Single-beam ion source enhanced growth of transparent conductive thin films

Tran, Trung Dinh; Kim, Young; Baule, Nina; Shrestha, Maheshwar; Zheng, Bocong; Wang, Keliang; Schuelke, Thomas; Fan, Qi Hua

doi:10.1088/1361-6463/ac7f01

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…A single beam ion source (SPR-10, Scion Plasma LLC) was integrated into the sputtering system so that both ion gun and magnetron pointed to the substrate center from different directions at an angle of approximately 60 • (figure S1, supplementary data). The ion gun emitted argon ions with estimated peak energy of 60 eV and flux density of 1 × 10 20 m −2 .s −1 [21,22].…”

Section: Experiments and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ion source was excited by a DC voltage of 120 V with a discharge current of 0.8 A. This ion source operated in a low-voltage high-current regime, generating ions with relatively low energies below 60 eV that could restructure silver films without significant sputtering of the deposited film [21]. The substrate holder rotated at a constant speed of 10 rpm during the deposition.…”

Section: Experiments and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ion beam (IB) assisted deposition has been recognized as an effective approach to modulating thin-film growth. In IB assisted deposition, ions transfer energy to the atoms as they are deposited, leading to enhanced nucleation and lateral growth [21]. However, conventional ion sources (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ultra-thin silver films grown by sputtering with a soft ion beam-treated intermediate layer

Tran

Wang

Shrestha

et al. 2023

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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Silver thin films have wide-ranging applications in optical coatings and optoelectronic devices. However, their poor wettability to substrates such as glass often leads to an island growth mode, known as the Volmer-Weber mode. This study demonstrates a method that utilizes a low-energy ion beam treatment in conjunction with magnetron sputtering to fabricate continuous silver films as thin as 6 nm. A single-beam ion source generates low-energy soft ions to establish a nominal 1 nm seed silver layer, which significantly enhances the wettability of the subsequently deposited silver films, resulting in a continuous film of approximately 6 nm with a resistivity as low as 11.4 µΩ.cm. The transmittance spectra of these films were found to be comparable to simulated results, and the standard 100-grid tape test showed a marked improvement in adhesion to glass compared to silver films sputter-deposited without the ion beam treatment. High-resolution scanning electron microscopy images of the early growth stage indicate that the ion beam treatment promotes nucleation, while films without the ion beam treatment tend to form isolated islands. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that the (111) crystallization is suppressed by the soft ion beam treatment, while growth of large crystals with (200) orientation is strengthened. This method is a promising approach for the fabrication of silver thin films with improved properties for use in optical coatings and optoelectronics.

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Section: Experiments and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Experiments and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ultra-thin silver films grown by sputtering with a soft ion beam-treated intermediate layer

Tran

Wang

Shrestha

et al. 2023

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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“…The sputtering system (Kurt J. Lesker Company PVD 75 PRO Line) had multiple sputtering magnetrons and each magnetron had a shutter for pre-sputtering. A single beam ion source (SPR-10, Scion Plasma LLC) was integrated into the sputtering system, as shown in Figure S1, Supporting Information. , …”

Section: Experiments and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A single beam ion source (SPR-10, Scion Plasma LLC) was integrated into the sputtering system, as shown in Figure S1, Supporting Information. 31,32 The vacuum chamber was pumped down to below 1.3 × 10 −4 Pa before deposition. The sputtering gas was ultra-high purity grade argon (99.999%) at a pressure of 0.4 Pa.…”

Section: Experiments and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable Ultra-thin Silver Films Grown by Soft Ion Beam-Enhanced Sputtering with an Aluminum Cap Layer

Tran

Shrestha

Baule

et al. 2023

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

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Ultra-thin silver films are susceptible to ambient environments and form grayish layers in the silver mirroring process. The poor wettability together with the high diffusivity of surface atoms in the presence of oxygen accounts for the thermal instability of ultra-thin silver films in the air and at elevated temperatures. This work demonstrates an atomic-scale aluminum cap layer on the silver to enhance the thermal and environmental stabilities of ultra-thin silver films deposited by sputtering with the assistance of a soft ion beam reported in our previous work. The resulted film consists of an ion-beam-treated seed silver layer of ∼1 nm nominal thickness, a subsequent silver layer of ∼6 nm thickness produced by sputtering alone, and an aluminum cap layer of ∼0.2 nm nominal thickness. Although the aluminum cap is only one to two atomic layers and likely non-continuous, it significantly improved the thermal and ambient environmental stability of the ultra-thin silver films (∼7 nm thick) without affecting the film's optical and electrical properties. The improved environmental stability is attributed to the cathodic protection mechanism and reduced diffusivity of surface atoms. The improved thermal stability is attributed to the reduced mobility of surface atoms in the presence of aluminum atoms. Thermal treatment of the duplex film also improves the film's electrical conductivity and optical transmittance by enhancing its crystallinity. The annealed aluminum/silver duplex structure has exhibited the lowest electric resistivity among the reported ultra-thin silver films and high optical transmittance similar to the simulated theoretical results.

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Single-beam plasma source deposition of carbon thin films

Kim

Baule

Shrestha³

et al. 2022

Review of Scientific Instruments

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A single-beam plasma source was developed and used to deposit hydrogenated amorphous carbon ( a-C:H) thin films at room temperature. The plasma source was excited by a combined radio frequency and direct current power, which resulted in tunable ion energy over a wide range. The plasma source could effectively dissociate the source hydrocarbon gas and simultaneously emit an ion beam to interact with the deposited film. Using this plasma source and a mixture of argon and C2H2 gas, a-C:H films were deposited at a rate of ∼26 nm/min. The resulting a-C:H film of 1.2 µm thick was still highly transparent with a transmittance of over 90% in the infrared range and an optical bandgap of 2.04 eV. Young’s modulus of the a-C:H film was ∼80 GPa. The combination of the low-temperature high-rate deposition of transparent a-C:H films with moderately high Young’s modulus makes the single-beam plasma source attractive for many coatings applications, especially in which heat-sensitive and soft materials are involved. The single-beam plasma source can be configured into a linear structure, which could be used for large-area coatings.

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Single-beam ion source enhanced growth of transparent conductive thin films

Cited by 7 publications

References 11 publications

Ultra-thin silver films grown by sputtering with a soft ion beam-treated intermediate layer

Ultra-thin silver films grown by sputtering with a soft ion beam-treated intermediate layer

Stable Ultra-thin Silver Films Grown by Soft Ion Beam-Enhanced Sputtering with an Aluminum Cap Layer

Single-beam plasma source deposition of carbon thin films

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