Integrating AlN with GdN Thin Films in an in Situ CVD Process: Influence on the Oxidation and Crystallinity of GdN

The application potential of rare earth nitride (REN) materials has been limited due to their high sensitivity to air and moisture leading to facile oxidation upon exposure to ambient conditions. For the growth of device quality films, physical vapor deposition methods, such as molecular beam epitaxy, have been established in the past. In this regard, aluminum nitride (AlN) has been employed as a capping layer to protect the functional gadolinium nitride (GdN) from interaction with the atmosphere. In addition, an AlN buffer was employed between a silicon substrate and GdN serving as a seeding layer for epitaxial growth. In pursuit to grow high-quality GdN thin films by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), this successful concept is transferred to an in situ CVD process. Thereby, AlN thin films are included step-wise in the stack starting with Si/GdN/AlN structures to realize long-term stability of the oxophilic GdN layer. As a second strategy, a Si/AlN/GdN/AlN stacked structure was grown, where the additional buffer layer serves as the seeding layer to promote crystalline GdN growth. In addition, chemical interaction between GdN and the Si substrate can be prevented by spatial segregation. The stacked structures grown for the first time with a continuous CVD process were subjected to a detailed investigation in terms of structure, morphology, and composition, revealing an improved GdN purity with respect to earlier grown CVD thin films. Employing thin AlN buffer layers, the crystallinity of the GdN films on Si(100) could additionally be significantly enhanced. Finally, the magnetic properties of the fabricated stacks were evaluated by performing superconducting quantum interference device measurements, both of the as-deposited films and after exposure to ambient conditions, suggesting superparamagnetism of ferromagnetic GdN grains. The consistency of the magnetic properties precludes oxidation of the REN material due to the amorphous AlN capping layer

Photoactive Zinc Ferrites Fabricated via Conventional CVD Approach

Owing to its narrow band gap and promising magnetic and photocatalytic properties, thin films of zinc ferrite (ZFO, ZnFe₂O₄) are appealing for fabrication of devices in magnetic recording media and photoelectrochemical cells. Herein we report for the first time the fabrication of photactive zinc ferrites via a solvent free, conventional CVD approach, and the resulting ZFO layers show promise as a photocatalyst in PEC water-splitting. For large scale applications, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) routes are appealing for thin film deposition; however, very little is known about ZFO synthesis following CVD processes. The challenge in precisely controlling the composition for multicomponent material systems, such as ZFO, via conventional thermal CVD is an issue that is caused mainly by the mismatch in thermal properties of the precursors. The approach of using two different classes of precursors for zinc and iron with a close match in thermal windows led to the formation of polycrystalline spinel type ZFO. Under the optimized process conditions, it was possible to fabricate solely ZFO in the desired phase. This work demonstrates the potential of employing CVD to obtain photoactive ternary material systems in the right composition. For the first time, the application of CVD grown ZFO films for photoelectrochemical applications is being demonstrated, showing a direct band gap of 2.3 eV and exhibiting activity for visible light driven photoelectrochemical water splitting