by Man Wah-Kit. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 177-180). / LIST OF FIGURES / LIST OF TABLES / abstract --- p.1 / Chapter 1. --- introduction --- p.3 / Chapter 2. --- fabrication process / Chapter 2-1 --- INTRODUCTION --- p.7 / Chapter 2-2 --- PROCESS DEVELOPMENT --- p.8 / Chapter 2-3 --- FABRICATION PROCEDURES FOR TIN FILMS --- p.10 / Chapter 2-4 --- FABRICATION PROCEDURES FOR TIN OXIDE FILMS --- p.14 / Chapter 2-5 --- FABRICATION THEORY --- p.21 / Chapter 2-6 --- OXYGEN ION IMPLANTATION OF TIN FILMS --- p.24 / Chapter 3. --- structural characterization / Chapter 3-1 --- INTRODUCTION --- p.30 / Chapter 3-2 --- MICROSTRUCTURE / Chapter 3-2-1 --- SOME RELATED THEORIES OF GRAIN GROWTH / Chapter (1) --- Classical Theory of Grain Growth --- p.30 / Chapter (2) --- Hillock Growth --- p.31 / Chapter (3) --- Dislocation Creep Theory --- p.33 / Chapter (4) --- Biaxial Stress in Thin Films --- p.35 / Chapter (5) --- Surface Cluster Growth --- p.37 / Chapter 3-3 --- EXPERIMENTATION AND RESULTS / Chapter 3-3-1 --- MICROSTRUCTURAL ANALYSIS UNDER OPTICAL MICROSCOPE --- p.39 / Chapter 3-3-2 --- THE STRESS AND HILLOCK HEIGHT ANALYSIS OF TIN OXIDE FILMS --- p.48 / Chapter 3-3-3 --- MICROSTRUCTURAL ANALYSIS BY MEANS OF ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPE (AFM) --- p.52 / Chapter 3-3-4 --- MICROSTRUCTURAL ANALYSIS BY X-RAY DIFFRACTION --- p.69 / Chapter 3-3-5 --- SURFACE ANALYSIS BY MEANS OF X-RAY PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY / Chapter (1) --- Introduction --- p.73 / Chapter (2) --- Basic Theory --- p.73 / Chapter (3) --- Experimentation And Results --- p.75 / Chapter 3-3-6 --- SURFACE STUDY OF ION IMPLANTED TIN OXIDE FILMS / Chapter (1) --- Experimental Results --- p.82 / Chapter 3-4 --- DISCUSSION / Chapter 3-4-1 --- QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF MICROSTRUCTURE WITH THE OPTICAL MICROSCOPE --- p.88 / Chapter 3-4-2 --- QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF MICROSTRUCTURE WITH SEM AND AFM / Chapter (1) --- Grain Growth of Tin Oxide Films --- p.89 / Chapter (2) --- Dependence of Grain Size on Deposition Rate --- p.91 / Chapter (3) --- Dependence of Grain Size on Film Thickness --- p.92 / Chapter (4) --- Dependence of Grain Size on Substrate Temperature --- p.92 / Chapter (5) --- Origin of Hillock Growth of Tin Oxide Films --- p.93 / Chapter 3-4-3 --- FILM COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSIS WITH X-RAY DIFFRACTION --- p.95 / Chapter 3-4-4 --- SURFACE ANALYSIS WITH X-RAY PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY …… --- p.95 / Chapter 3-4-5 --- SURFACE ANALYSIS OF OXYGEN IMPLANTED TIN FILMS --- p.96 / Chapter 4. --- OPTICAL CHARACTERIZATION / Chapter 4-1 --- INTRODUCTION --- p.98 / Chapter 4-2 --- THEORY / Chapter (1) --- Free Electron Model --- p.99 / Chapter (2) --- Effect of Film Thickness --- p.100 / Chapter (3) --- Effect of Oxygen Contents --- p.101 / Chapter (4) --- Electron-Lattice Interaction and Bandgap Studies --- p.102 / Chapter 4-3 --- EXPERIMENTATION AND RESULTS --- p.105 / Chapter 4-4 --- DISCUSSION / Chapter 4-4-1 --- BANDGAP STUDIES FOR TIN OXIDE FILMS WITH DIFFERENT DEPOSITION CONDITIONS / Chapter (1) --- Variation of Film Thickness --- p.122 / Chapter (2) --- Film Appearance --- p.123 / Chapter (3) --- Variation of Substrate Temperature --- p.123 / Chapter (4) --- Variation of Oxidation Conditions --- p.123 / Chapter 5. --- ELECTRICAL CHARACTERIZATION / Chapter 5-1 --- INTRODUCTION --- p.126 / Chapter 5-2 --- RELATED THEORY / Chapter 5-2-1 --- CURRENT-VOLTAGE (I-V) CHARACTERISTICS --- p.127 / Chapter 5-2-2 --- CAPACITANCE-VOLTAGE (C-V) CHARACTERISTICS --- p.131 / Chapter 5-2-3 --- RELATION OF ELECTRICAL TO STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES / Chapter (A) --- Effects of Deposition Conditions --- p.133 / Chapter (B) --- Effects of Grain Boundaries --- p.133 / Chapter (C) --- Effects of Ionic Impurities --- p.134 / Chapter (D) --- Effects of The Interface Properties --- p.134 / Chapter 5-2-4 --- MEASURING TECHNIQUES / Chapter (A) --- I-V Measurment of Tin Oxide on a Silicon Substrate --- p.136 / Chapter (B) --- C-V Measurement of Tin Oxide Films on Silicon Substrates --- p.137 / Chapter (C) --- Electrical Measurement of Tin Oxide Films on a Quartz Substrate --- p.137 / Chapter 5-3 --- EXPERIMENTATION --- p.138 / Chapter 5-4 --- RESULTS --- p.141 / Chapter 5-5 --- DISCUSSION / Chapter 5-5-1 --- Analysis of the Conduction Mechanism for Sn02/Si n-p Heterojunctions --- p.161 / Chapter 5-5-2 --- Analysis of the Conduction Mechanism for Sn02/Si n-n Heterojunctions --- p.162 / Chapter 5-5-3 --- Effect on the Conduction Mechanisms of Film Thickness --- p.164 / Chapter 5-5-4 --- Effect on the Conduction Mechanisms of Oxidation Time --- p.166 / Chapter 5-5-5 --- Interfacial Properties of SnOx/Si Heterojunctions --- p.166 / Chapter 5-5-6 --- Electrical Properties of SnOx Films on Quartz / Chapter (1) --- Dependence of Film Conductivity on Measuring Temperatures --- p.168 / Chapter (2) --- Dependence of Film Conductivity on Oxidation Time --- p.168 / Chapter (3) --- Dependence of Film Conductivity on Oxidation Temperature --- p.169 / Chapter (4) --- Invariance of Film Conductivity at Some Certain Measuring Temperatures --- p.170 / Chapter (5) --- Activation Energy of Sn02 Films on Quartz --- p.170 / Chapter 6. --- CONCLUSIONS --- p.172 / Chapter 7. --- FUTURE WORKS --- p.175 / Chapter 8. --- REFERENCES --- p.177 / Chapter 9. --- APPENDICES / Chapter 9-1 --- APPENDIX A List of photos --- p.181 / Chapter 9-2 --- APPENDIX B (1) ED AX results for some selected regions on samples with hillocks --- p.182 / Chapter (2) --- Relations between mean surface roughness and oxidation conditions --- p.185 / Chapter (3) --- XPS original data and typical XPS spectra for vacuum- evaporated SnO2 thin film --- p.186 / Chapter 9-3 --- "APPENDIX C Variations of optical parameters, refractive index n and extinction coefficient k in visible region with different oxidation conditions" --- p.189 / Chapter 9-4 --- APPENDIX D Electrical results for Sn02/Si heterojunction s --- p.191 / Chapter 9-5 --- APPENDIX E Calculations of band diagram for Sn02/Si heterojunctions --- p.194 / Chapter 9-6 --- APPENDIX F Resistivity versus impurity concentration for silicon at 300K --- p.196

Surface-plasmon polaritons propagating on thin metal films bounded by dielectrics of nearly equal refractive indexes comprise two bound modes. Calculations indicate that, while the modes are degenerate on thick films, both the real and the imaginary components of the propagation constants for the modes split into two branches on successively thinner films. Considering these non-degenerate modes, the mode exhibiting a symmetric (antisymmetric) transverse profile of the longitudinally polarized electric field component, has propagation constant components both of which increase (decrease) with decreasing film thickness. Theoretical propagation constant eigenvalue (PCE) curves have been plotted which delineate this dependence of both propagation constant components on film thickness. By means of a retroreflecting, hemispherical glass coupler in an attenuated total reflection (ATR) configuration, light of wavelength 632.8 nm coupled to the modes of thin silver films deposited on polished glass substrates. Lorentzian lineshape dips in the plots of reflectance vs. angle of incidence indicate the presence of the plasmon modes. The real and imaginary components of the propagation constraints (i.e., the propagation constant and loss coefficient) were calculated from the angular positions and widths of the ATR resonances recorded. Films of several thicknesses were probed. Results which support the theoretically predicted curves were reported.

A series of boron suboxide films with hardness higher than 40 GPa was prepared and characterized. The correlation between OB ratio and mechanical properties, both hardness and elastic modulus were analyzed. Our studies on beta r-B, B2O3, surface oxidation of betar-B, and B6O illustrate that an XPS peak shift can be caused by a change in chemical state and bonding configuration. The shifts of B 1s peaks provide some good evidence to substantiate this conventional wisdom of XPS. We have applied this concept to enrich our XPS studies of boron and BxO y, and indeed found an intriguing variety of surface and interfacial physical conditions of those samples. / In our study, three boron nitride (BN) samples, the c-BN, h-BN and a-BN were prepared to serve as the standard specimens. And also, a series of thick BN films with different cubic phase content were prepared using a dual-ion beam assisted deposition (DIBAD) system. A quantitative method to measure the various phases content in BN film by the deconvolution of the energy loss features of N 1s signal was established. The feasibility of this method was proved by comparing the results with the results from FT-IR. To our understanding, this method has never been reported. / Many mechanical applications constantly demand superhard materials. Commonly a material is qualified as "superhard" when its microhardness exceeds 40 GPa. Therefore, great efforts have been made to search for other materials with high hardness in the past several decades. In the design of superhard materials, boron is a peculiar element/constituent. c-BN that possesses the zinc-blende structure shows numerous highly desirable mechanical properties, especially the high hardness and chemical inertness. Boron often exhibits three-center two-electron bonds in addition to the common two-center two-electron bonds. This overall bonding configuration must be very effective as shown by the high hardness of solid boron at 35 GPa. When impurities with more valence electrons than boron are added to pure boron, the overall mechanical strength can be further enhanced. By incorporation of oxygen, a family of hard boron suboxide compounds is thereby formed such as B6O. / Zheng Bin. / "August 2005." / Adviser: Chan Man Chor. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-11, Section: B, page: 6427. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 138-139). Also available online.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 204-213). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-129).

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.