<p>The technique of magnetron sputtering is considered for the deposition of silicon rich films. Attention was paid to the possibility to produce light emitting silicon rich films by three different methods, such as reactive magnetron sputtering, co-sputtering from silicon/silicon dioxide targets and a stacked film approach. It was found that photoluminescence of the films deposited in presence of hydrogen was much grater then that for other samples.</p> <p>A model of reactive sputter deposition was also developed and tested in this work. Results achieved in numerical simulation are compared with experimental data and show a good correlation.</p> <p>An experimental unit for magnetron sputtering was designed and built based on a sphere-shaped vacuum chamber equipped with a commercially available magnetron sputter gun, RF generator as power supply unit, vacuum controllers, mass flow controllers, in-situ thickness monitor, temperature controller and other supplemental equipment.</p> <p>Characterization of deposited film was made usmg Profile Measurement, ellipsometry, Rutherford Back Scattering measurements, X-Ray Diffraction measurements and photoluminescence measurements.</p> <p>The achieved results show the principal possibility of getting microcrystalline silicon films and light emitting silicon nanocrystals embedded into silicon dioxide matrix by the sputter deposition technique.</p> / Master of Science (MS)

The magnetic field is a key feature that distinguishes magnetron sputtering from simple diode sputtering. It effectively increases the residence time of electrons close to the cathode surface and by that increases the energy efficiency of the discharge. This becomes apparent in high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) discharges, as small changes in the magnetic field can result in large variations in the discharge characteristics, notably the peak discharge current and/or the discharge voltage during a pulse. Here, we analyze the influence of the magnetic field on the electron density and temperature, how the discharge voltage is split between the cathode sheath and the ionization region, and the electron heating mechanism in a HiPIMS discharge. We relate the results to the energy efficiency of the discharge and discuss them in terms of the probability of target species ionization. The energy efficiency of the discharge is related to the fraction of pulse power absorbed by the electrons. Ohmic heating of electrons in the ionization region leads to higher energy efficiency than electron energization in the sheath. We find that the electron density and ionization probability of the sputtered species depend largely on the discharge current. The results suggest ways to adjust electron density and electron temperature using the discharge current and the magnetic field, respectively, and how they influence the ionization probability.

published_or_final_version / Mechanical Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

No description available.

The properties of sputter-deposited multilayered superconductors have been studied, including Mo/Ta metallic superlattices and thin films of YBa₂Cu₃O₇₋ₓ. The former have been prepared with the same integer number of atomic planes of Mo and Ta modulating the layered composition. In contrast to behavior observed in other metal-metal superlattices, Mo/Ta exhibits long range structural coherence and metallic resistivity behavior over the entire range of wavelengths down to the monolayer limit. The structural properties of these superlattices are used to explain an anomalous decrease in the c₄₄ elastic stiffness constant previously observed in Mo/Ta for 20 Å ≤ Λ ≤ 50 Å. Superconductivity measurements indicate "universal" T(c) versus ρ behavior in Mo/Ta, and tunneling results show that these superlattices are weakly-coupled BCS superconductors. The second part of this dissertation examines the properties of superconducting thin films of YBa₂Cu₃O₇₋ₓ prepared by dc triode sputtering from metallic targets of Y and Ba₂Cu₃. Post-depression annealing in O₂ is necessary to form the superconducting oxide. Various substrates were used, including sapphire and MgO, both with and without buffer layers of Ag, and SrTiO₃. The buffer layers are used to decrease the interaction of the substrate with the film. The best results occur with films deposited on MgO with a Ag buffer layer, exhibiting T(c) onsets as high as 90 K and zero resistance by 60 K. I find that the crystalline orientation of films deposited on (100) SrTiO₃ are influenced by the substrate, and re-annealing a sample can sometimes improve its superconducting properties. Overall, reproducibility is the biggest problem with this technique, as Ba metal is highly reactive with the environment.

No description available.

No description available.

Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) is a promising absorber material for thin-film solar cells since it contains no rare or toxic elements, has a high absorption coefficient and a near ideal bandgap energy. It does, however, present some challenges due to the limited single-phase region of the desired kesterite phase and its instability towards decomposition. Sputtering of CZTS from quaternary, compound targets using RF magnetron sputtering is known. In this thesis work CZTS absorbers were made using pulsed DC magnetron sputtering on stainless steel substrates. The effects of varying substrate temperature and adding seed layers to promote grain growth were investigated, as well as the effects of a rapid thermal anneal in a S-rich atmosphere. Film compositions determined by X-ray fluorescence were found to be inside or close to the kesterite single-phase region in the phase diagram, but were generally too Cu-rich and Zn-poor to yield good results. The kesterite phase was confirmed with X-ray crystallography and Raman spectroscopy, indicating that it is possible to sputter CZTS from a single target with a high deposition rate. It was found that Cu2S seed layers could induce a significant increase in grain size, and preliminary experiments showed no evidence of the seed layer remaining after deposition of the absorber. Higher substrate temperatures also lead to increased grain size, but excessive heating caused the decomposition of the CZTS. Annealing induced grain growth, relaxed internal stress in the material and improved the electrical properties of the CZTS films, primarily by the removal of shunts.

The stimuli response of a polymer – metal bilayer architecture was investigated. This solvent activated system showed a dynamic response when exposed to a particular solvent. Polymer wires were fabricated using a glass capillary array (GCA) as a template. The synthesized wires were then sputtered with silver and exposed to dichloromethane (DCM). The solvent activated response results in a number of physical distortions of which the circular deformation was the most predominant. The thicknesses of the metal coating and the direction of the solvent front were studied in an effort to determine their relationship to the observed wired deformations.

Neste trabalho, desenvolvemos um gerador de nanopartículas (NPs) como uma adaptação para um sistema de magnetron sputtering. Com ele, somos capazes de produzir NPs de materiais diversos e codepositá-las em matrizes dielétricas ou metálicas. A adaptação consiste em incluir uma região de alta pressão relativa de Ar no caminho do vapor atômico removido do alvo. A aglomeração ocorre termodinamicamente devido a diminuição da energia cinética após colisões com o gás. Desenvolvemos também, uma metodologia para colimar o fluxo de NPs dentro da região de alta pressão. A deposição é feita no substrato na forma de uma mancha com alguns milímetros de diâmetro e o tempo de preparação da amostra é significativamente curto. Desenvolvemos um modelo fenomenológico para explicar a condensação e a colimação do nosso sistema. Este, apesar de não sofisticado, explica bem ambos os fenômenos e consegue prever o diâmetro das nanopartículas para certas condições. Em paralelo ao desenvolvimento, produzimos e caracterizamos nanopartículas de cobalto. Da caracterização morfológica, através de microscopia eletrônica, concluímos que as NPs produzidas tem diâmetros médios de 10 nm com uma dispersão de 13 %. Através de análises de retro espalhamento Rutherford estudamos a distribuição do material sobre o substrato e observamos que este segue uma distribuição Gaussiana de espessuras. Além disso, devido a colimação, observamos que as taxas de deposição são da ordem de 50 vezes maiores que as taxas usuais de um sistema de sputtering. Estudos estruturais através de difração de raios X mostraram que as nanopartículas são nanocristalinas e imagens em alta magnificação de microscopia eletrônica de transmissão comprovaram esta hipótese. Finalmente, estudos magnéticos mostraram que as NPs não possuem eixos preferenciais de magnetização. Desenvolvemos condições padrões de operação e estabilizamos o sistema que atualmente produz amostras confiáveis e reprodutíveis. Além do Co, nanopartículas de Cu e SmCo foram produzidas em condições parecidas. A morfologia destas partículas foi investigadas por microscopia eletrônica e seus tamanhos se mostraram próximos dos das NPs de Co. Estes resultados ilustraram a universalidade do nosso sistema de deposição de nanopartículas. / We have developed a nanoparticle (NP) generator by adapting one of the sputtering guns on a magnetron sputtering system. With it, we are able to produce nanoparticles with different types of material. The adaptation consists of including a high-pressure region in the path of the atomic vapor removed from the sputtering target. The condensation happens thermodynamically through the loss of kinetic energy that the atomic vapor suffers after collisions with the gas. We have also developed a methodology to collimate the flow of nanoparticles inside the high pressure region. The deposition on the substrate is in the form of a stain with a few millimeters in diameter. The sample preparation time is also relatively short. We created a phenomenological model to explain both the condensation and collimation phenomena in our system. Despite being relatively simple, this model explain both quite well. In parallel to the development of the system, we produced and characterized cobalt nanoparticles. From a morphological analysis, carried out using electron microscopy, we determined that the nanoparticles mean diameter is of about 10 nm with a dispersion of 13 %. Through Rutherford back-scattering analysis, we studied the thickness distribution of the sample along the substrate. We observed that it follows a Gaussian distribution. Also, because of the collimation of the material, the deposition rates are about 50 times higher than in a regular sputtering system. Using X ray diffraction we were able to determine that the NPs are nano-crystalline which is corroborated with high resolution transmission electron microscopy images. Finally, magnetic measurements showed that the nanoparticles do not have any preferential magnetization axis. We developed standards of operations and stabilized the system. The samples we produce are trustworthy and reproducible. Besides Co, Cu and SmCo NPs were produced using this system with conditions similar to the ones used on the Co NPs. Through morphological analysis, we determined that their sizes are also similar. These results illustrate the universality of our system.