Analysis of amorphous carbon thin films by spectroscopic ellipsometry

Using spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), we have measured the optical properties of amorphous carbon (a-C) films ∼ 10-30 nm thick prepared using a filtered beam of C+ ions from a cathodic arc. Such films exhibit a wide range of sp3-bonded carbon contents from 20 to 76 at.% as measured by electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), and a range of optical gaps from 0.65 eV (20 at.% sp3 C) to 2.25 eV (76 at.% sp3 C) as measured by SE. SE data from 1.5 to 5 eV have been analyzed by applying the most widely used effective medium theory (EMT) namely that of Bruggeman with isotropic screening, assuming a model of the material as a composite with sp2 C and sp3 C components. Although the atomic fractions of sp3 C deduced by SE with the Bruggeman EMT correlate monotonically with those obtained by EELS, the SE results range from 10 to 25 at.% higher. The possible origins of this discrepancy are discussed within the framework of an optical composite. Improved agreement between SE and EELS is obtained by employing a simple form for the EMT, in which the effective dielectric function is determined as a volume-fraction-weighted average of the dielectric functions of the two components. © 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Surface Stability of Epitaxial Elastic Films by Casimir Force

We investigate the morphological stability of epitaxial thin elastic films on a substrate by the Casimir force between the film surface and a flat plate. Critical undulation wavelengths are derived for two different limit conditions. Consideration of the Casimir force in both limit cases decreases the critical wavelength of the surface perturbation.

Low Temperature Properties of PI/SiO_2 Nanocomposite Films

In this paper, the mechanical properties of PI/Si_O, nanocomposite hybrid films with different silica doping levels are experimentally studied at low temperature. Experimental results show that the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the PI/Si_O, nanocomposite hybrid films gradually reduces when the ambiance temperature is decreased. At the liquid nitrogen temperature (77 K), the CTE value is about five times less than that at room temperature (287 K). The measured CTEs of hybrid films greatly decrease when doped with inorganic silica, especially when the silica doping level is more than 1 wt.%. However, too high silica contents (more than 10 wt.%) can cause problem to disperse effectively and the specimens become quite opaque. Experimental results also show that the effects of the pre-applied stress levels can be neglected on the CTE testing. When the ambient temperature changes from 287 to 77 K, the measured average values of the films' ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and Young's modulus increase about 60 and 90%, respectively, while the breaking elongation decreases about 42%.

Fabrication and bio-functionalization of tetrahedral amorphous carbon thin films for bio sensor applications

Tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) thin films are a promising material for use as biocompatible interfaces in applications such as in-vivo biosensors. However, the functionalization of ta-C film surface, which is a pre-requisite for biosensors, remains a big challenge due to its chemical inertness. We have investigated the bio-functionalization of ta-C films fabricated under specific physical conditions through the covalent attachment of functional biomolecular probes of peptide nucleic acid (PNA) to ta-C films, and the effect of fabrication conditions on the bio-functionalization. The study showed that the functional bimolecular probes such as protected long-chain ω-unsaturated amine (TFAAD) can be covalently attached to the ta-C surface through a well-defined structure. With the given fabrication process, electrochemical methods can be applied to the detection of biomolecular interaction, which establishes the basis for the development of stable, label-free biosensors. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Nonlinear Phenomena Of Thin Polydimethylsiloxane (Pdms) Films In Electrowetting

Electrowetting (EW) is an effective way to manipulate small volume liquid in micro- and nano-devices, for it can improve its wettability. Since the late 1990s, electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) has been used widely in bio-MEMS, lab-on-a-chip, etc. Polydimethlsiloxane (PDMS) is extensively utilized as base materials in the fabrication of biomedical micro- and nano-devices. The properties of thin PDMS films used as dielectric layer in EW are studied in this paper. The experimental results show that the thin PDMS films exhibit good properties in EWOD. As to PDMS films with different thicknesses, a threshold voltage and a hysteresis were observed in the EIWOD experiments.

Piezoelectricity Of Zno Films Prepared By Sol-Gel Method

ZnO piezoelectric thin films were prepared on crystal substrate Si(111) by sol-gel technology, then characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The ZnO films characterized by X-ray diffraction are highly oriented in (002) direction with the growing of the film thickness. The morphologies, roughness and grain size of ZnO film investigated by AFM show that roughness and grain size of ZnO piezoelectric films decrease with the increase of the film thickness. The roughness dimension is 2.188-0.914 nm. The piezoelectric coefficient d(33) was investigated with a piezo-response force microscope (PFM). The results show that the piezoelectric coefficient increases with the increase of thickness and (002) orientation. When the force reference is close to surface roughness of the films, the piezoelectric coefficient measured is inaccurate and fluctuates in a large range, but when the force reference is big, the piezoelectric coefficient d(33) changes little and ultimately keeps constant at a low frequency.

Monitoring A Micromechanical Process In Macroscale Carbon Nanotube Films And Fibers

The evaluation of mechanical properties of carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers is inherently difficult. Here, Raman scattering-a generic methodology independent of mechanical measurements-is used to determine the interbundle strength and microscopic failure process for various CNT macroarchitectures. Raman data are used to predict the moduli of CNT films and fibers, and to illustrate the influences of the twisting geometries on the fibers' mechanical performances.

Structural, Electrical, And Optical Properties Of Inasxsb1-X Epitaxial Films Grown By Liquid-Phase Epitaxy

The InAsxSb1-x films were grown on (100) GaSb substrates by liquid-phase epitaxy, and their structural, electrical, and optical properties were investigated. The high-resolution x-ray diffraction results reveal that the single crystalline InAsxSb1-x films with a midrange composition are epitaxially grown on the GaSb substrates. Temperature dependence of the Hall mobility was theoretically modeled by considering several predominant scattering mechanisms. The results indicate that ionized impurity and dislocation scatterings dominate at low temperatures, while polar optical phonon scattering is important at room temperature (RT). Furthermore, the InAsxSb1-x films with the higher As composition exhibit the better crystalline quality and the higher mobility. The InAs0.35Sb0.65 film exhibits a Hall mobility of 4.62x10(4) cm(2) V-1 s(-1). The cutoff wavelength of photoresponse is extended to about 12 mu m with a maximum responsivity of 0.21 V/W at RT, showing great potential for RT long-wavelength infrared detection. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.2989116]

Thickness And Component Distributions Of Yttrium-Titanium Alloy Films In Electron-Beam Physical Vapor Deposition

Thickness and component distributions of large-area thin films are an issue of international concern in the field of material processing. The present work employs experiments and direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method to investigate three-dimensional low-density, non-equilibrium jets of yttrium and titanium vapor atoms in an electron-beams physical vapor deposition (EBPVD) system furnished with two or three electron-beams, and obtains their deposition thickness and component distributions onto 4-inch and 6-inch mono-crystal silicon wafers. The DSMC results are found in excellent agreement with our measurements, such as evaporation rates of yttrium and titanium measured in-situ by quartz crystal resonators, deposited film thickness distribution measured by Rutherford backscattering spectrometer (RBS) and surface profilometer and deposited film molar ratio distribution measured by RBS and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES). This can be taken as an indication that a combination of DSMC method with elaborate measurements may be satisfactory for predicting and designing accurately the transport process of EBPVD at the atomic level.

Films de polietileno oxo-degradados mediante envejecimiento acelerado por radiación UV y calor

Resumen: Los materiales plásticos utilizados en la industria del embalaje y transporte de mercaderías familiares e industriales, presentan numerosas ventajas que los han puesto en su lugar durante los últimos 50 años. En la actualidad, son miles de millones de toneladas anuales de bolsas o embalajes de polietileno, las que diariamente se producen, se usan, se recuperan (en muy pequeña parte) y son finalmente dispuestas, quemadas o literalmente arrojadas al medio ambiente. La alta estabilidad química o la muy baja tasa de degradación, hace que estos residuos perduren en el medio - en la mayoría de los casos por más de 100 años- dependiendo las condiciones ambientales locales. Hace pocos años, se adaptaron conocimientos científicos a esta problemática, y de ello nacieron dos formas de atacar la eliminación del plástico como desecho (más allá del reciclado y uso racional): por un lado, la utilización de bioplásticos con propiedades biodegradables; y por otro, el agregado de aditivos pro-degradantes a plásticos convencionales. El presente trabajo, tiene por objeto tomar a esta última herramienta, sobre la cual se han comenzado a estudiar los mecanismos químicos por los cuales cumplen su función, evaluándolos en distintas condiciones aceleradas de laboratorio. De esta manera, se caracterizaron velocidades de degradación abiótica mediante envejecimientos acelerados con radiación ultravioleta y térmica, para films de polietileno aditivados con un compuesto oxodegradante comercial. Se estudiaron distintas concentraciones de aditivo en el polímero, en función del tiempo de envejecimiento. Las caracterizaciones incluyeron análisis mecánico, análisis térmico diferencial, espectroscopía de absorción infrarroja y de Absorción Atómica.

Peeling Experiments Of Ductile Thin Films Along Ceramic Substrates - Critical Assessment Of Analytical Models

Two types of peeling experiments are performed in the present research. One is for the Al film/Al2O3 substrate system with an adhesive layer between the film and the substrate. The other one is for the Cu film/Al2O3 substrate system without adhesive layer between the film and the substrate, and the Cu films are electroplated onto the Al2O3 substrates. For the case with adhesive layer, two kinds of adhesives are selected, which are all the mixtures of epoxy and polyimide with mass ratios 1:1.5 and 1:1, respectively. The relationships between energy release rate, the film thickness and the adhesive layer thickness are measured during the steady-state peeling process. The effects of the adhesive layer on the energy release rate are analyzed. Using the experimental results, several analytical criteria for the steady-state peeling based on the bending model and on the two-dimensional finite element analysis model are critically assessed. Through assessment of analytical models, we find that the cohesive zone criterion based on the beam bend model is suitable for a weak interface strength case and it describes a macroscale fracture process zone case, while the two-dimensional finite element model is effective to both the strong interface and weak interface, and it describes a small-scale fracture process zone case. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structural and magnetic properties of insulating Zn1-xCoxO thin films

Cobalt-doped ZnO (Zn1-xCoxO) thin films were fabricated by reactive magnetron cosputtering. The processing conditions were carefully designed to avoid the occurrence of Co precipitations. The films are c-axis oriented, and the solubility limit of Co in ZnO is less than 17%, determined by x-ray diffraction. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy measurements show Co ions have a chemical valance of 2+. In this paper, hysteresis loops were clearly observed for Zn1-xCoxO films at room temperature. The coercive field, as well as saturation magnetization per Co atom, decreases with increasing Co content, within the range of 0.07films are nonconductive as x is no more than 17%. Our results clearly demonstrate that ferromagnetism can be realized in Zn1-xCoxO without carrier incorporation. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.

Laser-induced wavy pattern formation in metal thin films

Laser-induced well-ordered and controllable wavy patterns are constructed in the deposited metal thin film. The micrometer-sized structure and orientation of the wavy patterns can be controlled via scanning a different size of rectangle laser spot on the films. Ordered patterns such as aligned, crossed, and whirled wave structures were designed over large areas. This patterning technique may find applications in both exploring the reliability and mechanical properties of thin films, and fabricating microfluidic devices. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.