C, respectively. The structural modifications for as-deposited and annealed films were estimated by X-ray diffraction and TEM techniques. The crystalline behavior preferably along the c-axis of the hexagonal wurtzite structure was observed in as-deposited Ag-ZnO film and improved significantly with increasing the annealing temperature. The crystallite size of as-deposited film was measured to be 13.6 nm, and increases up to 28.5 nm at higher temperatures. The chemical composition and surface structure of the as-deposited films were estimated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The presence of Ag nanoparticles with average size of 8.2 ± 0.2 nm, was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The strong surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band was observed at the wavelength of ∼565 nm for as-deposited film and a remarkable red shift of ∼22 nm was recorded after the annealing treatment as confirmed by UV-visible spectroscopy. Atomic force microscopy confirmed the grain growth from 60.38 nm to 79.42 nm for as-deposited and higher temperature annealed film respectively, with no significant change in the surface roughness. Thermal induced modifications such as disordering and lattice defects in Ag-ZnO NCs thin films were carried out by Raman spectroscopy. High quality Ag-ZnO NCs thin films with minimum strain and tunable optical properties could be useful in various plasmonic applications.

Subtractive fabrication of ferroelectric thin films with precisely controlled thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ievlev, Anton V.; Chyasnavichyus, Marius; Leonard, Donovan N.; Agar, Joshua C.; Velarde, Gabriel A.; Martin, Lane W.; Kalinin, Sergei V.; Maksymovych, Petro; Ovchinnikova, Olga S.

2018-04-01

The ability to control thin-film growth has led to advances in our understanding of fundamental physics as well as to the emergence of novel technologies. However, common thin-film growth techniques introduce a number of limitations related to the concentration of defects on film interfaces and surfaces that limit the scope of systems that can be produced and studied experimentally. Here, we developed an ion-beam based subtractive fabrication process that enables creation and modification of thin films with pre-defined thicknesses. To accomplish this we transformed a multimodal imaging platform that combines time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry with atomic force microscopy to a unique fabrication tool that allows for precise sputtering of the nanometer-thin layers of material. To demonstrate fabrication of thin-films with in situ feedback and control on film thickness and functionality we systematically studied thickness dependence of ferroelectric switching of lead-zirconate-titanate, within a single epitaxial film. Our results demonstrate that through a subtractive film fabrication process we can control the piezoelectric response as a function of film thickness as well as improve on the overall piezoelectric response versus an untreated film.

Subtractive fabrication of ferroelectric thin films with precisely controlled thickness

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ievlev, Anton; Chyasnavichyus, Marius; Leonard, Donovan N.

The ability to control thin-film growth has led to advances in our understanding of fundamental physics as well as to the emergence of novel technologies. However, common thin-film growth techniques introduce a number of limitations related to the concentration of defects on film interfaces and surfaces that limit the scope of systems that can be produced and studied experimentally. Here, we developed an ion-beam based subtractive fabrication process that enables creation and modification of thin films with pre-defined thicknesses. To accomplish this we transformed a multimodal imaging platform that combines time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry with atomic force microscopy tomore » a unique fabrication tool that allows for precise sputtering of the nanometer-thin layers of material. To demonstrate fabrication of thin-films with in situ feedback and control on film thickness and functionality we systematically studied thickness dependence of ferroelectric switching of lead-zirconate-titanate, within a single epitaxial film. Lastly, our results demonstrate that through a subtractive film fabrication process we can control the piezoelectric response as a function of film thickness as well as improve on the overall piezoelectric response versus an untreated film.« less

Subtractive fabrication of ferroelectric thin films with precisely controlled thickness

DOE PAGES

Ievlev, Anton; Chyasnavichyus, Marius; Leonard, Donovan N.; ...

2018-02-22

The ability to control thin-film growth has led to advances in our understanding of fundamental physics as well as to the emergence of novel technologies. However, common thin-film growth techniques introduce a number of limitations related to the concentration of defects on film interfaces and surfaces that limit the scope of systems that can be produced and studied experimentally. Here, we developed an ion-beam based subtractive fabrication process that enables creation and modification of thin films with pre-defined thicknesses. To accomplish this we transformed a multimodal imaging platform that combines time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry with atomic force microscopy tomore » a unique fabrication tool that allows for precise sputtering of the nanometer-thin layers of material. To demonstrate fabrication of thin-films with in situ feedback and control on film thickness and functionality we systematically studied thickness dependence of ferroelectric switching of lead-zirconate-titanate, within a single epitaxial film. Lastly, our results demonstrate that through a subtractive film fabrication process we can control the piezoelectric response as a function of film thickness as well as improve on the overall piezoelectric response versus an untreated film.« less

Subtractive fabrication of ferroelectric thin films with precisely controlled thickness.

PubMed

Ievlev, Anton V; Chyasnavichyus, Marius; Leonard, Donovan N; Agar, Joshua C; Velarde, Gabriel A; Martin, Lane W; Kalinin, Sergei V; Maksymovych, Petro; Ovchinnikova, Olga S

2018-04-02

The ability to control thin-film growth has led to advances in our understanding of fundamental physics as well as to the emergence of novel technologies. However, common thin-film growth techniques introduce a number of limitations related to the concentration of defects on film interfaces and surfaces that limit the scope of systems that can be produced and studied experimentally. Here, we developed an ion-beam based subtractive fabrication process that enables creation and modification of thin films with pre-defined thicknesses. To accomplish this we transformed a multimodal imaging platform that combines time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry with atomic force microscopy to a unique fabrication tool that allows for precise sputtering of the nanometer-thin layers of material. To demonstrate fabrication of thin-films with in situ feedback and control on film thickness and functionality we systematically studied thickness dependence of ferroelectric switching of lead-zirconate-titanate, within a single epitaxial film. Our results demonstrate that through a subtractive film fabrication process we can control the piezoelectric response as a function of film thickness as well as improve on the overall piezoelectric response versus an untreated film.

Thickness-dependent appearance of ferromagnetism in Pd(100) ultrathin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakuragi, S.; Sakai, T.; Urata, S.; Aihara, S.; Shinto, A.; Kageshima, H.; Sawada, M.; Namatame, H.; Taniguchi, M.; Sato, T.

2014-08-01

We report the appearance of ferromagnetism in thin films of Pd(100), which depends on film thickness in the range of 3-5 nm on SrTiO3(100) substrates. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurement shows the intrinsic nature of ferromagnetism in Pd(100) films. The spontaneous magnetization in Pd(100) films, corresponding to is 0.61μB/atom, is comparable to Ni, and it changes in an oscillatory manner depending on film thickness, where the period quantitatively agrees with the theoretical prediction based on the two-dimensional quantum well in the film. This indicates that the discrete electronic states in the quantum well shift to Fermi energy to satisfy the condition for ferromagnetism (Stoner criterion) at a specific film thickness.

Microfluidic devices with thick-film electrochemical detection

DOEpatents

Wang, Joseph; Tian, Baomin; Sahlin, Eskil

2005-04-12

An apparatus for conducting a microfluidic process and analysis, including at least one elongated microfluidic channel, fluidic transport means for transport of fluids through the microfluidic channel, and at least one thick-film electrode in fluidic connection with the outlet end of the microfluidic channel. The present invention includes an integrated on-chip combination reaction, separation and thick-film electrochemical detection microsystem, for use in detection of a wide range of analytes, and methods for the use thereof.

Preparation, structural and luminescent properties of nanocrystalline ZnO films doped Ag by close space sublimation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khomchenko, Viktoriya; Mazin, Mikhail; Sopinskyy, Mykola; Lytvyn, Oksana; Dan'ko, Viktor; Piryatinskii, Yurii; Demydiuk, Pavlo

2018-05-01

The simple way for silver doping of ZnO films is presented. The ZnO films were prepared by reactive rf-magnetron sputtering on silicon and sapphire substrates. Ag doping is carried out by sublimation of the Ag source located at close space at atmospheric pressure in air. Then the ZnO and ZnO-Ag films were annealed in wet media. The microstructure and optical properties of the films were compared and studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence (CL). XRD results indicated that all the ZnO films have a polycrystalline hexagonal structure and a preferred orientation with the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate. The annealing and Ag doping promote increasing grain's sizes and modification of grain size distribution. The effect of substrate temperature, substrate type, Ag doping and post-growth annealing of the films was studied by PL spectroscopy. The effect of Ag doping was obvious and identical for all the films, namely the wide visible bands of PL spectra are suppressed by Ag doping. The intensity of ultraviolet band increased 15 times as compared to their reference films on sapphire substrate. The ultraviolet/visible emission ratio was 20. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) for a 380 nm band was 14 nm, which is comparable with that of epitaxial ZnO. The data implies the high quality of ZnO-Ag films. Possible mechanisms to enhance UV emission are discussed.

An investigation on magnetic responses in Ag-SiO2-Ag nanosandwich structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jen, Yi-Jun; Jhou, Jheng-Jie; Yu, Ching-Wei

2011-10-01

In this work, we investigate magnetic responses in various Ag-SiO2-Ag nanosandwich structures at visible wavelengths. The two electric resonant modes corresponding to the in-phase (symmetric) and anti-phase (asymmetric) electric dipole on the top and the bottom nanopillars are observed by the finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulation. In the asymmetric resonant mode, the phases of electric fields oscillating in the top and bottom pillars have opposite directions, leading to a virtual current loop that induces the magnetic field reversal. The nanosandwich structure produces a large enhancement of the magnetic field as the thickness of SiO2 nanopillar is much smaller than wavelength. By increasing the diameter of nanopillars from 150 nm to 250 nm, the inverse magnetic response wavelength shifts from 532 nm to 690 nm. On account of the magnetic field reversal caused by the anti-phase electric dipole coupling, the real part of the equivalent permeability of the film is negative. Therefore, the wavelength range associated with the intensity of inverse magnetic response is tunable by varying the size of Ag-SiO2-Ag nanosandwich structure. The equivalent electromagnetic parameters of the Ag-SiO2-Ag nanosandwich thin film prepared by glancing angle deposition are derived from the transmission and the reflection coefficients measured by walk-off interferometers. The measured results indicate that film exhibit double negative properties and lead to negative values of the real parts of equivalent refractive indices -0.854, -1.179, and -1.492 for λ = 532 nm, 639 nm, and 690 nm, respectively. Furthermore, the real part of permeability is negatively enhanced to be -4.771 and the maximum value of figures of merit (FOM) recorded being 6.543 for p-polarized light at λ = 690 nm. Finally, we analyze the admittance loci for our nanosandwich thin film. This analysis can be applied to interpret extraordinary optical properties such as negative index of refraction from Ag-SiO2-Ag

Investigation of AgInS2 thin films grown by coevaporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arredondo, C. A.; Clavijo, J.; Gordillo, G.

2009-05-01

AgInS2 thin films were grown on soda-lime glass substrates by co-evaporation of the precursors in a two-step process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements indicated that these compounds grow in different phases and with different crystalline structure depending upon the deposition conditions. However, through a parameter study, conditions were found to grow thin films containing only the AgInS2 phase with chalcopyrite type structure. In samples containing a mixture of several phases, the contribution in percentage terms of each phase to the whole compound was estimated with the help of the PowderCell simulation package. It was also found that the AgInS2 films present p-type conductivity, a high absorption coefficient (greater than 104 cm-1) and an energy band gap Eg of about 1.95 eV, indicating that this compound has good properties to perform as absorbent layer in thin film tandem solar cells. The effect of the deposition conditions on the optical and morphological properties was also investigated through spectral transmitance and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements.

Speciation and Lability of Ag-, AgCl- and Ag2S-Nanoparticles in Soil Determined by X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films

EPA Science Inventory

Long-term speciation and lability of silver (Ag-), silver chloride (AgCl-) and silver sulfide nanoparticles (Ag₂S-NPs) in soil were studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and newly developed "nano" Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films (DGT) devices. These nano-D...

Ultrafast demagnetisation dependence on film thickness: A TDDFT calculation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, N.; Sharma, S.

2018-04-01

Ferromagnetic materials when subjected to intense laser pulses leads to reduction of their magnetisation on an ultrafast scale. Here, we perform an ab-initio calculation to study the behavior of ultrafast demagnetisation as a function of film thickness for Nickel as compared to the bulk of the material. In thin films surface formation results in amplification of demagnetisation with the percentage of demagnetisation depending upon the film thickness.

AgNW/Chinese Xuan paper film heaters for electro-thermochromic paper display

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Guoliang; Xu, Wei; Xu, Feng; Shen, Wenfeng; Song, Weijie

2017-11-01

Electro-thermochromic paper display is the convenient and low-cost device for information presentation. As an integral part of this device, film heaters (FHs) with conductive layer have attracted much attention. In this paper, the AgNW based film heaters on Chinese Xuan paper (CXP) substrates were fabricated by a drop-coating method. The fabricated AgNW/CXP film heaters exhibited high heating temperature (78.1 °C) at low input voltage (3 V) and short response time less than 15 s. We theoretically analyzed the principles of heating and put forward the non-linear relationship between the input power and steady-state temperature, which is agreeing with our experimental data. The film heaters showed excellent mechanical properties with the change of the resistance as low as 2.7% after 2000 times outer bending tests. Finally, the electro-thermochromic paper display was fabricated using the AgNW/CXP film heaters, with the thermochromic inks on the other side of the paper substrate. Such results showed a useful approach for manufacturing of colorful display and color-changing painting.

Photodegradation inhibitors for polyacrylonitrile/Ag (PAN/Ag) films. Annual report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sergides, C.A.; Chughtai, A.R.; Smith, D.M.

1985-09-01

Three types of UV stabilizers have been investigated for the photostabilization of PAN/Ag films. First, the effect of UV-absorber stabilizers, like the hydrohybenzophenone derivatives (UVINUL SERIES, BASF) absorbing UV radiation in the same region as PAN, was studied. Such additives generally had little effect, while in some cases, photodegradation of PAN was enhanced because of photosensitization. Second, the effect of quencher stabilizers like nickel chelate complexes (Irgastab 2002, CIBA-GEIGY) on the photodegradation of PAN/Ag films was examined. They resulted in marked decreases in the photodegradation of the polymer. Thirdly, antioxidant stabilizers, such as 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol derivatives (Irganox 1010, CIBA-GEIGY), were studiedmore » and also found to have a significant inhibiting effect on the photodegradation of PAN. Increasing the concentration of an effective stabilizer was observed to further decrease the photodegradation. The stabilizer concentration was kept generally low, and a combination of 1% wt antioxidant (Irganox 1010) and 0.5% wt quencher (Irgastab 2002) proved to be optimum. Irganox 1010 and Irgastab 2002 in separate preliminary experiments (in the absence of the polymer) were found to be stable to ultraviolet radiation of air mass one (WG 305).« less

Broadband absorption and enhanced photothermal conversion property of octopod-like Ag@Ag2S core@shell structures with gradually varying shell thickness.

PubMed

Jiang, Qian; Zeng, Wenxia; Zhang, Canying; Meng, Zhaoguo; Wu, Jiawei; Zhu, Qunzhi; Wu, Daxiong; Zhu, Haitao

2017-12-19

Photothermal conversion materials have promising applications in many fields and therefore they have attracted tremendous attention. However, the multi-functionalization of a single nanostructure to meet the requirements of multiple photothermal applications is still a challenge. The difficulty is that most nanostructures have specific absoprtion band and are not flexible to different demands. In the current work, we reported the synthesis and multi-band photothermal conversion of Ag@Ag 2 S core@shell structures with gradually varying shell thickness. We synthesized the core@shell structures through the sulfidation of Ag nanocubes by taking the advantage of their spatially different reactivity. The resulting core@shell structures show an octopod-like mopgorlogy with a Ag 2 S bulge sitting at each corner of the Ag nanocubes. The thickness of the Ag 2 S shell gradually increases from the central surface towards the corners of the structure. The synthesized core@shell structures show a broad band absorption spectrum from 300 to 1100 nm. Enhanced photothermal conversion effect is observed under the illuminations of 635, 808, and 1064 nm lasers. The results indicate that the octopod-like Ag@Ag 2 S core@shell structures have characteristics of multi-band photothermal conversion. The current work might provide a guidance for the design and synthesis of multifunctional photothermal conversion materials.

Photocatalytic activity of Ag/ZnO core-shell nanoparticles with shell thickness as controlling parameter under green environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajbongshi, Himanshu; Bhattacharjee, Suparna; Datta, Pranayee

2017-02-01

Plasmonic Ag/ZnO core-shell nanoparticles have been synthesized via a simple two-step wet chemical method for application in Photocatalysis. The morphology, size, crystal structure, composition and optical properties of the nanoparticles are investigated by x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), FTIR spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The shell thicknesses are varied by varying the concentration of zinc nitrate hexa-hydrate and triethanolamine. The ZnO shell coating over Ag core enhances the charge separation, whereas the larger shell thickness and increased refractive index of surrounding medium cause red shifts of surface Plasmon resonance (SPR) peak of Ag core. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of Ag/ZnO core-shell show that the larger shell thickness quenches the near band edge UV emission of ZnO. The electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) i.e. Nyquist plots also confirm the higher charge transfer efficiency of the Ag/ZnO core-shell nanoparticles. The Photocatalytic activities of Ag/ZnO core-shell nanoparticles are investigated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under direct sunlight irradiation. Compared to pure ZnO nanoparticles (NPs), Ag/ZnO core-shell NPs display efficient sunlight plasmonic photocatalytic activity because of the influence of SPR of Ag core and the electron sink effect. The photocatalytic activity of Ag/ZnO core-shell NPs is found to be enhanced with increase in shell thickness.

Combinatorial Study of Gradient Ag-Al Thin Films: Microstructure, Phase Formation, Mechanical and Electrical Properties.

PubMed

Mao, Fang; Taher, Mamoun; Kryshtal, Oleksandr; Kruk, Adam; Czyrska-Filemonowicz, Aleksandra; Ottosson, Mikael; Andersson, Anna M; Wiklund, Urban; Jansson, Ulf

2016-11-09

A combinatorial approach is applied to rapidly deposit and screen Ag-Al thin films to evaluate the mechanical, tribological, and electrical properties as a function of chemical composition. Ag-Al thin films with large continuous composition gradients (6-60 atom % Al) were deposited by a custom-designed combinatorial magnetron sputtering system. X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), nanoindentation, and four-point electrical resistance screening were employed to characterize the chemical composition, structure, and physical properties of the films in a time-efficient way. For low Al contents (<13 atom %), a highly (111)-textured fcc phase was formed. At higher Al contents, a (002)-textured hcp solid solution phase was formed followed by a fcc phase in the most Al-rich regions. No indication of a μ phase was observed. The Ag-Al films with fcc-Ag matrix is prone to adhesive material transfer leading to a high friction coefficient (>1) and adhesive wear, similar to the behavior of pure Ag. In contrast, the hexagonal solid solution phase (from ca. 15 atom %Al) exhibited dramatically reduced friction coefficients (about 15% of that of the fcc phase) and dramatically reduced adhesive wear when tested against the pure Ag counter surface. The increase in contact resistance of the Ag-Al films is limited to only 50% higher than a pure Ag reference sample at the low friction and low wear region (19-27 atom %). This suggests that a hcp Ag-Al alloy can have a potential use in sliding electrical contact applications and in the future will replace pure Ag in specific electromechanical applications.

Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of Diamond Thin Films Using Embedded Ag Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Li, Shuo; Bandy, Jason A; Hamers, Robert J

2018-02-14

Silver nanoparticles embedded into the diamond thin films enhance the optical absorption and the photocatalytic activity toward the solvated electron-initiated reduction of N 2 to NH 3 in water. Here, we demonstrate the formation of diamond films with embedded Ag nanoparticles <100 nm in diameter. Cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dependent SEM, and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis demonstrate the formation of encapsulated nanoparticles. Optical absorption measurements in the visible and ultraviolet region show that the resulting films exhibit plasmonic resonances in the visible and near-ultraviolet region. Measurements of photocatalytic activity using supraband gap (λ < 225 nm) and sub-band gap (λ > 225 nm) excitation show significantly enhanced ability to convert N 2 to NH 3 . Incorporation of Ag nanoparticles induces a nearly 5-fold increase in activity using a sub-band gap excitation with λ > 225 nm. Our results suggest that internal photoemission, in which electrons are excited from Ag into diamond's conduction band, is an important process that extends the wavelength region beyond diamond's band gap. Other factors, including Ag-induced optical scattering and formation of graphitic impurities are also discussed.

Ultraflexible Transparent Film Heater Made of Ag Nanowire/PVA Composite for Rapid-Response Thermotherapy Pads.

PubMed

Lan, Wei; Chen, Youxin; Yang, Zhiwei; Han, Weihua; Zhou, Jinyuan; Zhang, Yue; Wang, Junya; Tang, Guomei; Wei, Yupeng; Dou, Wei; Su, Qing; Xie, Erqing

2017-02-22

Ultraflexible transparent film heaters have been fabricated by embedding conductive silver (Ag) nanowires into a thin poly(vinyl alcohol) film (AgNW/PVA). A cold-pressing method was used to rationally adjust the sheet resistance of the composite films and thus the heating powers of the AgNW/PVA film heaters at certain biases. The film heaters have a favorable optical transmittance (93.1% at 26 Ω/sq) and an outstanding mechanical flexibility (no visible change in sheet resistance after 10 000 bending cycles and at a radius of curvature ≤1 mm). The film heaters have an environmental endurance, and there is no significant performance degradation after being kept at high temperature (80 °C) and high humidity (45 °C, 80% humidity) for half a year. The efficient Joule heating can increase the temperature of the film heaters (20 Ω/sq) to 74 °C in ∼20 s at a bias of 5 V. The fast-heating characteristics at low voltages (a few volts) associated with its transparent and flexibility properties make the poly(dimethylsiloxane)/AgNW/PVA composite film a potential candidate in medical thermotherapy pads.

Dynamic response of film thickness in spiral-groove face seals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dirusso, E.

1985-01-01

Tests were performed on an inward- and an outward-pumping spiral-groove face seal to experimentally determine the film thickness response to seal seat motions and to gain insight into the effect of secondary seal friction on film thickness behavior. Film thickness, seal seat axial motion, seal frictional torque, and film axial load were recorded as functions of time. The experiments revealed that for sinusoidal axial oscillations of the seal seat, the primary ring followed the seal seat motion very well. For a skewed seal seat, however, the primary ring did not follow the seal seat motion, and load-carrying capacity was degraded. Secondary seal friction was varied over a wide range to determine its effect on film thickness dynamics. The seals were tested with ambient air at room temperature and atmospheric pressure as the fluid medium. The test speed ranged from 7000 to 20,000 rpm. Seal tangential velocity ranged from 34 to 98 m/sec (113 to 323 ft/sec).

Ag/BiOBr Film in a Rotating-Disk Reactor Containing Long-Afterglow Phosphor for Round-the-Clock Photocatalysis.

PubMed

Yin, Haibo; Chen, Xiaofang; Hou, Rujing; Zhu, Huijuan; Li, Shiqing; Huo, Yuning; Li, Hexing

2015-09-16

Ag/BiOBr film coated on the glass substrate was synthesized by a solvothermal method and a subsequent photoreduction process. Such a Ag/BiOBr film was then adhered to a hollow rotating disk filled with long-afterglow phosphor inside the chamber. The Ag/BiOBr film exhibited high photocatalytic activity for organic pollutant degradation owing to the improved visible-light harvesting and the separation of photoinduced charges. The long-afterglow phosphor could absorb the excessive daylight and emit light around 488 nm, activating the Ag/BiOBr film to realize round-the-clock photocatalysis. Because the Ag nanoparticles could extend the light absorbance of the Ag/BiOBr film to wavelengths of around 500 nm via a surface plasma resonance effect, they played a key role in realizing photocatalysis induced by long-afterglow phosphor.

Non-contacting Measurement of Oil Film Thickness Between Loaded Metallic Gear Teeth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cox, Daniel B.; Ceccio, Steven L.; Dowling, David R.

2013-11-01

The mechanical power transmission efficiency of gears is depends on the lubrication condition between gear teeth. While the lubrication levels can be generally predicted, an effective in-situ non-contacting measurement of oil film thicknesses between loaded metallic gear teeth has proved elusive. This study explores a novel oil film thickness measurement technique based on optical fluence, the light energy transmitted between loaded gear teeth. A gear testing apparatus that allowed independent control of gear rotation rate, load torque, and oil flow was designed and built. Film thickness measurements made with 5-inch-pitch-diameter 60-tooth spur gears ranged from 0.3 to 10.2 mil. These results are compared with film thickness measurements made in an earlier investigation (MacConochie and Cameron, 1960), as well as with predictions from two film thickness models: a simple two-dimensional squeezed oil film and the industry-accepted model as described by the American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA 925, 2003). In each case, the measured film thicknesses were larger than the predicted thicknesses, though these discrepancies might be attributed to the specifics the experiments and to challenges associated with calibrating the fluence measurements. [Sponsored by General Electric].

Effects of Loading Frequency and Film Thickness on the Mechanical Behavior of Nanoscale TiN Film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jin-na; Xu, Bin-shi; Wang, Hai-dou; Cui, Xiu-fang; Jin, Guo; Xing, Zhi-guo

2017-09-01

The mechanical properties of a nanoscale-thickness film material determine its reliability and service life. To achieve quantitative detection of film material mechanical performance based on nanoscale mechanical testing methods and to explore the influence of loading frequency of the cycle load on the fatigue test, a TiN film was prepared on monocrystalline silicon by magnetron sputtering. The microstructure of the nanoscale-thickness film material was characterized by using scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The residual stress distribution of the thin film was obtained by using an electronic film stress tester. The hardness values and the fatigue behavior were measured by using a nanomechanical tester. Combined with finite element simulation, the paper analyzed the influence of the film thickness and loading frequency on the deformation, as well as the equivalent stress and strain. The results showed that the TiN film was a typical face-centered cubic structure with a large amount of amorphous. The residual compressive stress decreased gradually with increasing thin film thickness, and the influence of the substrate on the elastic modulus and hardness was also reduced. A greater load frequency would accelerate the dynamic fatigue damage that occurs in TiN films.

A spectroscopic ellispometric study of the tunability of the optical constants and thickness of GeO{sub x} films with swift heavy ions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vijayarangamuthu, K.; Singh, Chaman; Rath, Shyama

2011-09-15

Sub-stoichiometric GeO{sub x} films were fabricated by electron-beam evaporation method. The films were irradiated with 100 MeV Ag{sup 7+} ions at fluences between 1 x 10{sup 12} and 1 x 10{sup 14} ions-cm{sup -2}. Spectroscopic ellipsometric measurements were performed in air at room temperature. The values of the layer thickness and refractive index were extracted from ellipsometry using a multilayer analysis and the Tauc Lorentz model. The refractive index (at 633 nm) of the as-deposited GeO{sub x} film was estimated to be 1.860 and decreased to 1.823 for films irradiated at an ion fluence of 1 x 10{sup 14} ions-cm{supmore » -2}. The thickness of the films also decreased after irradiation and is due to a sputtering induced by the ion beam. The change in the refractive index with ion fluence is attributed to a stoichiometric change and structural transformation represented by GeO{sub x}{yields} Ge + GeO{sub y} (y > x) occurring due to a thermal spike induced by ion irradiation. Swift heavy ions thus provide a scope for modulating the refractive index of GeO{sub x} films. The thickness and stoichiometric changes are supported by Rutherford backscattering measurements.« less

Hexaferrite multiferroics: from bulk to thick films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koutzarova, T.; Ghelev, Ch; Peneva, P.; Georgieva, B.; Kolev, S.; Vertruyen, B.; Closset, R.

2018-03-01

We report studies of the structural and microstructural properties of Sr3Co2Fe24O41 in bulk form and as thick films. The precursor powders for the bulk form were prepared following the sol-gel auto-combustion method. The prepared pellets were synthesized at 1200 °C to produce Sr3Co2Fe24O41. The XRD spectra of the bulks showed the characteristic peaks corresponding to the Z-type hexaferrite structure as a main phase and second phases of CoFe2O4 and Sr3Fe2O7-x. The microstructure analysis of the cross-section of the bulk pellets revealed a hexagonal sheet structure. Large areas were observed of packages of hexagonal sheets where the separate hexagonal particles were ordered along the c axis. Sr3Co2Fe24O41 thick films were deposited from a suspension containing the Sr3Co2Fe24O41 powder. The microstructural analysis of the thick films showed that the particles had the perfect hexagonal shape typical for hexaferrites.

Effect of thermal annealing on the phase evolution of silver tungstate in Ag/WO₃ films.

PubMed

Bose, R Jolly; Sreedharan, R Sreeja; Krishnan, R Resmi; Reddy, V R; Gupta, Mukul; Ganesan, V; Sudheer, S K; Pillai, V P Mahadevan

2015-06-15

Silver/tungsten oxide multi-layer films are deposited over quartz substrates by RF magnetron sputtering technique and the films are annealed at temperatures 200, 400 and 600°C. The effect of thermal annealing on the phase evolution of silver tungstate phase in Ag/WO3 films is studied extensively using techniques like X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman analysis, atomic force microscopy and photoluminescence studies. The XRD pattern of the as-deposited film shows only the peaks of cubic phase of silver. The film annealed at 200°C shows the presence of XRD peaks corresponding to orthorhombic phase of Ag2WO4 and peaks corresponding to cubic phase of silver with reduced intensity. It is found that, as annealing temperature increases, the volume fraction of Ag decreases and that of Ag2WO4 phase increases and becomes highest at a temperature of 400°C. When the temperature increases beyond 400°C, the volume fraction of Ag2WO4 decreases, due to its decomposition into silver and oxygen deficient phase Ag2W4O13. The micro-Raman spectra of the annealed films show the characteristic bands of tungstate phase which is in agreement with XRD analysis. The surface morphology of the films studied by atomic force microscopy reveals that the particle size and r.m.s roughness are highest for the sample annealed at 400°C. In the photoluminescence study, the films with silver tungstate phase show an emission peak in blue region centered around the wavelength 441 nm (excitation wavelength 256 nm). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Physicochemical controls on absorbed water film thickness in unsaturated geological media

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tokunaga, T.

2011-06-14

Adsorbed water films commonly coat mineral surfaces in unsaturated soils and rocks, reducing flow and transport rates. Therefore, it is important to understand how adsorbed film thickness depends on matric potential, surface chemistry, and solution chemistry. Here, the problem of adsorbed water film thickness is examined through combining capillary scaling with the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory. Novel aspects of this analysis include determining capillary influences on film thicknesses, and incorporating solution chemistry-dependent electrostatic potential at air-water interfaces. Capillary analysis of monodisperse packings of spherical grains provided estimated ranges of matric potentials where adsorbed films are stable, and showed that pendular ringsmore » within drained porous media retain most of the 'residual' water except under very low matric potentials. Within drained pores, capillary contributions to thinning of adsorbed films on spherical grains are shown to be small, such that DLVO calculations for flat surfaces are suitable approximations. Hamaker constants of common soil minerals were obtained to determine ranges of the dispersion component to matric potential-dependent film thickness. The pressure component associated with electrical double layer forces was estimated using the compression and linear superposition approximations. The pH-dependent electrical double layer pressure component is the dominant contribution to film thicknesses at intermediate values of matric potential, especially in lower ionic strength solutions (< 10 mol m{sup -3}) on surfaces with higher magnitude electrostatic potentials (more negative than - 50 mV). Adsorbed water films are predicted to usually range in thickness from 1 to 20 nm in drained pores and fractures of unsaturated environments.« less

Physicochemical controls on adsorbed water film thickness in unsaturated geological media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tokunaga, Tetsu K.

2011-08-01

Adsorbed water films commonly coat mineral surfaces in unsaturated soils and rocks, reducing flow and transport rates. Therefore, it is important to understand how adsorbed film thickness depends on matric potential, surface chemistry, and solution chemistry. Here the problem of adsorbed water film thickness is examined by combining capillary scaling with the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory. Novel aspects of this analysis include determining capillary influences on film thicknesses and incorporating solution chemistry-dependent electrostatic potential at air-water interfaces. Capillary analysis of monodisperse packings of spherical grains provided estimated ranges of matric potentials where adsorbed films are stable and showed that pendular rings within drained porous media retain most of the "residual" water except under very low matric potentials. Within drained pores, capillary contributions to thinning of adsorbed films on spherical grains are shown to be small, such that DLVO calculations for flat surfaces are suitable approximations. Hamaker constants of common soil minerals were obtained to determine ranges of the dispersion component to matric potential-dependent film thickness. The pressure component associated with electrical double-layer forces was estimated using the compression and linear superposition approximations. The pH-dependent electrical double-layer pressure component is the dominant contribution to film thicknesses at intermediate values of matric potential, especially in lower ionic strength solutions (<10 mol m-3) on surfaces with higher-magnitude electrostatic potentials (more negative than ≈-50 mV). Adsorbed water films are predicted to usually range in thickness from ≈1 to 20 nm in drained pores and fractures of unsaturated environments.

Structural and Solar Cell Properties of a Ag-Containing Cu2ZnSnS4 Thin Film Derived from Spray Pyrolysis.

PubMed

Nguyen, Thi Hiep; Kawaguchi, Takato; Chantana, Jakapan; Minemoto, Takashi; Harada, Takashi; Nakanishi, Shuji; Ikeda, Shigeru

2018-02-14

A silver (Ag)-incorporated kesterite Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS) thin film was fabricated by a facile spray pyrolysis method. Crystallographic analyses indicated successful incorporation of various amounts of Ag up to a Ag/(Ag + Cu) ratio of ca. 0.1 into the crystal lattice of CZTS in a homogeneous manner without formation of other impurity compounds. From the results of morphological investigations, Ag-incorporated films had larger crystal grains than the CZTS film. The sample with a relatively low Ag content (Ag/(Ag + Cu) of ca. 0.02) had a compact morphology without appreciable voids and pinholes. However, an increase in the Ag content in the CZTS film (Ag/(Ag + Cu) ca. 0.10) induced the formation of a large number of pinholes. As can be expected from these morphological properties, the best sunlight conversion efficiency was obtained by the solar cell based on the film with Ag/(Ag + Cu) of ca. 0.02. Electrostructural analyses of the devices suggested that the Ag-incorporated film in the device achieved reduction in the amounts of unfavorable copper on zinc antisite defects compared to the bare CZTS film. Moreover, the use of a Ag-incorporated film improved band alignment at the CdS(buffer)-CZTS interface. These alterations should also contribute to enhancement of device properties.

TEM and TED investigation of Ag/PbTe thin film bilayers.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandrino, Đorđe; Marinković, V.

Morphology and phase structure of Ag/PbTe thin film bilayers were investigated. This system was of particular interest because of interfacial reaction observed previously in an analogous Ag/SnTe system. Reaction products due to the interdiffusion of Ag with the substrate were determined as well as their orientations. They were discussed in view of the reaction products' structural relations to the PbTe.

Film thickness dependence of phase separation and dewetting behaviors in PMMA/SAN blend films.

PubMed

You, Jichun; Liao, Yonggui; Men, Yongfeng; Shi, Tongfei; An, Lijia

2010-09-21

Film thickness dependence of complex behaviors coupled by phase separation and dewetting in blend [poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(styrene-ran-acrylonitrile) (SAN)] films on silicon oxide substrate at 175 °C was investigated by grazing incidence ultrasmall-angle X-ray scattering (GIUSAX) and in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was found that the dewetting pathway was under the control of the parameter U(q0)/E, which described the initial amplitude of the surface undulation and original thickness of film, respectively. Furthermore, our results showed that interplay between phase separation and dewetting depended crucially on film thickness. Three mechanisms including dewetting-phase separation/wetting, dewetting/wetting-phase separation, and phase separation/wetting-pseudodewetting were discussed in detail. In conclusion, it is relative rates of phase separation and dewetting that dominate the interplay between them.

Thick, low-stress films, and coated substrates formed therefrom

DOEpatents

Henager, Jr., Charles H.; Knoll, Robert W.

1991-01-01

Stress-induced deformation, and the damage resulting therefrom, increases with film thickness. The overcoming of excessive stress by the use of the film material of the present invention, permits the formation of thick films that are necessary for certain of the above described applications. The most likely use for the subject film materials, other than their specialized views as an optical film, is for microelectronic packaging of components on silicon substrates. In general, the subject Si-Al-O-N films have excellent adherence to the underlying substrate, a high degree of hardness and durability, and are excellent insulators. Prior art elevated temperature deposition processes cannot meet the microelectronic packaging temperature formation constraints. The process of the present invention is conducted under non-elevated temperature conditions, typically 500# C. or less.

Thick-film materials for silicon photovoltaic cell manufacture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Field, M. B.

1977-01-01

Thick film technology is applicable to three areas of silicon solar cell fabrication; metallization, junction formation, and coating for protection of screened ohmic contacts, particularly wrap around contacts, interconnection and environmental protection. Both material and process parameters were investigated. Printed ohmic contacts on n- and p-type silicon are very sensitive to the processing parameters of firing time, temperature, and atmosphere. Wrap around contacts are easily achieved by first printing and firing a dielectric over the edge and subsequently applying a low firing temperature conductor. Interconnection of cells into arrays can be achieved by printing and cofiring thick film metal pastes, soldering, or with heat curing conductive epoxies on low cost substrates. Printed (thick) film vitreous protection coatings do not yet offer sufficient optical uniformity and transparency for use on silicon. A sprayed, heat curable SiO2 based resin shows promise of providing both optical matching and environmental protection.

Stretchable Ag electrodes with mechanically tunable optical transmittance on wavy-patterned PDMS substrates

PubMed Central

Ko, Eun-Hye; Kim, Hyo-Joong; Lee, Sang-Mok; Kim, Tae-Woong; Kim, Han-Ki

2017-01-01

We report on semi-transparent stretchable Ag films coated on a wavy-patterned polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate for use as stretchable electrodes for stretchable and transparent electronics. To improve the mechanical stretchability of the Ag films, we optimized the wavy-pattern of the PDMS substrate as a function of UV-ozone treatment time and pre-strain of the PDMS substrate. In addition, we investigated the effect of the Ag thickness on the mechanical stretchability of the Ag electrode formed on the wavy-patterned PDMS substrate. The semi-transparent Ag films formed on the wavy-patterned PDMS substrate showed better stretchability (strain 20%) than the Ag films formed on a flat PDMS substrate because the wavy pattern effectively relieved strain. In addition, the optical transmittance of the Ag electrode on the wavy-patterned PDMS substrate was tunable based on the degree of stretching for the PDMS substrate. In particular, it was found that the wavy-patterned PDMS with a smooth buckling was beneficial for a precise patterning of Ag interconnectors. Furthermore, we demonstrated the feasibility of semi-transparent Ag films on wavy-patterned PDMS as stretchable electrodes for the stretchable electronics based on bending tests, hysteresis tests, and dynamic fatigue tests. PMID:28436426

Preparation of an agar-silver nanoparticles (A-AgNp) film for increasing the shelf-life of fruits.

PubMed

Gudadhe, Janhavi A; Yadav, Alka; Gade, Aniket; Marcato, Priscyla D; Durán, Nelson; Rai, Mahendra

2014-12-01

Preparation of protective coating possessing antimicrobial properties is present day need as they increase the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. In the present study, preparation of agar-silver nanoparticle film for increasing the shelf life of fruits is reported. Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) biosynthesised using an extract of Ocimum sanctum leaves, were mixed with agar-agar to prepare an agar-silver nanoparticles (A-AgNp) film. This film was surface-coated over the fruits, Citrus aurantifolium (Thornless lime) and Pyrus malus (Apple), and evaluated for the determination of antimicrobial activity of A-AgNp films using disc diffusion method, weight loss and shelf life of fruits. This study demonstrates that these A-AgNp films possess antimicrobial activity and also increase the shelf life of fruits.

Roll-to-roll slot-die coating of 400 mm wide, flexible, transparent Ag nanowire films for flexible touch screen panels.

PubMed

Kim, Dong-Ju; Shin, Hae-In; Ko, Eun-Hye; Kim, Ki-Hyun; Kim, Tae-Woong; Kim, Han-Ki

2016-09-28

We report fabrication of large area Ag nanowire (NW) film coated using a continuous roll-to-roll (RTR) slot die coater as a viable alternative to conventional ITO electrodes for cost-effective and large-area flexible touch screen panels (TSPs). By controlling the flow rate of shear-thinning Ag NW ink in the slot die, we fabricated Ag NW percolating network films with different sheet resistances (30-70 Ohm/square), optical transmittance values (89-90%), and haze (0.5-1%) percentages. Outer/inner bending, twisting, and rolling tests as well as dynamic fatigue tests demonstrated that the mechanical flexibility of the slot-die coated Ag NW films was superior to that of conventional ITO films. Using diamond-shape patterned Ag NW layer electrodes (50 Ohm/square, 90% optical transmittance), we fabricated 12-inch flexible film-film type and rigid glass-film-film type TSPs. Successful operation of flexible TSPs with Ag NW electrodes indicates that slot-die-coated large-area Ag NW films are promising low cost, high performance, and flexible transparent electrodes for cost-effective large-area flexible TSPs and can be substituted for ITO films, which have high sheet resistance and are brittle.

Roll-to-roll slot-die coating of 400 mm wide, flexible, transparent Ag nanowire films for flexible touch screen panels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Dong-Ju; Shin, Hae-In; Ko, Eun-Hye; Kim, Ki-Hyun; Kim, Tae-Woong; Kim, Han-Ki

2016-09-01

We report fabrication of large area Ag nanowire (NW) film coated using a continuous roll-to-roll (RTR) slot die coater as a viable alternative to conventional ITO electrodes for cost-effective and large-area flexible touch screen panels (TSPs). By controlling the flow rate of shear-thinning Ag NW ink in the slot die, we fabricated Ag NW percolating network films with different sheet resistances (30-70 Ohm/square), optical transmittance values (89-90%), and haze (0.5-1%) percentages. Outer/inner bending, twisting, and rolling tests as well as dynamic fatigue tests demonstrated that the mechanical flexibility of the slot-die coated Ag NW films was superior to that of conventional ITO films. Using diamond-shape patterned Ag NW layer electrodes (50 Ohm/square, 90% optical transmittance), we fabricated 12-inch flexible film-film type and rigid glass-film-film type TSPs. Successful operation of flexible TSPs with Ag NW electrodes indicates that slot-die-coated large-area Ag NW films are promising low cost, high performance, and flexible transparent electrodes for cost-effective large-area flexible TSPs and can be substituted for ITO films, which have high sheet resistance and are brittle.

Thickness Dependence of Magnetic Blocking in Granular Metallic Thin Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, J.-Q.; Zhao, Z.-D.; Whittenburg, S. L.

2002-03-01

Inter-particle interaction among single domain nano-size magnetic particles embedded in nonmagnetic matrix was studied. Attention was paid to concentrated Cu-Co granular thin films with a fixed magnetic volume fraction. By analyzing theoretical models and comparing with experimental results, we studied a dimensional constraint on the magnetic properties and found that as the film thickness reduces toward thin limit the inter-particle interaction plays important roles in modifying magnetic behavior. Experimental evidence showed that the peak temperature of the susceptibility for Cu80Co20 granular thin films strongly depends on the film thickness in the range of 0 120 nm (1). It was also observed that the spontaneous magnetization of the Co phase varies with the thickness though particle size remains constant. We calculated the dipolar interaction energy among magnetic particles including far-neighbor interaction for films with different thickness values. The calculation revealed that the interaction energy varies across the film from edge to edge and the average interaction energy is strongly dependent on film thickness. Good quantitative agreement of the calculated energy curve with the experimental blocking curve was achieved after taking the magnetization variation into account. In the calculation it is assumed the existence of 100 nm sized domain structures in granular film as demonstrate (2) by previous studies. *supported by DoD/DARPA grant No. MDA972-97-1-003. (1) L. M. Malkinski, J.-Q. Wang, et al, Appl. Phys. Lett. 75, 844 (1999). (2) A. Gavrin, et al, Appl. Phys. Lett. 66, 1683 (1995); Y. J. Chen, et al, Appl. Phys. Lett. 72, 2472 (1998).

Structural, transport and microwave properties of 123/sapphire films: Thickness effect

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Predtechensky, MR.; Smal, A.N.; Varlamov, Y.D.

1994-12-31

The effect of thickness and growth conditions on the structure and microwave properties has been investigated for the 123/sapphire films. It has been shown that in the conditions of epitaxial growth and Al atoms do not diffuse from substrate into the film and the films with thickness up to 100nm exhibit the excellent DC properties. The increase of thickness of GdBaCuO films causes the formation of extended line-mesh defects and the increase of the surface resistance (R{sub S}). The low value of surface resistance R{sub S}(75GHz,77K)=20 mOhm has been obtained for the two layer YBaCuO/CdBaCuO/sapphire films.

Fe Oxides on Ag Surfaces: Structure and Reactivity

DOE PAGES

Shipilin, M.; Lundgren, E.; Gustafson, J.; ...

2016-09-09

One layer thick iron oxide films are attractive from both applied and fundamental science perspectives. The structural and chemical properties of these systems can be tuned by changing the substrate, making them promising materials for heterogeneous catalysis. In the present work, we investigate the structure of FeO(111) monolayer films grown on Ag(100) and Ag(111) substrates by means of microscopy and diffraction techniques and compare it with the structure of FeO(111) grown on other substrates reported in literature. We also study the NO adsorption properties of FeO(111)/Ag(100) and FeO(111)/Ag(111) systems utilizing different spectroscopic techniques. Finally, we discuss similarities and differences inmore » the data obtained from adsorption experiments and compare it with previous results for FeO(111)/Pt(111).« less

Fe Oxides on Ag Surfaces: Structure and Reactivity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shipilin, M.; Lundgren, E.; Gustafson, J.

One layer thick iron oxide films are attractive from both applied and fundamental science perspectives. The structural and chemical properties of these systems can be tuned by changing the substrate, making them promising materials for heterogeneous catalysis. In the present work, we investigate the structure of FeO(111) monolayer films grown on Ag(100) and Ag(111) substrates by means of microscopy and diffraction techniques and compare it with the structure of FeO(111) grown on other substrates reported in literature. We also study the NO adsorption properties of FeO(111)/Ag(100) and FeO(111)/Ag(111) systems utilizing different spectroscopic techniques. Finally, we discuss similarities and differences inmore » the data obtained from adsorption experiments and compare it with previous results for FeO(111)/Pt(111).« less

The effects of film thickness on the electrical, optical, and structural properties of cylindrical, rotating, magnetron-sputtered ITO films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jae-Ho; Seong, Tae-Yeon; Ahn, Kyung-Jun; Chung, Kwun-Bum; Seok, Hae-Jun; Seo, Hyeong-Jin; Kim, Han-Ki

2018-05-01

We report the characteristics of Sn-doped In2O3 (ITO) films intended for use as transparent conducting electrodes; the films were prepared via a five-generation, in-line type, cylindrical, rotating magnetron sputtering (CRMS) system as a function of film thickness. By using a rotating cylindrical ITO target with high usage (∼80%), we prepared high conductivity, transparent ITO films on five-generation size glass. The effects of film thickness on the electrical, optical, morphological, and structural properties of CRMS-grown ITO films are investigated in detail to correlate the thickness and performance of ITO films. The preferred orientation changed from the (2 2 2) to the (4 0 0) plane with increasing thickness of ITO is attributed to the stability of the (4 0 0) plane against resputtering during the CRMS process. Based on X-ray diffraction, surface field emission scanning electron microscopy, and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, we suggest a possible mechanism to explain the preferred orientation and effects of film thickness on the performance of CRMS-grown ITO films.

Fabrication and evaluation of dispersed-Ag nanoparticles-in-polyimide thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sonehara, Makoto; Watanabe, Yuki; Yamaguchi, Sota; Kato, Takanori; Yoshisaku, Yasuaki; Sato, Toshiro; Itoh, Eiji

2017-10-01

A thin-film common-mode filter (TF-CMF) for cell phones in the UHF band was fabricated and evaluated. The TF-CMF consisted of multiple metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors and inductors. The sizes of the 0.70-1.0 GHz band-type and 1.8-2.0 GHz band-type TF-CMFs are 1,140 × 1,260 × 10.5 µm3, and 1,060 × 1,060 × 10.5 µm3, respectively. The footprint in both types of TF-CMFs is over 1 mm2. In order to miniaturize the TF-CMF, we proposed to change a polyimide-only to a polyimide with dispersed Ag nanoparticles with high permittivity in the insulator layer for the MIM capacitor of the TF-CMF. A polyimide (\\text{polyimide precursor}:\\text{toluene with dispersed Ag nanoparticles} = 100:1) thin film with dispersed high-density Ag nanoparticles has a relative permittivity of about 8, which is twice as high as that of the polyimide-only thin film. If the capacitance and distance between electrodes are the same, then the capacitor footprint may be halved.

Tribological properties of Ag/Ti films on Al2O3 ceramic substrates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dellacorte, Christopher; Pepper, Stephen V.; Honecy, Frank S.

1991-01-01

Ag solid lubricant films, with a thin Ti interlayer for enhanced adhesion, were sputter deposited on Al2O3 substrate disks to reduce friction and wear. The dual Ag/Ti films were tested at room temperature in a pin-on-disk tribometer sliding against bare, uncoated Al2O3 pins under a 4.9 N load at a sliding velocity of 1 m/s. The Ag/Ti films reduced the friction coefficient by 50 percent to about 0.41 compared to unlubricated baseline specimens. Pin wear was reduced by a factor of 140 and disk wear was reduced by a factor of 2.5 compared to the baseline. These films retain their good tribological properties including adhesion after heat treatments at 850 C and thus may be able to lubricate over a wide temperature range. This lubrication technique is applicable to space lubrication, advanced heat engines, and advanced transportation systems.

Ag@Ni core-shell nanowire network for robust transparent electrodes against oxidation and sulfurization.

PubMed

Eom, Hyeonjin; Lee, Jaemin; Pichitpajongkit, Aekachan; Amjadi, Morteza; Jeong, Jun-Ho; Lee, Eungsug; Lee, Jung-Yong; Park, Inkyu

2014-10-29

Silver nanowire (Ag NW) based transparent electrodes are inherently unstable to moist and chemically reactive environment. A remarkable stability improvement of the Ag NW network film against oxidizing and sulfurizing environment by local electrodeposition of Ni along Ag NWs is reported. The optical transmittance and electrical resistance of the Ni deposited Ag NW network film can be easily controlled by adjusting the morphology and thickness of the Ni shell layer. The electrical conductivity of the Ag NW network film is increased by the Ni coating via welding between Ag NWs as well as additional conductive area for the electron transport by electrodeposited Ni layer. Moreover, the chemical resistance of Ag NWs against oxidation and sulfurization can be dramatically enhanced by the Ni shell layer electrodeposited along the Ag NWs, which provides the physical barrier against chemical reaction and diffusion as well as the cathodic protection from galvanic corrosion. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Method and system for producing sputtered thin films with sub-angstrom thickness uniformity or custom thickness gradients

DOEpatents

Folta, James A.; Montcalm, Claude; Walton, Christopher

2003-01-01

A method and system for producing a thin film with highly uniform (or highly accurate custom graded) thickness on a flat or graded substrate (such as concave or convex optics), by sweeping the substrate across a vapor deposition source with controlled (and generally, time-varying) velocity. In preferred embodiments, the method includes the steps of measuring the source flux distribution (using a test piece that is held stationary while exposed to the source), calculating a set of predicted film thickness profiles, each film thickness profile assuming the measured flux distribution and a different one of a set of sweep velocity modulation recipes, and determining from the predicted film thickness profiles a sweep velocity modulation recipe which is adequate to achieve a predetermined thickness profile. Aspects of the invention include a practical method of accurately measuring source flux distribution, and a computer-implemented method employing a graphical user interface to facilitate convenient selection of an optimal or nearly optimal sweep velocity modulation recipe to achieve a desired thickness profile on a substrate. Preferably, the computer implements an algorithm in which many sweep velocity function parameters (for example, the speed at which each substrate spins about its center as it sweeps across the source) can be varied or set to zero.

Ag-ZnO nanostructure for ANTA explosive molecule detection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shaik, Ummar Pasha; Sangani, L. D. Varma; Gaur, Anshu

2016-05-23

Ag/ZnO nanostructure for surface enhanced Raman scattering application in the detection of ANTA explosive molecule is demonstrated. A highly rough ZnO microstructure was achieved by rapid thermal annealing of metallic Zn film. Different thickness Ag nanostructures are decorated over these ZnO microstructures by ion beam sputtering technique. Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopic studies carried out over Ag/ZnO substrates have shown three orders higher enhancement compared to bare Ag nanostructure deposited on the same substrate. The reasons behind such huge enhancement are discussed based on the morphology of the sample.

Preparation of sensitive and recyclable porous Ag/TiO2 composite films for SERS detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhengyi; Yu, Jiajie; Yang, Jingying; Lv, Xiang; Wang, Tianhe

2015-12-01

Porous Ag/TiO2 composite films were prepared by spin coating of titania on normal glass slides and subsequent photochemical deposition of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The films were characterized by XRD and FESEM to reveal micro structural and morphological differences between films obtained under varied conditions. The SERS properties of these films were investigated using aqueous crystal violet (CV) as probe molecules. The results indicate that the content of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and photo-reduction time had significant influences on both the microstructure and SERS performance of Ag/TiO2 films. The highest SERS sensitivity that allowed as low as 10-10 M aqueous CV to be detected, was achieved with the PEG/(C4H9O)4Ti molar ratio being 0.08% and with 30 min of UV irradiation. With this film a linear relationship was established through experiment between SERS intensity and CV concentration from 10-10 to 10-5 M, which could be used as a calibration curve for CV concentration measurement. In addition, the film could be reused as a SERS substrate for up to four times without significantly losing SERS sensitivity if a simple regeneration was followed. It is visualized that the Ag/TiO2 film on glass has potentials for being developed into a practical SERS substrate with high sensitivity and good reusability.

Thin-film thickness measurement method based on the reflection interference spectrum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Li Na; Feng, Gao; Shu, Zhang

2012-09-01

A method is introduced to measure the thin-film thickness, refractive index and other optical constants. When a beam of white light shines on the surface of the sample film, the reflected lights of the upper and the lower surface of the thin-film will interfere with each other and reflectivity of the film will fluctuate with light wavelength. The reflection interference spectrum is analyzed with software according to the database, while the thickness and refractive index of the thin-film is measured.

Roll-to-roll slot-die coating of 400 mm wide, flexible, transparent Ag nanowire films for flexible touch screen panels

PubMed Central

Kim, Dong-Ju; Shin, Hae-In; Ko, Eun-Hye; Kim, Ki-Hyun; Kim, Tae-Woong; Kim, Han-Ki

2016-01-01

We report fabrication of large area Ag nanowire (NW) film coated using a continuous roll-to-roll (RTR) slot die coater as a viable alternative to conventional ITO electrodes for cost-effective and large-area flexible touch screen panels (TSPs). By controlling the flow rate of shear-thinning Ag NW ink in the slot die, we fabricated Ag NW percolating network films with different sheet resistances (30–70 Ohm/square), optical transmittance values (89–90%), and haze (0.5–1%) percentages. Outer/inner bending, twisting, and rolling tests as well as dynamic fatigue tests demonstrated that the mechanical flexibility of the slot-die coated Ag NW films was superior to that of conventional ITO films. Using diamond-shape patterned Ag NW layer electrodes (50 Ohm/square, 90% optical transmittance), we fabricated 12-inch flexible film-film type and rigid glass-film-film type TSPs. Successful operation of flexible TSPs with Ag NW electrodes indicates that slot-die-coated large-area Ag NW films are promising low cost, high performance, and flexible transparent electrodes for cost-effective large-area flexible TSPs and can be substituted for ITO films, which have high sheet resistance and are brittle. PMID:27677410

In situ monitoring of electrical resistance during deposition of Ag and Al thin films by pulsed laser deposition: Comparative study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdellaoui, N.; Pereira, A.; Novotny, M.; Bulir, J.; Fitl, P.; Lancok, J.; Moine, B.; Pillonnet, A.

2017-10-01

In this study, the growth by pulsed laser deposition of thin films of nanometer thickness as well as clusters is presented. Two kinds of metals, namely Ag and Al, are investigated because of their different growth processes on SiO2. We show that by tuning the deposition rate and the background atmosphere, it is easily possible to obtain Ag clusters that exhibit plasmonic resonances at wavelengths shorter than 500 nm. It is further demonstrated that Al tends to perfectly wet the substrate when deposited under vacuum or gas pressure. In situ electrical resistance measurements are used to follow the growth during deposition, and conventional analysis techniques (AFM, SEM, absorption and ellipsometry spectroscopy) are used to control their properties.

Thickness-dependent metal-to-insulator transition in epitaxial VO2 films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhi, Bowen; Gao, Guanyin; Tan, Xuelian; Chen, Pingfan; Wang, Lingfei; Jin, Shaowei; Wu, Wenbin

2014-12-01

The metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) of VO2 films with a thickness of 3-100 nm on TiO2(001) substrates has been investigated. When varying the film thickness from 10 to 100 nm, the MIT temperature was first kept at 290 K in the range of 10-14 nm, and then increased with thickness increasing due to the strain relaxation. The origin of the suppressed transition in VO2 films thinner than 6 nm was also investigated. When prolonging the in situ annealing time, the sharpness, amplitude and width of the transition for 4 nm thick films were all increased, suggesting improved crystallinity rather than Ti diffusion from the substrates. In addition, the MIT was suppressed when the VO2 films were covered by a TiO2 layer, indicating that the interface effect via the confinement of the dimerization of the V atoms should be the main reason.

The numerical modelling of falling film thickness flow on horizontal tubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, I. A.; Sadikin, A.; Isa, N. Mat

2017-04-01

This paper presents a computational modelling of water falling film flowing over horizontal tubes. The objective of this study is to use numerical predictions for comparing the film thickness along circumferential direction of tube on 2-D CFD models. The results are then validated with a theoretical result in previous literatures. A comprehensive design of 2-D models have been developed according to the real application and actual configuration of the falling film evaporator as well as previous experimental parameters. A computational modelling of the water falling film is presented with the aid of Ansys Fluent software. The Volume of Fluid (VOF) technique is adapted in this analysis since its capabilities of determining the film thickness on tubes surface is highly reliable. The numerical analysis is carried out under influence of ambient pressures at temperature of 27 °C. Three types of CFD numerical models were analyzed in this simulation with inter tube spacing of 30 mm, 20 mm and 10 mm respectively. The use of a numerical simulation tool on water falling film has resulted in a detailed investigation of film thickness. Based on the numerical simulated results, it is found that the average values of water film thickness for each model are 0.53 mm, 0.58 mm, and 0.63 mm.

Effect of Ag nanoparticle concentration on the electrical and ferroelectric properties of Ag/P(VDF-TrFE) composite films

DOE PAGES

Paik, Haemin; Choi, Yoon -Young; Hong, Seungbum; ...

2015-09-04

Here, we investigated the effect of the Ag nanoparticles on the ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of Ag/poly(vinylidenefluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) composite films. We found that the remanent polarization and direct piezoelectric coefficient increased up to 12.14 μC/cm 2 and 20.23 pC/N when the Ag concentration increased up to 0.005 volume percent (v%) and decreased down to 9.38 μC/cm 2 and 13.45 pC/N when it increased up to 0.01 v%. Further increase in Ag concentration resulted in precipitation of Ag phase and significant leakage current that hindered any meaningful measurement of the ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties. 46% increase of the remanent polarization valuemore » and 27% increase of the direct piezoelectric coefficient were observed in the film with the 0.005 v% of the Ag nanoparticles added without significant changes to the crystalline structure confirmed by both X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) experiments. The enhancements of both the ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties are attributed to the increase in the effective electric field induced by the reduction in the effective volume of P(VDF-TrFE) that results in more aligned dipoles.« less

The Characteristics of an Antibacterial TiAgN Thin Film Coated by Physical Vapor Deposition Technique.

PubMed

Kang, Byeong-Mo; Jeong, Woon-Jo; Park, Gye-Choon; Yoon, Dong-Joo; Ahn, Ho-Geun; Lim, Yeong-Seog

2015-08-01

In this work, we found the characteristics of an antibacterial TiAgN thin film coated on the pure titanium specimen via the physical vapor deposition process (PVD). TiAgN thin films were coated using TiAg alloy targets by arc ion plating method. Changing the process parameters, the surface analysis of TiAgN thin film was observed by FE-SEM and the force of adhesion was measured with Scratch Tester. The proliferation of human gingival fibroblast (HGF) cells was examined by XTT test assay and the antibacterial properties were investigated by culturing Streptococus Mutans (KCTC 3065) using paper disk techniques. At the result of experiment, cytotoxic effects were not found and the antibacterial effects against Streptococus Mutans were appeared over 5 wt% TiAgN specimens.

Enhanced sensitivity to dielectric function and thickness of absorbing thin films by combining total internal reflection ellipsometry with standard ellipsometry and reflectometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lizana, A.; Foldyna, M.; Stchakovsky, M.; Georges, B.; Nicolas, D.; Garcia-Caurel, E.

2013-03-01

High sensitivity of spectroscopic ellipsometry and reflectometry for the characterization of thin films can strongly decrease when layers, typically metals, absorb a significant fraction of the light. In this paper, we propose a solution to overcome this drawback using total internal reflection ellipsometry (TIRE) and exciting a surface longitudinal wave: a plasmon-polariton. As in the attenuated total reflectance technique, TIRE exploits a minimum in the intensity of reflected transversal magnetic (TM) polarized light and enhances the sensitivity of standard methods to thicknesses of absorbing films. Samples under study were stacks of three films, ZnO : Al/Ag/ZnO : Al, deposited on glass substrates. The thickness of the silver layer varied from sample to sample. We performed measurements with a UV-visible phase-modulated ellipsometer, an IR Mueller ellipsometer and a UV-NIR reflectometer. We used the variance-covariance formalism to evaluate the sensitivity of the ellipsometric data to different parameters of the optical model. Results have shown that using TIRE doubled the sensitivity to the silver layer thickness when compared with the standard ellipsometry. Moreover, the thickness of the ZnO : Al layer below the silver layer can be reliably quantified, unlike for the fit of the standard ellipsometry data, which is limited by the absorption of the silver layer.

Angular multiplexing holograms of four images recorded on photopolymer films with recording-film-thickness-dependent holographic characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osabe, Keiichi; Kawai, Kotaro

2017-03-01

In this study, angular multiplexing hologram recording photopolymer films were studied experimentally. The films contained acrylamide as a monomer, eosin Y as a sensitizer, and triethanolamine as a promoter in a polyvinyl alcohol matrix. In order to determine the appropriate thickness of the photopolymer films for angular multiplexing, photopolymer films with thicknesses of 29-503 μm were exposed to two intersecting beams of a YVO laser at a wavelength of 532 nm to form a holographic grating with a spatial frequency of 653 line/mm. The diffraction efficiencies as a function of the incident angle of reconstruction were measured. A narrow angular bandwidth and high diffraction efficiency are required for angular multiplexing; hence, we define the Q value, which is the diffraction efficiency divided by half the bandwidth. The Q value of the films depended on the thickness of the films, and was calculated based on the measured diffraction efficiencies. The Q value of a 297-μm-thick film was the highest of the all films. Therefore, the angular multiplexing experiments were conducted using 300-μm-thick films. In the angular multiplexing experiments, the object beam transmitted by a square aperture was focused by a Fourier transform lens and interfered with a reference beam. The maximum order of angular multiplexing was four. The signal intensity that corresponds to the squared-aperture transmission and the noise intensity that corresponds to transmission without the square aperture were measured. The signal intensities decreased as the order of angular multiplexing increased, and the noise intensities were not dependent on the order of angular multiplexing.

Planar Zeolite Film-Based Potentiometric Gas Sensors Manufactured by a Combined Thick-Film and Electroplating Technique

PubMed Central

Marr, Isabella; Reiß, Sebastian; Hagen, Gunter; Moos, Ralf

2011-01-01

Zeolites are promising materials in the field of gas sensors. In this technology-oriented paper, a planar setup for potentiometric hydrocarbon and hydrogen gas sensors using zeolites as ionic sodium conductors is presented, in which the Pt-loaded Na-ZSM-5 zeolite is applied using a thick-film technique between two interdigitated gold electrodes and one of them is selectively covered for the first time by an electroplated chromium oxide film. The influence of the sensor temperature, the type of hydrocarbons, the zeolite film thickness, and the chromium oxide film thickness is investigated. The influence of the zeolite on the sensor response is briefly discussed in the light of studies dealing with zeolites as selectivity-enhancing cover layers. PMID:22164042

Effect of catalyst film thickness on carbon nanotube growth by selective area chemical vapor deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Y. Y.; Eres, Gyula; Merkulov, V. I.; Lowndes, D. H.

2001-03-01

The correlation between prepatterned catalyst film thickness and carbon nanotube (CNT) growth by selective area chemical vapor deposition (CVD) was studied using Fe and Ni as catalyst. To eliminate sample-to-sample variations and create a growth environment in which the film thickness is the sole variable, samples with continuously changing catalyst film thickness from 0 to 60 nm were fabricated by electron-gun evaporation. Using thermal CVD CNTs preferentially grow as a dense mat on the thin regions of the catalyst film. Moreover, beyond a certain critical film thickness no tubes were observed. The critical film thickness for CNT growth was found to increase with substrate temperature. There appears to be no strong correlation between the film thickness and the diameter of the tubes. In contrast, using plasma enhanced CVD with Ni as catalyst, vertically oriented CNTs grow in the entire range of catalyst film thickness. The diameter of these CNTs shows a strong correlation with the catalyst film thickness. The significance of these experimental trends is discussed within the framework of the diffusion model for CNT growth.

Traction and film thickness measurements under starved elastohydrodynamic conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wedeven, L. D.

1974-01-01

Traction measurements under starved elastohydrodynamic conditions were obtained for a point contact geometry. Simultaneous measurements of the film thickness and the locations of the inlet lubricant boundary were made optically. The thickness of a starved film for combination rolling and sliding conditions varies with the location of the inlet boundary in the same way found previously for pure rolling. A starved film was observed to possess greater traction than a flooded film for the same slide roll ratio. For a given slide roll ratio a starved film simply increases the shear rate in the Hertz region. The maximum shear rate depends on the degree of starvation and has no theoretical limit. Traction measurements under starved conditions were compared with flooded conditions under equivalent shear rates in the Hertz region. When the shear rates in the Hertz region were low and the film severely starved, the measured tractions were found to be much lower than expected.

Influence of cement film thickness on the retention of implant-retained crowns.

PubMed

Mehl, Christian; Harder, Sönke; Steiner, Martin; Vollrath, Oliver; Kern, Matthias

2013-12-01

The main goal of this study was to establish a new, high precision procedure to evaluate the influence of cement film thickness on the retention of cemented implant-retained crowns. Ninety-six tapered titanium abutments (6° taper, 4.3 mm diameter, Camlog) were shortened to 4 mm. Computer-aided design was used to design the crowns, and selective laser sintering, using a cobalt-chromium alloy, was used to produce the crowns. This method used a focused high-energy laser beam to fuse a localized region of metal powder to build up the crowns gradually. Before cementing, preset cement film thicknesses of 15, 50, 80, or 110 μm were established. Glass ionomer, polycarboxylate, or resin cements were used for cementation. After 3 days storage in demineralized water, the retention of the crowns was measured in tension using a universal testing machine. The cement film thicknesses could be achieved with a high level of precision. Interactions between the factors cement and cement film thickness could be found (p ≤ 0.001). For all cements, crown retention decreased significantly between a cement film thickness of 15 and 50 μm (p ≤ 0.001). At 15 μm cement film thickness, the resin cement was the most retentive cement, followed by the polycarboxylate and then the glass ionomer cement (p ≤ 0.05). The results suggest that cement film thickness has an influence on the retentive strength of cemented implant-retained crowns. © 2013 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Synthesis of Ag-TiO2 composite nano thin film for antimicrobial application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Binyu; Leung, Kar Man; Guo, Qiuquan; Lau, Woon Ming; Yang, Jun

2011-03-01

TiO2 photocatalysts have been found to kill cancer cells, bacteria and viruses under mild UV illumination, which offers numerous potential applications. On the other hand, Ag has long been proved as a good antibacterial material as well. The advantage of Ag-TiO2 nanocomposite is to expand the nanomaterial's antibacterial function to a broader range of working conditions. In this study neat TiO2 and Ag-TiO2 composite nanofilms were successfully prepared on silicon wafer via the sol-gel method by the spin-coating technique. The as-prepared composite Ag-TiO2 and TiO2 films with different silver content were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to determine the topologies, microstructures and chemical compositions, respectively. It was found that the silver nanoparticles were uniformly distributed and strongly attached to the mesoporous TiO2 matrix. The morphology of the composite film could be controlled by simply tuning the molar ratio of the silver nitrate aqueous solution. XPS results confirmed that the Ag was in the Ag0 state. The antimicrobial effect of the synthesized nanofilms was carried out against gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli ATCC 29425) by using an 8 W UV lamp with a constant relative intensity of 0.6 mW cm - 2 and in the dark respectively. The synthesized Ag-TiO2 thin films showed enhanced bactericidal activities compared to the neat TiO2 nanofilm both in the dark and under UV illumination.

Surface Plasmon Polariton Resonance of Gold, Silver, and Copper Studied in the Kretschmann Geometry: Dependence on Wavelength, Angle of Incidence, and Film Thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takagi, Kentaro; Nair, Selvakumar V.; Watanabe, Ryosuke; Seto, Keisuke; Kobayashi, Takayoshi; Tokunaga, Eiji

2017-12-01

Surface plasmon polariton (SPP) resonance spectra for noble metals (Au, Ag, and Cu) were comprehensively studied in the Kretschmann attenuated total reflection (ATR) geometry, in the wavelength (λ) range from 300 to 1000 nm with the angle of incidence (θ) ranging from 45 to 60° and the film thickness (d) ranging from 41 to 76 nm. The experimental plasmon resonance spectra were reproduced by a calculation that included the broadening effects as follows: (1) the imaginary part of the bulk dielectric constant, (2) the thickness-dependent radiative coupling of the SPP at the metal-air interface to the prism, (3) the lack of conservation of the wavevector parallel to the interface kx(k||) caused by the surface roughness, (4) scanning λ at a fixed θ (changing both energy and kx at the same time) over the SPP dispersion relation. For Au and Ag, the experimental results were in good agreement with the calculated results using the bulk dielectric constants, showing no film thickness dependence of the plasmon resonance energy. A method to extract the true width of the plasmon resonance from raw ATR spectra is proposed and the results are rigorously compared with those expected from the bulk dielectric function given in the literature. For Au and Ag, the width increases with energy, in agreement with that expected from the relaxation of bulk free electrons including the electron-electron interaction, but there is clear evidence of extra broadening, which is more significant for thinner films, possibly due to relaxation pathways intrinsic to plasmons near the interface. For Cu, the visibility of the plasmon resonance critically depends on the evaporation conditions, and low pressures and fast deposition rates are required. Otherwise, scattering from the surface roughness causes considerable broadening of the plasmon resonance, resulting in an apparently fixed resonance energy without clear incident angle dependence. For Cu, the observed plasmon dispersion agrees well with

Preparation and characterization of double layer thin films ZnO/ZnO:Ag for methylene blue photodegradation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wibowo, Singgih, E-mail: singgih@st.fisika.undip.ac.id; Sutanto, Heri, E-mail: herisutanto@undip.ac.id

2016-02-08

Double layer (DL) thin films of zinc oxide and silver-doped zinc oxide (ZnO/ZnO:Ag) were deposited on glass substrate by sol-gel spray coating technique. The prepared thin films were subjected for optical and photocatalytic studies. UV-visible transmission spectra shows that the subtitution of Ag in ZnO leads to band gap reduction. The influence of Ag doping on the photocatalytic activity of ZnO for the degradation of methylene blue dye was studied under solar radiation. The light absorption over an extended visible region by Ag ion doping in ZnO film contributed equally to improve the photocatalytic activity up to 98.29%.

Properties of conductive thick-film inks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holtze, R. F.

1972-01-01

Ten different conductive inks used in the fabrication of thick-film circuits were evaluated for their physical and handling properties. Viscosity, solid contents, and spectrographic analysis of the unfired inks were determined. Inks were screened on ceramic substrates and fired for varying times at specified temperatures. Selected substrates were given additional firings to simulate the heat exposure received if thick-film resistors were to be added to the same substrate. Data are presented covering the (1) printing characteristics, (2) solderability using Sn-63 and also a 4 percent silver solder, (3) leach resistance, (4) solder adhesion, and (5) wire bonding properties. Results obtained using different firing schedules were compared. A comparison was made between the various inks showing general results obtained for each ink. The changes in firing time or the application of a simulated resistor firing had little effect on the properties of most inks.

Thick-film acoustic emission sensors for use in structurally integrated condition-monitoring applications.

PubMed

Pickwell, Andrew J; Dorey, Robert A; Mba, David

2011-09-01

Monitoring the condition of complex engineering structures is an important aspect of modern engineering, eliminating unnecessary work and enabling planned maintenance, preventing failure. Acoustic emissions (AE) testing is one method of implementing continuous nondestructive structural health monitoring. A novel thick-film (17.6 μm) AE sensor is presented. Lead zirconate titanate thick films were fabricated using a powder/sol composite ink deposition technique and mechanically patterned to form a discrete thick-film piezoelectric AE sensor. The thick-film sensor was benchmarked against a commercial AE device and was found to exhibit comparable responses to simulated acoustic emissions.

Process for manufacture of thick film hydrogen sensors

DOEpatents

Perdieu, Louisa H.

2000-09-09

A thick film process for producing hydrogen sensors capable of sensing down to a one percent concentration of hydrogen in carrier gasses such as argon, nitrogen, and air. The sensor is also suitable to detect hydrogen gas while immersed in transformer oil. The sensor includes a palladium resistance network thick film printed on a substrate, a portion of which network is coated with a protective hydrogen barrier. The process utilizes a sequence of printing of the requisite materials on a non-conductive substrate with firing temperatures at each step which are less than or equal to the temperature at the previous step.

Thick film wireless and powerless strain sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Yi; Sun, Ke

2006-03-01

The development of an innovative wireless strain sensing technology has a great potential to extend its applications in manufacturing, civil engineering and aerospace industry. This paper presents a novel wireless and powerless strain sensor with a multi-layer thick film structure. The sensor employs a planar inductor (L) and capacitive transducer (C) resonant tank sensing circuit, and a strain sensitive material of a polarized polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) piezoelectric thick film to realize the wireless strain sensing by strain to frequency conversion and to receive radio frequency electromagnetic energy for powering the sensor. The prototype sensor was designed and fabricated. The results of calibration on a strain constant cantilever beam show a great linearity and sensitivity about 0.0013 in a strain range of 0-0.018.

Metallic oxide switches using thick film technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patel, D. N.; Williams, L., Jr.

1974-01-01

Metallic oxide thick film switches were processed on alumina substrates using thick film technology. Vanadium pentoxide in powder form was mixed with other oxides e.g., barium, strontium copper and glass frit, ground to a fine powder. Pastes and screen printable inks were made using commercial conductive vehicles and appropriate thinners. Some switching devices were processed by conventional screen printing and firing of the inks and commercial cermet conductor terminals on 96% alumina substrates while others were made by applying small beads or dots of the pastes between platinum wires. Static, and dynamic volt-ampere, and pulse tests indicate that the switching and self-oscillatory characteristics of these devices could make them useful in memory element, oscillator, and automatic control applications.

Correlation of Gear Surface Fatigue Lives to Lambda Ratio (Specific Film Thickness)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krantz, Timothy Lewis

2013-01-01

The effect of the lubrication regime on gear performance has been recognized, qualitatively, for decades. Often the lubrication regime is characterized by the specific film thickness being the ratio of lubricant film thickness to the composite surface roughness. Three studies done at NASA to investigate gearing pitting life are revisited in this work. All tests were done at a common load. In one study, ground gears were tested using a variety of lubricants that included a range of viscosities, and therefore the gears operated with differing film thicknesses. In a second and third study, the performance of gears with ground teeth and superfinished teeth were assessed. Thicker oil films provided longer lives as did improved surface finish. These datasets were combined into a common dataset using the concept of specific film thickness. This unique dataset of more 258 tests provides gear designers with some qualitative information to make gear design decisions.

Influences of film thickness on the structural, electrical and optical properties of CuAlO2 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Guobo; Zhang, Ming; Wang, Mei; Li, Yingzi; Gao, Fangyuan; Yan, Hui; Diao, Xungang

2014-07-01

CuAlO2 films with different thickness were prepared by the radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique. The structural, electrical and optical properties of CuAlO2 were studied by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscope, UV-Vis double-beam spectrophotometer and Hall measurements. The results indicate that the single phase hexagonal CuAlO2 is formed and the average grain size of CuAlO2 films increases with increasing film thickness. The results also exhibit that the lowering of bandgap and the increase of electrical conductivity of CuAlO2 films with the increase of their thickness, which are attributed to the improvement of the grain size and the anisotropic electrical property. According to the electrical and optical properties, the biggest figure of merit is achieved for the CuAlO2 film with the appropriate thickness of 165 nm.

Thin noble metal films on Si (111) investigated by optical second-harmonic generation and photoemission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pedersen, K.; Kristensen, T. B.; Pedersen, T. G.; Morgen, P.; Li, Z.; Hoffmann, S. V.

2002-05-01

Thin noble metal films (Ag, Au and Cu) on Si (111) have been investigated by optical second-harmonic generation (SHG) in combination with synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy. The valence band spectra of Ag films show a quantization of the sp-band in the 4-eV energy range from the Fermi level down to the onset of the d-bands. For Cu and Au the corresponding energy range is much narrower and quantization effects are less visible. Quantization effects in SHG are observed as oscillations in the signal as a function of film thickness. The oscillations are strongest for Ag and less pronounced for Cu, in agreement with valence band photoemission spectra. In the case of Au, a reacted layer floating on top of the Au film masks the observation of quantum well levels by photoemission. However, SHG shows a well-developed quantization of levels in the Au film below the reacted layer. For Ag films, the relation between film thickness and photon energy of the SHG resonances indicates different types of resonances, some of which involve both quantum well and substrate states.

Surface morphological, structural, electrical and optical properties of GaN-based light-emitting diodes using submicron-scaled Ag islands and ITO thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Young-Woong; Reddy, M. Siva Pratap; Kim, Bo-Myung; Park, Chinho

2018-07-01

An ITO-Ag islands complex as a new transparent conducting electrode (TCE) structure (on the 5 nm-thick p-InGaN/90 nm-thick p-GaN) for achieving high-performance and more reliable GaN-based LEDs were fabricated. A normal LED with a conventional ITO TCE was also compared. The surface morphological, structural, electrical and optical properties of fabricated GaN-based light-emitting diodes using a complex electrode of submicron-scaled Ag islands and ITO thin films are explored by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), current-voltage (I-V) and output power-current (L-I) techniques. Surface morphology investigations revealed Ag islands formed uniformly on the p-InGaN/p-GaN surface during rapid thermal annealing at 400 °C for 1 min in N2 ambient. The ohmic properties and overall device-performance of the suggested contact and device structures were superior to those in the conventional ITO contact and normal ITO LED structures. Based on the results of XRD and XPS measurements, the formation of the intermetallic gallide phases (AgGa) is responsible for better performance characteristics of the ITO-Ag islands device. The significant improvements are described in terms of the conducting bridge influence, highly effective micro-mirror effect, and wider photon window via the roughened structure.

Surface modifications of ultra-thin gold films by swift heavy ion irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dash, P.; Mallick, P.; Rath, H.; Dash, B. N.; Tripathi, A.; Prakash, Jai; Avasthi, D. K.; Satyam, P. V.; Mishra, N. C.

2010-10-01

Gold films of thickness 10 and 20 nm grown on float glass substrate by thermal evaporation technique were irradiated with 107 MeV Ag8+ and 58 MeV Ni5+ ions at different fluences and characterized by Grazing Incidence X-ray Diffraction (GIXRD) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The pristine films were continuous and no island structures were found even at these small thicknesses. The surface roughness estimated from AFM data did not show either monotonic increase or decrease with ion fluences. Instead, it increased at low fluences and decreased at high fluences for 20 nm thick film. In the 10 nm film roughness first increased with ion fluence, then decreased and again increased at higher fluences. The pattern of variation, however, was identical for Ni and Ag beams. Both the beams led to the formation of cracks on the film surface at intermediate fluences. The observed ion-irradiation induced thickness dependent topographic modification is explained by the spatial confinement of the energy deposited by ions in the reduced dimension of the films.

Multiplexed Holographic Optical Data Storage In Thick Bacteriorhodopsin Films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Downie, John D.; Timucin, Dogan A.; Gary, Charles K.; Ozcan, Meric; Smithey, Daniel T.; Crew, Marshall

1998-01-01

The optical data storage capacity of photochromic bacteriorhodopsin films is investigated by means of theoretical calculations, numerical simulations, and experimental measurements on sequential recording of angularly multiplexed diffraction gratings inside a thick D85N BR film.

Thickness-dependence of optical constants for Ta2O5 ultrathin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Dong-Xu; Zheng, Yu-Xiang; Cai, Qing-Yuan; Lin, Wei; Wu, Kang-Ning; Mao, Peng-Hui; Zhang, Rong-Jun; Zhao, Hai-bin; Chen, Liang-Yao

2012-09-01

An effective method for determining the optical constants of Ta2O5 thin films deposited on crystal silicon (c-Si) using spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) measurement with a two-film model (ambient-oxide-interlayer-substrate) was presented. Ta2O5 thin films with thickness range of 1-400 nm have been prepared by the electron beam evaporation (EBE) method. We find that the refractive indices of Ta2O5 ultrathin films less than 40 nm drop with the decreasing thickness, while the other ones are close to those of bulk Ta2O5. This phenomenon was due to the existence of an interfacial oxide region and the surface roughness of the film, which was confirmed by the measurement of atomic force microscopy (AFM). Optical properties of ultrathin film varying with the thickness are useful for the design and manufacture of nano-scaled thin-film devices.

Single crystalline silicene consist of various superstructures using a flexible ultrathin Ag(111) template on Si(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Hung-Chang; Lu, Yi-Hung; Su, Tai-Lung; Lin, Wen-Chin; Fu, Tsu-Yi

2018-07-01

Using scanning tunneling microscopy, we studied the formation of silicene on an ultrathin Ag(111) film with a thickness of 6–12 monolayers, which was prepared on a Si(111) substrate. A low-energy electron diffraction pattern with an oval spot indicated that the ultrathin Ag(111) film is more disordered than the single-crystal Ag(111). After Si epitaxy growth, we still measured the classical 4 × 4, √13 × √13, and 2√3 × 2√3 silicene superstructures, which are the same as the silicene superstructure on single-crystal Ag(111). Growing silicene on a single-crystal Ag(111) bulk usually results in the formation of a defect boundary due to the inconsistent orientation of various superstructures. By comparing the angles and boundary conditions between various silicene superstructures on the ultrathin film and single-crystal Ag(111), we discovered that a consistent orientation of various superstructures without obvious boundary defects formed on the ultrathin Ag(111) film. The results indicated single crystalline silicene formation, which was attributed to the domain rotation and lateral shift of the disordered ultrathin Ag(111) film.

Welded-Ag-nanowires/FTO conducting film with high transmittance and its application in transparent supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiao, Zhensong; Yang, Xiaopeng; Liu, Feng; Duan, Guangbin; Cao, Bingqiang

2017-03-01

Silver nanowires (AgNW) with a small diameter were synthesized by a facile and novel polyol reduction method. Ag nanowires ink was then spun on the surface of F-doped SnO2 (FTO) to form the AgNW/FTO conducting film. Welding treatment of the AgNW/FTO conducting film not only increased the optical transmittance from 71.9 % to 79.3 % at 550 nm and decreased the sheet resistance from 11.4 ohm sq-1 to 9.8 ohm sq-1, but also improved the adhesivity of AgNW network on FTO substrate. Furthermore, MnO2 nanosheets were directly deposited on welded-AgNW/FTO (wAF) substrate to prepare a transparent MnO2/weled-AgNW/FTO (MwAF) composite electrode. The MwAF electrode displayed excellent electrochemical performance, including high specific capacitance (375 F g-1 at 5 mV s-1) and superior cycle stability (173.3 % of the initial capacitance after 20000 GCD cycles).

Ice-Accretion Scaling Using Water-Film Thickness Parameters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, David N.; Feo, Alejandro

2003-01-01

Studies were performed at INTA in Spain to determine water-film thickness on a stagnation-point probe inserted in a simulated cloud. The measurements were correlated with non-dimensional parameters describing the flow and the cloud conditions. Icing scaling tests in the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel were then conducted using the Ruff scaling method with the scale velocity found by matching scale and reference values of either the INTA non-dimensional water-film thickness or a Weber number based on that film thickness. For comparison, tests were also performed using the constant drop-size Weber number and the average-velocity methods. The reference and scale models were both aluminum, 61-cm-span, NACA 0012 airfoil sections at 0 deg. AOA. The reference had a 53-cm-chord and the scale, 27 cm (1/2 size). Both models were mounted vertically in the center of the IRT test section. Tests covered a freezing fraction range of 0.28 to 1.0. Rime ice (n = 1.0) tests showed the consistency of the IRT calibration over a range of velocities. At a freezing fraction of 0.76, there was no significant difference in the scale ice shapes produced by the different methods. For freezing fractions of 0.40, 0.52 and 0.61, somewhat better agreement with the reference horn angles was typically achieved with the average-velocity and constant-film thickness methods than when either of the two Weber numbers was matched to the reference value. At a freezing fraction of 0.28, the four methods were judged equal in providing simulations of the reference shape.

Formation process of graphite film on Ni substrate with improved thickness uniformity through precipitation control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Seul-Gi; Hu, Qicheng; Nam, Ki-Bong; Kim, Mun Ja; Yoo, Ji-Beom

2018-04-01

Large-scale graphitic thin film with high thickness uniformity needs to be developed for industrial applications. Graphitic films with thicknesses ranging from 3 to 20 nm have rarely been reported, and achieving the thickness uniformity in that range is a challenging task. In this study, a process for growing 20 nm-thick graphite films on Ni with improved thickness uniformity is demonstrated and compared with the conventional growth process. In the film grown by the process, the surface roughness and coverage were improved and no wrinkles were observed. Observations of the film structure reveal the reasons for the improvements and growth mechanisms.

Solvent annealing induced phase separation and dewetting in PMMA∕SAN blend film: film thickness and solvent dependence.

PubMed

You, Jichun; Zhang, Shuangshuang; Huang, Gang; Shi, Tongfei; Li, Yongjin

2013-06-28

The competition between "dewetting" and "phase separation" behaviors in polymer blend films attracts significant attention in the last decade. The simultaneous phase separation and dewetting in PMMA∕SAN [poly(methyl methacrylate) and poly(styrene-ran-acrylonitrile)] blend ultrathin films upon solvent annealing have been observed for the first time in our previous work. In this work, film thickness and annealing solvent dependence of phase behaviors in this system has been investigated using atomic force microscopy and grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS). On one hand, both vertical phase separation and dewetting take place upon selective solvent vapor annealing, leading to the formation of droplet∕mimic-film structures with various sizes (depending on original film thickness). On the other hand, the whole blend film dewets the substrate and produces dispersed droplets on the silicon oxide upon common solvent annealing. GISAXS results demonstrate the phase separation in the big dewetted droplets resulted from the thicker film (39.8 nm). In contrast, no period structure is detected in small droplets from the thinner film (5.1 nm and 9.7 nm). This investigation indicates that dewetting and phase separation in PMMA∕SAN blend film upon solvent annealing depend crucially on the film thickness and the atmosphere during annealing.

Antibacterial effect of visible light reactive TiO2/Ag nanocomposite thin film on the orthodontic appliances.

PubMed

Yun, Kwidug; Oh, Gyejeong; Vang, Mongsook; Yang, Hongso; Lim, Hyunpil; Koh, Jeongtae; Jeong, Woonjo; Yoon, Dongjoo; Lee, Kyungku; Lee, Kwangmin; Park, Sangwon

2011-08-01

This study evaluated the antibacterial effect of a visible light reactive TiO2/Ag nanocomposite thin film on dental orthodontic wire (STS 304 wire). The growth of S. mutans and A. actinomycetemcomitans was suppressed on the specimens coated with TiO2/Ag compared to the uncoated specimens. The antibacterial effect of the TiO2/Ag nanocomposite thin film was improved under visible light irradiation.

Evolution and tailoring of plasmonic properties in Ag:ZrO2 nanocomposite films by swift heavy ion irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Manish; Kulriya, P. K.; Pivin, J. C.; Avasthi, D. K.

2011-02-01

Ag:ZrO2 nanocomposite films have been synthesized by a sol-gel dip coating process at room temperature, followed by irradiation using swift heavy ions. The effect of electronic energy loss and fluences on the evolution and consequently on the tailoring of plasmonic properties of films has been studied. The optical study exhibits that color of films converts from transparent in pristine form into shiny yellow when films are irradiated by 100 MeV Ag ions at a fluence of 3×1012 ions/cm2. However, irradiation by 120 MeV O ions up to the fluence of 1 × 1014 ions/cm2 does not induce any coloration in films. The coloration is attributed to the evolution of plasmonic feature resulting in a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) induced absorption peak in the visible region. Increase in fluence from 3 × 1012 to 6 × 1013 ions/cm2 of 100 MeV Ag ions induces a redshift in SPR induced peak position from 434 to 487 nm. Microstructural studies confirms the conversion of Ag2O3 (in pristine films) into cubic phase of metallic Ag and the increase of average size of particles with the increasing fluence up to 6 × 1013 ions/cm2. Further increase in fluence leads to the dissolution of Ag atoms in the ZrO2 matrix.

Research on the thickness control method of workbench oil film based on theoretical model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pei, Tang; Lin, Lin; Liu, Ge; Yu, Liping; Xu, Zhen; Zhao, Di

2018-06-01

To improve the thickness adjustability of the workbench oil film, we designed a software system to control the thickness of oil film based on the Siemens 840dsl CNC system and set up an experimental platform. A regulation scheme of oil film thickness based on theoretical model is proposed, the accuracy and feasibility of which is proved by experiment results. It's verified that the method mentioned above can meet the demands of workbench oil film thickness control, the experiment is simple and efficient with high control precision. Reliable theory support is supplied for the development of workbench oil film active control system as well.

Plasmonic extinction in gold nanoparticle-polymer films as film thickness and nanoparticle separation decrease below resonant wavelength

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunklin, Jeremy R.; Bodinger, Carter; Forcherio, Gregory T.; Keith Roper, D.

2017-01-01

Plasmonic nanoparticles embedded in polymer films enhance optoelectronic properties of photovoltaics, sensors, and interconnects. This work examined optical extinction of polymer films containing randomly dispersed gold nanoparticles (AuNP) with negligible Rayleigh scattering cross-sections at particle separations and film thicknesses less than (sub-) to greater than (super-) the localized surface plasmon resonant (LSPR) wavelength, λLSPR. Optical extinction followed opposite trends in sub- and superwavelength films on a per nanoparticle basis. In ˜70-nm-thick polyvinylpyrrolidone films containing 16 nm AuNP, measured resonant extinction per particle decreased as particle separation decreased from ˜130 to 76 nm, consistent with trends from Maxwell Garnett effective medium theory and coupled dipole approximation. In ˜1-mm-thick polydimethylsiloxane films containing 16-nm AuNP, resonant extinction per particle plateaued at particle separations ≥λLSPR, then increased as particle separation radius decreased from ˜514 to 408 nm. Contributions from isolated particles, interparticle interactions and heterogeneities in sub- and super-λLSPR films containing AuNP at sub-λLSPR separations were examined. Characterizing optoplasmonics of thin polymer films embedded with plasmonic NP supports rational development of optoelectronic, biomedical, and catalytic activity using these nanocomposites.

Electro-physical properties of superconducting ceramic thick film prepared by partial melting method.

PubMed

Lee, Sang Heon

2013-05-01

BiSrCaCuO superconductor thick films were prepared at several curing temperatures, and their electro-physical properties were determined to find an optimum fabrication conditions. Critical temperatures of the superconductors were decreased with increasing melting temperature, which was related to the amount of equilibrium phases of the superconducting materials with temperature. The critical temperature of BiSrCaCuO bulk and thick film superconductors were 107 K and 96 K, respectively. The variation of susceptibility of the superconductor thick film formed at 950 degrees C had multi-step-type curve for 70 G externally applied field, whereas, a superconductor thick film formed at 885 degrees C had a single step-type curve like a bulk BiSrCaCuO ceramic superconductor in the temperature-susceptibility curves. A partial melting at 865 degrees C is one of optimum conditions for making a superconductor thick film with a relatively homogeneous phase.

Influence of film thickness on topology and related magnetic interactions in Fe nanoparticle films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ausanio, G.; Iannotti, V.; Amoruso, S.; Bruzzese, R.; Wang, X.; Aruta, C.; Arzeo, M.; Lanotte, L.

2013-08-01

Fe nanoparticle (NP)-assembled thin films with different thickness were prepared by femtosecond-pulsed laser deposition using different deposition times. The proper selection of the deposition time allows to control, to a certain degree, the morphology and topology of the deposited Fe nanoparticles (NPs) assembly, fostering non-uniform dense assemblies of NPs, with the consequent reduction of the influence of the exchange interactions on the macroscopic magnetic properties with decreasing thickness. The magnetic behavior of the Fe NP-assembled films with decreasing thickness is characterized by higher coercive field ( H c) values (a factor ≈4.5) and a good compromise between the hysteresis loops squareness and moderate exchange interactions, strongly correlated with the NPs topology.

Deposition of adherent Ag-Ti duplex films on ceramics in a multiple-cathode sputter deposition system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Honecy, Frank S.

1992-01-01

The adhesion of Ag films deposited on oxide ceramics can be increased by first depositing intermediate films of active metals such as Ti. Such duplex coatings can be fabricated in a widely used three target sputter deposition system. It is shown here that the beneficial effect of the intermediate Ti film can be defeated by commonly used in situ target and substrate sputter cleaning procedures which result in Ag under the Ti. Auger electron spectroscopy and wear testing of the coatings are used to develop a cleaning strategy resulting in an adherent film system.

A study on the correlation between the dewetting temperature of Ag film and SERS intensity.

PubMed

Quan, Jiamin; Zhang, Jie; Qi, Xueqiang; Li, Junying; Wang, Ning; Zhu, Yong

2017-11-07

The thermally dewetted metal nano-islands have been actively investigated as cost-effective SERS-active substrates with a large area, good reproducibility and repeatability via simple fabrication process. However, the correlation between the dewetting temperature of metal film and SERS intensity hasn't been systematically studied. In this work, taking Ag nano-islands (AgNIs) as an example, we reported a strategy to investigate the correlation between the dewetting temperature of metal film and SERS intensity. We described the morphology evolution of AgNIs on the SiO 2 planar substrate in different temperatures and got the quantitative information in surface-limited diffusion process (SLDP) as a function of annealing temperature via classical mean-field nucleation theory. Those functions were further used in the simulation of electromagnetic field to obtain the correlation between the dewetting temperature of Ag film and theoretical analysis. In addition, Raman mapping was done on samples annealed at different temperatures, with R6G as an analyte, to accomplish the analysis of the correlation between the dewetting temperature of Ag film and SERS intensity, which is consistent with the theoretical analysis. For SLDP, we used the morphological characterization of five samples prepared by different annealing temperatures to successfully illustrate the change in SERS intensity with the temperature fluctuation, obtaining a small deviation between the experimental results and theoretic prediction.

Microstructure, Surface Characterization, and Electrochemical Behavior of New Ti-Zr-Ta-Ag Alloy in Simulated Human Electrolyte

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasilescu, Cora; Drob, Silviu Iulian; Osiceanu, Petre; Moreno, Jose Maria Calderon; Prodana, Mariana; Ionita, Daniela; Demetrescu, Ioana; Marcu, Maria; Popovici, Ion Alexandru; Vasilescu, Ecaterina

2017-01-01

A new Ti-20Zr-5Ta-2Ag alloy was elaborated and characterized regarding its microstructure, its native passive film composition and thickness, its surface wettability, its electrochemical behavior in Ringer solution of different pH values, and its ion release. The new alloy has a bi-phase, α + β, acicular, homogeneous microstructure (scanning electron microscopy (SEM)). Its native passive film (12-nm thicknesses) consists of the protective TiO2, ZrO2, and Ta2O5 oxides, Ti and Ta suboxides, and metallic Ag (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data). The alloy possesses high hydrophilic properties. The main electrochemical parameters of the new alloy are superior to those of Ti as a result of the beneficial influence of Zr, Ta, and Ag alloying elements, which reinforce its native passive film. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) spectra in Ringer solutions for the new alloy displayed better values of impedances and phase angles, proving a more insulate passive film than that on the Ti surface. The main corrosion parameters for the new Ti-20Zr-5Ta-2Ag alloy are more favorable by about 25 to 38 times than those of Ti, confirming extremely resistant passive film. The new Ti-20Zr-5Ta-2Ag alloy releases into Ringer solution low quantities of Ti4+, Zr4+ metallic ions (inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS)). The Ag+ ions are released in low quantity, conferring to this alloy's low antibacterial activity. All experimental results show that the new Ti-20Zr-5Ta-2Ag alloy fulfills the requirements for biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, and antibacterial protection.

Core–shell Ag@SiO{sub 2} nanoparticles of different silica shell thicknesses: Preparation and their effects on photoluminescence of lanthanide complexes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kang, Jie; Li, Yuan; Chen, Yingnan

Highlights: • Ag@SiO{sub 2} nanoparticles of different silica shell thicknesses were prepared via the Stöber process. • Sm and Dy complexes with benzoate, 1,10-phenanthroline and 2,2′-bipyridine were synthesized. • The complex-doped Ag@SiO{sub 2} composites show stronger luminescent intensities than pure complexes. • The luminescent intensities of the composites strongly depend on the SiO{sub 2} shell thickness. - Abstract: Three kinds of almost spherical core–shell Ag@SiO{sub 2} nanoparticles of different silica shell thicknesses (10, 25 and 80 nm) were prepared via the Stöber process. The Ag core nanoparticles were prepared by reducing silver nitrate with sodium citrate. The size, morphology andmore » structure of core–shell Ag@SiO{sub 2} nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy. Subsequently, eight kinds of lanthanide complexes with benzoate, 1,10-phenanthroline and 2,2′-bipyridine were synthesized. The composition of the lanthanide complexes was characterized by elemental analysis, IR and UV spectra. Finally, lanthanide complexes were attached to the surface of Ag@SiO{sub 2} nanoparticles to form lanthanide-complex-doped Ag@SiO{sub 2} nanocomposites. The results show that the complex-doped Ag@SiO{sub 2} nanocomposites display much stronger luminescence intensities than the lanthanide complexes. Furthermore, the luminescence intensities of the lanthanide-complex-doped Ag@SiO{sub 2} nanocomposites with SiO{sub 2} shell thickness of 25 nm are stronger than those of the nanocomposites with SiO{sub 2} shell thickness of 10 and 80 nm.« less

Fabrication and characterization of piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers with thick composite PZT films.

PubMed

Wang, Zhihong; Zhu, Weiguang; Zhu, Hong; Miao, Jianmin; Chao, Chen; Zhao, Changlei; Tan, Ooi Kiang

2005-12-01

Ferroelectric microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) has been a growing area of research in past decades, in which ferroelectric films are combined with silicon technology for a variety of applications, such as piezo-electric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs), which represent a new approach to ultrasound detection and generation. For ultrasound-radiating applications, thicker PZT films are preferred because generative force and response speed of the diaphragm-type transducers increase with increasing film thickness. However, integration of 4- to 20-microm thick PZT films on silicon wafer, either the deposition or the patterning, is still a bottleneck in the micromachining process. This paper reports on a diaphragm-type pMUT. A composite coating technique based on chemical solution deposition and high-energy ball milled powder has been used to fabricate thick PZT films. Micromachining of the pMUTs using such thick films has been investigated. The fabricated pMUT with crack-free PZT films up to 7-microm thick was evaluated as an ultrasonic transmitter. The generated sound pressure level of up to 120 dB indicates that the fabricated pMUT has very good ultrasound-radiating performance and, therefore, can be used to compose pMUT arrays for generating ultrasound beam with high directivity in numerous applications. The pMUT arrays also have been demonstrated.

Thickness-modulated anisotropic ferromagnetism in Fe-doped epitaxial HfO2 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Wenlong; Liu, Ming; Zhang, Ruyi; Ma, Rong; Wang, Hong

2017-10-01

Epitaxial tetragonal Fe-doped Hf0.95Fe0.05O2 (FHO) thin films with various thicknesses were deposited on (001)-oriented NdCaAlO4 (NCAO) substrates by using a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) system. The crystal structure and epitaxial nature of the FHO thin films were confirmed by typical x-ray diffraction (XRD) θ-2θ scan and reciprocal space mapping (RSM). The results indicate that two sets of lattice sites exist with two different crystal orientations [(001) and (100)] in the thicker FHO thin films. Further, the intensity of the (100) direction increases with the increase in thicknesses, which should have a significant effect on the anisotropic magnetization of the FHO thin films. Meanwhile, all the FHO thin films possess a tetragonal phase structure. An anisotropy behavior in magnetization has been observed in the FHO thin films. The anisotropic magnetization of the FHO thin films is slowly weakened as the thickness increases. Meanwhile, the saturation magnetization (Ms) of both in-plane and out-of-plane decreases with the increase in the thickness. The change in the anisotropic magnetization and Ms is attributed to the crystal lattice and the variation in the valence of Fe ions. These results indicate that the thickness-modulated anisotropic ferromagnetism of the tetragonal FHO epitaxial thin films is of potential use for the integration of metal-oxide semiconductors with spintronics.

Elastohydrodynamic film thickness formula based on X-ray measurements with a synthetic paraffinic oil

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loewenthal, S. H.; Parker, R. J.; Zaretsky, E. V.

1973-01-01

An empirical elastohydrodynamic film thickness formula for heavily loaded contacts based upon X-ray film thickness measurements made with a synthetic paraffinic oil is presented. The deduced relation was found to adequately reflect the high load dependence exhibited by the measured minimum film thickness data at high Hertizian contact stresses, that is, above 1.04 x 10 to the ninth N/sq m (150,000 psi). Comparisons were made with the numerical results from a theoretical isothermal film thickness formula. The effects of changes in contact geometry, material, and lubricant properties on the form of the empirical model are also discussed.

A chemical bath deposition route to facet-controlled Ag{sub 3}PO{sub 4} thin films with improved visible light photocatalytic activity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gunjakar, Jayavant L.; Jo, Yun Kyung; Kim, In Young

A facile, economic, and reproducible chemical bath deposition (CBD) method is developed for the fabrication of facet-controlled Ag{sub 3}PO{sub 4} thin films with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity. The fine-control of bath temperature, precursor, complexing agent, substrate, and solution pH is fairly crucial in preparing the facet-selective thin film of Ag{sub 3}PO{sub 4} nanocrystal. The change of precursor from silver nitrate to silver acetate makes possible the tailoring of the crystal shape of Ag{sub 3}PO{sub 4} from cube to rhombic dodecahedron and also the bandgap tuning of the deposited films. The control of [Ag{sup +}]/[phosphate] ratio enables to maximize themore » loading amount of Ag{sub 3}PO{sub 4} crystals per the unit area of the deposited film. All the fabricated Ag{sub 3}PO{sub 4} thin films show high photocatalytic activity for visible light-induced degradation of organic molecules, which can be optimized by tailoring the crystal shape of the deposited crystals. This CBD method is also useful in preparing the facet-controlled hybrid film of Ag{sub 3}PO{sub 4}–ZnO photocatalyst. The present study clearly demonstrates the usefulness of the present CBD method for fabricating facet-controlled thin films of metal oxosalt and its nanohybrid. - Highlights: • The crystal facet of Ag{sub 3}PO{sub 4} films can be tuned by chemical bath deposition. • The crystal shape of Ag{sub 3}PO{sub 4} is tailorable from cube to rhombic dodecahedron. • Facet-tuned Ag{sub 3}PO{sub 4} film shows enhanced visible light photocatalyst activity.« less

Tailoring the surface chemical bond states of the NbN films by doping Ag: Achieving hard hydrophobic surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Ping; Zhang, Kan; Du, Suxuan; Meng, Qingnan; He, Xin; Wang, Shuo; Wen, Mao; Zheng, Weitao

2017-06-01

Robust hydrophobic surfaces based on ceramics capable of withstanding harsh conditions such as abrasion, erosion and high temperature, are required in a broad range of applications. The metal cations with coordinative saturation or low electronegativity are commonly chosen to achieve the intrinsically hydrophobic ceramic by reducing Lewis acidity, and thus the ceramic systems are limited. In this work, we present a different picture that robust hydrophobic surface with high hardness (≥20 GPa) can be fabricated through doping Ag atoms into intrinsically hydrophilic ceramic film NbN by reactive co-sputtering. The transition of wettability from hydrophilic to hydrophobic of Nb-Ag-N films induced by Ag doping results from the appearance of Ag2O groups on the films surfaces through self-oxidation, because Ag cations (Ag+) in Ag2O are the filled-shell (4d105S0) electronic structure with coordinative saturation that have no tendency to interact with water. The results show that surface Ag2O benefited for hydrophobicity comes from the solute Ag atoms rather than precipitate metal Ag, in which the more Ag atoms incorporated into Nb-sublattice are able to further improve the hydrophobicity, whereas the precipitation of Ag nanoclusters would worsen it. The present work opens a window for fabricating robust hydrophobic surface through tailoring surface chemical bond states by doping Ag into transition metal nitrides.

Effect of thickness on electrical properties of SILAR deposited SnS thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akaltun, Yunus; Astam, Aykut; Cerhan, Asena; ćayir, Tuba

2016-03-01

Tin sulfide (SnS) thin films of different thickness were prepared on glass substrates by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method at room temperature using tin (II) chloride and sodium sulfide aqueous solutions. The thicknesses of the films were determined using spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements and found to be 47.2, 65.8, 111.0, and 128.7nm for 20, 25, 30 and 35 deposition cycles respectively. The electrical properties of the films were investigated using d.c. two-point probe method at room temperature and the results showed that the resistivity was found to decrease with increasing film thickness.

Thickness-dependent domain wall reorientation in 70/30 lead magnesium niobate- lead titanate thin films

DOE PAGES

Keech, Ryan; Morandi, Carl; Wallace, Margeaux; ...

2017-04-11

Continued reduction in length scales associated with many ferroelectric film-based technologies is contingent on retaining the functional properties as the film thickness is reduced. Epitaxial and polycrystalline lead magnesium niobate - lead titanate (70PMN-30PT) thin films were studied over the thickness range of 100-350 nm for the relative contributions to property thickness dependence from interfacial and grain boundary low permittivity layers. Epitaxial PMN-PT films were grown on SrRuO 3 /(001)SrTiO 3, while polycrystalline films with {001}-Lotgering factors >0.96 were grown on Pt/TiO 2/SiO 2/Si substrates via chemical solution deposition. Both film types exhibited similar relative permittivities of ~300 at highmore » fields at all measured thicknesses with highly crystalline electrode/dielectric interfaces. These results, with the DC-biased and temperature dependent dielectric characterization, suggest irreversible domain wall mobility is the major contributor to the overall dielectric response and its thickness dependence. In epitaxial films, the irreversible Rayleigh coefficients reduced 85% upon decreasing thickness from 350 to 100 nm. The temperature at which a peak in the relative permittivity is observed was the only measured small signal quantity which was more thickness dependent in polycrystalline than epitaxial films. This is attributed to the relaxor nature present in the films, potentially stabilized by defect concentrations, and/or chemical inhomogeneity. Finally, the effective interfacial layers are found to contribute to the measured thickness dependence in the longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient.« less

The application of the barrier-type anodic oxidation method to thickness testing of aluminum films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jianwen; Yao, Manwen; Xiao, Ruihua; Yang, Pengfei; Hu, Baofu; Yao, Xi

2014-09-01

The thickness of the active metal oxide film formed from a barrier-type anodizing process is directly proportional to its formation voltage. The thickness of the consumed portion of the metal film is also corresponding to the formation voltage. This principle can be applied to the thickness test of the metal films. If the metal film is growing on a dielectric substrate, when the metal film is exhausted in an anodizing process, because of the high electrical resistance of the formed oxide film, a sudden increase of the recorded voltage during the anodizing process would occur. Then, the thickness of the metal film can be determined from this voltage. As an example, aluminum films are tested and discussed in this work. This method is quite simple and is easy to perform with high precision.

Effects of copolymer composition, film thickness, and solvent vapor annealing time on dewetting of ultrathin block copolymer films.

PubMed

Huang, Changchun; Wen, Gangyao; Li, Jingdan; Wu, Tao; Wang, Lina; Xue, Feifei; Li, Hongfei; Shi, Tongfei

2016-09-15

Effects of copolymer composition, film thickness, and solvent vapor annealing time on dewetting of spin-coated polystyrene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) films (<20nm thick) were mainly investigated by atomic force microscopy. Surface chemical analysis of the ultrathin films annealed for different times were performed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle measurement. With the annealing of acetone vapor, dewetting of the films with different thicknesses occur via the spinodal dewetting and the nucleation and growth mechanisms, respectively. The PS-b-PMMA films rupture into droplets which first coalesce into large ones to reduce the surface free energy. Then the large droplets rupture into small ones to increase the contact area between PMMA blocks and acetone molecules resulting from ultimate migration of PMMA blocks to droplet surface, which is a novel dewetting process observed in spin-coated films for the first time. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Graphene-like Networks in the lattice of Ag, Cu and Al metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salamanca-Riba, Lourdes; Ge, Xiaoxiao; Isaacs, Romaine; Jaim, Hm Iftekar; Wuttig, Manfred; Rashkeev, Sergey; Kuklja, Maija; Hu, Lianbing; Covetics Team Team

Graphene-like networks form in the lattice of metals such as silver, copper and aluminum via an electrocharging assisted process. In this process a high current of >80A is applied to the liquid metal containing particles of activated carbon. The resulting material is called M covetic (M =Al, Ag Cu). We have previously reported that this process gives rise to carbon nanostructures with sp2 bonding embedded in the lattice of the metal. The carbon bonds to the metal as evidenced by Raman scattering and first principles simulation of the phonon density of states. With this process we have observed that graphene nanoribbons form along preferential crystalline directions and form 3D epitaxial structures with Al and Ag hosts. Bulk Cu covetic was used to deposit films by e-beam deposition and PLD. The PLD films contain higher C content and show higher transmittance (~90%) and resistance to oxidation than pure copper films of the same thickness. We compare the electrical and mechanical properties of covetics containing C in the 0 to 10 wt % and the transmittance of Cu covetic films compared to pure Cu films of the same thickness. Supported by ONR Grant N000141410042

A wrinkling-based method for investigating glassy polymer film relaxation as a function of film thickness and temperature.

PubMed

Chung, Jun Young; Douglas, Jack F; Stafford, Christopher M

2017-10-21

We investigate the relaxation dynamics of thin polymer films at temperatures below the bulk glass transition T g by first compressing polystyrene films supported on a polydimethylsiloxane substrate to create wrinkling patterns and then observing the slow relaxation of the wrinkled films back to their final equilibrium flat state by small angle light scattering. As with recent relaxation measurements on thin glassy films reported by Fakhraai and co-workers, we find the relaxation time of our wrinkled films to be strongly dependent on film thickness below an onset thickness on the order of 100 nm. By varying the temperature between room temperature and T g (≈100 °C), we find that the relaxation time follows an Arrhenius-type temperature dependence to a good approximation at all film thicknesses investigated, where both the activation energy and the relaxation time pre-factor depend appreciably on film thickness. The wrinkling relaxation curves tend to cross at a common temperature somewhat below T g , indicating an entropy-enthalpy compensation relation between the activation free energy parameters. This compensation effect has also been observed recently in simulated supported polymer films in the high temperature Arrhenius relaxation regime rather than the glassy state. In addition, we find that the film stress relaxation function, as well as the height of the wrinkle ridges, follows a stretched exponential time dependence and the short-time effective Young's modulus derived from our modeling decreases sigmoidally with increasing temperature-both characteristic features of glassy materials. The relatively facile nature of the wrinkling-based measurements in comparison to other film relaxation measurements makes our method attractive for practical materials development, as well as fundamental studies of glass formation.

A wrinkling-based method for investigating glassy polymer film relaxation as a function of film thickness and temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung, Jun Young; Douglas, Jack F.; Stafford, Christopher M.

2017-10-01

We investigate the relaxation dynamics of thin polymer films at temperatures below the bulk glass transition Tg by first compressing polystyrene films supported on a polydimethylsiloxane substrate to create wrinkling patterns and then observing the slow relaxation of the wrinkled films back to their final equilibrium flat state by small angle light scattering. As with recent relaxation measurements on thin glassy films reported by Fakhraai and co-workers, we find the relaxation time of our wrinkled films to be strongly dependent on film thickness below an onset thickness on the order of 100 nm. By varying the temperature between room temperature and Tg (≈100 °C), we find that the relaxation time follows an Arrhenius-type temperature dependence to a good approximation at all film thicknesses investigated, where both the activation energy and the relaxation time pre-factor depend appreciably on film thickness. The wrinkling relaxation curves tend to cross at a common temperature somewhat below Tg, indicating an entropy-enthalpy compensation relation between the activation free energy parameters. This compensation effect has also been observed recently in simulated supported polymer films in the high temperature Arrhenius relaxation regime rather than the glassy state. In addition, we find that the film stress relaxation function, as well as the height of the wrinkle ridges, follows a stretched exponential time dependence and the short-time effective Young's modulus derived from our modeling decreases sigmoidally with increasing temperature—both characteristic features of glassy materials. The relatively facile nature of the wrinkling-based measurements in comparison to other film relaxation measurements makes our method attractive for practical materials development, as well as fundamental studies of glass formation.

Development of Thick-Film Thermoelectric Microcoolers Using Electrochemical Deposition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fleurial, J.-P.; Borshchevsky, A.; Ryan, M. A.; Phillips, W. M.; Snyder, J. G.; Caillat, T.; Kolawa, E. A.; Herman, J. A.; Mueller, P.; Nicolet, M.

2000-01-01

Advanced thermoelectric microdevices integrated into thermal management packages and low power, electrical source systems are of interest for a variety of space and terrestrial applications. By shrinking the size of the thermoelements, or legs, of these devices, it becomes possible to handle much higher heat fluxes, as well as operate at much lower currents and higher voltages that are more compatible with electronic components. The miniaturization of state-of-the-art thermoelectric module technology based on Bi2Te3 alloys is limited due to mechanical and manufacturing constraints for both leg dimensions (100-200 gm thick minimum) and the number of legs (100-200 legs maximum). We are investigating the development of novel microdevices combining high thermal conductivity substrate materials such as diamond, thin film metallization and patterning technology, and electrochemical deposition of thick thermoelectric films. It is anticipated that thermoelectric microcoolers with thousands of thermocouples and capable of pumping more than 200 W/sq cm over a 30 to 60 K temperature difference can be fabricated. In this paper, we report on our progress in developing an electrochemical deposition process for obtaining 10-50 microns thick films of Bi2Te3 and its solid solutions. Results presented here indicate that good quality n-type Bi2Te3, n-type Bi2Te(2.95)Se(0.05) and p-type Bi(0.5)Sb(1.5)Te3 thick films can be deposited by this technique. Some details about the fabrication of the miniature thermoelements are also described.

Fabrication of Ternary AgPdAu Alloy Nanoparticles on c-Plane Sapphire by the Systematical Control of Film Thickness and Deposition Sequence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunwar, Sundar; Pandey, Puran; Sui, Mao; Bastola, Sushil; Lee, Jihoon

2018-06-01

In this work, a systematic study on the fabrication of ternary AgPdAu alloy nanoparticles (NPs) on c-plane sapphire (0001) is presented and the corresponding structural and optical characteristics are demonstrated. The metallic trilayers of various thicknesses and deposition orders are annealed in a controlled manner (400 °C to 900 °C) to induce the solid-state dewetting that yields the various structural configurations of AgPdAu alloy NPs. The dewetting of relatively thicker trilayers (15 nm) is gradually progressed with void nucleation, growth, and coalescence, isolated NP formation, and shape transformation, along with the temperature control. For 6 nm thickness, owing to the sufficient dewetting of trilayers along with enhanced diffusion, dense and small spherical alloy NPs are fabricated. Depending on the specific growth condition, the surface diffusion and interdiffusion of metal atoms, surface and interface energy minimization, Rayleigh instability, and equilibrium configuration are correlated to describe the fabrication of ternary alloy NPs. Ternary alloy NPs exhibit morphology-dependent ultraviolet-visible-near infrared (UV-VIS-NIR) reflectance properties such as the inverse relationship of average reflectance with the surface coverage, absorption enhancement in specific regions, and reflectance maxima in UV and NIR regions. In addition, Raman spectra depict the six active phonon modes of sapphires and their intensity and position modulation by the alloy NPs.

Thickness dependent optical and electrical properties of CdSe thin films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Purohit, A., E-mail: anuradha.purohit34@gmail.com; Chander, S.; Nehra, S. P.

2016-05-06

The effect of thickness on the optical and electrical properties of CdSe thin films is investigated in this paper. The films of thickness 445 nm, 631 nm and 810 nm were deposited on glass and ITO coated glass substrates using thermal evaporation technique. The deposited thin films were thermally annealed in air atmosphere at temperature 100°C and were subjected to UV-Vis spectrophotometer and source meter for optical and electrical analysis respectively. The absorption coefficient is observed to increase with photon energy and found maximum in higher photon energy region. The extinction coefficient and refractive index are also calculated. The electrical analysis shows thatmore » the electrical resistivity is observed to be decreased with thickness.« less

Removal of phenanthrene in aqueous solution containing photon competitors by TiO2-C-Ag film supported on fiberglass.

PubMed

González-Ramírez, Denisse Fabiola; Ávila-Pérez, Pedro; Torres-Bustillos, Luis G; Aguilar-López, Ricardo; Montes-Horcasitas, María C; Esparza-García, Fernando J; Rodríguez-Vázquez, Refugio

2017-07-03

Surface interactions with pollutants and photons are key factors that affect the applications of TiO 2 in environmental remediation. In this study, the solubilizing agents dimethylsulfoxide and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate, which act as photon competitors, had no effect on the photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 -C-Ag film in phenanthrene (PHE) removal. Fiberglass with TiO 2 -C-Ag coating removed 91.1 ± 5.2 and 99.7 ± 0.4% of PHE in treatments using UVA (365-465 nm) and UVC (254 nm) irradiation, respectively. The use of fiberglass as a support increased the superficial area, thus allowing PHE sorption. C and Ag, which are electrically active impurities in TiO 2 , enhanced its photocatalytic activity and thus the attraction of the pollutant to its surface. The use of high-frequency UV light (UVC) decreased the amount of carbon species deposited on the TiO 2 CAg film surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the TiO 2 -C-Ag film revealed extensive oxidation of the carbon deposited on the film under UVC light and loss of electrons from Ag clusters by conversion of Ag 0 to Ag 3+ .

Ag2S/CdS/TiO2 Nanotube Array Films with High Photocurrent Density by Spotting Sample Method.

PubMed

Sun, Hong; Zhao, Peini; Zhang, Fanjun; Liu, Yuliang; Hao, Jingcheng

2015-12-01

Ag2S/CdS/TiO2 hybrid nanotube array films (Ag2S/CdS/TNTs) were prepared by selectively depositing a narrow-gap semiconductor-Ag2S (0.9 eV) quantum dots (QDs)-in the local domain of the CdS/TiO2 nanotube array films by spotting sample method (SSM). The improvement of sunlight absorption ability and photocurrent density of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotube array films (TNTs) which were obtained by anodic oxidation method was realized because of modifying semiconductor QDs. The CdS/TNTs, Ag2S/TNTs, and Ag2S/CdS/TNTs fabricated by uniformly depositing the QDs into the TNTs via the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method were synthesized, respectively. The X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS) results demonstrated that the Ag2S/CdS/TNTs prepared by SSM and other films were successfully prepared. In comparison with the four films of TNTs, CdS/TNTs, Ag2S/TNTs, and Ag2S/CdS/TNTs by SILAR, the Ag2S/CdS/TNTs prepared by SSM showed much better absorption capability and the highest photocurrent density in UV-vis range (320~800 nm). The cycles of local deposition have great influence on their photoelectric properties. The photocurrent density of Ag2S/CdS/TNTs by SSM with optimum deposition cycles of 6 was about 37 times that of TNTs without modification, demonstrating their great prospective applications in solar energy utilization fields.

Kinetics of sub-spinodal dewetting of thin films of thickness dependent viscosity.

PubMed

Kotni, Tirumala Rao; Khanna, Rajesh; Sarkar, Jayati

2017-05-04

An alternative explanation of the time varying and very low growth exponents in dewetting of polymer films like polystyrene films is presented based on non-linear simulations. The kinetics of these films is explored within the framework of experimentally observed thickness dependent viscosity. These films exhibit sub-spinodal dewetting via formation of satellite holes in between primary dewetted holes under favorable conditions of excess intermolecular forces and film thicknesses. We find that conditions responsible for sub-spinodal dewetting concurrently lead to remarkable changes in the kinetics of dewetting of even primary holes. For example, the radius of the hole grows in time with a power-law growth exponent sequence of [Formula: see text], in contrast to the usual  ∼4/5. This is due to the cumulative effect of reduced rim mobility due to thickness dependent viscosity and hindrance created by satellite holes.

Effect of Ag doping on the properties of ZnO thin films for UV stimulated emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razeen, Ahmed S.; Gadallah, A.-S.; El-Nahass, M. M.

2018-06-01

Ag doped ZnO thin films have been prepared using sol-gel spin coating method, with different doping concentrations. Structural and morphological properties of the films have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. Thin films have been optically pumped and stimulated emission has been observed with strong peaks in the UV region. The UV stimulated emission is found to be due to exciton-exciton scattering, and Ag doping promoted this process by increasing the excitons concentrations in the ZnO lattice. Output-input intensity relation and peak emission, FWHM, and quantum efficiency relations with pump intensity have been reported. The threshold for which stimulated emission started has been evaluated to be about 18 MW/cm2 with quantum efficiency of about 58.7%. Mechanisms explaining the role of Ag in enhancement of stimulated emission from ZnO thin films have been proposed.

Reduced temperature-dependent thermal conductivity of magnetite thin films by controlling film thickness

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

We report on the out-of-plane thermal conductivities of epitaxial Fe3O4 thin films with thicknesses of 100, 300, and 400 nm, prepared using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on SiO2/Si substrates. The four-point probe three-omega (3-ω) method was used for thermal conductivity measurements of the Fe3O4 thin films in the temperature range of 20 to 300 K. By measuring the temperature-dependent thermal characteristics of the Fe3O4 thin films, we realized that their thermal conductivities significantly decreased with decreasing grain size and thickness of the films. The out-of-plane thermal conductivities of the Fe3O4 films were found to be in the range of 0.52 to 3.51 W/m · K at 300 K. For 100-nm film, we found that the thermal conductivity was as low as approximately 0.52 W/m · K, which was 1.7 to 11.5 order of magnitude lower than the thermal conductivity of bulk material at 300 K. Furthermore, we calculated the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity of these Fe3O4 films using a simple theoretical Callaway model for comparison with the experimental data. We found that the Callaway model predictions agree reasonably with the experimental data. We then noticed that the thin film-based oxide materials could be efficient thermoelectric materials to achieve high performance in thermoelectric devices. PMID:24571956

Highly conductive and anticorrosion Ag/CNTs/NDs hybrid films on molecular-grafted PET substrate for flexible electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yang; Kang, Zhixin

2018-01-01

We reported an approach of preparing highly conductive, anticorrosion, flexible Ag hybrid films enhanced by multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and nanodaimonds (NDs) on molecular-grafted PET substrate by spin-spray for flexible electronics. we studied in this paper and found that even an outstanding enhancement on conductivity of Ag films, CNTs have a negative effect on anticorrosion property. Meanwhile, NDs decreased the conductivity of Ag/CNTs hybrids, but it remained a relatively high conductivity property and even was affirmed a distinctly boost improvement on anticorrosion, microhardness and tensile strength, which meant a better mechanical chemical stabilization and practicability in real flexible electronics. To obtain the strong adhesive strength of films/substrate, molecular-grafting technology was applied, which was affirmed by XPS and cross-cut test. What's more, we evaluated anticorrosion property by electrochemistry test, including Tafel measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements, proving the positive effect of NDs on Ag/CNTs hybrid films. For practical application, a flexible light-emitting diode (LED) circuit was successfully structured and remained steady under bending, folding and twisting. Besides, after 1000000 cycles inner/outer bending deformation, the hybrid films showed a mechanical compliance, fatigue stability and practicability in real flexible electronics.

Percolation effect in thick film superconductors: Using a Bi(Pb)SrCaCuO based paste to prepare a superconducting planar transformer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sali, Robert; Harsanyi, Gabor

1995-01-01

A thick film superconductor paste has been developed to study the properties of granulated superconductor materials, to observe the percolation effect and to confirm the theory of the conducting mechanism in the superconducting thick films. This paste was also applied to make a superconducting planar transformer. Due to the T(sub c) and advantageous current density properties the base of the past was chosen to be of Bi(Pb)SrCaCu) system. For contacts a conventional Ag/Pt paste was used. The critical temperature of the samples were between 110 K and 115 K depending on the printed layer thickness. The critical current density -at the boiling temperature of the liquid He- was between 200 - 300 A/sq cm. The R(T) and V(I) functions were measured with different parameters. The results of the measurements have confirmed the theory of conducting mechanism in the material. The percolation structure model has been built and described. As an application, a superconducting planar thick film transformer was planned and produced. Ten windings of the transformer were printed on one side of the alumina substrate and one winding was printed on the other side. The coupling between the two sides was possible through the substrate. The samples did not need special drying and firing parameters. After the preparation, the properties of the transformer were measured. The efficiency ans the losses were determined. Finally, some fundamental advantages and problems of the process were discussed.

A method for reducing the sloughing of thick blood films for malaria diagnosis.

PubMed

Norgan, Andrew P; Arguello, Heather E; Sloan, Lynne M; Fernholz, Emily C; Pritt, Bobbi S

2013-07-08

The gold standard for malaria diagnosis is the examination of thick and thin blood films. Thick films contain 10 to 20 times more blood than thin films, correspondingly providing increased sensitivity for malaria screening. A potential complication of thick film preparations is sloughing of the blood droplet from the slide during staining or rinsing, resulting in the loss of sample. In this work, two methods for improving thick film slide adherence ('scratch' (SCM) and 'acetone dip' (ADM) methods) were compared to the 'standard method' (SM) of thick film preparation. Standardized blood droplets from 26 previously examined EDTA whole blood specimens (22 positive and four negative) were concurrently spread on glass slides using the SM, ADM, and SCM. For the SM and ADM prepared slides, the droplet was gently spread to an approximate 22 millimeters in diameter spot on the slide using the edge of a second glass slide. For the SCM, the droplet was spread by carefully grinding (or scratching) it into the slide with the point of a second glass slide. Slides were dried for one hour in a laminar flow hood. For the ADM, slides were dipped once in an acetone filled Coplin jar and allowed to air dry. All slides were then Giemsa-stained and examined in a blinded manner. Adherence was assessed by blinded reviewers. No significant or severe defects were observed for slides prepared with the SCM. In contrast, 8 slides prepared by the ADM and 3 prepared using the SM displayed significant or severe defects. Thick films prepared by the three methods were microscopically indistinguishable and concordant results (positive or negative) were obtained for the three methods. Estimated parasitaemia of the blood samples ranged from 25 to 429,169 parasites/μL of blood. The SCM is an inexpensive, rapid, and simple method that improves the adherence of thick blood films to standard glass slides without altering general slide preparation, microscopic appearance or interpretability. Using the SCM

Effect of film thickness on structural and mechanical properties of AlCrN nanocompoite thin films deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Prakash, Ravi; Kaur, Davinder, E-mail: dkaurfph@iitr.ac.in

2016-05-06

In this study, the influence of film thickness on the structural, surface morphology and mechanical properties of Aluminum chromium nitride (AlCrN) thin films has been successfully investigated. The AlCrN thin films were deposited on silicon (100) substrate using dc magnetron reactive co-sputtering at substrate temperature 400° C. The structural, surface morphology and mechanical properties were studied using X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy and nanoindentation techniques respectively. The thickness of these thin films was controlled by varying the deposition time therefore increase in deposition time led to increase in film thickness. X-ray diffraction pattern of AlCrN thin films with differentmore » deposition time shows the presence of (100) and (200) orientations. The crystallite size varies in the range from 12.5 nm to 36.3 nm with the film thickness due to surface energy minimization with the higher film thickness. The hardness pattern of these AlCrN thin films follows Hall-Petch relation. The highest hardness 23.08 Gpa and young modulus 215.31 Gpa were achieved at lowest grain size of 12.5 nm.« less

Spin-polarized confined states in Ag films on Fe(110)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moras, Paolo; Bihlmayer, G.; Vescovo, Elio

Spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of thin Ag(111) films on ferromagnetic Fe(110) shows a series of spin-polarized peaks. These features derive from Ag sp-bands, which form quantum well states and resonances due to confinement by a spin-dependent interface potential barrier. The spin-up states are broader and located at higher binding energy than the corresponding spin-down states at Gamma, although the differences attenuate near the Fermi level. The spin-down states display multiple gap openings, which interrupt their parabolic-like dispersion. As a result, first-principles calculations attribute these findings to the symmetry- and spin-selective hybridization of the Ag states with the exchange-split bandsmore » of the substrate.« less

Spin-polarized confined states in Ag films on Fe(110)

DOE PAGES

Moras, Paolo; Bihlmayer, G.; Vescovo, Elio; ...

2017-11-16

Spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of thin Ag(111) films on ferromagnetic Fe(110) shows a series of spin-polarized peaks. These features derive from Ag sp-bands, which form quantum well states and resonances due to confinement by a spin-dependent interface potential barrier. The spin-up states are broader and located at higher binding energy than the corresponding spin-down states at Gamma, although the differences attenuate near the Fermi level. The spin-down states display multiple gap openings, which interrupt their parabolic-like dispersion. As a result, first-principles calculations attribute these findings to the symmetry- and spin-selective hybridization of the Ag states with the exchange-split bandsmore » of the substrate.« less

Activated Carbon Fibers "Thickly Overgrown" by Ag Nanohair Through Self-Assembly and Rapid Thermal Annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Xuefeng; Xu, Sijun; Wang, Qiang; Fan, Xuerong

2017-11-01

Anisotropic nanomaterial-modified carbon fibers attract increasing attention because of their superior properties over traditional ones. In this study, activated carbon fibers (ACFs) "thickly overgrown" by Ag nanohair were prepared through self-assembly and rapid thermal annealing. Viscose fibers with well-dispersed silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on surfaces were first prepared through self-assembly of hyperbranched poly(amino-amine) (HBPAA)-capped AgNPs on viscose surfaces. HBPAA endowed the AgNP surfaces with negative charges and abundant amino groups, allowing AgNPs to monodispersively self-assemble to fiber surfaces. Ag nanohair-grown ACFs were prepared by sequential pre-oxidation and carbonization. Because the carbonization furnace was open-ended, ACFs are immediately transferrable to the outside of the furnace. Therefore, the Ag liquid adsorbed by ACF pores squeezed out to form Ag nanowires through thermal contraction. FESEM characterization indicated that Ag nanohairs stood on ACF surface and grew from ACF caps. XPS and XRD characterization showed that Ag successfully assembled to fiber surfaces and retained its metallic state even after high-temperature carbonization. TG analysis suggested that Ag nanohair-grown ACFs maintained their excellent thermal stabilities. Finally, the fabricated ACFs showed excellent and durable antibacterial activities, and the developed method may provide a potential strategy for preparing metal nanowire-grown ACFs.

Phase-field simulations of thickness-dependent domain stability in PbTiO3 thin films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sheng, Guang; Hu, Jia-Mian; Zhang, Jinxian

Phase-field approach is used to predict the thickness effect on the domain stability in ferroelectric thin films. The strain relaxation mechanism and critical thickness for dislocation formation from both Matthews-Blakeslee (MB) and People-Bean (PB) models are employed. Thickness - strain domain stability diagrams are obtained for PbTiO3 thin films under different strain relaxation models. The relative domain fractions as a function of film thickness are also calculated and compared with experiment measurements in PbTiO3 thin films grown on SrTiO3 and KTaO3 substrates.

Simultaneous reflectometry and interferometry for measuring thin-film thickness and curvature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arends, A. A.; Germain, T. M.; Owens, J. F.; Putnam, S. A.

2018-05-01

A coupled reflectometer-interferometer apparatus is described for thin-film thickness and curvature characterization in the three-phase contact line region of evaporating fluids. Validation reflectometry studies are provided for Au, Ge, and Si substrates and thin-film coatings of SiO2 and hydrogel/Ti/SiO2. For interferometry, liquid/air and solid/air interferences are studied, where the solid/air samples consisted of glass/air/glass wedges, cylindrical lenses, and molded polydimethylsiloxane lenses. The liquid/air studies are based on steady-state evaporation experiments of water and isooctane on Si and SiO2/Ti/SiO2 wafers. The liquid thin-films facilitate characterization of both (i) the nano-scale thickness of the absorbed fluid layer and (ii) the macro-scale liquid meniscus thickness, curvature, and curvature gradient profiles. For our validation studies with commercial lenses, the apparatus is shown to measure thickness profiles within 4.1%-10.8% error.

Influence of colorant and film thickness on thermal aging characteristics of oxo-biodegradable plastic bags

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leuterio, Giselle Lou D.; Pajarito, Bryan B.; Domingo, Carla Marie C.; Lim, Anna Patricia G.

2016-05-01

Functional, lightweight, strong and cheap plastic bags incorporated with pro-oxidants undergo accelerated degradation under exposure to heat and oxygen. This work investigated the effect of colorant and film thickness on thermal aging characteristics of commercial oxo-biodegradable plastic bag films at 70 °C. Degradation is monitored through changes in infrared absorption, weight, and tensile properties of thermally aged films. The presence of carbonyl band in infrared spectrum after 672 h of thermal aging supports the degradation behavior of exposed films. Results show that incorporation of colorant and increasing thickness exhibit low maximum weight uptake. Titanium dioxide as white colorant in films lowers the susceptibility of films to oxygen uptake but enhances physical degradation. Higher amount of pro-oxidant loading also contributes to faster degradation. Opaque films are characterized by low tensile strength and high elastic modulus. Decreasing the thickness contributes to lower tensile strength of films. Thermally aged films with colorant and low thickness promote enhanced degradation.

Thickness Dependence of Failure in Ultra-thin Glassy Polymer Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bay, Reed; Shimomura, Shinichiro; Liu, Yujie; Ilton, Mark; Crosby, Alfred

The physical properties of polymer thin films change as the polymer chains become confined. Similar changes in mechanical properties have been observed, though these critical properties have only been explored a limited extent and with indirect methods. Here, we use a recently developed method to measure the complete uniaxial stress strain relationship of polymer thin films of polystyrene films (PS, Mw =130kg/mol, 490kg/mol, and 853kg/mol) as a function of thickness (20 nm-220nm). In this method, we hold a `dog-bone' shaped film on water between a flexible cantilever and a movable rigid boundary, measuring force-displacement from the cantilever deflection. From our measurements, we find that the modulus decreases as the PS chains become confined. The PS thin films exhibit ``ideal perfectly plastic'' behavior due to crazing, which differs from the typical brittle response of bulk PS. The draw stress due to crazing decreases with film thickness. These results provide new fundamental insight into how polymer behavior is altered due to structural changes in the entangled polymer network upon confinement. NSF DMR 1608614.

Negative differential resistance in electron tunneling in ultrathin films near the two-dimensional limit

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Batabyal, R.; Abdul Wasey, A. H. M.; Mahato, J. C.

We report on our observation of negative differential resistance (NDR) in electron tunneling conductance in atomic-scale ultrathin Ag films on Si(111) substrates. NDR was observed by scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements. The tunneling conductance depends on the electronic local density of states (LDOS) of the sample. We show that the sample bias voltage, at which negative differential resistance and peak negative conductance occur, depends on the film thickness. This can be understood from the variation in the LDOS of the Ag films as a function of film thickness down to the two-dimensional limit of one atomic layer. First principles density functionalmore » theory calculations have been used to explain the results.« less

Structural and optical properties of (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} polycrystalline thin film alloys

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boyle, J. H.; Shafarman, W. N.; Birkmire, R. W.

2014-06-14

The structural and optical properties of pentenary alloy (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} polycrystalline thin films were characterized over the entire compositional range at a fixed (Cu + Ag)/(In + Ga) ratio. Films deposited at 550 °C on bare and molybdenum coated soda-lime glass by elemental co-evaporation in a single-stage process with constant incident fluxes exhibit single phase chalcopyrite structure, corresponding to 122 spacegroup (I-42d) over the entire compositional space. Unit cell refinement of the diffraction patterns show that increasing Ag substitution for Cu, the refined a{sub o} lattice constant, (Ag,Cu)-Se bond length, and anion displacement increase in accordance with the theoretical model proposed by Jaffe, Wei, andmore » Zunger. However, the refined c{sub o} lattice constant and (In,Ga)-Se bond length deviated from theoretical expectations for films with mid-range Ag and Ga compositions and are attributed to influences from crystallographic bond chain ordering or cation electronegativity. The optical band gap, derived from transmission and reflection measurements, widened with increasing Ag and Ga content, due to influences from anion displacement and cation electronegativity, as expected from theoretical considerations for pseudo-binary chalcopyrite compounds.« less

Antibacterial performance on plasma polymerized heptylamine films loaded with silver nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Yu-Chun; Lin, Chia-Chun; Lin, Chih-Hao; Wang, Meng-Jiy

2017-01-01

The antibacterial performance of the plasma-polymerized (pp) heptylamine thin films loaded with silver nanoparticles was evaluated against the colonization of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The properties including the thickness and chemical composition of the as deposited HApp films were modulated by adjusting plasma parameters. The acquired results showed that the film thickness was controlled in the range of 20 to 400 nm by adjusting deposition time. The subsequent immersion of the HApp thin films in silver nitrate solutions result in the formation of amine-metal complexes, in which the silver nanoparticles were reduced directly on the matrices to form Ag@HApp. The reduction reaction of silver was facilitated by applying NaBH4 as a reducing agent. The results of physicochemical analyses including morphological analysis and ellipsometry revealed that the silver nanoparticles were successfully reduced on the HApp films, and the amount of reduced silver was closely associated which the thickness of the plasma-polymerized films, the concentration of applied metal ions solutions, and the time of immobilization. Regarding the antibacterial performance, the Ag@HApp films reduced by NaBH4 showed antibacterial abilities of 70.1 and 68.2% against E. coli and S. aureus, respectively.

Thickness determination of large-area films of yttria-stabilized zirconia produced by pulsed laser deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pryds, N.; Toftmann, B.; Bilde-Sørensen, J. B.; Schou, J.; Linderoth, S.

2006-04-01

Films of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) on a polished silicon substrate of diameter up to 125 mm have been produced in a large-area pulsed laser deposition (PLD) setup under typical PLD conditions. The film thickness over the full film area has been determined by energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with use of a method similar to one described by Bishop and Poole. The attenuation of the electron-induced X-rays from the Si wafer by the film was monitored at a number of points along a diameter and the thickness was determined by Monte Carlo simulations of the attenuation for various values of film thickness with the program CASINO. These results have been compared with direct measurements in the SEM of the film thickness on a cross-section on one of the wafers. The results of these measurements demonstrate the ability of this technique to accurately determine the thickness of a large film, i.e. up to diameters of 125 mm, in a relatively short time, without destroying the substrate, without the need of a standard sample and without the need of a flat substrate. We have also demonstrated that by controlling the deposition parameters large-area YSZ films with uniform thickness can be produced.

Micro-machined high-frequency (80 MHz) PZT thick film linear arrays.

PubMed

Zhou, Qifa; Wu, Dawei; Liu, Changgeng; Zhu, Benpeng; Djuth, Frank; Shung, K

2010-10-01

This paper presents the development of a micromachined high-frequency linear array using PZT piezoelectric thick films. The linear array has 32 elements with an element width of 24 μm and an element length of 4 mm. Array elements were fabricated by deep reactive ion etching of PZT thick films, which were prepared from spin-coating of PZT sol-gel composite. Detailed fabrication processes, especially PZT thick film etching conditions and a novel transferring-and-etching method, are presented and discussed. Array designs were evaluated by simulation. Experimental measurements show that the array had a center frequency of 80 MHz and a fractional bandwidth (-6 dB) of 60%. An insertion loss of -41 dB and adjacent element crosstalk of -21 dB were found at the center frequency.

Optimization of Thick, Large Area YBCO Film Growth Through Response Surface Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Porzio, J.; Mahoney, C. H.; Sullivan, M. C.

2014-03-01

We present our work on the optimization of thick, large area YB2C3O7-δ (YBCO) film growth through response surface methods. Thick, large area films have commercial uses and have recently been used in dramatic demonstrations of levitation and suspension. Our films are grown via pulsed laser deposition and we have optimized growth parameters via response surface methods. Response surface methods is a statistical tool to optimize selected quantities with respect to a set of variables. We optimized our YBCO films' critical temperatures, thicknesses, and structures with respect to three PLD growth parameters: deposition temperature, laser energy, and deposition pressure. We will present an overview of YBCO growth via pulsed laser deposition, the statistical theory behind response surface methods, and the application of response surface methods to pulsed laser deposition growth of YBCO. Results from the experiment will be presented in a discussion of the optimized film quality. Supported by NFS grant DMR-1305637

Multi-band filter design with less total film thickness for short-wave infrared

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Yung-Jhe; Chien, I.-Pen; Chen, Po-Han; Chen, Sheng-Hui; Tsai, Yi-Chun; Ou-Yang, Mang

2017-08-01

A multi-band pass filter array was proposed and designed for short wave infrared applications. The central wavelength of the multi-band pass filters are located about 905 nm, 950 nm, 1055 nm and 1550 nm. In the simulation of an optical interference band pass filter, high spectrum performance (high transmittance ratio between the pass band and stop band) relies on (1) the index gap between the selected high/low-index film materials, with a larger gap correlated to higher performance, and (2) sufficient repeated periods of high/low-index thin-film layers. When determining high and low refractive index materials, spectrum performance was improved by increasing repeated periods. Consequently, the total film thickness increases rapidly. In some cases, a thick total film thickness is difficult to process in practice, especially when incorporating photolithography liftoff. Actually the maximal thickness of the photoresist being able to liftoff will bound the total film thickness of the band pass filter. For the application of the short wave infrared with the wavelength range from 900nm to 1700nm, silicone was chosen as a high refractive index material. Different from other dielectric materials used in the visible range, silicone has a higher absorptance in the visible range opposite to higher transmission in the short wave infrared. In other words, designing band pass filters based on silicone as a high refractive index material film could not obtain a better spectrum performance than conventional high index materials like TiO2 or Ta2O5, but also its material cost would reduce about half compared to the total film thickness with the conventional material TiO2. Through the simulation and several experimental trials, the total film thickness below 4 um was practicable and reasonable. The fabrication of the filters was employed a dual electric gun deposition system with ion assisted deposition after the lithography process. Repeating four times of lithography and deposition

Impact of deposition-rate fluctuations on thin-film thickness and uniformity

DOE PAGES

Oliver, Joli B.

2016-11-04

Variations in deposition rate are superimposed on a thin-film–deposition model with planetary rotation to determine the impact on film thickness. Variations in magnitude and frequency of the fluctuations relative to the speed of planetary revolution lead to thickness errors and uniformity variations up to 3%. Sufficiently rapid oscillations in the deposition rate have a negligible impact, while slow oscillations are found to be problematic, leading to changes in the nominal film thickness. Finally, superimposing noise as random fluctuations in the deposition rate has a negligible impact, confirming the importance of any underlying harmonic oscillations in deposition rate or source operation.

Magnetic and topographical modifications of amorphous Co-Fe thin films induced by high energy Ag7+ ion irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pookat, G.; Hysen, T.; Al-Harthi, S. H.; Al-Omari, I. A.; Lisha, R.; Avasthi, D. K.; Anantharaman, M. R.

2013-09-01

We have investigated the effects of swift heavy ion irradiation on thermally evaporated 44 nm thick, amorphous Co77Fe23 thin films on silicon substrates using 100 MeV Ag7+ ions fluences of 1 × 1011 ions/cm2, 1 × 1012 ions/cm2, 1 × 1013 ions/cm2, and 3 × 1013 ions/cm2. The structural modifications upon swift heavy irradiation were investigated using glancing angle X-ray diffraction. The surface morphological evolution of thin film with irradiation was studied using Atomic Force Microscopy. Power spectral density analysis was used to correlate the roughness variation with structural modifications investigated using X-ray diffraction. Magnetic measurements were carried out using vibrating sample magnetometry and the observed variation in coercivity of the irradiated films is explained on the basis of stress relaxation. Magnetic force microscopy images are subjected to analysis using the scanning probe image processor software. These results are in agreement with the results obtained using vibrating sample magnetometry. The magnetic and structural properties are correlated.

Thickness Limit for Alignment of Block Copolymer Films Using Solvent Vapor Annealing with Shear

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Chao; Cavicchi, Kevin A.; Li, Ruipeng

The swelling and deswelling of a cross-linked polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) pad adhered to a block copolymer (BCP) film during solvent vapor annealing (SVA) provides sufficient shear force to produce highly aligned domains over macroscopic dimensions in thin films. Here in this paper, we examine how far this alignment can propagate through the thickness of a BCP film to understand the limits for efficacy of the SVA-S (SVA with shear) process. Films of cylinder-forming polystyrene-block-polyisoprene-block-polystyrene (SIS) ranging from 100 nm to more than 100 μm are examined using the same processing conditions. The SIS surface in contact with the PDMS is alwaysmore » well-aligned, with Herman’s orientation parameter (S) exceeding 0.9 as determined from AFM micrographs, but the bottom surface in contact with the silicon wafer is not aligned for the thickest films. The average orientation through the film thickness was determined by transmission small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), with S decreasing gradually with increasing thickness for SIS films thinner than 24 μm, but S remains >0.8. S precipitously decreases for thicker films. A stop-etch-image approach allows the gradient in orientation through the thickness to be elucidated. The integration of this local orientation profile agrees with the average S obtained from SAXS. These results demonstrate the effective alignment of supported thick BCP films of order 10 μm, which could be useful for BCP coatings for optical applications.« less

Thickness Limit for Alignment of Block Copolymer Films Using Solvent Vapor Annealing with Shear

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Chao; Cavicchi, Kevin A.; Li, Ruipeng; ...

2018-05-23

The swelling and deswelling of a cross-linked polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) pad adhered to a block copolymer (BCP) film during solvent vapor annealing (SVA) provides sufficient shear force to produce highly aligned domains over macroscopic dimensions in thin films. Here in this paper, we examine how far this alignment can propagate through the thickness of a BCP film to understand the limits for efficacy of the SVA-S (SVA with shear) process. Films of cylinder-forming polystyrene-block-polyisoprene-block-polystyrene (SIS) ranging from 100 nm to more than 100 μm are examined using the same processing conditions. The SIS surface in contact with the PDMS is alwaysmore » well-aligned, with Herman’s orientation parameter (S) exceeding 0.9 as determined from AFM micrographs, but the bottom surface in contact with the silicon wafer is not aligned for the thickest films. The average orientation through the film thickness was determined by transmission small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), with S decreasing gradually with increasing thickness for SIS films thinner than 24 μm, but S remains >0.8. S precipitously decreases for thicker films. A stop-etch-image approach allows the gradient in orientation through the thickness to be elucidated. The integration of this local orientation profile agrees with the average S obtained from SAXS. These results demonstrate the effective alignment of supported thick BCP films of order 10 μm, which could be useful for BCP coatings for optical applications.« less

Semiconductor-metal graded-index composite thin films for infrared applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lamb, James L.; Nagendra, C. L.

1994-01-01

Theoretical/experimental studies have been carried out on germanium:silver (Ge:Ag) graded-index composite thin films which demonstrate that graded coatings, consisting of varied concentrations of Ag with respect to the Ge film thickness, exhibit different optical properties ranging from selective infrared (IR) reflectance to broadband IR absorptance. The graded coatings have been produced by dc magnetron cosputtering of Ge and Ag and the spectral properties are found to be stable against temperature. The coatings have been applied to an infrared tunnel sensor (micro-Golay cell) to improve the device performance.

Effects of the PPy layer thickness on Co-PPy composite films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haciismailoglu, Murside

2015-11-01

Co-PPy composite films were electrodeposited on ITO substrate from two different solutions potentiostatically. Firstly, the PPy layers with the thicknesses changing from 20 to 5000 nm were produced on ITO. Then Co was electrodeposited on these PPy/ITO substrates with a charge density of 1000 mC cm-2. The electrochemical properties were investigated by the current density-time transients and the variation of the elapsed time for the Co deposition depending on the PPy layer thickness. X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectra indicated the presence of both Co metal and its oxides on the surface. The weak reflections of the Co3O4, CoO and hcp Co were detected by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. According to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, the thickness of the PPy layer strongly affects the Co nucleation. The composite films with the PPy layer thinner than 200 nm and thicker than 2000 nm have an isotropic magnetic behavior due to the symmetrical crystal field. The composite films with the PPy layer thicknesses between 200 and 2000 nm have an anisotropic magnetic behavior attributable to the deterioration of this symmetrical crystal field by the PPy bubbles on the surface. All films are hard magnetic material, since the coercivities are larger than 125 Oe.

Cr2O3-modified ZnO thick film resistors as LPG sensors.

PubMed

Patil, D R; Patil, L A

2009-02-15

Thick films of pure ZnO were obtained by screen-printing technique. Surface functionalized ZnO thick films by Cr(2)O(3) were obtained by dipping pure ZnO thick films into 0.01M aqueous solution of chromium trioxide (CrO(3)). The dipped films were fired at 500 degrees C for 30 min. Upon firing, the CrO(3) would reduce to Cr(2)O(3). Cr(2)O(3)-activated (0.47 mass%) ZnO thick films resulted in LPG sensor. Upon exposure to 100 ppm LPG, the barrier height between Cr(2)O(3) and ZnO grains decreases markedly, leading to a drastic decrease in resistance. The sensor was found to sense LPG at 350 degrees C and no cross sensitivity was observed to other hazardous, polluting and inflammable gases. The quick response ( approximately 18s) and fast recovery ( approximately 42s) are the main features of this sensor. The effects of microstructures and dopant concentrations on the gas sensing performance of the sensor were studied and discussed.

Micro-Machined High-Frequency (80 MHz) PZT Thick Film Linear Arrays

PubMed Central

Zhou, Qifa; Wu, Dawei; Liu, Changgeng; Zhu, Benpeng; Djuth, Frank; Shung, K. Kirk

2010-01-01

This paper presents the development of a micro-machined high-frequency linear array using PZT piezoelectric thick films. The linear array has 32 elements with an element width of 24 μm and an element length of 4 mm. Array elements were fabricated by deep reactive ion etching of PZT thick films, which were prepared from spin-coating of PZT solgel composite. Detailed fabrication processes, especially PZT thick film etching conditions and a novel transferring-and-etching method, are presented and discussed. Array designs were evaluated by simulation. Experimental measurements show that the array had a center frequency of 80 MHz and a fractional bandwidth (−6 dB) of 60%. An insertion loss of −41 dB and adjacent element crosstalk of −21 dB were found at the center frequency. PMID:20889407

Determination of thin hydrodynamic lubricating film thickness using dichromatic interferometry.

PubMed

Guo, L; Wong, P L; Guo, F; Liu, H C

2014-09-10

This paper introduces the application of dichromatic interferometry for the study of hydrodynamic lubrication. In conventional methods, two beams with different colors are projected consecutively on a static object. By contrast, the current method deals with hydrodynamic lubricated contacts under running conditions and two lasers with different colors are projected simultaneously to form interference images. Dichromatic interferometry incorporates the advantages of monochromatic and chromatic interferometry, which are widely used in lubrication research. This new approach was evaluated statically and dynamically by measuring the inclination of static wedge films and the thickness of the hydrodynamic lubricating film under running conditions, respectively. Results show that dichromatic interferometry can facilitate real-time determination of lubricating film thickness and is well suited for the study of transient or dynamic lubricating problems.

Effect of deposition time of sputtering Ag-Cu thin film on mechanical and antimicrobial properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purniawan, A.; Hermastuti, R.; Purwaningsih, H.; Atmono, T. M.

2018-04-01

Metallic implants are important components in biomedical treatment. However, post-surgery infection often occurs after installation of implant. The infections are usually treated by antibiotics, but it still causes several secondary problems. As a prevention treatment, the surgical instruments and implants must be in a sterile condition. This action is still not optimal too because the material still can attract the bacteria. From material science point of view, it can be anticipated by developing a type of material which has antibacterial properties or called antimicrobial material. Silver (Ag) and Copper (Cu) have antimicrobial properties to prevent the infection. In this research, the influence of deposition time of Ag-Cu thin film deposition process as antimicrobial material with Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) RF Sputtering method was analyzed. Deposition time used were for 10, 15 and 20 minutes in Argon gas pressure around 3 x 10-2 mbar in during deposition process. The morphology and surface roughness of Ag-Cu thin film were characterized using SEM and AFM. Based on the results, the deposition time influences the quality morphology that the thin films have good homogeneity and complete structure for longer deposition time. In addition, from roughness measurement results show that increase deposition time decrease the roughness of thin film. Antimicrobial performance was analyzed using Kirby Bauer Test. The results show that all of sample have good antimicrobial inhibition. Adhesion quality was evaluated using Rockwell C Indentation Test. However, the results indicate that the Ag-Cu thin film has low adhesion strength.

Effect of Temperature on Film Thickness of Two Types of Commonly used Luting Cements.

PubMed

Kumar, M Praveen; Priyadarshini, Reddy; Kumar, Yasangi M; Priya, K Shanthi; Chunchuvyshnavi, Chunchuvyshnavi; Yerrapragada, Harika

2017-12-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of temperature change on film thickness of both types of cements. Totally, 60 samples were prepared with 10 in each subgroup, thus comprising 30 in each group. Materials tested were glass ionomer cement (GIC) type I and zinc phosphate type I. Samples were manipulated with manufacturer's instructions and tested according to American Dental Association (ADA) guidelines. The mean values of film thickness were recorded for both groups I and II. In intragroup comparison of group 1, subgroup III (26.560 ± 0.489 urn) was found to have the highest film thickness followed by subgroup II (24.182 ± 0.576 urn) and the lowest in subgroup I (20.209 ± 0.493 urn). In intragroup comparison of group II, the film thickness recorded in subgroup III (25.215 ± 0.661 urn) was the highest followed by subgroup II (21.471 ± 0.771 urn) and the least in subgroup I (17.951 ± 0.654 urn; p < 0.01). In intergroup comparison of groups I and II, group II (21.545 ± 0.841) was found to have less film thickness than group I (23.650 ± 0.271). The results were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.01). Both zinc phosphate and GICs can be used satisfactorily for luting purpose. The temperature fluctuations have a direct influence on the film thickness. Zinc phosphate has less film thickness than GIC. Zinc phosphate should be preferred over GIC in clinical practice, and more stress should be given in mechanical preparation of crowns for better retentive quality of prosthesis.

Preparation of AgInSe2 thin films grown by vacuum evaporation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsuo, H.; Yoshino, K.; Ikari, T.

2006-09-01

Polycrystalline AgInSe2 thin films were successfully grown on glass substrates by an evaporation method. The starting materials were stoichiometrically mixed Ag2Se and In2Se3 powders. X-ray diffraction revealed that the sample annealed at 600 °C consisted of AgInSe2 single phase, with (112) orientation and a large grain size. The lattice constant (a axis) was close to JCPDS values. From optical transmittance and reflectance measurements, the bandgap energy was estimated to be 1.17 eV.

In vivo tear film thickness measurement and tear film dynamics visualization using spectral domain OCT and an efficient delay estimator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aranha dos Santos, Valentin; Schmetterer, Leopold; Gröschl, Martin; Garhofer, Gerhard; Werkmeister, René M.

2016-03-01

Dry eye syndrome is a highly prevalent disease of the ocular surface characterized by an instability of the tear film. Traditional methods used for the evaluation of tear film stability are invasive or show limited repeatability. Here we propose a new noninvasive approach to measure tear film thickness using an efficient delay estimator and ultrahigh resolution spectral domain OCT. Silicon wafer phantoms with layers of known thickness and group index were used to validate the estimator-based thickness measurement. A theoretical analysis of the fundamental limit of the precision of the estimator is presented and the analytical expression of the Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRLB), which is the minimum variance that may be achieved by any unbiased estimator, is derived. The performance of the estimator against noise was investigated using simulations. We found that the proposed estimator reaches the CRLB associated with the OCT amplitude signal. The technique was applied in vivo in healthy subjects and dry eye patients. Series of tear film thickness maps were generated, allowing for the visualization of tear film dynamics. Our results show that the central tear film thickness precisely measured in vivo with a coefficient of variation of about 0.65% and that repeatable tear film dynamics can be observed. The presented method has the potential of being an alternative to breakup time measurements (BUT) and could be used in clinical setting to study patients with dry eye disease and monitor their treatments.

Thickness driven spin reorientation transition of epitaxial LaCrO3 films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Junho; Kim, Dong-Hwan; Lee, Doopyo; Ko, Kyung-Tae; Hyun Song, Jong; Kim, Jae-Young; Koo, Tae-Yeong; Lee, Seung Ran; Park, Jae-Hoon

2018-03-01

We grew fully strained epitaxial LaCrO3 (LCO) films on SrTiO3(001) under layer-by-layer control up to the film thickness of t = 130 nm using a pulsed laser deposition method. The spin axis of the antiferromagnetic LCO film was systematically examined as a function of t by using Cr L2,3-edge x-ray magnetic linear dichroism (XMLD). The XMLD results manifest a spin reorientation transition (SRT) across a transition thickness of tT ˜ 60 nm. This SRT is well explained in terms of two competing magnetic anisotropy energies of the surface/interface (KS) and the LCO film itself (KV).

Computational method for determining n and k for a thin film from the measured reflectance, transmittance, and film thickness.

PubMed

Bennett, J M; Booty, M J

1966-01-01

A computational method of determining n and k for an evaporated film from the measured reflectance, transmittance, and film thickness has been programmed for an IBM 7094 computer. The method consists of modifications to the NOTS multilayer film program. The basic program computes normal incidence reflectance, transmittance, phase change on reflection, and other parameters from the optical constants and thicknesses of all materials. In the modification, n and k for the film are varied in a prescribed manner, and the computer picks from among these values one n and one k which yield reflectance and transmittance values almost equalling the measured values. Results are given for films of silicon and aluminum.

Chitosan nanocomposite films based on Ag-NP and Au-NP biosynthesis by Bacillus Subtilis as packaging materials.

PubMed

Youssef, Ahmed M; Abdel-Aziz, Mohamed S; El-Sayed, Samah M

2014-08-01

Chitosan-silver (CS-Ag) and Chitosan-gold (CS-Au) nanocomposites films were synthesized by a simple chemical method. A local bacterial isolate identified as Bacillus subtilis ss subtilis was found to be capable to synthesize both silver nanoparticles (Ag-NP) and gold nanoparticles (Au-NP) from silver nitrate (AgNO3) and chloroauric acid (AuCl(4-)) solutions, respectively. The biosynthesis of both Ag-NP and Au-NP characterize using UV/vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), and then added to chitosan by different ratios (0.5, 1 and 2%). The prepared chitosan nanocomposites films were characterize using UV, XRD, SEM and TEM. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of the prepared films was evaluated against gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aerugenosa), fungi (Aspergillus niger) and yeast (Candida albicans). Therefore, these materials can be potential used as antimicrobial agents in packaging applications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Low-temperature technique for thick film resist stabilization and curing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minter, Jason P.; Wong, Selmer S.; Marlowe, Trey; Ross, Matthew F.; Narcy, Mark E.; Livesay, William R.

1999-06-01

For a range of thick film photoresist applications, including MeV ion implant processing, thin film head manufacturing, and microelectromechanical systems processing, there is a need for a low-temperature method for resist stabilization and curing. Traditional methods of stabilizing or curing resist films have relied on thermal cycling, which may not be desirable due to device temperature limitations or thermally-induced distortion of the resist features.

Optical properties of ordered ZnO/Ag thin films on polystyrene spheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiu; Chen, Xiuyan; Xin, Zhiqing; Li, Luhai; Xu, Yanfang

2017-08-01

A thorough research of the optical properties of ZnO/Ag structures sputtered by RF on PS colloidal crystal molds with different diameters is reported. The influences of the period of the substrates on the performance of ZnO thin films were studied. The results of scanning electron microscopic, X-ray diffraction patterns and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy indicated that the ZnO/Ag thin films were well-covering on PS colloidal crystal molds. The diameter of the polystyrene particles significantly influenced the PL spectrum intensity of ZnO/Ag by affecting the interferences of light. After adding PS colloidal crystal molds with different diameters, all the samples show two luminescent regions, namely a strong, narrow UV emission peak and a wide, weak visible emission band. However, the signal of UV emission increases more significantly. In particular, the maximum enhancement occurs when the diameter is 300 nm. This work proposes an effective way to improve ZnO light emission based on a simple, rapid and cost effective method to fabricate ordered periodic substrates by preparing single layer polystyrene microspheres masks.

Annealing Effects on Structure and Optical Properties of Diamond-Like Carbon Films Containing Silver.

PubMed

Meškinis, Šarūnas; Čiegis, Arvydas; Vasiliauskas, Andrius; Šlapikas, Kęstutis; Gudaitis, Rimantas; Yaremchuk, Iryna; Fitio, Volodymyr; Bobitski, Yaroslav; Tamulevičius, Sigitas

2016-12-01

In the present study, diamond-like carbon films with embedded Ag nanoparticles (DLC:Ag) were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering. Structure of the films was investigated by Raman scattering spectroscopy. Atomic force microscopy was used to define thickness of DLC:Ag films as well as to study the surface morphology and size distribution of Ag nanoparticles. Optical absorbance and reflectance spectra of the films were studied in the 180-1100-nm range. Air annealing effects on structure and optical properties of the DLC:Ag were investigated. Annealing temperatures were varied in the 180-400 °C range. Changes of size and shape of the Ag nanoclusters took place due to agglomeration. It was found that air annealing of DLC:Ag films can result in graphitization following destruction of the DLC matrix. Additional activation of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect in DLC:Ag films can be achieved by properly selecting annealing conditions. Annealing resulted in blueshift as well as significant narrowing of the plasmonic absorbance and reflectance peaks. Moreover, quadrupole surface plasmon resonance peaks appeared. Modeling of absorption spectra of the nanoclusters depending on the shape and surrounding media has been carried out.

Annealing Effects on Structure and Optical Properties of Diamond-Like Carbon Films Containing Silver

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meškinis, Šarūnas; Čiegis, Arvydas; Vasiliauskas, Andrius; Šlapikas, Kęstutis; Gudaitis, Rimantas; Yaremchuk, Iryna; Fitio, Volodymyr; Bobitski, Yaroslav; Tamulevičius, Sigitas

2016-03-01

In the present study, diamond-like carbon films with embedded Ag nanoparticles (DLC:Ag) were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering. Structure of the films was investigated by Raman scattering spectroscopy. Atomic force microscopy was used to define thickness of DLC:Ag films as well as to study the surface morphology and size distribution of Ag nanoparticles. Optical absorbance and reflectance spectra of the films were studied in the 180-1100-nm range. Air annealing effects on structure and optical properties of the DLC:Ag were investigated. Annealing temperatures were varied in the 180-400 °C range. Changes of size and shape of the Ag nanoclusters took place due to agglomeration. It was found that air annealing of DLC:Ag films can result in graphitization following destruction of the DLC matrix. Additional activation of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect in DLC:Ag films can be achieved by properly selecting annealing conditions. Annealing resulted in blueshift as well as significant narrowing of the plasmonic absorbance and reflectance peaks. Moreover, quadrupole surface plasmon resonance peaks appeared. Modeling of absorption spectra of the nanoclusters depending on the shape and surrounding media has been carried out.

Optical Thin Film Thickness Measurement for the Single Atom Microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, Courtney; Frisbie, Dustin; Singh, Jaideep; Spinlab Team

2017-09-01

The Single Atom Microscope Project proposes an efficient, selective, and sensitive method to measure the 1022Ne+24 He ->1225 Mg + n reaction. This rare nuclear reaction is a source of neutrons for heavy element development through the slow neutron capture process. This method embeds Magnesium atoms in a solid neon film. The Magnesium atoms exhibit a shifted fluorescence spectrum allowing for the detection of individual fluorescence photons against the excitation light background. Currently, Ytterbium is used in place of Magnesium-25 because it has been more thoroughly studied than Magnesium and we expect it to have a brighter signal. To identify the signal emitted from the Ytterbium atoms, we need to quantify the amount of signal and background per atom in the neon film. We need to know the film thickness to find the number of atoms in the film to determine the amount of light emitted per atom. In preparation for the neon film measurement, I constructed an experiment to advance the understanding of what is required to optically measure a thin film by using a cover glass slide in place of the thin film. This preliminary experiment has determined a measurement method for finding the thickness of a neon thin film on a sapphire substrate. This work is supported by Michigan State University, U.S. National Science Foundation under Grant Number 1654610, and U.S. NSF REU.

Ag-Cu nanoalloyed film as a high-performance cathode electrocatalytic material for zinc-air battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lei, Yimin; Chen, Fuyi; Jin, Yachao; Liu, Zongwen

2015-04-01

A novel Ag50Cu50 film electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method. The electrocatalyst actually is Ag-Cu alloyed nanoparticles embedded in amorphous Cu film, based on transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterization. The rotating disk electrode (RDE) measurements provide evidence that the ORR proceed via a four-electron pathway on the electrocatalysts in alkaline solution. And it is much more efficient than pure Ag catalyst. The catalytic layer has maximum power density of 67 mW cm-2 and an acceptable cell voltage at 0.863 V when current densities increased up to 100 mA cm-2 in the Ag50Cu50-based primary zinc-air battery. The resulting rechargeable zinc-air battery exhibits low charge-discharge voltage polarization of 1.1 V at 20 mAcm-2 and high durability over 100 cycles in natural air.

Fabrication of large diffractive optical elements in thick film on a concave lens surface.

PubMed

Xie, Yongjun; Lu, Zhenwu; Li, Fengyou

2003-05-05

We demonstrate experimentally the technique of fabricating large diffractive optical elements (DOEs) in thick film on a concave lens surface (mirrors) with precise alignment by using the strategy of double exposure. We adopt the method of double exposure to overcome the difficulty of processing thick photoresist on a large curved substrate. A uniform thick film with arbitrary thickness on a concave lens can be obtained with this technique. We fabricate a large concentric circular grating with a 10-ìm period on a concave lens surface in film with a thickness of 2.0 ìm after development. It is believed that this technique can also be used to fabricate larger DOEs in thicker film on the concave or convex lens surface with precise alignment. There are other potential applications of this technique, such as fabrication of micro-optoelectromechanical systems (MOEMS) or microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and fabrication of microlens arrays on a large concave lens surface or convex lens surface with precise alignment.

Study of thickness dependent sputtering in gold thin films by swift heavy ion irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dash, P.; Sahoo, P. K.; Solanki, V.; Singh, U. B.; Avasthi, D. K.; Mishra, N. C.

2015-12-01

Gold thin films of varying thickness (10-100 nm) grown on silica substrates by e-beam evaporation method were irradiated by 120 MeV Au ions at 3 × 1012 and 1 × 1013 ions cm-2 fluences. Irradiation induced modifications of these films were probed by glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GAXRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Irradiation didn't affect the structure, the lattice parameter or the crystallite size, but modified the texturing of grains from [1 1 1] to [2 2 0]. RBS indicated thickness dependent sputtering on irradiation. The sputtering yield was found to decrease with increasing thickness. AFM indicated increase of roughness with increasing irradiation fluence for films of all thickness. In agreement with the AFM observation, the gold nanostructures on the surface of 20 nm thick film were found to increase the SERS signal of acridine orange dye attached to these structures. The SERS peaks were amplified by many fold with increasing ion fluence. The effect of 120 MeV Au ion irradiation on the grain texture, surface morphology and SERS activity in addition to the thickness dependent sputtering in gold thin films are explained by the thermal spike model of ion-matter interaction.

Improvement in surface conditions of electroplated Fe-Pt thick-film magnets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanai, T.; Honda, J.; Hamamura, R.; Omagari, Y.; Yamada, H.; Fujita, N.; Takashima, K.; Nakano, M.; Fukunaga, H.

2018-05-01

Fe-Pt thick-films were electroplated on Ta, Ti, Co, Ni, and Cu plates (substrates) using a direct current, and the surface morphology, the magnetic properties, and the crystal structure of the films were evaluated. The films plated on the Co, Ni, and Cu substrates showed much smooth surface compared with those for the Ta and Ti ones, and we confirmed that the Cu plate was the most attractive substrate due to very small cracks after an annealing for L10 ordering. High coercivity (>800 kA/m) for the Cu substrate is almost the same as that for our previous study in which we employed the Ta substrate, and we found that the Cu plate is a hopeful substrate to improve the surface conditions of electroplated Fe-Pt thick-film magnets.

Effect of Board Thickness on Sn-Ag-Cu Joint Interconnect Mechanical Shock Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Tae-Kyu; Xie, Weidong

2014-12-01

The mechanical stability of solder joints with Sn-Ag-Cu alloy joints on various board thicknesses was investigated with a high G level shock environment. A test vehicle with three different board thicknesses was used for board drop shock performance tests. These vehicles have three different strain and shock level condition couples per board, and are used to identify the joint stability and failure modes based on the board responses. The results revealed that joint stability is sensitive to board thickness. The board drop shock test showed that the first failure location shifts from the corner location near the standoff to the center with increased board thickness due to the shock wave response. From analysis of the thickness variation and failure cycle number, the strain rate during the pulse strain cycle is the dominant factor, which defines the life cycle number per board thickness, and not the maximum strain value. The failure location shift and the shock performance differentiation are discussed from the perspective of maximum principal strain, cycle frequency and strain rate per cycle.

Discrete component bonding and thick film materials study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kinser, D. L.

1975-01-01

The results are summarized of an investigation of discrete component bonding reliability and a fundamental study of new thick film resistor materials. The component bonding study examined several types of solder bonded components with some processing variable studies to determine their influence upon bonding reliability. The bonding reliability was assessed using the thermal cycle: 15 minutes at room temperature, 15 minutes at +125 C 15 minutes at room temperature, and 15 minutes at -55 C. The thick film resistor materials examined were of the transition metal oxide-phosphate glass family with several elemental metal additions of the same transition metal. These studies were conducted by preparing a paste of the subject composition, printing, drying, and firing using both air and reducing atmospheres. The resulting resistors were examined for adherence, resistance, thermal coefficient of resistance, and voltage coefficient of resistance.

An enhancement of photoluminescence property of Ag doped La2O3 thin films at room temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jbeli, R.; Boukhachem, A.; Ben Jemaa, I.; Mahdhi, N.; Saadallah, F.; Elhouichet, H.; Alleg, S.; Amlouk, M.; Ezzaouïa, H.

2017-09-01

Metal transition doped oxide thin films or nanocomposites have recently emerged at the forefront of potentials research. With the focus mainly on efficiency, the aspect of stability against optical irradiation of such materials has so far not been thoroughly addressed. This work covers the synthesis of silver doped lanthanum oxide thin films (La2O3:Ag) which have been prepared by the spray pyrolysis technique on glass substrates at 460 °C. Then, Ag thin films were grown on lanthanum oxide thin films by thermal evaporation. The present work aims to reach the synthesis of La2O3:Ag thin films using both the spray pyrolysis and thermal evaporation techniques. First, X-ray diffraction analysis shows that undoped and Ag doped films crystallize in a mixture of hexagonal and cubic phase with crystallites oriented along (001) direction. Raman spectroscopy shows the bands positions corresponding to hexagonal and cubic phases. On the other hand, an attempt regarding their optical properties has been carried out by means of photoluminescence measurements. Second, from electrical conductivity measurements, the activation energy decreases from 1.42 to 1.09 eV with the increase of annealing time and the charge carriers are following the CBH model as dominant charge transport mechanism. Finally, the annealing time influences the surface wettability property and transforms La2O3 character from hydrophobic (θ > 90°) to hydrophilic (θ < 90°).

An enhancement of photoluminescence property of Ag doped La2O3 thin films at room temperature.

PubMed

Jbeli, R; Boukhachem, A; Ben Jemaa, I; Mahdhi, N; Saadallah, F; Elhouichet, H; Alleg, S; Amlouk, M; Ezzaouïa, H

2017-09-05

Metal transition doped oxide thin films or nanocomposites have recently emerged at the forefront of potentials research. With the focus mainly on efficiency, the aspect of stability against optical irradiation of such materials has so far not been thoroughly addressed. This work covers the synthesis of silver doped lanthanum oxide thin films (La 2 O 3 :Ag) which have been prepared by the spray pyrolysis technique on glass substrates at 460°C. Then, Ag thin films were grown on lanthanum oxide thin films by thermal evaporation. The present work aims to reach the synthesis of La 2 O 3 :Ag thin films using both the spray pyrolysis and thermal evaporation techniques. First, X-ray diffraction analysis shows that undoped and Ag doped films crystallize in a mixture of hexagonal and cubic phase with crystallites oriented along (001) direction. Raman spectroscopy shows the bands positions corresponding to hexagonal and cubic phases. On the other hand, an attempt regarding their optical properties has been carried out by means of photoluminescence measurements. Second, from electrical conductivity measurements, the activation energy decreases from 1.42 to 1.09eV with the increase of annealing time and the charge carriers are following the CBH model as dominant charge transport mechanism. Finally, the annealing time influences the surface wettability property and transforms La 2 O 3 character from hydrophobic (θ>90°) to hydrophilic (θ<90°). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Relation between film thickness and surface doping of MoS2 based field effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lockhart de la Rosa, César J.; Arutchelvan, Goutham; Leonhardt, Alessandra; Huyghebaert, Cedric; Radu, Iuliana; Heyns, Marc; De Gendt, Stefan

2018-05-01

Ultra-thin MoS2 film doping through surface functionalization with physically adsorbed species is of great interest due to its ability to dope the film without reduction in the carrier mobility. However, there is a need for understanding how the thickness of the MoS2 film is related to the induced surface doping for improved electrical performance. In this work, we report on the relation of MoS2 film thickness with the doping effect induced by the n-dopant adsorbate poly(vinyl-alcohol). Field effect transistors built using MoS2 films of different thicknesses were electrically characterized, and it was observed that the ION/OFF ratio after doping in thin films is more than four orders of magnitudes greater when compared with thick films. Additionally, a semi-classical model tuned with the experimental devices was used to understand the spatial distribution of charge in the channel and explain the observed behavior. From the simulation results, it was revealed that the two-dimensional carrier density induced by the adsorbate is distributed rather uniformly along the complete channel for thin films (<5.2 nm) contrary to what happens for thicker films.

Film thickness measurement for spiral groove and Rayleigh step lift pad self-acting face seals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dirusso, E.

1982-01-01

One Rayleigh step lift pad and three spiral groove self-acting face seal configurations were tested to measure film thickness and frictional torque as a function of shaft speed. The seals were tested at a constant face load of 73 N (16.4 lb) with ambient air at room temperature and atmospheric pressure as the fluid medium. The test speed range was from 7000 to 17,000 rpm. The measured film thickness was compared with theoretical data from mathematical models. The mathematical models overpredicted the measured film thickness at the lower speeds of the test speed range and underpredicted the measured film thickness at the higher speeds of the test speed range.

Minimum film thickness in elliptical contacts for different regimes of fluid-film lubrication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamrock, B. J.; Dowson, D.

1978-01-01

The film-parameter equations are provided for four fluid-film lubrication regimes found in elliptical contacts. These regimes are isoviscous-rigid; viscous-rigid; elastohydrodynamic of low-elastic-modulus materials, or isoviscous-elastic; and elastohydrodynamic, or viscous-elastic. The influence or lack of influence of elastic and viscous effects is the factor that distinguishes these regimes. The film-parameter equations for the respective regimes come from earlier theoretical studies by the authors on elastohydrodynamic and hydrodynamic lubrication of elliptical conjunctions. These equations are restated and the results are presented as a map of the lubrication regimes, with film-thickness contours on a log-log grid of the viscosity and elasticity parameters for five values of the ellipticity parameter. The results present a complete theoretical film-parameter solution for elliptical contacts in the four lubrication regimes.

Quantitative determination of melamine in milk using Ag nanoparticle monolayer film as SERS substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ruoping; Yang, Jingliang; Han, Junhe; Liu, Junhui; Huang, Mingju

2017-04-01

A Raman method employing silver nanoparticle (Ag NP) monolayer film as Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) substrate was presented to rapidly detect melamine in milk. The Ag NPs with 80 nm diameter were modified by polyvinylpyrrolidone to improve their uniformity and chemical stability. The treatment procedure of liquid milk required only addition of acetic acid and centrifugation, and required time is less than 15 min. The Ag NP monolayer film significantly enhanced Raman signal from melamine and allowed experimentally reproducible determination of the melamine concentration. A good linear relationship (R2=0.994) between the concentration and Raman peak intensity of melamine at 681 cm-1 was obtained for melamine concentrations between 0.10 mg L-1 and 5.00 mg L-1. This implies that this method can detect melamine concentrations below 1.0 mg L-1, the concentration currently considered unsafe.

Improved diode performance of Ag nanoparticle dispersed Er doped In2O3 film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Anupam; Dwivedi, Shyam Murli Manohar Dhar; Chakrabartty, Shubhro; Mondal, Aniruddha

2018-04-01

Ag nanoparticle(NP) dispersedEr doped In2O3 film was prepared by sol-gel method followed by thermal evaporation cum glancing angle deposition technique. The Schottky contact based devicecontaining Ag NPs shows ideality factor of ˜180 at 10 K and ˜5 at 300 K, which is lesser as compared to the device that does not contain Ag NPs. The lower ideality factor value all over the temperature range makes the diode more reliable.

Unidirectional magnetoresistance in magnetic thin films with non-uniform thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, M. W.; Zhou, C.; Zeng, F. L.; Wu, Y. Z.

2018-05-01

The magnetoresistance (MR) of Co film and Co/Pt bilayers was studied systematically as a function of Co and Pt thickness at room temperature. In the samples with the wedge shape, we found the unidirectional MR which has the characteristics of R (Mz )≠R (-Mz ) with the magnetization normal to the film. The measured unidirectional MR is attributed to the differential anomalous Hall resistance due to the thickness difference at the electrodes for the longitudinal resistance measurements. The unidirectional MR effect in the Co/Pt bilayers can be greatly suppressed by a non-magnetic Cu inserting layer.

Synthesis and characterization of Zn(O,OH)S and AgInS2 layers to be used in thin film solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vallejo, W.; Arredondo, C. A.; Gordillo, G.

2010-11-01

In this paper AgInS2 and Zn(O,OH)S thin films were synthesized and characterized. AgInS2 layers were grown by co-evaporation from metal precursors in a two-step process, and, Zn(O,OH)S thin films were deposited from chemical bath containing thiourea, zinc acetate, sodium citrate and ammonia. X-ray diffraction measurements indicated that AgInS2 thin films grown with chalcopyrite structure, and the as-grown Zn(O,OH)S thin films were polycrystalline. It was also found that the AgInS2 films presented p-type conductivity, a high absorption coefficient (greater than 104 cm-1) and energy band-gap Eg of about 1.95 eV, Zn(O,OH),S thin films presented Eg of about 3.89 eV. Morphological analysis showed that under this synthesis conditions Zn(O,OH),S thin films coated uniformly the absorber layer. Additionally, the Zn(O,OH)S kinetic growth on AgInS2 layer was studied also. Finally, the results suggest that these layers possibly could be used in one-junction solar cells and/or as top cell in a tandem solar cell.

Effects of artificially produced defects on film thickness distribution in sliding EHD point contacts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cusano, C.; Wedeven, L. D.

1981-01-01

The effects of artificially produced dents and grooves on the elastohydrodynamic (EHD) film thickness profile in a sliding point contact were investigated by means of optical interferometry. The defects, formed on the surface of a highly polished ball, were held stationary at various locations within and in the vicinity of the contact region while the disk was rotating. It is shown that the defects, having a geometry similar to what can be expected in practice, can dramatically change the film thickness which exists when no defects are present in or near the contact. This change in film thickness is mainly a function of the position of the defects in the inlet region, the geometry of the defects, the orientation of the defects in the case of grooves, and the depth of the defect relative to the central film thickness.

Quantum transition and decoherence of levitating polaron on helium film thickness under an electromagnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kenfack, S. C.; Fotue, A. J.; Fobasso, M. F. C.; Djomou, J.-R. D.; Tiotsop, M.; Ngouana, K. S. L.; Fai, L. C.

2017-12-01

We have studied the transition probability and decoherence time of levitating polaron in helium film thickness. By using a variational method of Pekar type, the ground and the first excited states of polaron are calculated above the liquid-helium film placed on the polar substrate. It is shown that the polaron transits from the ground to the excited state in the presence of an external electromagnetic field in the plane. We have seen that, in the helium film, the effects of the magnetic and electric fields on the polaron are opposite. It is also shown that the energy, transition probability and decoherence time of the polaron depend sensitively on the helium film thickness. We found that decoherence time decreases as a function of increasing electron-phonon coupling strength and the helium film thickness. It is seen that the film thickness can be considered as a new confinement in our system and can be adjusted in order to reduce decoherence.

Method and system using power modulation and velocity modulation producing sputtered thin films with sub-angstrom thickness uniformity or custom thickness gradients

DOEpatents

Montcalm, Claude [Livermore, CA; Folta, James Allen [Livermore, CA; Walton, Christopher Charles [Berkeley, CA

2003-12-23

A method and system for determining a source flux modulation recipe for achieving a selected thickness profile of a film to be deposited (e.g., with highly uniform or highly accurate custom graded thickness) over a flat or curved substrate (such as concave or convex optics) by exposing the substrate to a vapor deposition source operated with time-varying flux distribution as a function of time. Preferably, the source is operated with time-varying power applied thereto during each sweep of the substrate to achieve the time-varying flux distribution as a function of time. Preferably, the method includes the steps of measuring the source flux distribution (using a test piece held stationary while exposed to the source with the source operated at each of a number of different applied power levels), calculating a set of predicted film thickness profiles, each film thickness profile assuming the measured flux distribution and a different one of a set of source flux modulation recipes, and determining from the predicted film thickness profiles a source flux modulation recipe which is adequate to achieve a predetermined thickness profile. Aspects of the invention include a computer-implemented method employing a graphical user interface to facilitate convenient selection of an optimal or nearly optimal source flux modulation recipe to achieve a desired thickness profile on a substrate. The method enables precise modulation of the deposition flux to which a substrate is exposed to provide a desired coating thickness distribution.

[The diagnosis of malaria by the thick film and the QBC: a comparative study of both technics].

PubMed

Cabezos, J; Bada, J L

1993-06-12

The diagnosis of paludism is important because of the severity of the clinical picture caused by Plasmodium falciparum, the increasing number of travellers to endemic zones and the emigration from these zones. A comparative study of the QBC techniques (staining with acridin orange and observation with ultraviolet light) and the thick film with Giemsa staining was carried out. The QBC and thick film were performed parallelly for 17 months in a total of 623 samples pertaining to subjects from endemic zones of paludism (emigrants, immigrants and travellers). Of the 623 samples studied 49 were positive for paludism by both techniques. Ten were positive with only the thick film and six were positive only with QBC. The sensitivity of QBC versus thick film was 83% and specificity 98.9%. The time used to determine diagnosis with the QBC technique ranged from 6 to 12 minutes from withdrawal of the sample, while with the thick film the time spent was more than 2 hours. The cases positive by thick film and negative with QBC corresponded to patients with very low parasitation. The intensity of parasitation was difficult to determine quantitatively by QBC. Although the QBC technique has the advantage of speed it is inexact with respect to the quantification of parasitemia. Moreover, it is less sensitive than the thick film in patient with very low parasitations and cannot thus substitute the thick film.

Effects of particle size distribution in thick film conductors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vest, R. W.

1983-01-01

Studies of particle size distribution in thick film conductors are discussed. The distribution of particle sizes does have an effect on fired film density but the effect is not always positive. A proper distribution of sizes is necessary, and while the theoretical models can serve as guides to selecting this proper distribution, improved densities can be achieved by empirical variations from the predictions of the models.

Method for rapid, controllable growth and thickness, of epitaxial silicon films

DOEpatents

Wang, Qi [Littleton, CO; Stradins, Paul [Golden, CO; Teplin, Charles [Boulder, CO; Branz, Howard M [Boulder, CO

2009-10-13

A method of producing epitaxial silicon films on a c-Si wafer substrate using hot wire chemical vapor deposition by controlling the rate of silicon deposition in a temperature range that spans the transition from a monohydride to a hydrogen free silicon surface in a vacuum, to obtain phase-pure epitaxial silicon film of increased thickness is disclosed. The method includes placing a c-Si substrate in a HWCVD reactor chamber. The method also includes supplying a gas containing silicon at a sufficient rate into the reaction chamber to interact with the substrate to deposit a layer containing silicon thereon at a predefined growth rate to obtain phase-pure epitaxial silicon film of increased thickness.

The thickness effect of pre-deposited catalyst film on carbon nanotube growth by chemical vapor deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Y. Y.; Eres, Gyula; Lowndes, Douglas H.

2001-03-01

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of multi wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was realized on a substrate with a layer of iron film used as a catalyst. The catalyst film was pre-deposited in an electron-gun evaporator equipped with a movable shutter which partially blocks the beam during the evaporation process to produce a catalyst film with a continuously changing thickness from 0 to 60 nm. This technique creates a growth environment in which the film thickness is the only variable and eliminates sample-to-sample variations, enabling a systematic study of the thickness effect of the catalyst film on CNT growth. After the deposition of the catalyst film, the sample was immediately transferred into a CVD chamber where CNT growth was performed. Using Acetylene (C_2H_2) as a carbon-source gas, at the substrate temperature of around 700^oC, MWCNTs preferentially grow as a dense mat on the thin regions of the catalyst film. Moreover, beyond a certain critical film thickness no tubes were observed. The critical film thickness for CNT growth was found to increase with substrate temperature from 640^oC to 800^oC. There appears to be no strong correlation between the film thickness and the diameter of the tubes. At the substrate temperature of over 900^oC, the deposited carbon formed graphite sheets surrounding the catalyst particles and no CNTs were observed. A plot of the critical thickness of the catalyst film where CNTs start to grow as a function of the substrate temperature has obtained, which can be served as a reference for selecting the growth parameter in MWCNT growth. The significance of these experimental trends is discussed within the framework of the diffusion model for MWCNT growth.

Influence of substrate and film thickness on polymer LIPSS formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Jing; Nogales, Aurora; Ezquerra, Tiberio A.; Rebollar, Esther

2017-02-01

Here we focus on the influence of both, substrate and film thickness on polymer Laser Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS) formation in polymer films. For this aim a morphological description of ripples structures generated on spin-coated polystyrene (PS) films by a linearly polarized laser beam with a wavelength of 266 nm is presented. The influence of different parameters on the quality and characteristics of the formed laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) was investigated. We found that well-ordered LIPSS are formed either on PS films thinner than 200 nm or thicker than 400 nm supported on silicon substrates as well as on thicker free standing films. However less-ordered ripples are formed on silicon supported films with intermediate thicknesses in the range of 200-380 nm. The effect of the thermal and optical properties of the substrate on the quality of LIPSS was analyzed. Differences observed in the fluence and number of pulses needed for the onset of surface morphological modifications is explained considering two main effects which are: (1) The temperature increase on polymer surface induced by the action of cumulative laser irradiation and (2) The differences in thermal conductivity between the polymer and the substrate which strongly affect the heat dissipation generated by irradiation.

Thickness dependent structural, optical and electrical properties of Se85In12Bi3 nanochalcogenide thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tripathi, Ravi P.; Zulfequar, M.; Khan, Shamshad A.

2018-04-01

Our aim is to study the thickness dependent effects on structure, electrical and optical properties of Se85In12Bi3 nanochalcogenide thin films. Bulk alloy of Se85In12Bi3 was synthesized by melt-quenching technique. The amorphous as well as glassy nature of Se85In12Bi3 chalcogenide was confirmed by non-isothermal Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) measurements. The nanochalcogenide thin films of thickness 30, 60 and 90 nm were prepared on glass/Si wafer substrate using Physical Vapour Condensation Technique (PVCT). From XRD studies it was found that thin films have amorphous texture. The surface morphology and particle size of films were studied by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM). From optical studies, different optical parameters were estimated for Se85In12Bi3 thin films at different thickness. It was found that the absorption coefficient (α) and extinction coefficient (k) increases with photon energy and decreases with film thickness. The optical absorption process followed the rule of indirect transitions and optical band gap were found to be increase with film thickness. The value of Urbach energy (Et) and steepness parameter (σ) were also calculated for different film thickness. For electrical studies, dc-conductivity measurement was done at different temperature and activation energy (ΔEc) were determined and found to be increase with film thickness.

Film Thickness Allowance and Waveguide Length in 3-Layer Unidirectional Magneto-Optical TE-TM Mode Converter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abe, Masanori; Nakagawa, Hidenobu; Gomi, Manabu; Nomura, Shoichiro

1982-01-01

The film thickness allowance and the waveguide length in a 3-layer (substrate/film/air) magneto-optical unidirectional TE-TM mode converter which utilizes the intrinsic birefringence in an anisotropic material are calculated at λ0{=}1.55 μm. The film material should be gyrotropic in order to make the waveguide length short, and the film thickness allowance is relaxed by reducing the ratio of the dielectric constant of the film to that of the substrate. When the waveguide is made of an isotropic gyrotropic film of YIG deposited on an anisotropic substrate (which may be gyrotropic or not), the restriction on the film thickness can in practice be removed, but this requires precise control of the dielectric constant of the film and the substrate instead.

Work function and quantum efficiency study of metal oxide thin films on Ag(100)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, V.; Noakes, T. C. Q.; Harrison, N. M.

2018-04-01

Increasing the quantum efficiency (QE) of metal photocathodes is in the design and development of photocathodes for free-electron laser applications. The growth of metal oxide thin films on certain metal surfaces has previously been shown to reduce the work function (WF). Using a photoemission model B. Camino et al. [Comput. Mater. Sci. 122, 331 (2016), 10.1016/j.commatsci.2016.05.025] based on the three-step model combined with density functional theory calculations we predict that the growth of a finite number of MgO(100) or BaO(100) layers on the Ag(100) surface increases significantly the QE compared with the clean Ag(100) surface for a photon energy of 4.7 eV. Different mechanisms for affecting the QE are identified for the different metal oxide thin films. The addition of MgO(100) increases the QE due to the reduction of the WF and the direct excitation of electrons from the Ag surface to the MgO conduction band. For BaO(100) thin films, an additional mechanism is in operation as the oxide film also photoemits at this energy. We also note that a significant increase in the QE for photons with an energy of a few eV above the WF is achieved due to an increase in the inelastic mean-free path of the electrons.

Intermetallic Compounds Formed in Sn-20In-2.8Ag Solder BGA Packages with Ag/Cu Pads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, C. C.; Wang, S. S.; Huang, K. W.; Chuang, T. H.

2009-03-01

The interfacial reactions in a Sn-20In-2.8Ag solder ball grid array (BGA) package with immersion Ag surface finish are investigated. After reflow, the Ag thin film dissolves quickly into the solder matrix, and scallop-shaped intermetallic layers, with compositions of (Cu0.98Ag0.02)6(In0.59Sn0.41)5, appear at the interfaces between Sn-20In-2.8Ag solder ball and Cu pad. No evident growth of the (Cu0.98Ag0.02)6(Sn0.59In0.41)5 intermetallic compounds was observed after prolonged aging at 100 °C. However, the growth accelerated at 150 °C, with more intermetallic scallops floating into the solder matrix. The intermetallic thickness versus the square root of reaction time ( t 1/2) shows a linear relation, indicating that the growth of intermetallic compounds is diffusion-controlled. Ball shear tests show that the strength of Sn-20In-2.8Ag solder joints after reflow is 4.4 N, which increases to 5.18 N and 5.14 N after aging at 100 and 150 °C, respectively.

The effect of TiO2 thin film thickness on self-cleaning glass properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mufti, Nandang; Laila, Ifa K. R.; Hartatiek; Fuad, Abdulloh

2017-05-01

TiO2 is one of semiconductor materials which are widely used as photocatalyst in the form of a thin film. The TiO2 thin film is prepared by using the spin coating sol-gel method. The researcher prepared TiO2 thin film with 3 coating variations and X-Ray Diffraction characterization, UV-Vis Spectrophotometer, Electron Microscopy Scanning, and examined its hydrophilic and anti-fogging properties. The result of X-Ray Diffraction showed that the phase formed is the anatase on 101crystal field. The Electron Microscopy Scanning images showed that TiO2 thin films had a homogeneous surface with the particle sizes as big as 235 nm, 179 nm, and 137 nm. The thickness of each thin film was 2.06μm, 3.33μm, and 5.20μm. The characterization of UV-Vis Spectrophotometer showed that the greatest absorption to the wavelength of visible light was in the thin film’s thickness of 3 coatings with the band-gap determined by using 3.30 eV, 3.33 eV, and 3.33 eV Plot Tuoc. These results indicated that the rate of absorption would be increased by increasing the thickness of film. The increasing thickness of the thin film makes the film hydrophilic able to be used as an anti-fogging substance.

Dependence of spin pumping and spin transfer torque upon Ni81Fe19 thickness in Ta/Ag /Ni 81Fe19/Ag/Co 2MnGe /Ag /Ta spin-valve structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durrant, C. J.; Shelford, L. R.; Valkass, R. A. J.; Hicken, R. J.; Figueroa, A. I.; Baker, A. A.; van der Laan, G.; Duffy, L. B.; Shafer, P.; Klewe, C.; Arenholz, E.; Cavill, S. A.; Childress, J. R.; Katine, J. A.

2017-10-01

Spin pumping has been studied within Ta / Ag / Ni81Fe19 (0-5 nm) / Ag (6 nm) / Co2MnGe (5 nm) / Ag / Ta large-area spin-valve structures, and the transverse spin current absorption of Ni81Fe19 sink layers of different thicknesses has been explored. In some circumstances, the spin current absorption can be inferred from the modification of the Co2MnGe source layer damping in vector network analyzer ferromagnetic resonance (VNA-FMR) experiments. However, the spin current absorption is more accurately determined from element-specific phase-resolved x-ray ferromagnetic resonance (XFMR) measurements that directly probe the spin transfer torque (STT) acting on the sink layer at the source layer resonance. Comparison with a macrospin model allows the real part of the effective spin mixing conductance to be extracted. We find that spin current absorption in the outer Ta layers has a significant impact, while sink layers with thicknesses of less than 0.6 nm are found to be discontinuous and superparamagnetic at room temperature, and lead to a noticeable increase of the source layer damping. For the thickest 5-nm sink layer, increased spin current absorption is found to coincide with a reduction of the zero frequency FMR linewidth that we attribute to improved interface quality. This study shows that the transverse spin current absorption does not follow a universal dependence upon sink layer thickness but instead the structural quality of the sink layer plays a crucial role.

[Factors influencing the measurement of tear film lipid layer thickness with interferometry].

PubMed

Finis, D; Pischel, N; Borrelli, M; Schrader, S; Geerling, G

2014-06-01

The quantitative measurement of the tear film lipid layer thickness is a relatively new and promising method. However, so far it has not been investigated whether there is a diurnal or a day to day variability and whether certain factors are confounding the measurement of the lipid layer thickness. In three different experimental settings, 10 subjects without known sicca syndrome were examined at three different time points on one day, on three different days and before and after therapeutic expression of the Meibomian glands. As a comparison, the parameters tear film break-up time, tear meniscus height, diagnostic expression of the Meibomian glands and subjective symptoms, determined using the OSDI (ocular surface disease index) questionnaire, were measured. The results of the study showed a smaller variation of the lipid layer thickness measurements during the day and from day to day compared to the tear film break-up time. The expression of the Meibomian glands significantly increased the lipid layer thickness. There was a correlation between the baseline values of tear film break-up time and the lipid layer thickness. Our data showed that the lipid layer thickness as measured with the Lipiview® interferometer appears to be a relatively constant parameter over time. In addition, the expression of the Meibomian glands could be identified as a potential confounding factor. In this study we included only healthy subjects without known sicca syndrome. For the future our findings need to be validated in dry eye patients. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Synthesis and characterization of thick PZT films via sol-gel dip coating method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shakeri, Amid; Abdizadeh, Hossein; Golobostanfard, Mohammad Reza

2014-09-01

Thick films of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) offer possibilities for micro-electro-mechanical systems such as high frequency ultrasonic transducers. In this paper, crack-free thick films of PZT have been prepared up to 45 μm thickness via modified sol-gel dip coating method. In this procedure, acetic acid-alcoholic based sol is used by applying diethanolamine (DEA) and deionized water as additives. The effects of DEA and water on the crystal structure and surface morphology of the films are investigated. The mechanisms of acetic acid and DEA complexations are introduced by using FTIR spectrometer which illustrates suitable substitution of complexing agents with alkoxide groups. DEA/(Ti + Zr) = 0.5 or water/(Ti + Zr) = 0.5 are determined as the optimum molar ratio of additives, which lead to the formation of almost pure perovskite phase with the tetragonal lattice parameters of ct = 4.16 Ǻ and at = 4.02 Ǻ and a distortion of 2%. Values of remanent polarization and dielectric constant of 7.8 μC cm-2 and 1630 were obtained for 45 μm thick films, respectively.

A simple approach for large-area fabrication of Ag nanorings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Zhi-hao; Zhou, Wei; Duan, Yue-qin; Bie, Li-jian

2008-02-01

A simple and low-cost method based on a two-step heat treatment of AgNO3/SiO2 film has been developed for fabricating metal Ag nanoring arrays. The as-prepared nanorings have an inner diameter of 70-250 nm and an average wall thickness (namely wire diameter) of approximately 30 nm with a number density of approximately 109 cm-2 on the surface of the SiO2 matrix. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results reveal that these nanorings exhibit a face-centered cubic crystal structure. Furthermore, a new growth mechanism, namely a molten metal bubble as a self-template, is tentatively proposed for Ag nanorings.

Experimental study of the polymer powder film thickness uniformity produced by the corona discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fazlyyyakhmatov, Marsel

2017-01-01

The results of an experimental study of the polymer powder film thickness uniformity are presented. Polymer powder films are produced by the electrostatic field of corona discharge. Epoxy and epoxy-polyester powder films with thickness in the range of 30-120 microns are studied. Experimentally confirmed possibility of using these coatings as protective matching layer of piezoceramic transducers at frequencies of 0.5-15 MHz.

Thermal Effusivity Determination of Metallic Films of Nanometric Thickness by the Electrical Micropulse Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lugo, J. M.; Oliva, A. I.

2017-02-01

The thermal effusivity of gold, aluminum, and copper thin films of nanometric thickness (20 nm to 200 nm) was investigated in terms of the films' thickness. The metallic thin films were deposited onto glass substrates by thermal evaporation, and the thermal effusivity was estimated by using experimental parameters such as the specific heat, thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusivity values obtained at room conditions. The specific heat, thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusivity values of the metallic thin films are determined with a methodology based on the behavior of the thermal profiles of the films when electrical pulses of few microseconds are applied at room conditions. For all the investigated materials, the thermal effusivity decreases with decreased thickness. The thermal effusivity values estimated by the presented methodology are consistent with other reported values obtained under vacuum conditions and more elaborated methodologies.

Formation of an indium tin oxide nanodot/Ag nanowire electrode as a current spreader for near ultraviolet AlGaN-based light-emitting diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Jae-Seong; Kim, Jae-Ho; Kim, Jun-Yong; Kim, Dae-Hyun; Na, Jin-Young; Kim, Sun-Kyung; Kang, Daesung; Seong, Tae-Yeon

2017-01-01

Indium tin oxide (ITO) nanodots (NDs) were combined with Ag nanowires (Ag NWs) as a p-type electrode in near ultraviolet AlGaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to increase light output power. The Ag NWs were 30 ± 5 nm in diameter and 25 ± 5 μm in length. The transmittance of 10 nm-thick ITO-only was 98% at 385 nm, while the values for ITO ND/Ag NW were 83%-88%. ITO ND/Ag NW films showed lower sheet resistances (32-51 Ω sq-1) than the ITO-only film (950 Ω sq-1). LEDs (chip size: 300 × 800 μm2) fabricated using the ITO NDs/Ag NW electrodes exhibited higher forward-bias voltages (3.52-3.75 V at 20 mA) than the LEDs with the 10 nm-thick ITO-only electrode (3.5 V). The LEDs with ITO ND/Ag NW electrodes yielded a 24%-62% higher light output power (at 20 mA) than those with the 10 nm-thick ITO-only electrode. Furthermore, finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations were performed to investigate the extraction efficiency. Based on the emission images and FDTD simulations, the enhanced light output with the ITO ND/Ag NW electrodes is attributed to improved current spreading and better extraction efficiency.

Through-thickness thermal conductivity enhancement of graphite film/epoxy composite via short duration acidizing modification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Han; Wang, Shaokai; Lu, Weibang; Li, Min; Gu, Yizhou; Zhang, Yongyi; Zhang, Zuoguang

2018-06-01

Graphite films have excellent in-plane thermal conductivity but extremely low through-thickness thermal conductivity because of their intrinsic inter-layer spaces. To improve the inter-layer heat transfer of graphite films, we developed a simple interfacial modification with a short duration mixed-acid treatment. The effects of the mixture ratio of sulfuric and nitric acids and treatment time on the through-thickness thermal properties of graphite films were studied. The modification increased the through-thickness thermal conductivity by 27% and 42% for the graphite film and its composite, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy results indicated that the acidification process had two competing effects: the positive contribution made by the enhanced interaction between the graphite layers induced by the functional groups and the negative effect from the destruction of the graphite layers. As a result, an optimal acidification method was found to be sulfuric/nitric acid treatment with a mixture ratio of 3:1 for 15 min. The resultant through-thickness thermal conductivity of the graphite film could be improved to 0.674 W/mK, and the corresponding graphite/epoxy composite shows a through-thickness thermal conductivity of 0.587 W/mK. This method can be directly used for graphite films and their composite fabrication to improve through-thickness thermal conductivity.

Effects of High-Temperature Treatment on the Reaction Between Sn-3%Ag-0.5%Cu Solder and Sputtered Ni-V Film on Ferrite Substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Xiaohu; Jin, Hao; Dong, Shurong; Wong, Hei; Zhou, Jian; Guo, Zhaodi; Wang, Demiao

2012-11-01

We have demonstrated a novel sputtering method for lead-free thin metal films on ferrite substrates for surface-mount inductor applications. In a surface-mounting process, the cladding of enameled wire needs to be burnt off at high temperature, which requires the devices to withstand a high-temperature reliability test at 420°C for 10 s. There are no reports that a sputtered film of thickness less than 6 μm can withstand this test. In this work, we used Ag/Ni-7 wt.%V double metal layers for the metallization. The dissolution of Ni-7 wt.%V in Sn-3%Ag-0.5%Cu lead-free solder at various temperatures was studied in detail. Scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy was used to investigate the interfacial reaction between the sputtered films and the solder. The intermetallic compounds are mainly (Cu,Ni)6Sn5 at 250°C; however, (Ni,Cu)3Sn4 becomes the predominant composition at 420°C. In addition, although outdiffusion of V atoms from the Ni-V layer was observed, its effect on the intermetallic compound (IMC) was insignificant. We further confirmed that the proposed metallization is able to pass the aforementioned high-temperature reliability test.

Fabrication of AgInSe2 heterojunction solar cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khudayer, Iman Hameed

2018-05-01

Silver, Indium Selenium thin film with a thickness (5001±30) nm, deposited by thermal evaporation methods at RT and annealing3temperature (Ta = 400, 500 and 600) K on a substrate of glass to study structural and optical properties of thin films and on p-Si wafer to fabricate the AgInSe2/p-Si heterojunction solar cell. XRD analysis shows that the AgInSe2 (AIS) deposited film at RT and annealing3temperature (Ta = 400, 500 and 600) K have polycrystalline structure. The average grain size has been estimated from AFM images. The energy gap was estimated from the optical transmittance using a spectrometer type (UV.-Visible 1800 spectra photometer). From I-V characterization, the photovoltaic parameters such as, open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current density, fill factor, ideality factor, and efficiencies, were computed. As well as the built-in potential, carrier concentration and depletion width were determined under RT and (Ta = 400, 500 and 600) K from C-V measurement.

Tuning relaxation dynamics and mechanical properties of polymer films of identical thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kchaou, Marwa; Alcouffe, Pierre; Chandran, Sivasurender; Cassagnau, Philippe; Reiter, Günter; Al Akhrass, Samer

2018-03-01

Using dewetting as a characterization tool, we demonstrate that physical properties of thin polymer films can be regulated and tuned by employing variable processing conditions. For different molecular weights, the variable behavior of polystyrene films of identical thickness, prepared along systematically altered pathways, became predictable through a single parameter P , defined as the ratio of time required over time available for the equilibration of polymers. In particular, preparation-induced residual stresses, the corresponding relaxation times as well as the rupture probability of such films (of identical thickness) varied by orders of magnitude following scaling relations with P . Our experimental findings suggest that we can predictably enhance properties and hence maximize the performance of thin polymer films via appropriately chosen processing conditions.

Ultralow Damping in Nanometer-Thick Epitaxial Spinel Ferrite Thin Films.

PubMed

Emori, Satoru; Yi, Di; Crossley, Sam; Wisser, Jacob J; Balakrishnan, Purnima P; Khodadadi, Behrouz; Shafer, Padraic; Klewe, Christoph; N'Diaye, Alpha T; Urwin, Brittany T; Mahalingam, Krishnamurthy; Howe, Brandon M; Hwang, Harold Y; Arenholz, Elke; Suzuki, Yuri

2018-06-08

Pure spin currents, unaccompanied by dissipative charge flow, are essential for realizing energy-efficient nanomagnetic information and communications devices. Thin-film magnetic insulators have been identified as promising materials for spin-current technology because they are thought to exhibit lower damping compared with their metallic counterparts. However, insulating behavior is not a sufficient requirement for low damping, as evidenced by the very limited options for low-damping insulators. Here, we demonstrate a new class of nanometer-thick ultralow-damping insulating thin films based on design criteria that minimize orbital angular momentum and structural disorder. Specifically, we show ultralow damping in <20 nm thick spinel-structure magnesium aluminum ferrite (MAFO), in which magnetization arises from Fe 3+ ions with zero orbital angular momentum. These epitaxial MAFO thin films exhibit a Gilbert damping parameter of ∼0.0015 and negligible inhomogeneous linewidth broadening, resulting in narrow half width at half-maximum linewidths of ∼0.6 mT around 10 GHz. Our findings offer an attractive thin-film platform for enabling integrated insulating spintronics.

Thick adherent dielectric films on plastic substrates and method for depositing same

DOEpatents

Wickboldt, Paul; Ellingboe, Albert R.; Theiss, Steven D.; Smith, Patrick M.

2002-01-01

Thick adherent dielectric films deposited on plastic substrates for use as a thermal barrier layer to protect the plastic substrates from high temperatures which, for example, occur during laser annealing of layers subsequently deposited on the dielectric films. It is desirable that the barrier layer has properties including: a thickness of 1 .mu.m or greater, adheres to a plastic substrate, does not lift-off when cycled in temperature, has few or no cracks and does not crack when subjected to bending, resistant to lift-off when submersed in fluids, electrically insulating and preferably transparent. The thick barrier layer may be composed, for example, of a variety of dielectrics and certain metal oxides, and may be deposited on a variety of plastic substrates by various known deposition techniques. The key to the method of forming the thick barrier layer on the plastic substrate is maintaining the substrate cool during deposition of the barrier layer. Cooling of the substrate maybe accomplished by the use of a cooling chuck on which the plastic substrate is positioned, and by directing cooling gas, such as He, Ar and N.sub.2, between the plastic substrate and the cooling chucks. Thick adherent dielectric films up to about 5 .mu.m have been deposited on plastic substrates which include the above-referenced properties, and which enable the plastic substrates to withstand laser processing temperatures applied to materials deposited on the dielectric films.

Approximately 800-nm-Thick Pinhole-Free Perovskite Films via Facile Solvent Retarding Process for Efficient Planar Solar Cells.

PubMed

Yuan, Zhongcheng; Yang, Yingguo; Wu, Zhongwei; Bai, Sai; Xu, Weidong; Song, Tao; Gao, Xingyu; Gao, Feng; Sun, Baoquan

2016-12-21

Device performance of organometal halide perovskite solar cells significantly depends on the quality and thickness of perovskite absorber films. However, conventional deposition methods often generate pinholes within ∼300 nm-thick perovskite films, which are detrimental to the large area device manufacture. Here we demonstrated a simple solvent retarding process to deposit uniform pinhole free perovskite films with thicknesses up to ∼800 nm. Solvent evaporation during the retarding process facilitated the components separation in the mixed halide perovskite precursors, and hence the final films exhibited pinhole free morphology and large grain sizes. In addition, the increased precursor concentration after solvent-retarding process led to thick perovskite films. Based on the uniform and thick perovskite films prepared by this convenient process, a champion device efficiency up to 16.8% was achieved. We believe that this simple deposition procedure for high quality perovskite films around micrometer thickness has a great potential in the application of large area perovskite solar cells and other optoelectronic devices.

Fabrication of Poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride)@Ag Spheres with High Surface Charge Intensity and their Self-Assembly into Photonic Crystal Films.

PubMed

Bi, Jiajie; Fan, Genrui; Wu, Suli; Su, Xin; Xia, Hongbo; Zhang, Shu-Fen

2017-10-01

Herein, we developed a method to prepare monodisperse poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride)@Ag (PSMA@Ag) core-shell microspheres with high surface charge intensity by using an in situ reduction method. In this method, ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid tetrasodium salt (Na 4 EDTA) was used as a reducing agent to promote the growth of Ag, and at the same time endowed the PSMA@Ag spheres with a surface charge. The monodispersity of PSMA and PSMA@Ag and the ordered array of the photonic crystal films were characterized by using SEM. The formation of Ag nanoparticles was confirmed by using TEM, HR-TEM, and XRD characterizations. Due to the existence of surface charges, the obtained PSMA@Ag microspheres easily self-assembled to form photonic crystal structures. In addition, the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity of the PSMA@Ag photonic crystal films was evaluated by detecting the signal from Raman probe molecules, 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP). The PSMA@Ag photonic crystal films exhibited a high SERS effect, a low detection limit of up to 10 -8 for 4-ATP, good uniformity, and reproducibility.

Film thickness measurement based on nonlinear phase analysis using a Linnik microscopic white-light spectral interferometer.

PubMed

Guo, Tong; Chen, Zhuo; Li, Minghui; Wu, Juhong; Fu, Xing; Hu, Xiaotang

2018-04-20

Based on white-light spectral interferometry and the Linnik microscopic interference configuration, the nonlinear phase components of the spectral interferometric signal were analyzed for film thickness measurement. The spectral interferometric signal was obtained using a Linnik microscopic white-light spectral interferometer, which includes the nonlinear phase components associated with the effective thickness, the nonlinear phase error caused by the double-objective lens, and the nonlinear phase of the thin film itself. To determine the influence of the effective thickness, a wavelength-correction method was proposed that converts the effective thickness into a constant value; the nonlinear phase caused by the effective thickness can then be determined and subtracted from the total nonlinear phase. A method for the extraction of the nonlinear phase error caused by the double-objective lens was also proposed. Accurate thickness measurement of a thin film can be achieved by fitting the nonlinear phase of the thin film after removal of the nonlinear phase caused by the effective thickness and by the nonlinear phase error caused by the double-objective lens. The experimental results demonstrated that both the wavelength-correction method and the extraction method for the nonlinear phase error caused by the double-objective lens improve the accuracy of film thickness measurements.

Fabrication and characterization of thick-film piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate ceramic resonators by tape-casting.

PubMed

Qin, Lifeng; Sun, Yingying; Wang, Qing-Ming; Zhong, Youliang; Ou, Ming; Jiang, Zhishui; Tian, Wei

2012-12-01

In this paper, thick-film piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic resonators with thicknesses down to tens of micrometers have been fabricated by tape-casting processing. PZT ceramic resonators with composition near the morphotropic phase boundary and with different dopants added were prepared for piezoelectric transducer applications. Material property characterization for these thick-film PZT resonators is essential for device design and applications. For the property characterization, a recently developed normalized electrical impedance spectrum method was used to determine the electromechanical coefficient and the complex piezoelectric, elastic, and dielectric coefficients from the electrical measurement of resonators using thick films. In this work, nine PZT thick-film resonators have been fabricated and characterized, and two different types of resonators, namely thickness longitudinal and transverse modes, were used for material property characterization. The results were compared with those determined by the IEEE standard method, and they agreed well. It was found that depending on the PZT formulation and dopants, the relative permittivities ε(T)(33)/ε(0) measured at 2 kHz for these thick-films are in the range of 1527 to 4829, piezoelectric stress constants (e(33) in the range of 15 to 26 C/m(2), piezoelectric strain constants (d(31)) in the range of -169 × 10(-12) C/N to -314 × 10(-12) C/N, electromechanical coupling coefficients (k(t)) in the range of 0.48 to 0.53, and k(31) in the range of 0.35 to 0.38. The characterization results shows tape-casting processing can be used to fabricate high-quality PZT thick-film resonators, and the extracted material constants can be used to for device design and application.

Investigation of percolation thickness of sputter coated thin NiCr films on clear float glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erkan, Selen; Arpat, Erdem; Peters, Sven

2017-11-01

Percolation thickness of reactively sputtered nickel chromium (NiCr) thin films is reported in this study. Nickel-chromium films with the thicknesses in between 1 and 10 nm were deposited on 4 mm clear glass substrate by dc magnetron sputtering. Optical properties such as refractive index, extinction coefficient and also sheet resistance, carrier concentration and mobility of NiCr films were determined by a combination of variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry and four point probe measurements. We show both the percolation phenomena in atmosphere and critical percolation thickness for thin NiCr films by both electrical and optical techniques. The two techniques gave consistent results with each other.

Thickness measurement of nontransparent free films by double-side white-light interferometry: Calibration and experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Poilane, C.; Sandoz, P.; Departement d'Optique PM Duffieux, Institut FEMTO-ST, UMR CNRS 6174, Universite de Franche-Comte, 25030 Besancon, Cedex

2006-05-15

A double-side optical profilometer based on white-light interferometry was developed for thickness measurement of nontransparent films. The profile of the sample is measured simultaneously on both sides of the film. The resulting data allow the computation of the roughness, the flatness and the parallelism of the sides of the film, and the average thickness of the film. The key point is the apparatus calibration, i.e., the accurate determination of the distance between the reference mirrors of the complementary interferometers. Specific samples were processed for that calibration. The system is adaptable to various thickness scales as long as calibration can bemore » made accurately. A thickness accuracy better than 30 nm for films thinner than 200 {mu}m is reported with the experimental material used. In this article, we present the principle of the method as well as the calibration methodology. Limitation and accuracy of the method are discussed. Experimental results are presented.« less

Structural, optical and ac electrical characterization of CBD synthesized NiO thin films: Influence of thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, M. R.; Mukherjee, A.; Mitra, P.

2017-09-01

We have studied the electrical conductivity, dielectric relaxation mechanism and impedance spectroscopy characteristics of nickel oxide (NiO) thin films synthesized by chemical bath deposition (CBD) method. Thickness dependent structural, optical and ac electrical characterization has been carried out and deposition time was varied to control the thickness. The material has been characterized using X-ray diffraction and UV-VIS spectrophotometer. Impedance spectroscopy analysis confirmed enhancement of ac conductivity and dielectric constant for films deposited with higher deposition time. Decrease of grain size in thicker films were confirmed from XRD analysis and activation energy of the material for electrical charge hopping process was increased with thickness of the film. Decrease in band gap in thicker films were observed which could be associated with creation of additional energy levels in the band gap of the material. Cole-Cole plot shows contribution of both grain and grain boundary towards total resistance and capacitance. The overall resistance was found to decrease from 14.6 × 105 Ω for 30 min deposited film ( 120 nm thick) to 2.42 × 105 Ω for 120 min deposited film ( 307 nm thick). Activation energy value to electrical conduction process evaluated from conductivity data was found to decrease with thickness. Identical result was obtained from relaxation time approach suggesting hopping mechanism of charge carriers.

Super-resolved thickness maps of thin film phantoms and in vivo visualization of tear film lipid layer using OCT

PubMed Central

dos Santos, Valentin Aranha; Schmetterer, Leopold; Triggs, Graham J.; Leitgeb, Rainer A.; Gröschl, Martin; Messner, Alina; Schmidl, Doreen; Garhofer, Gerhard; Aschinger, Gerold; Werkmeister, René M.

2016-01-01

In optical coherence tomography (OCT), the axial resolution is directly linked to the coherence length of the employed light source. It is currently unclear if OCT allows measuring thicknesses below its axial resolution value. To investigate spectral-domain OCT imaging in the super-resolution regime, we derived a signal model and compared it with the experiment. Several island thin film samples of known refractive indices and thicknesses in the range 46 – 163 nm were fabricated and imaged. Reference thickness measurements were performed using a commercial atomic force microscope. In vivo measurements of the tear film were performed in 4 healthy subjects. Our results show that quantitative super-resolved thickness measurement can be performed using OCT. In addition, we report repeatable tear film lipid layer visualization. Our results provide a novel interpretation of the OCT axial resolution limit and open a perspective to deeper extraction of the information hidden in the coherence volume. PMID:27446696

Antibacterial property of Ag nanoparticle-impregnated N-doped titania films under visible light

PubMed Central

Wong, Ming-Show; Chen, Chun-Wei; Hsieh, Chia-Chun; Hung, Shih-Che; Sun, Der-Shan; Chang, Hsin-Hou

2015-01-01

Photocatalysts produce free radicals upon receiving light energy; thus, they possess antibacterial properties. Silver (Ag) is an antibacterial material that disrupts bacterial physiology. Our previous study reported that the high antibacterial property of silver nanoparticles on the surfaces of visible light-responsive nitrogen-doped TiO2 photocatalysts [TiO2(N)] could be further enhanced by visible light illumination. However, the major limitation of this Ag-TiO2 composite material is its durability; the antibacterial property decreased markedly after repeated use. To overcome this limitation, we developed TiO2(N)/Ag/TiO2(N) sandwich films in which the silver is embedded between two TiO2(N) layers. Various characteristics, including silver and nitrogen amounts, were examined in the composite materials. Various analyses, including electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and ultraviolet–visible absorption spectrum and methylene blue degradation rate analyses, were performed. The antibacterial properties of the composite materials were investigated. Here we revealed that the antibacterial durability of these thin films is substantially improved in both the dark and visible light, by which bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and Acinetobacter baumannii, could be efficiently eliminated. This study demonstrated a feasible approach to improve the visible-light responsiveness and durability of antibacterial materials that contain silver nanoparticles impregnated in TiO2(N) films. PMID:26156001

Antibacterial property of Ag nanoparticle-impregnated N-doped titania films under visible light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, Ming-Show; Chen, Chun-Wei; Hsieh, Chia-Chun; Hung, Shih-Che; Sun, Der-Shan; Chang, Hsin-Hou

2015-07-01

Photocatalysts produce free radicals upon receiving light energy; thus, they possess antibacterial properties. Silver (Ag) is an antibacterial material that disrupts bacterial physiology. Our previous study reported that the high antibacterial property of silver nanoparticles on the surfaces of visible light-responsive nitrogen-doped TiO2 photocatalysts [TiO2(N)] could be further enhanced by visible light illumination. However, the major limitation of this Ag-TiO2 composite material is its durability; the antibacterial property decreased markedly after repeated use. To overcome this limitation, we developed TiO2(N)/Ag/TiO2(N) sandwich films in which the silver is embedded between two TiO2(N) layers. Various characteristics, including silver and nitrogen amounts, were examined in the composite materials. Various analyses, including electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrum and methylene blue degradation rate analyses, were performed. The antibacterial properties of the composite materials were investigated. Here we revealed that the antibacterial durability of these thin films is substantially improved in both the dark and visible light, by which bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and Acinetobacter baumannii, could be efficiently eliminated. This study demonstrated a feasible approach to improve the visible-light responsiveness and durability of antibacterial materials that contain silver nanoparticles impregnated in TiO2(N) films.

Prototype Superconducting Planar Transformers Using High-Tc Thin and Thick Films

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

AUG27 0%2 and Thick FilmsS A D W. C. McGinnis J. S. Briggs T. E . Jones L. J. Johnson 92-23707 Approved for public release; distribution Is unlimited. 92...platelet-like crystals, given the opportunity, will lie flat against each other. Reasonably good alignment can be produced by simply pressing the...these latter films, only the step-cooled sample (FCS-75) produced a reasonably smooth, uniform-looking film, and therefore only that film was

Two-component spin-coated Ag/CNT composite films based on a silver heterogeneous nucleation mechanism adhesion-enhanced by mechanical interlocking and chemical grafting.

PubMed

Zhang, Yang; Kang, Zhixin; Bessho, Takeshi

2017-03-10

In this paper, a new method for the synthesis of silver carbon nanotube (Ag/CNT) composite films as conductive connection units for flexible electronic devices is presented. This method is about a two-component solution process by spin coating with an after-treatment annealing process. In this method, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) act as the core of silver heterogeneous nucleation, which can be observed and analyzed by a field-emission scanning electron microscope. With the effects of mechanical interlocking, chemical grafting, and annealing, the interfacial adhesive strength between films and PET sheets was enhanced to 12 N cm -1 . The tensile strength of the Ag/CNT composite films was observed to increase by 38% by adding 5 g l -1 MWCNTs. In the four-probe method, the resistivity of Ag/CNT-5 declined by 78.2% compared with pristine Ag films. The anti-fatigue performance of the Ag/CNT composite films was monitored by cyclic bending deformation and the results revealed that the growth rate of electrical resistance during the deformation was obviously retarded. As for industrial application, this method provides an efficient low-cost way to prepare Ag/CNT composite films and can be further applied to other coating systems.

The effect of wet film thickness on VOC emissions from a finishing varnish.

PubMed

Lee, Shun-Cheng; Kwok, Ngai-Hong; Guo, Hai; Hung, Wing-Tat

2003-01-20

Finishing varnishes, a typical type of oil-based varnishes, are widely used to shine metal, wood trim and cabinet surfaces in Hong Kong. The influence of wet film thickness on volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from a finishing varnish was studied in an environmental test chamber. The varnish was applied on an aluminium foil with three different wet film thickness (35.2, 69.9 and 107.3 microm). The experimental conditions were 25.0 degrees C, 50.0% relative humidity (RH) with an air exchange rate of 0.5 h(-1). The concentrations of the major VOCs were monitored for the first 10 h. The air samples were collected by canisters and analysed by gas chromatography/mass selective detector (GC/MSD). Six major VOCs including toluene, chlorobenzene, ethylbenzene, m,p-xylene, o-xylene and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene were identified and quantified. Marked differences were observed for three different film thicknesses. VOC concentrations increased rapidly during the first few hours and then decreased as the emission rates declined. The thicker the wet film, the higher the VOC emissions. A model expression included an exponentially decreasing emission rate of varnish film. The concentration and time data measured in the chamber were used to determine the parameters of empirical emission rate model. The present work confirmed that the film thickness of varnish influenced markedly the concentrations and emissions of VOCs. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science B.V.

Thick-film nickel-metal-hydride battery based on porous ceramic substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Do, Jing-Shan; Yu, Sen-Hao; Cheng, Suh-Fen

Nickel-metal-hydride (Ni-MH) batteries are prepared with thick-film and thin-film technologies based on porous ceramic substrates. The porosity and the mean pore diameter of BP ceramic substrates prepared from the argils increases from 19.81% and 0.0432 μm to 29.81% and 0.224 μm, respectively, upon increasing the ethyl cellulose content in the BP argil from 0 to 0.79%. The pore diameter of Al 2O 3 substrates prepared from Al 2O 3 powder is mainly distributed in the range 0.01-0.5 μm. The distribution of the pore diameters of BP ceramic substrates lies in two ranges, namely: 0.04-2 μm and 10-300 μm. Using BP ceramic plates and Al 2O 3 plates as substrates to fabricate thick-film Ni-MH batteries, the optimal electroactive material utilization in the batteries is 77.0 and 71.1%, respectively. On increasing the screen-printing number for preparing the cathode (Ni(OH) 2) from 1 to 3, the discharge capacity of the thick-film battery increases from 0.2917 to 0.7875 mAh, and the utilization in the battery decreases from 71.0 to 53.0%.

Cellular-foam polypropylene ferroelectrets with increased film thickness and reduced resonance frequency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sborikas, Martynas; Wegener, Michael

2013-12-01

Ferroelectrets are piezoelectric materials suitable for acoustic applications such as airborne ultrasonic transducers. Typical ferroelectrets exhibit resonance frequencies in the high kHz to low MHz range. In order to decrease the transducer resonance frequencies to the low kHz range, processes such as gas-diffusion expansion and electric charging were adjusted to cellular films which are initially twice as thick as in earlier studies. The demonstrated film expansion and electric charging lead to mechanically soft cellular structures which show high piezoelectric activities with coefficients up to 130 pC/N. Due to the simultaneously increased film thicknesses, the resonance frequencies are lowered down to about 233 kHz.

High-performance SERS substrate based on hybrid structure of graphene oxide/AgNPs/Cu film@pyramid Si

PubMed Central

Li, Zhe; Xu, Shi Cai; Zhang, Chao; Liu, Xiao Yun; Gao, Sai Sai; Hu, Li Tao; Guo, Jia; Ma, Yong; Jiang, Shou Zhen; Si, Hai Peng

2016-01-01

We present a novel surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate based on graphene oxide/silver nanoparticles/copper film covered silicon pyramid arrays (GO/AgNPs/PCu@Si) by a low-cost and simple method. The GO/AgNPs/PCu@Si substrate presents high sensitivity, good homogeneity and well stability with R6G molecules as a probe. The detected concentration of Rhodamine 6 G (R6G) is as low as 10−15 M. These sensitive SERS behaviors are also confirmed in theory via a commercial COMSOL software, the electric field enhancement is not only formed between the AgNPs, but also formed between the AgNPs and Cu film. And the GO/AgNPs/PCu@Si substrates also present good property on practical application for the detection of methylene blue (MB) and crystal violet (CV). This work may offer a novel and practical method to facilitate the SERS applications in areas of medicine, food safety and biotechnology. PMID:27924863

High-performance SERS substrate based on hybrid structure of graphene oxide/AgNPs/Cu film@pyramid Si

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhe; Xu, Shi Cai; Zhang, Chao; Liu, Xiao Yun; Gao, Sai Sai; Hu, Li Tao; Guo, Jia; Ma, Yong; Jiang, Shou Zhen; Si, Hai Peng

2016-12-01

We present a novel surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate based on graphene oxide/silver nanoparticles/copper film covered silicon pyramid arrays (GO/AgNPs/PCu@Si) by a low-cost and simple method. The GO/AgNPs/PCu@Si substrate presents high sensitivity, good homogeneity and well stability with R6G molecules as a probe. The detected concentration of Rhodamine 6 G (R6G) is as low as 10-15 M. These sensitive SERS behaviors are also confirmed in theory via a commercial COMSOL software, the electric field enhancement is not only formed between the AgNPs, but also formed between the AgNPs and Cu film. And the GO/AgNPs/PCu@Si substrates also present good property on practical application for the detection of methylene blue (MB) and crystal violet (CV). This work may offer a novel and practical method to facilitate the SERS applications in areas of medicine, food safety and biotechnology.

High-performance SERS substrate based on hybrid structure of graphene oxide/AgNPs/Cu film@pyramid Si.

PubMed

Li, Zhe; Xu, Shi Cai; Zhang, Chao; Liu, Xiao Yun; Gao, Sai Sai; Hu, Li Tao; Guo, Jia; Ma, Yong; Jiang, Shou Zhen; Si, Hai Peng

2016-12-07

We present a novel surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate based on graphene oxide/silver nanoparticles/copper film covered silicon pyramid arrays (GO/AgNPs/PCu@Si) by a low-cost and simple method. The GO/AgNPs/PCu@Si substrate presents high sensitivity, good homogeneity and well stability with R6G molecules as a probe. The detected concentration of Rhodamine 6 G (R6G) is as low as 10 -15 M. These sensitive SERS behaviors are also confirmed in theory via a commercial COMSOL software, the electric field enhancement is not only formed between the AgNPs, but also formed between the AgNPs and Cu film. And the GO/AgNPs/PCu@Si substrates also present good property on practical application for the detection of methylene blue (MB) and crystal violet (CV). This work may offer a novel and practical method to facilitate the SERS applications in areas of medicine, food safety and biotechnology.

The Effect of Film Thickness on the Gas Sensing Properties of Ultra-Thin TiO₂ Films Deposited by Atomic Layer Deposition.

PubMed

Wilson, Rachel L; Simion, Cristian Eugen; Blackman, Christopher S; Carmalt, Claire J; Stanoiu, Adelina; Di Maggio, Francesco; Covington, James A

2018-03-01

Analyte sensitivity for gas sensors based on semiconducting metal oxides should be highly dependent on the film thickness, particularly when that thickness is on the order of the Debye length. This thickness dependence has previously been demonstrated for SnO₂ and inferred for TiO₂. In this paper, TiO₂ thin films have been prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) using titanium isopropoxide and water as precursors. The deposition process was performed on standard alumina gas sensor platforms and microscope slides (for analysis purposes), at a temperature of 200 °C. The TiO₂ films were exposed to different concentrations of CO, CH₄, NO₂, NH₃ and SO₂ to evaluate their gas sensitivities. These experiments showed that the TiO₂ film thickness played a dominant role within the conduction mechanism and the pattern of response for the electrical resistance towards CH₄ and NH₃ exposure indicated typical n -type semiconducting behavior. The effect of relative humidity on the gas sensitivity has also been demonstrated.

Role of thermal processes in dewetting of epitaxial Ag(111) film on Si(111)

DOE PAGES

Sanders, Charlotte E.; Zhang, Chendong D.; Kellogg, Gary L.; ...

2014-08-01

Epitaxially grown silver (Ag) film on silicon (Si) is an optimal plasmonic device platform, but its technological utility has been limited by its tendency to dewet rapidly under ambient conditions (standard temperature and pressure). The mechanisms driving this dewetting have not heretofore been determined. In our study, scanning probe microscopy and low-energy electron microscopy are used to compare the morphological evolution of epitaxial Ag(111)/Si(111) under ambient conditions with that of similarly prepared films heated under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions. Furthermore, dewetting is seen to be initiated with the formation of pinholes, which might function to relieve strain in the film.more » We find that in the UHV environment, dewetting is determined by thermal processes, and while under ambient conditions, thermal processes are not required. Finally, we conclude that dewetting in ambient conditions is triggered by some chemical process, most likely oxidation.« less

Analysis of thickness dependent on crystallization kinetics in thin isotactic-polysterene films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khairuddin

2016-11-01

Crystalliaztion kinetics of thin film of Isotactic Polysterene (it-PS) films has been studied. Thin PET films having thickness of 338, 533, 712, 1096, 1473, and 2185 A° were prepared by using spin-cast technique. The it-PS crystals were grown on Linkam-hostage in the temperature range 130-240°C with an interval of 10°C. The crystal growths are measured by optical microscopy in lateral direction. It was found that a substantial thickness dependence on crystallisation rate. The analysis using fitting technique based on theory crystal growth of Lauritzen-Hoffman showed that the fitting technique could not resolve to predict the mechanism controlling the thickness dependence on the rate of crystallisation. The possible reasons were due to the crystallisation rate varies with the type of crystals (smooth, rough, overgrowth terrace), and the crystallisation rate changes with the time of crystallisation.

Third-order optical nonlinearity studies of bilayer Au/Ag metallic films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mezher, M. H.; Chong, W. Y.; Zakaria, R.

2016-05-01

This paper presents nonlinear optical studies of bilayer metallic films of gold (Au) and silver (Ag) on glass substrate prepared using electron beam evaporation. The preparation of Au and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) on the substrate involved the use of electron beam deposition, then thermal annealing at 600 °C and 270 °C, respectively, to produce a randomly distributed layer of Au and a layer of Ag NPs. Observation of field-effect scanning electron microscope images indicated the size of the NPs. Details of the optical properties related to peak absorption of surface plasmon resonance of the nanoparticle were revealed by use of UV-Vis spectroscopy. The Z-scan technique was used to measure the nonlinear absorption and nonlinear refraction of the fabricated NP layers. The third-order nonlinear refractive index coefficients for Au and Ag are (-9.34 and  -1.61)  ×  10-11 cm2 W-1 given lower n 2, in comparison with bilayer (Au and Ag) NPs at  -1.24  ×  10-10 cm2 W-1. The results show bilayer NPs have higher refractive index coefficients thus enhance the nonlinearity effects.

A comparative study of the effects of Ag2S films prepared by MPD and HRTD methods on the performance of polymer solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhai, Yong; Li, Fumin; Ling, Lanyun; Chen, Chong

2016-10-01

In this work, the Ag2S nanocrystalline thin films are deposited on ITO glass via molecular precursor decomposition (MPD) method and newly developed HRTD method for organic solar cells (ITO/Ag2S/P3HT:PCBM/MoO3/Au) as an electron selective layer and a light absorption material. The surface morphology, structure characterization, and optical property of the Ag2S films prepared by these two methods were compared and the effect of the prepared Ag2S film on the device performance is investigated. It is found that the Ag2S films prepared by HRTD method have lower roughness and better uniformity than the corresponding films prepared by the MPD method. In addition, a more effective and rapid transporting ability for the electrons and holes in the ITO/Ag2S(HRTD, n)/P3HT:PCBM/MoO3/Au cells is found, which reduces the charge recombination, and thus, improves the device performance. The highest efficiency of 3.21% achieved for the ITO/Ag2S(HRTD, 50)/P3HT:PCBM/MoO3/Au cell is 93% higher than that of the ITO/Ag2S(MPD, 2)/P3HT:PCBM/MoO3/Au cell.