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Thin Film Deposition: From Fundamental Research to Applications

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A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "D：Materials and Processing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2024) | Viewed by 12614

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Prof. Dr. José Guadalupe Quiñones-Galván

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Departamento de Física, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guadalajara, Blvd. Marcelino García Barragán 1421, Guadalajara JAL 44430, Mexico
Interests: pulsed laser deposition; laser ablation; thin films

Dr. Laura Patricia Rivera Reséndiz

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Departamento de Física, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guadalajara, Blvd. Marcelino García Barragán 1421, Guadalajara JAL 44430, Mexico
Interests: hard transparent thin films; pulsed laser deposition and surface nanostructuring with laser

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Development in thin film deposition technologies has allowed the accelerated increase in almost all areas of science and technology we see today. Thus, fundamental research and applications of thin films using a huge variety of deposition techniques is currently and is expected to remain an area of interest for the research community. The increasing demand for miniaturized devices and nanotechnology has motivated researchers to find new ways to synthesize or improve all kinds of thin film material systems using a great variety of physical and chemical thin film deposition techniques. This Special Issue is focused on publishing scientific research papers, and review articles that discuss fundamental thin film research, and more specifically:

Synthesis techniques: novel studies on thin film deposition techniques, such as advances in pulsed laser deposition, sputtering, chemical vapor deposition, and sol–gel, among others;
Characterization: study of physical and chemical properties of different types of thin film materials;
Applications: Experiments applying thin films in different fields of science;
Simulation and theoretical calculations: studies on theory or simulation around specific properties or applications of thin films.

Prof. Dr. José Guadalupe Quiñones-Galván
Dr. Laura Patricia Rivera Reséndiz
Guest Editors

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Keywords

thin films
deposition techniques
2D materials
functional coatings
nanostructured thin films
nanocomposite coatings
chemical deposition techniques
physical vapor deposition

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 2203 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Oxygen Pressure on the Microstructures and Nanomechanical Properties of Samarium-Doped BiFeO₃ Thin Films

by Chih-Sheng Gao, Sheng-Rui Jian, Phuoc Huu Le, Wu-Ching Chou, Jenh-Yih Juang, Huang-Wei Chang and Chih-Ming Lin

Micromachines 2023, 14(10), 1879; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14101879 - 29 Sep 2023

Viewed by 748

Abstract

In this study, samarium (Sm-10at%)-doped BiFeO₃ (SmBFO) thin films were grown on platinum-coated glass substrates using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) to unveil the correlation between the microstructures and nanomechanical properties of the films. The PLD-derived SmBFO thin films were prepared under various oxygen partial pressures (P_O2) of 10, 30, and 50 mTorr at a substrate temperature of 600 °C. The scanning electron microscopy analyses revealed a surface morphology consisting of densely packed grains, although the size distribution varied with the P_O2. X-ray diffraction results indicate that all SmBFO thin films are textured and preferentially oriented along the (110) crystallographic orientation. The crystallite sizes of the obtained SmBFO thin films calculated from the Scherrer and (Williamson–Hall) equations increased from 20 (33) nm to 25 (52) nm with increasing P_O2. In addition, the nanomechanical properties (the hardness and Young’s modulus) of the SmBFO thin films were measured by using nanoindentation. The relationship between the hardness and crystalline size of SmBFO thin films appears to closely follow the Hall–Petch equation. In addition, the P_O2 dependence of the film microstructure, the crystallite size, the hardness, and Young’s modulus of SmBFO thin films are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin Film Deposition: From Fundamental Research to Applications)

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16 pages, 10115 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Growth of Nanocolumnar TiO₂ Bilayer by Direct Current Reactive Magnetron Sputtering in Glancing-Angle Deposition Configuration for High-Quality Electron Transport Layer

by Perla Yanet Rosales Medina, Fernando Avelar Muñoz, Elida Flores Sigala, Roberto Gómez Rosales, Javier Alejandro Berumen Torres, José de Jesús Araiza Ibarra, Hugo Tototzintle Huitle, Víctor Hugo Méndez García and José Juan Ortega Sigala

Micromachines 2023, 14(8), 1483; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14081483 - 25 Jul 2023

Viewed by 936

Abstract

The electron transport layer (ETL) plays a crucial role in solar cell technology, particularly in perovskite solar cells (PSCs), where nanostructured TiO₂ films have been investigated as superior ETLs compared to compact TiO₂. In this study, we explored the nanocolumnar growth of TiO₂ in the anatase phase for bilayer thin films by DC reactive magnetron sputtering (MS) technique and glancing-angle deposition (GLAD). For the growth of the compact TiO₂ layer, it was found that the crystalline quality of the films is strongly dependent on the sputtering power, and the samples deposited at 120 and 140 W are those with the best crystalline quality. However, for the nanocolumnar layer, the reactive atmosphere composition determined the best crystalline properties. By optimizing the growth parameters, the formation of TiO₂ nanocolumns with a cross-sectional diameter ranging from 50 to 75 nm was achieved. The average thickness of the films exceeded 12.71 ± 0.5 µm. All nanostructured films were grown at a constant GLAD angle of 70°, and after deposition, the measured inclination angle of the nanocolumns is very close to this, having values between 68 and 80°. Furthermore, a correlation was observed between the quality of the initial layer and the enhanced growth of the TiO₂ nanocolumns. All bilayer films are highly transparent, allowing light to pass through up to 90%, and present a band gap with values between 3.7 and 3.8 eV. This article offers the experimental parameters for the fabrication of a nanocolumnar TiO₂ using the magnetron sputtering technique and the glancing-angle deposition configuration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin Film Deposition: From Fundamental Research to Applications)

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16 pages, 4874 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mask-Assisted Deposition of Ti on Cyclic Olefin Copolymer Foil by Pulsed Laser Deposition

by Mariapompea Cutroneo, Letteria Silipigni, Anna Mackova, Petr Malinsky, Romana Miksova, Vaclav Holy, Jan Maly, Marcel Stofik, Petr Aubrecht, Dominik Fajstavr, Petr Slepicka and Lorenzo Torrisi

Micromachines 2023, 14(7), 1298; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14071298 - 24 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 915

Abstract

Cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) is a novel type of thermoplastic polymer gaining the attention of the scientific community in electronic, optoelectronic, biomedicine and packaging applications. Despite the benefits in the use of COC such as undoubted optical transparency, chemical stability, a good water–vapor barrier and biocompatibility, its original hydrophobicity restricts its wider applicability and optimization of its performances. Presently, we report on the optical and morphological properties of the films of COC covered with Ti in selected areas. The layer of Ti on COC was deposited by pulsed lased deposition processing. The Ti/COC film was characterized by UV–Vis spectroscopy indicating that its transmittance in the visible region decreased by about 20% with respect to the pristine polymer. The quality of the deposited Ti was assessed with the morphology by scanning electron (SEM) and atomic force microscopies (AFM). The modification of the wettability was observed by the sessile drop method indicating a reduction of the native hydrophilicity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin Film Deposition: From Fundamental Research to Applications)

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8 pages, 1358 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Direct Synthesis of Mn₃[Fe(CN)₆]₂·nH₂O Nanosheets as Novel 2D Analog of Prussian Blue and Material for High-Performance Metal-Ion Batteries

by Artem A. Lobinsky, Maria V. Kaneva, Maxim I. Tenevich and Vadim I. Popkov

Micromachines 2023, 14(5), 1083; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14051083 - 21 May 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1304

Abstract

Rechargeable metal-ion batteries (RMIBs) are prospective highly effective and low-cost devices for energy storage. Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) have become a subject of significant interest for commercial applications owing to their exceptional specific capacity and broad operational potential window as cathode materials for rechargeable metal-ion batteries. However, the limiting factors for its widespread use are its poor electrical conductivity and stability. The present study describes the direct and simple synthesis of 2D nanosheets of MnFCN (Mn₃[Fe(CN)₆]₂·nH₂O) on nickel foam (NF) via a successive ionic layer deposition (SILD) method, which provided more ion diffusion and electrochemical conductivity. MnFCN/NF exhibited exceptional cathode performance for RMIBs, delivering a high specific capacity of 1032 F/g at 1 A/g in an aqueous 1M NaOH electrolyte. Additionally, the specific capacitance reached the remarkable levels of 327.5 F/g at 1 A/g and 230 F/g at 0.1 A/g in 1M Na₂SO₄ and 1M ZnSO₄ aqueous solutions, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin Film Deposition: From Fundamental Research to Applications)

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9 pages, 1995 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effective Chemical Lift-Off for Air-Tunnel GaN on a Trapezoid-Patterned Sapphire Substrate

by Min-joo Ahn, Kyu-yeon Shim, Woo-seop Jeong, Seongho Kang, Hwayoung Kim, Seunghee Cho and Dongjin Byun

Micromachines 2023, 14(4), 753; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14040753 - 29 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1163

Abstract

We fabricated an air-tunnel structure between a gallium nitride (GaN) layer and trapezoid-patterned sapphire substrate (TPSS) through the in situ carbonization of a photoresist layer to enable rapid chemical lift-off (CLO). A trapezoid-shaped PSS was used, which is advantageous for epitaxial growth on the upper c-plane when forming an air tunnel between the substrate and GaN layer. The upper c-plane of the TPSS was exposed during carbonization. This was followed by selective GaN epitaxial lateral overgrowth using a homemade metal organic chemical vapor deposition system. The air tunnel maintained its structure under the GaN layer, whereas the photoresist layer between the GaN layer and TPSS disappeared. The crystalline structures of GaN (0002) and (0004) were investigated using X-ray diffraction. The photoluminescence spectra of the GaN templates with and without the air tunnel showed an intense peak at 364 nm. The Raman spectroscopy results for the GaN templates with and without the air tunnel were redshifted relative to the results for free-standing GaN. The CLO process using potassium hydroxide solution neatly separated the GaN template with the air tunnel from the TPSS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin Film Deposition: From Fundamental Research to Applications)

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10 pages, 3199 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bi₂Te₃ Thin Films Deposited by the Combination of Bi and Te Plasmas in a PLD Process

by Laura A. Reyes-Verdugo, C. D. Gutiérrez-Lazos, J. Santos-Cruz, A. Chávez-Chávez and J. G. Quiñones-Galván

Micromachines 2023, 14(3), 590; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14030590 - 28 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1748

Abstract

Bismuth telluride thin films were grown by pulsed laser deposition by implementing a novel method that combines both Te and Bi plasmas resulting from the laser ablation of individual Bi and Te targets. Furthermore, the mean kinetic ion energy and density of the plasmas, as estimated by TOF curves obtained from Langmuir probe measurements, were used as control parameters for the deposition process. The obtained thin films exhibit a metallic mirror-like appearance and present good adhesion to the substrate. Morphology of the thin films was observed by SEM, yielding smooth surfaces where particulates were also observed (splashing). Chemical composition analysis obtained by EDS showed that apparently the films have a Te-rich composition (ratio of Te/Bi of 3); however, Te excess arises from the splashing as revealed by the structural characterization (XRD and Raman spectroscopy). The XRD pattern indicated that depositions have the rhombohedral (

D_{3 d}^{5}

(

R \bar{3} m)

) structure of Bi₂Te₃. Likewise, Raman spectra exhibited the presence of signals that correspond to

E_{g}^{2}

A_{1 u}^{2}

and

A_{1 g}^{2}

(LO) vibrational modes of the same rhombohedral phase of Bi₂Te₃. Additionally, oxidation states, analyzed by XPS, resulted in signals associated to Bi³⁺ and Te^2- that correspond to the Bi₂Te₃ compound. Finally, surface topology and thickness profiles were obtained from AFM measurements, confirming a combination of a smooth surface with particulates on top of it and a film thickness of 400 nm. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin Film Deposition: From Fundamental Research to Applications)

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10 pages, 3150 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Study on Microstructure of Mo/Si Multilayers Deposited on Large Curved Mirror with and without the Shadow Mask

by Xiangyue Liu, Zhe Zhang, Hongxuan Song, Qiushi Huang, Tonglin Huo, Hongjun Zhou, Runze Qi, Zhong Zhang and Zhanshan Wang

Micromachines 2023, 14(3), 526; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14030526 - 24 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1207

Abstract

The Mo/Si multilayer mirror has been widely used in EUV astronomy, lithography, microscopy and other fields because of its high reflectivity at the wavelength around 13.5 nm. During the fabrication of Mo/Si multilayers on large, curved mirrors, shadow mask was a common method to precisely control the period thickness distribution. To investigate the effect of shadow mask on the microstructure of Mo/Si multilayers, we deposited a set of Mo/Si multilayers with and without the shadow mask on a curved substrate with aperture of 200 mm by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering in this work. Grazing incidence X-ray reflectivity (GIXR), diffuse scattering, atomic force microscope (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the multilayer structure and the EUV reflectivity were measured at the National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) in China. By comparing the results, we found that the layer microstructure including interface width, surface roughness, layer crystallization and the reflectivity were barely affected by the mask and a high accuracy of the layer thickness gradient can be achieved. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin Film Deposition: From Fundamental Research to Applications)

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13 pages, 2652 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Overview of Polyethylene Terephthalate Foils Patterned Using 10 MeV Carbon Ions for Realization of Micromembranes

by Mariapompea Cutroneo, Vladimir Havranek, Anna Mackova, Petr Malinsky, Romana Miksova, Giovanni Ceccio, Lucio Ando’ and Alena Michalcova

Micromachines 2023, 14(2), 284; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14020284 - 22 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1184

Abstract

Polymer membranes are conventionally prepared using high-energy particles from radioactive decay or by the bombardment of hundreds of MeVs energy ions. In both circumstances, tracks of damage are produced by particles/ions passing through the polymer, and successively, the damaged material is removed by chemical etching to create narrow pores. This process ensures nanosized pore diameter but with random placement, leading to non-uniform local pore density and low membrane porosity, which is necessary to reduce the risk of their overlapping. The present study is focused on the use of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) foils irradiated by 10.0 MeV carbon ions, easily achievable with ordinary ion accelerators. The ion irradiation conditions and the chemical etching conditions were monitored to obtain customized pore locations without pore overlapping in PET. The quality, shape, and size of the pores generated in the micromembranes can have a large impact on their applicability. In this view, the Scanning Transmission Ion Microscopy coupled with a computer code created in our laboratory was implemented to acquire new visual and quantitative insights on fabricated membranes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin Film Deposition: From Fundamental Research to Applications)

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12 pages, 1377 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Microstructures and Characteristics of NiO Films: Effects of Substrate Temperature

by Guo-Ju Chen, Chih-Ming Lin, Yung-Hui Shih and Sheng-Rui Jian

Micromachines 2022, 13(11), 1940; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13111940 - 10 Nov 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1284

Abstract

The influence of the substrate temperature on the structural, surface morphological, optical and nanomechanical properties of NiO films deposited on glass substrates using radio-frequency magnetron sputtering was examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV-Visible spectroscopy and nanoindentation, respectively. The results indicate that the substrate temperature exhibits significant influences on both the grain texturing orientation and surface morphology of the films. Namely, the dominant crystallographic orientation of the films switches from (111) to (200) accompanied by progressively roughening of the surface when the substrate temperature is increased from 300 °C to 500 °C. The average transmittance of the NiO films was also found to vary in the range of 60–85% in the visible wavelength region, depending on the substrate temperature and wavelength. In addition, the optical band gap calculated from the Tauc plot showed an increasing trend from 3.18 eV to 3.56 eV with increasing substrate temperature. Both the hardness and Young’s modulus of NiO films were obtained by means of the nanoindentation continuous contact stiffness measurements mode. Moreover, the contact angle between the water droplet and film surface also indicated an intimate correlation between the surface energy, hence the wettability, of the film and substrate temperature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin Film Deposition: From Fundamental Research to Applications)

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Review

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25 pages, 6052 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review on Material Selection Benchmarking in GeTe-Based RF Phase-Change Switches for Each Layer

by Sheng Qu, Libin Gao, Jiamei Wang, Hongwei Chen and Jihua Zhang

Micromachines 2024, 15(3), 380; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi15030380 - 13 Mar 2024

Viewed by 644

Abstract

The global demand for radio frequency (RF) modules and components has grown exponentially in recent decades. RF switches are the essential unit in RF front-end and reconfigurable systems leading to the rapid development of novel and advanced switch technology. Germanium telluride (GeTe), as one of the Chalcogenide phase-change materials, has been applied as an RF switch due to its low insertion loss, high isolation, fast switching speed, and low power consumption in recent years. In this review, an in-depth exploration of GeTe film characterization is presented, followed by a comparison of the device structure of directly heated and indirectly heated RF phase-change switches (RFPCSs). Focusing on the prototypical structure of indirectly heated RFPCSs as the reference, the intrinsic properties of each material layer and the rationale behind the material selection is analyzed. Furthermore, the design size of each material layer of the device and its subsequent RF performance are summarized. Finally, we cast our gaze toward the promising future prospects of RFPCS technology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin Film Deposition: From Fundamental Research to Applications)

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