Microstructural and transport properties of LaNiO3-delta films grown on Si(111) by chemical solution deposition

Electrically conductive LaNiO3-delta (LNO) thin films with typical thickness of 200 nm were deposited on Si (111) substrates by a chemical solution deposition method and heat-treated in air at 700 degreesC. Structural, morphological, and electrical properties of the LNO thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM), and electrical resistivity rho(T). The thin films have a very flat surface and no droplet was found on their surfaces. The average grain size observed by AFM and FEG-SEM was approximately 100 nm in excellent agreement with XRD data. The rho(T) data showed that these thin films display a good metallic character in a large range of temperature. These results suggest the use of this conductive layer as electrode in the integration of microelectronic devices. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural, microstructural, and transport properties of highly oriented LaNiO3 thin films deposited on SrTiO3(100) single crystal

Electrical conductive textured LaNiO3/SrTiO3 (100) thin films were successfully produced by the polymeric precursor method. A comparison between features of these films of LaNiO3 (LNO) when heat treated in a conventional furnace (CF) and in a domestic microwave (MW) oven is presented. The x-ray diffraction data indicated good crystallinity and a structural orientation along the (h00) direction for both films. The surface images obtained by atomic force microscopy revealed similar roughness values, whereas films LNO-MW present slightly smaller average grain size (similar to 80 nm) than those observed for LNO-CF (60-150 nm). These grain size values were in good agreement with those evaluated from the x-ray data. The transport properties have been studied by temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity rho(T) which revealed for both films a metallic behavior in the entire temperature range studied. The behavior of rho(T) was investigated, allowing to a discussion of the transport mechanisms in these films. (C) 2007 American Institute of Physics.

Density improvement of the sol-gel dip-coated SnO2 films by chemical surface modification

We compare the effect of organic (Tiron (R)) and inorganic (Mn(11)) additives on the low temperature (< 600 degrees C) densification of the sol-gel dip-coated SnO2 films. The structural and compositional properties of the samples were investigated by X-ray reflectometry (XRR), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results suggest that the replacement of hydroxyl groups at the particle surface by Tiron (R) reduces the level of agglomeration of the sol, increasing the particles packing and the apparent density of the coatings. Undoped and Mn-doped films drawn from a Tiron (R) containing suspension show after firing at 500 degrees C a porosity reduction of 12 and 8.6%, respectively. The porosity decrease is less pronounced (4.3%) for the film without additives. Both XAS and XPS data show the presence of trivalent manganese. The formation of a non-homogeneous solid solution characterised by the presence of Mn(111) replacing tin atom near to the crystallite surface was evidenced by XAS. Additionally, XPS results reveal the presence of metallic Sn at the surface of films containing Tirono. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detection of catechol using mixed Langmuir-Blodgett films of a phospholipid and phthalocyanines as voltammetric sensors

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

An improved three-dimensional model for growth of oxide films induced by laser heating

In this paper we consider a three-dimensional heat diffusion model to explain the growth of oxide films which takes place when a laser beam is shined on and heats a metallic layer deposited on a glass substrate in a normal atmospheric environment. In particular, we apply this model to the experimental results obtained for the dependence of the oxide layer thickness on the laser density power for growth of TiO2 films grown on Ti-covered glass slides. We show that there is a very good agreement between the experimental results and the theoretical predictions from our proposed three-dimensional model, improving the results obtained with the one-dimensional heat diffusion model previously reported. Our theoretical results also show the occurrence of surface cooling between consecutive laser pulses, and that the oxide track surface profile closely follows the spatial laser profile indicating that heat diffusive effects can be neglected in the growth of oxide films by laser heating. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V.

Structural and electrical properties of strontium barium niobate thin films crystallized by conventional furnace and rapid-thermal annealing process

Strontium barium niobate (SBN) thin films were crystallized by conventional electric furnace annealing and by rapid-thermal annealing (RTA) at different temperatures. The average grain size of films was 70 nm and thickness around 500 nm. Using x-ray diffraction, we identified the presence of polycrystalline SBN phase for films annealed from 500 to 700 °C in both cases. Phases such as SrNb2O6 and BaNb2O6 were predominantly crystallized in films annealed at 500 °C, disappearing at higher temperatures. Dielectric and ferroelectric parameters obtained from films crystallized by conventional furnace and RTA presented essentially the same values.

Measurements of labile Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn levels at a northeastern Brazilian coastal area under the influence of oil production with diffusive gradients in thin films technique (DGT)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Heterojunction between Al2O3 and SnO2 thin films for application in transparent FET

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Innovative low temperature plasma approach for deposition of alumina films

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effect of recasting procedure upon corrosion behavior and metallic ion release of Co-Cr-Mo dental alloy in physiological

Recasting process influence upon corrosion behavior of Co-Cr-Mo dental alloy in simulated physiological serum has been investigated using chemical and electrochemical techniques. Recast Co-Cr-Mo alloy by induction (IND) or by blowtorch (FLAME) has exhibited similar dendritic structures. Both IND and FLAME alloys have presented good corrosion resistance in physiological serum. Passivation process provides this corrosion resistance. Codissolution makes this process difficult. Passive films, formed on these alloys, have been analyzed as a dual layer consisting of an inner barrier and an outer porous layer. Passive film protective characteristics are higher in FLAME than in IND alloy. On this last alloy, the passive film is more porous due to a higher Codissolution. ©Carl Hanser Verlag, München.