Effect of pulsed magnetron sputtering process for the deposition of thin layers of nickel and nickel oxide

Magnetron sputtered nickel and nickel oxide films have been studied for various applications. We may find, among others, these films in electrochromic display devices, in resistive type gas sensors, as metal electrodes in electronic devices, in solar thermal absorbers. Pure nickel films deposited using PVD technique possess good corrosion and wear resistant properties. Magnetron sputtering has several advantages in film deposition (in comparison to other methods) such as relatively low heating temperature of the deposited substrate during sputtering process, high energy of sputtered atoms (about 10 eV) at the substrate, which influences positively the films adhesion. From application point of view, the most valuable feature of these films is the possibility of scaling target dimensions, which makes feasible the deposition on a several square meter surfaces. The improvement of magnetron sputtering devices design may influence positively the optimization of the deposition technology and its efficiency. The thin nickel and nickel oxide films were prepared by pulsed magnetron sputtering using original type WMK magnetron device. Ni (99.9 %) has been used as a sputtering target of 100 mm in diameter and different thicknesses (3 mm, 5 mm, and 6 mm). The distance between the substrate and target was the same in all experiments and equal to 120 mm. Argon and oxygen gases were introduced during the reactive process through needle gas valves at a total pressure of 0.4 Pa. The sputtering power, sputtering pressure and oxygen partial pressure have been used as technological knobs for deposition processes. The helpful tool for controlling the pulsed magnetron sputtering process was the original parameter of supply (so called circulating power). Results from our experiments showed that the deposition of Ni films is possible even from targets of 6 mm thickness. Deposition rate increased proportionally with the sputtering power. The aim of this work is to use the acquired expertise to develop an efficient technology of thin nickel oxide layers for electrochromic systems

Analysis of properties of thin TiO2 layers for application in photovoltaic and optoelectronic devices

Artykuł jest opisem analizy nowej metody nakładania cienkich warstw dwutlenku tytanu pod kątem jej aplikacji w ogniwach słonecznych z uwzględnieniem elastycznych struktur fotowoltaicznych. Uzyskane warstwy zostały poddane zarówno charakteryzacji optycznej i elektrycznej, jak również badaniom strukturalnym w celu weryfikacji możliwości ich zastosowań w charakterze emiterowych pokryć przewodzących w strukturach fotowoltaicznych. Dodatkowo, w ramach oceny potencjału zastosowania TiO2 w elastycznych ogniwach słonecznych, badane warstwy otrzymane na elastycznych podłożach PET zostały przetestowane pod kątem wpływu dynamicznych cykli zginania na zmianę ich rezystancji na kwadrat. Jako ostateczna weryfikacja potencjału uzyskanych warstw do produkcji przyrządów fotowoltaicznych wykonano prototypowe ogniwo słoneczne, pokryte TiO2, oraz sprawdzono jego podstawowe parametry elektryczne.This paper presents properties of titanium dioxide thin films prepared in reactive pulse magnetron deposition method using differential variants of process parameters. Layers of TiO2 were deposited on both glass and polymer foil substrates. They were characterized in terms of optical and electrical parameters in order to verify their possible application as emitter conductive coatings in photovoltaic structures. Additionally, within the evaluation process of potential TiO2 application in flexible solar cells, layers deposited on PET foils, were investigated for mechanical durability. They were tested in terms of the influence of dynamic bending cycles on surface resistance per square changes

Electron emission from the zirconium coated suspension plasma sprayed bioglass

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Investigation of the Microstructure, Optical, Electrical and Nanomechanical Properties of ZnOx Thin Films Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering

The paper presents the results of an investigation of the influence of technological parameters on the microstructure, optical, electrical and nanomechanical properties of zinc oxide coatings prepared using the pulsed reactive magnetron sputtering method. Three sets of ZnOx thin films were deposited in metallic, shallow dielectric and deep dielectric sputtering modes. Structural investigations showed that thin films deposited in the metallic mode were nanocrystalline with mixed hexagonal phases of metallic zinc and zinc oxide with crystallite size of 9.1 and 6.0 nm, respectively. On the contrary, the coatings deposited in both dielectric modes had a nanocrystalline ZnO structure with an average crystallite size smaller than 10 nm. Moreover, coatings deposited in the dielectric modes had an average transmission of 84% in the visible wavelength range, while thin films deposited in the metallic mode were opaque. Measurements of electrical properties revealed that the resistivity of as-deposited thin films was in the range of 10−4 Ωcm to 108 Ωcm. Coatings deposited in the metallic mode had the lowest hardness of 2.2 GPa and the worst scratch resistance among all sputtered coatings, whereas the best mechanical properties were obtained for the film sputtered in the deep dielectric mode. The obtained hardness of 11.5 GPa is one of the highest reported to date in the literature for undoped ZnO