No abstract

Titanium chromium nitride (TiCrN) films were prepared under various nitrogen flow rates (7-18 sccm) via co-sputtering. It was argued that the target poisoning effect governs the deposition process in nitrogen-rich atmospheres. The observed X-ray diffraction patterns suggested that the crystal structure of TiCrN coatings is a cubic close-packed (TiCr)N solid solution with (111) crystalline planes. The patterns also implied that the increased nitrogen content is accompanied by a tendency towards crystallite size enlargement. In addition to the main vibrational transitions, the micro-Raman spectroscopy detected the Raman third-order vibrational transition (2A + O) and a peak corresponding to one of the Raman second-order transitions (A + O). It was also revealed that the area under the peaks corresponding to chromium nitride first-order and second-order acoustic vibrational transitions increase with the increase in the nitrogen content of the samples. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy showed that the coatings can have a potential application in under-marine UV photodetector designs.

Extremely thin, Al–Zn–O composite films (21 ± 6 nm) are deposited on fused silica substrates under various percentages of oxygen in the oxygen/argon gas mixture (3%, 4.5%, 6%, and 7.5%). The films are prepared by a cylindrical DC magnetron sputtering system, utilizing a single compound target. The effects of the oxygen percentage on the compositional, morphological, and optical properties of the films are investigated by energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, UV‐visible spectrophotometry, and atomic force microscopy. The chemical composition of the films is Al1 Zn1+X O with 0.2 < X < 1. The average visible transmittance of 93.6% with a high level of uniformity is obtained when the sputtering deposition performs under the oxygen percentage of 6%. It is found that the optical band gap of the films can be tailored toward higher energy by increasing oxygen percentage; however, the adjustable range is not so significant. The results offer cost‐efficient films with high, uniform transmittance in the visible region and with an ability to attenuate more than 10% of incident UV‐B radiation (280‐315 nm). This type of films can potentially be included in greenhouse screen systems to effectively protect the plants from the elevated UV‐B radiation without altering natural conditions.

No abstract

No abstract