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Recent Advances in Silicon-Based Amorphous and Nanostructured Coatings
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Recent Advances in Silicon-Based Amorphous and Nanostructured Coatings

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Characterization, Deposition and Modification".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2024) | Viewed by 4916

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Pietro Mandracci

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy
Interests: plasma-assisted surface modification and thin film growth; surface and coating characterization; nanostructured materials and surfaces; biomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The importance of silicon-based amorphous and nanostructured coatings was originally related to the use of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) in thin-film photovoltaic applications, which are among the most promising low-cost solar energy sources, as well as to the application of silicon oxides and nitrides in the microelectronic industry as insulating and barrier coatings.  The range of applications of these materials has considerably increased in recent years, and now includes biomedical and dental applications. In fact, the abundance of silicon and the presence of well-established technology for the production of Si-based amorphous and nanostructured thin-films at a relatively low cost make it an attractive material for new applications.

A wide range of silicon-based amorphous thin-film alloys can be synthesized, including ternary and quaternary alloys of silicon with carbon, oxygen and nitrogen with varying amounts of embedded hydrogen, giving rise to a broad range of compositions and physicochemical properties.  Moreover, various types of nanostructures can be obtained, including ultra-thin films and multi-layers, as well as nanodots embedded in amorphous matrices.

This Special Issue will provide a forum in which to share new research in the field of amorphous and nanostructured materials based on silicon. Potential topics include (but are not limited to):

  • Advances in the processes for the synthesis of silicon-based amorphous thin-film alloys and nanostructured silicon-based materials;
  • Advances in the techniques for the characterization of silicon-based amorphous thin-film alloys and nanostructured silicon-based materials;
  • New applications of silicon-based amorphous thin-film alloys and nanostructured silicon-based materials;
  • New results in the fundamental knowledge of the physicochemical properties of amorphous thin-film alloys and nanostructured silicon-based materials;
  • Simulation of the properties of silicon-based amorphous and nanostructured materials, as well as the processes used for their synthesis.

Dr. Pietro Mandracci
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • silicon-based materials
  • amorphous thin-films
  • thin-film growth
  • thin-film characterization
  • nanostructured materials

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 13135 KiB  
Article
Effects of Bias Voltage and Substrate Temperature on the Mechanical Properties and Oxidation Behavior of CrWSiN Films
by Li-Chun Chang, Chin-Han Tzeng, Tzu-Yu Ou and Yung-I Chen
Coatings 2023, 13(10), 1672; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13101672 - 24 Sep 2023
Viewed by 601
Abstract
CrWSiN films were prepared through the co-sputtering technique, and the process variables were substrate bias voltage and temperature. The mechanical properties of hardness and elastic modulus of the CrWSiN films were dominantly affected by their average crystallite size and by substrate bias voltage [...] Read more.
CrWSiN films were prepared through the co-sputtering technique, and the process variables were substrate bias voltage and temperature. The mechanical properties of hardness and elastic modulus of the CrWSiN films were dominantly affected by their average crystallite size and by substrate bias voltage and temperature. Moreover, the effect of substrate temperature was more evident than that of substrate bias. The highest hardness and elastic modulus of 42.6 and 459 GPa, respectively, were obtained for the Cr20W28Si9N43 film fabricated at a substrate temperature of 400 °C, which exhibits an evident advantage over the 25.0 and 323 GPa values for the Cr21W28Si9N42 film fabricated at room temperature. In contrast, an increase in negative bias voltage to −100 V on the substrate decreased the mechanical properties compared to one prepared using a similar process without applying the negative bias voltage. The oxidation resistance of the Cr-enriched Cr37W4Si10N49 and Cr37W5Si10N48 films was superior to that of the Cr20W28Si9N43 films with near-equal Cr and W contents annealed at 900 °C in air. The formation of a surficial Cr2O3 layer plays a vital role in restricting subsequent oxidation for CrWSiN films. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Silicon-Based Amorphous and Nanostructured Coatings)
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11 pages, 4547 KiB  
Article
The Self-Catalyzed Growth of GaAsSb Nanowires on a Si (111) Substrate Using Molecular-Beam Epitaxy
by Kexue Li, Jian Zhang, Jilong Tang, Yubin Kang, Fengyuan Lin, Xiaobing Hou, Zhipeng Wei and Qun Hao
Coatings 2023, 13(7), 1243; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13071243 - 13 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1087
Abstract
GaAsSb semiconductor material, a ternary alloy, has long been recognized as a crucial semiconductor in the near infrared range due to its ability to finely adjust the wavelength through controlling the Sb component. In this work, we report on the pattern of orientation [...] Read more.
GaAsSb semiconductor material, a ternary alloy, has long been recognized as a crucial semiconductor in the near infrared range due to its ability to finely adjust the wavelength through controlling the Sb component. In this work, we report on the pattern of orientation variation in self-catalyzed grown GaAsSb nanowires (NWs). Utilizing solid-source molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE), self-catalyzed GaAs and GaAsSb nanowires (NWs) were grown on Si (111) substrates. The influence of various Sb components on the growth direction of the nanowires in the ternary GaAsSb alloy was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The inclusion of Sb components was discovered to alter the growth direction of the nanowires, transitioning them from a vertical and inclined orientation to a configuration that encompassed vertical, inclined, and parallel orientations with respect to the Si (111) substrate. As the Sb component in GaAsSb increased, there was an increased likelihood of the nanowires growing parallel to the surface of the Si (111) substrate. A combination of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy validated the presence of Sb components and indicated a high crystalline quality. Additionally, XRD confirmed that the Sb components aligned with the intended structure. These findings establish a solid material foundation for the development of high-performance GaAsSb-based devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Silicon-Based Amorphous and Nanostructured Coatings)
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10 pages, 3703 KiB  
Article
Preparation of UV Curable Optical Adhesive NOA81 Bionic Lotus Leaf Structure Films by Nanoimprint Technique and the Applications on Silicon Solar Cells
by Xuehua Zhang, Pei Zhang, Wei Zhang, Jing Chen and Fangren Hu
Coatings 2023, 13(5), 867; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13050867 - 04 May 2023
Viewed by 1193
Abstract
Front surface texturing is a common method used to improve the optical performance of photovoltaic devices. However, traditional texturing techniques may be challenging in some cases, such as when dealing with ultra-thin substrates. Textured polymer films on such devices would be an alternative [...] Read more.
Front surface texturing is a common method used to improve the optical performance of photovoltaic devices. However, traditional texturing techniques may be challenging in some cases, such as when dealing with ultra-thin substrates. Textured polymer films on such devices would be an alternative approach. This paper reports a study of NOA81 thin films with a bionic lotus leaf surface structure on monocrystalline silicon solar cells. Inspired by the surface structure of natural lotus leaves, we successfully prepared a bionic lotus leaf microstructure film on the surface of solar cells based on NOA81 using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer and nanoimprinting methods. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that the surface structure of the NOA81 thin film was the same as that of natural lotus leaves. A UV-Vis spectrophotometer with an integrating sphere was used to measure the reflectance of the textured NOA81 film on the silicon wafer. Results showed that the textured NOA81 film could effectively reduce the reflectance of the silicon wafer surface. We also used finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation to verify this conclusion further. Finally, the I-V characteristics of the prepared solar cells with the textured NOA81 film were investigated, and the highest photovoltaic efficiency was measured to be about 16.07%, effectively improving the photoelectric conversion efficiency. In addition, the film with textured NOA81 can be used as a protective film for monocrystalline silicon solar cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Silicon-Based Amorphous and Nanostructured Coatings)
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Review

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33 pages, 8498 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances in the Plasma-Assisted Synthesis of Silicon-Based Thin Films and Nanostructures
by Pietro Mandracci and Paola Rivolo
Coatings 2023, 13(6), 1075; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13061075 - 10 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1625
Abstract
Silicon-based thin films and nanostructures are of paramount importance in a wide range of applications, including microelectronics, photovoltaics, large area sensors, and biomedicine. The wide accessibility of silicon and its relatively low cost have driven a continuous improvement of technology based on this [...] Read more.
Silicon-based thin films and nanostructures are of paramount importance in a wide range of applications, including microelectronics, photovoltaics, large area sensors, and biomedicine. The wide accessibility of silicon and its relatively low cost have driven a continuous improvement of technology based on this element. Plasma technology has been widely used for the synthesis of coatings and nanostructures based on silicon. Moreover, it has made a fundamental contribution to continuous improvement of the physicochemical properties of silicon-based materials and allows the synthesis of nanometric structures with well-defined shapes and morphologies. In this work, we have reviewed the most interesting developments in plasma-assisted processes for the synthesis of Si-based materials, both inorganic and organic, in the last five years. Special attention has been paid to new techniques, or modifications of already-existing ones, that open up new possibilities for the synthesis of materials with new properties, as well as nanostructures with novel characteristics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Silicon-Based Amorphous and Nanostructured Coatings)
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