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The impact of surface roughness on wettability and droplet drying dynamics was investigated on coatings with a spatially homogeneous chemical composition, but with a gradient in their roughness. Such coatings were prepared by a simple vacuum-based technique that utilizes a combination of a gas aggregation source of Ag nanoparticles and the radio-frequency magnetron sputtering of hydrophobic polytetrafluoroethylene. It was demonstrated that the roughness influenced not only the static water contact angle that monotonously increases with increasing roughness, but also had a strong impact on the water contact hysteresis, as well as on the dynamics of droplet drying.

The melting point of bismuth is only 271.3 °C which has a great influence on the properties of bismuth itself and the bismuth-contained compounds especially at high temperature. In this paper, the bismuth thin films were prepared using magnetron sputtering method and the influence of deposition temperature on the morphology and structure were investigated over a wide range of substrate temperatures from room temperature to near the melting point. The results showed that 160 °C is a main watershed for the film growth. When the substrate temperature is below 160 °C, the morphology changes a lot from continuous film accumulated mainly by irregular grains to the discontinuous film mainly formed from the isolated polyhedral grains and again to the bimodal grain size distribution of the spherical-polyhedron-shape grains. When the substrate temperature is above 160 °C, the morphology of the bimodal grain size distribution has been maintained except for the changes of the large grain size. The XRD results revealed that the crystallite size hardly changes above 160 °C begin which the bimodal grain size distribution is just formed. The morphology evolution and growth mechanism of bismuth thin films were also studied based on the existing structure zone diagram model and our experimental results.

Tungsten nitride (WNx) thin films were synthesized on the silicon substrates by way of Gas Injection Magnetron Sputtering (GIMS) technique. Pulsed discharge conditions, generated in the GIMS method, were optimized to maintain the nitrogen partial pressure in the range of an order of 10−3 to 10−1 Pa by a periodical injection of gas doses. In this way, we could increase the mean free path of atomic species and preserve their kinetic energy, in comparison to the continuous sputtering techniques. Under these conditions we attempted to overcome the high nucleation barrier, common for β-W2N phase synthesis. Here, different nucleation mechanisms of tungsten nitride thin films were examined by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the atomic force microscopy (AFM). In terms of chemical bonding state investigations of WNx films, we engaged the Raman spectroscopy measurements and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Furthermore, structural circumstances of tungsten nitrides were analyzed via X-ray diffraction (XRD) investigations. On a line of advanced applications issue, optical properties of these films were discussed on the basis of the spectroscopic ellipsometry results.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) films were deposited on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering in Ar O2 environment. Singly charged copper ions (Cu+1) of doses 1 × 1011, 1 × 1012, 1 × 1013, and 1 × 1014 ions/cm2 were implanted in ZnO films using Pelletron Accelerator at room temperature. X-ray diffraction revealed c-axis oriented ZnO film having hexagonal wurtzite structure. The crystallite size of ZnO film was decreased with increasing Cu+1 dose up to 1 × 1012 ions/cm2, and then it started increasing with further increase of ion dose. The decrease in crystallite size was attributed to ion-induced lattice disorder in the film whereas the increase in crystallite size at higher doses (>1 × 1012 ions/cm2) was associated with the thermally induced annihilation of defects. The lattice parameter of ZnO was decreased after Cu+1 implantation at different doses that was ascribed to the lower ionic radius of Cu+1 as compared to the Zn+2. The UV–Vis spectroscopic analysis revealed a decrease in band gap of ZnO film after Cu+1 implantation up to 1 × 1013 ions/cm2. However, by increasing ions dose to 1 × 1014 ions/cm2, the band gap was increased. The electrical resistivity of ZnO film was increased at 1 × 1011 ions/cm2 and then decreased with further increase of the dose value.

Indium gallium zinc oxide/silver/indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO/Ag/IGZO) triple-layer films were deposited on glass substrates using radio frequency (R.F.) magnetron sputtering. We had found that the deposition time (thickness) of Ag had a large effect on the electrical (conductive) and transmittance characteristics of the IGZO/Ag/IGZO triple-layer films. As the SIMS depth profile analysis was conducted on the IGZO/Ag/IGZO triple-layer films, as expected, the thickness of the Ag layer increased with the increase of deposition time. In the visible wavelength region, as the deposition time of Ag layer increased from 10 s to 30 s, the all IGZO/Ag/IGZO triple-layer films revealed the amorphous phase. As the deposition time of Ag layer increased, the maximum transmittance ratio slightly decreased and the wavelength to reveal the maximum transmittance ratio was shifted to lower value. Also, the mobility and carrier concentration increased and the resistivity decreased with increasing deposition times of Ag layer. The triple-layer IGZO/Ag/IGZO films showed impressive transmittance and electrical conductivity and the IGZO/Ag/IGZO triple-layer films with the 25 s Ag deposition time possessed satisfactory optical and electrical properties for potential applications.

Co-doped TiO2 were usually synthesized by chemical method, which need complex steps and easily cause secondary pollution and not suitable for TiO2 nanotube arrays preparation. In this study, Cu,N co-doped TiO2 nanotube arrays (Cu,N-TNT) are prepared by a novel magnetron sputtering method. The morphology, structure and physicochemical property of the nanotubes was analyzed by XRD, SEM, TEM, EDS and UV–vis-DR. The results indicate that the evenly doped copper is beneficial to the transformation from anatase to rutile and play a key role in the morphology of the Cu,N-TNT. Cu and N doping in the TNT not only influence the growth orientation of the TiO2 crystals, but also cause lattice distortion and result in wider interplanar spacing. Increasing the copper content promotes the orientation of anatase (004) crystal plane. However, excess copper content for Cu,N-TNT samples inhibits the nanotubes growth. The nanotube with proper Cu,N doping has less band gap and strongest absorption intensity in visible region, which benefit its physicochemical property. This study provides a new method for co-doping of TiO2 nanotubes.

The paper presents results of preparation and investigation of thin films based on TiO2 using the method of magnetron sputtering. It was established that samples obtained are polycrystalline structures with a TiO2 phase, characteristic of brookite with a high degree of crystallinity and texturing. It has been established that an increase in the thickness of films from 220 to 640 and 720 nm leads to the enlargement of crystallites and a change in films density, due to processes of crystallization and nucleation during the deposition process. It is determined that an increase in coating thickness leads to an increase in hardness and strength, which is caused by a change in the crystal structure and a decrease in amorphous inclusions. It is shown that the use of TiO2-based thin films with a given thickness can significantly increase the corrosion resistance of stainless steel and reduce the rate of surface degradation.

Copper films with a thickness of 220 nm were deposited onto polyester fabrics by magnetron sputtering technology. To improve the stability of copper films in synthetic perspiration, the Cu-coated fabric was treated by a solution of Benzotriazole (BTA). Finishing agents with 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 10 g/L concentrations were applied on Cu-coated fabrics by a method of impregnation. The surface morphologies were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI-SE) and the electrical conductivity were measured to characterize the degree of damage to the copper film, respectively. In addition, the ultraviolet (UV) absorption of the fabrics treated with differ rent concentrations of BTA was investigated. The results show that the protective ability of BTA on copper film in synthetic perspiration improved with the increase of its concentration; and the copper film treated with the BTA concentration of 1 g/L presented good stability, which the sheet resistance value was 1.15 Ω/sq, and the average of EMI-SE value was 35 dB. However, when the BTA concentration is higher than 1 g/L, both the EMI-SE and conductivity were reduced. The BTA treatment improved the stability of Cu-coated fabrics in synthetic perspiration, which can help enlarge the application area of Cu-coated fabrics.

Shape memory binary NiTi and ternary NiTiAg coatings were deposited by means of magnetron sputtering technique. The results show how simultaneous sputtering of Ag can affect the microstructure, phase transformation behavior and antibacterial properties of NiTi coatings.

Titanium carbide/amorphous carbon (TiC/a:C) thin films have been extensively investigated in the past due to their wide applications in technology and industry. One of the most used preparation methods is a magnetron sputtering which provides a great flexibility and possibility for preparation of thin films with various structures. In this work, the effect of deposition temperature and Ti content on structure and mechanical properties of sputtered TiC/a:C coatings was studied. In the case of films with fully bounded Ti ions and columnar structure, the best mechanical properties were found. These films may be used as passivation layers for different applications because of their extremelly chemical stability and excellent mechanical properties.

Nanostructured Cr2O3 thin films were deposited on silicon (100) and 95% alumina substrates at various substrate temperatures and oxygen flow rates using dual-target reactive high-power impulse magnetron sputtering. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the phase structure of the Cr2O3 films varied with the substrate temperature and oxygen flow rate and that a Cr2O3 film with good crystallinity was produced at 300 °C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicated that an oxygen flow rate of 5 sccm was suitable for depositing a stoichiometric Cr2O3 film. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that the films prepared at oxygen flow rates of 3–15 sccm exhibited a homogenous and uniform nanocrystalline structure. In addition, all the Cr2O3-modified alumina samples exhibited a secondary electron emission (SEE) yield of 2.3, which was much lower than that of the bare alumina (6.82). The sheet resistivity of the Cr2O3-modified alumina samples increased from 8.6 × 1010 to 6.2 × 1011 Ω/□ upon increasing the oxygen flow rate from 3 to 15 sccm. Thus, the deposition of the Cr2O3 film significantly reduced the SEE yield and sheet resistivity of the alumina substrate. In addition, the surface hold-off voltage of alumina was enhanced by up to 23.7%.

CrXAlYSiZN films were synthesized by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering from alloy targets. The metal ratio of Cr to Al in the targets was close to that corresponding to the cubic-to-hexagonal phase transition. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that all prepared films had the cubic structure without precipitation of the hexagonal phase. The microhardness increased from 30.9 GPa for Cr0.41Al0.59N up to 42.2 GPa for Cr0.43Al0.46Si0.11N. During dynamic oxidation, the exothermic peak in the differential thermal analysis curve shifted from 1286 °C for Cr0.41Al0.59N to 1384 °C for Cr0.43Al0.46Si0.11N. Consistent with the dynamic oxidation behavior, the mass gain measured by thermogravimetric analysis for Cr0.43Al0.46Si0.11N exhibited the minimum values at isothermal oxidation temperatures of 800–1200 °C. In addition, we evaluated the microstructure, microhardness, tribological properties, and oxidation behaviors of the films considering the requirements for use as wear-resistant coatings.

The subject of the research was a coating system composed of CrAlSiN film covered by molybdenum disulphide (MoS2)-based lubricant, deposited on X40CrMoV5-1 steel substrate. The CrAlSiN and MoS2 layers were deposited by cathodic ARC and magnetron sputtering technology respectively. HRTEM investigations show a quasi-amorphous structure with small crystallites of MoS2 layer. It was found that the investigated CrAlSiN layer has a compact character with fine crystallites. Basing on the XRD analysis the fcc type of the crystal structure was proposed for this layer. The atomic concentration of the MoS2 and CrAlSiN film was calculated from the XPS measurements. SEM and AES methods analyzed the chemical distribution of the elements inside the layers and at the interfaces. In sliding dry friction conditions, the investigated coating reveals good wear resistance as well as a high adhesion to the substrate material.

Epitaxial BiFeO3 thin films with a (00l) orientation were grown on SrRuO3-coated LaAlO3 substrates via magnetron sputtering. A coexistence of dominant rhombohedral (R) phase with a small amount of tetragonal (T) phase was identified by XRD. The cooling speed did not affect the film's growth orientation and phase structure, while it showed a notable influence on ferroelectric polarization and leakage mechanism. It was shown that the improved electrical properties, e.g. a low dielectric loss (tanδ

Localized surface plasmons at nanostructured surfaces are played a key role in a wide range of industrial applications. Here, hexagonal arrays of uniformly distributed Pt nanocylinders were fabricated on the top surface of nanoporous anodic alumina (PAA) membrane using low-cost sputter coating technique under low vacuum. Set of PAA membranes were synthesized at the same conditions and coated with Pt for different periods of time. The implemented growth mechanism allowed the vertical accumulation of Pt nanoparticles to form Pt nanocylinders on the active dots of PAA. SEM images showed nanocylinders of heights ranged from 10.0 ± 0.7 nm to 32.0 ± 2.1 nm based on sputtering time. The nanocylinders rate of growth is 1.22 ± 0.09 nm/min. According to SEM images, the uniformity of the nanocylinders decreased as the porosity of the PAA membrane increased. The optical properties of Pt nanocylinders/PAA membranes were investigated and showed strong transverse, longitudinal, and higher longitudinal surface plasmon modes. Relative to the previously reported SPRs for other Pt nanostructures, our Pt/PAA nanostructures showed stronger SPRs at longer wavelengths due to the using of PAA as a host material, the strong electromagnetic coupling between the very close Pt nanocylinders, and the strong coupling between SPRs and interfernce fringes. Moreover, the effects of sputtering time and membrane porosity on the SPR position, oscillation strength, and bandwidth were studied.

Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopies were employed to analyse Bi incorporation into ZnO:Al and ZnO:Ga transparent and electrically conductive thin films deposited by d.c. magnetron sputtering, with thickness in the range of 300–400 nm. Sputtering was performed in an argon atmosphere from two targets in confocal geometry being one composed of either ZnO:Al2O3 or ZnO:Ga2O3 composites and the other a Bi metal target. The content of bismuth dopant in the ZnO matrix was controlled by the respective target current density (JBi) in order to attain a high optical transparency (>80%) in the visible region. For ZnO:Al,Bi films Bi content varied from 0.1 to a maximum of 1.5 at.% when varying JBi from 0.06 to 0.26 mA cm−2. However, for ZnO:Ga,Bi films, deposited in similar conditions, Bi reached a maximum overall layer content of 2.4 at.%, with a surface enrichment content that varied from 1.3 to 8.8 at.%. It was also observed that the Bi content in the topmost layers of the films is slightly depleted due to thermal evaporation upon thermal annealing in vacuum at 350 °C. It is envisaged applications for these films as transparent photoelectrodes and thermoelectric materials., Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal)/PIDDAC through the Strategic Funds project reference UID/FIS/04650/2013. Filipe Correia is grateful to the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia for the Ph.D. Grant SFRH/BD/111720/2015. Paulo Salvador is grateful to the Project WinPSC - POCI-01-0247-FEDER-017796, for the research grant, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (COMPETE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement. Joana Ribeiro is grateful to University of Minho for the Grant UMINHO/BI/66/2017

Thin molybdenum (Mo) films have been recognized as an effective bottom contact in Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) based thin film solar cells. In typical deposition settings, the Mo films are required to have a favourable microstructure that facilitates sodium diffusion from glass substrates to the absorber layer in addition to the requirement of very high conductivity for efficient charge transfer, and chemical inertness and strong adhesion to the substrate. We have fabricated a bilayer structured Mo film by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering and carried out a comparative study to elucidate the effects of thickness of bilayers and the sputter power on the microstructure, adhesion and electrical property of the Mo films. The optimized bilayer-structured Mo film of ∼1 μm thickness showed a crack-free microstructure, strong adhesion to the substrate and a resistivity as low as 1.8 × 10−4 Ω-cm. Considering the importance of Na out-diffusion from the substrates to the CZTS in the solar cells, Na concentration profile is established using time of flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy for the bi-layered Mo films grown on different glass substrates including one of the in-house prepared glasses.

Optimal target-sputtering mode for Aluminum Nitride thin film deposition by high power pulse magnetron sputtering (HPPMS)

Owing to its high ionization degree, high power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HPPMS) has proven advantageous for Cu film growth. In this study, Cu films with different thicknesses deposited by HPPMS at different peak powers were prepared. Moreover, a titanium (Ti) interlayer was used to improve the Cu (111) out-of-plane preferred orientation and adhesion. The films prepared at high peak power exhibited high tensile stress, large grain size, and low electrical resistivity. Thicker Cu films exhibited lower stress and larger grain size, resulting in better electrical conductivity and adhesion. At the same time, a Ti interlayer with (002) preferred orientation could greatly improve the (111) out-of-plane preferred orientation and adhesion of the Cu film.

Micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) films are subjected to a large number of impact during the working process. The fatigue life of the films need be measured to evaluate the reliability of the film's impact resistance. In this work, a new kind of MEMS soft magnetic non-equimolar high-entropy alloy (HEA) film (Fe Co Ni)25(Ti Zr Al)75 was prepared by magnetron sputtering. The fatigue damage behaviors of the HEA film was investigated by nanoscale dynamic mechanical analysis (nanoDMA) technique. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were adopted to analyze the microstructure and damage surfaces pattern. The results showed that the HEA film displayed a polycrystalline structure with the fcc solid solution uniformly distributed in the amorphous phase. There were three stages during the process of fatigue damage, the compressional deformation stage, the buckling and layering stage, and the edge crack propagation leads to the delamination stage. The contact stiffness suddenly decreased at the moment of fatigue damage happening.

Niobium nitride and copper (NbN-Cu) composite films with different copper content (Cu/(Nb+Cu) = 0.6 at.%-24.8 at.%) were deposited using magnetron sputtering, and the microstructure and tribological properties of the films were investigated. The results showed that the films exhibited a mixture phase of face-centered cubic (fcc) NbN, hexagonal close-packed (hcp)NbN and fcc-Cu. The addition of copper below 6.0 at.% dropped both friction coefficient (μ) and wear rate (WR) sharply. A further increase in copper content decreased the μ furtherly, while the decreasing in μ took sacrifice of WR. The addition copper of 6.0 at.% into the niobium nitride matrix could broaden the niobium nitride film's effective service temperature to 400 °C. The lubricating copper (

In the present work, RF magnetron sputtering technique has been exploited with varied deposition parameters (optimized parameters: sputtering pressure = 20 mT, 100% O2 gas ambient, without any substrate heating) to develop nanostructured NiO thin film matrix with increased surface roughness (5.09 nm) and good charge transfer properties for efficient detection of cortisol. Electrochemical and electrical studies have been performed to determine charge communication characteristics and conductivity of the prepared NiO thin film that could yield enhanced biosensing response properties. The biosensing response has been studied on the optimized parameters using cortisol as a test analyte and a relatively high sensing response of 14 μA (ug/mL)−1 has been obtained for the optimized NiO matrix-based electrodes (Cortisol-Ab/NiO/ITO).

The article reports on the effect of the energy ℰ delivered into the growing film on its macrostress, microstructure, mechanical properties and resistance to cracking of Ti(Al,V)N films. The Ti(Al,V)N films were deposited on Si(111) and Mo substrates by magnetron sputtering in a mixture Ar + N2 gases using a dual magnetron with closed magnetic field and equipped with TiAlV (6 at.% Al, 4 at.% V) alloy targets. It is shown that the compressive macrostress σ in sputtered films can be reduced either by the pulsed bipolar bias voltage Usp with alternating negative and positive pulses or the electron and ion bombardment during overshoots in the pulsed magnetron sputtering. All sputtered films with high ratio H/E∗ ≥ 0.1, compressive macrostress (σ

Self-lubricant W–S–C coatings with optimized composition possess a unique ability to provide a reduction of friction and wear in numerous operating conditions. In this study, W–S–C coatings are deposited by magnetron sputtering at different pressures, in semi-industrial conditions. The composition and tribo-mechanical properties are studied. The deposition pressure affected the carbon content of the coatings and, more importantly, the S/W ratio. Increasing the deposition pressure enhances the importance of the scattering behavior of the sputtered species. The tribological response was closely related to the S/W ratio, with better performance for higher S/W ratios. For industrialization of the W–S–C coatings, deposition at longer target-to-substrate distances is favorable.

Indium tin oxide (ITO) film was prepared by an in-line magnetron sputtering system equipped with a high power impulse power source. The influences of working pressure on the film deposition mechanism and properties were investigated. The excitation/ionization level of the sputtered species increases with working pressure as indicated by optical emission spectra. The Sn/In atomic ratio and oxygen vacancy concentration in the film decreases as working pressure increases due to unequally increasing ionization rate and self-sputtering yield of Sn and In atoms and stronger oxidizing activity of oxygen species. As a result, The film resistivity, transparency and optical band gap increase with working pressure. ITO film with a low resistivity of 3.7 × 10−3 Ω·cm and a high transmittance at 380–800 nm of over 84.7% can be obtained when deposited at a working pressure of 8 × 10−2 Torr.

Reactive sputtering deposition has been widely applied to the preparation of oxide films, but a method is still needed to stably control the deposition process and the film growth. In this work, the plasma in the vicinity of sputtering target is studied by optical emission spectroscopy and the atomic oxygen density ([O]) is linked to the sputtering mode and the growth of NiO films. The NiO films can be deposited either in oxide mode or in the transition region, whereas the [O] value plays an important role in determining the growth behavior of NiO films and the crystallinity. In the transition region, the (111)-oriented growth of NiO films is preferential and the crytallinity is improved with the decrease in the [O] value. In the oxide mode, the NiO films are preferentially (001)-oriented and exhibit a relatively good crystallinity. By fixing the O2/Ar flow ratio at a constant, the [O] value is explored as a function of substrate temperature, showing that the oxygen desorption may have significant impacts on the [O] value as the substrate temperature is higher than 400 °C.

Flexible amorphous carbon (a-C) films were grown in situ on the surface of terylene substrates by continuous treatment of carbon plasma with different energies in magnetron sputtering process. The microstructure, wettability, aging properties and corrosion resistances of the as-fabricated a-C films were systematically studied. The results showed that the organic polymer carbon on the surface of substrate could transform into inorganic amorphous carbon structure induced by continuous bombardment of carbon plasma, which could be assigned as an in-situ transformation mechanism due to the injection effect of the carbon plasma. After the in-situ transformation layer, the a-C films were grown on the surface since the magnetron sputtering process could normally generate a deposition effect of carbon plasma. The flexibility of terylene substrate endowed the flexibility of the as-fabricated a-C films. The flexible a-C films could give terylene surface different colors, high hydrophobicity and good aging resistance. With the increase of the thickness of the flexible a-C film, the protective effect on the terylene surface was enhanced, which delayed the aging damage of the terylene and resulted in a more chemically stable terylene.

Práce pomocí Monte-Carlo simulací zkoumá množství a energii atomů dopadajících na rostoucí vrstvu s ohledem na výbojové napětí při konstantním výkonu dodaném do plazmatu. Výpočty byly provedeny pro různé materiály terče (C, Al, Ti, Zr, Hf, Ta, W, and Au). Nejprve byly určeny rozprašovací výtěžky materiálu z terče a energie a úhlové rozdělení rozprášených i zpětně odražených atomů. Poté byla vypočtena energiová a úhlová rozdělení atomů dopadajících na substrát a depoziční rychlost. Nakonec, pro vrstvy Hf, byla odhadnuta koncentrace argonu zabudovaného do vrstvy a hustota vrstev. Bylo zjištěno, že změnou výbojového napětí v rozsahu 300–1500 V při konstantním výkonu lze měnit energii dodanou do vrstvy v rozsahu 5–140 eV na atom. Změna výbojového napětí tak umožňuje kontrolovat energii dodanou do vrstvy s cílem ovlivnit mikrostrukturu vrstvy nebo zabránit poškození citlivých substrátů. The main goal of this work is to investigate the number and energy of the arriving atoms to the growing films with respect to the discharge voltage at a given input power using Monte-Carlo simulation for light and heavy elements (C, Al, Ti, Zr, Hf, Ta, W, and Au). First, the sputtering yield, energy and angular distributions for sputtered atoms and backscattered argon were calculated at the target. Afterwards, the energy and angular distributions of sputtered atoms and backscattered argon on the substrate, as well as deposition rate were calculated. Finally, the trapped argon concentration and density of deposited coatings were roughly estimated for hafnium depositions in which changing the discharge voltage in the range of 300–1500 V at constant power could vary the delivered energy to the substrate from 5 to 140 eV per deposited atom. Varying the discharge voltage gives a great flexibility to control the energy input to the growing films for either microstructure engineering or avoiding destruction of sensitive substrates. The main goal of this work is to investigate the number and energy of the arriving atoms to the growing films with respect to the discharge voltage at a given input power using Monte-Carlo simulation for light and heavy elements (C, Al, Ti, Zr, Hf, Ta, W, and Au). First, the sputtering yield, energy and angular distributions for sputtered atoms and backscattered argon were calculated at the target. Afterwards, the energy and angular distributions of sputtered atoms and backscattered argon on the substrate, as well as deposition rate were calculated. Finally, the trapped argon concentration and density of deposited coatings were roughly estimated for hafnium depositions in which changing the discharge voltage in the range of 300–1500 V at constant power could vary the delivered energy to the substrate from 5 to 140 eV per deposited atom. Varying the discharge voltage gives a great flexibility to control the energy input to the growing films for either microstructure engineering or avoiding destruction of sensitive substrates.

In this work, the origin of long-term stability in the silver nanorods (Ag NRs) feasible for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate was investigated. The Ag NRs films were deposited on silicon wafer substrates by magnetron sputtering with the glancing-angle deposition (GLAD) technique. It was found that the background contamination in the SERS spectra was suppressed by storing the as-deposited Ag NRs samples under the high vacuum condition after the deposition. Furthermore, the SERS response remained stable in an air ambient usage despite a slight decrease in the Raman signal. The stored Ag NRs under high vacuum exhibited long-term SERS stability over three months. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy revealed that the carbon was accumulated on the Ag NRs film surface after the high vacuum storage, and it prolonged the SERS performance.

Zinc-doped indium oxide (IZO) film, as an important transparent conductive oxide, has attracted increasing attention in various scientific and engineering areas. In the present work, discharge-voltage and reactive-oxygen controlled IZO films were grown by magnetron sputtering and studied systematically. The microstructure, element distribution and chemical bonding of IZO films were investigated by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The optical and electrical properties of IZO films were studied by controlled oxygen and discharge voltage. The typical microstructure of IZO films with optimal optical and electric properties has been characterized. High discharge voltage and matched oxygen vacancies could promote the low resistivity of IZO films, which could be determined by the electronic concentration and mobility.

An investigation on the corrosion protection and electrical conductivity films on metal bipolar plates can be achieved through magnetron sputtering. This work characterized the microstructures of TiN–Ag nanocomposite deposited at different temperatures with thermal stabilization. All the TiN–Ag films show adequate electrical conductivity with the interfacial contact resistance (ICR) of 4.81, 4.78, 4.52, 4.18 mΩ cm2 at the deposition temperature of 200 °C–350 °C on SS substrates, respectively, and corrosion resistance with the corrosion current density (Icorr) of 0.678, 0.526, 0.293, 0.596 μA cm−2. Additionally, the TiN–Ag film possesses the hydrophobic property with a static water contact angle of 106.7° at 350 °C. In summary, the TiN–Ag film on SS at 350 °C shows the potential application as metal bipolar plates of PEMFCs.

AlCuxNiTiZr0.75 high entropy alloy (HEA) films were deposited by magnetron sputtering with an alloy target in combination with a pure Cu metal target. The purpose of this study was to reduce electrical resistivity of the HEA films while maintaining mechanical properties and corrosion resistance by adjusting Cu content of the HEA. We found that the AlCuxNiTiZr0.75 HEA films were amorphous and displayed a homogeneous or columnar microstructure along the cross sections. The increase of Cu content changed the electronic structure of the HEA films, so that the resistivity decreased sharply to 66 μΩ·cm at x = 1.4. The hardness-to-elastic modulus ration H/E, an indicator of a material's ductility, attained the maximum value at x = 1.4. Although the corrosion current densities increased with x, they were all below 10−6 A/cm2 in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution, indicating good corrosion resistance. These findings assumably help expand industrial application of HEA films, particularly when conductivity is required for the functionality of the films.

(TiVCrNbSiTaBY)N high entropy alloy nitride (HEAN) coatings have been deposited onto Si (100) and cemented carbide substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The deposition is carried out at different bias voltages to study its influence on microstructure, morphology, mechanical properties and tribological behaviour of the coatings. Grazing Incidence X-Ray Diffraction (GIXRD) technique shows that all coatings exhibit single NaCl-type face-centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure, while the preferred orientation of the crystal structure is greatly affected by the bias voltages. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals that the structure of the coatings is a mixture of amorphous-like phase and FCC crystal structure, which is in agreement with GIXRD data. Cross-sectional Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images exhibit that the columnar structure of the coatings gradually transforms into a featureless dense structure with the increase of bias voltage. SEM and Atomic Force Microscopy reveal that the surface morphology become smoother with increasing bias voltage. The (TiVCrNbSiTaBY)N HEAN coating deposited at a specific bias voltage exhibit a high hardness of 32.2 GPa. The friction coefficient is significantly influenced by the variation of the coatings surface roughness. Tribological tests for coating deposited without and at low bias voltage show that the wear behavior of the coatings is severe abrasive wear and adhesive wear, while at high bias voltage the slight abrasive wear appears. By applying the substrate bias voltage, the (TiVCrNbSiTaBY)N coatings exhibit excellent mechanical and tribological performance, which can be a promising candidate for protective coating in cutting tools or components.

We compare in-situ transmittance and plasma emission spectra with ex-situ resistance and ellipsometric measurements performed on ultrathin silver films with thicknesses varying from 3 nm through 40 nm and on relatively thick layers up to 100 nm. We show that the transmittance broadband monitoring (BBM) of the growing silver layer allows for in-situ reliable estimation of the minimum thickness when the film becomes continuous. Moreover, a proper selection of the monitoring wavelength(s) renders the coalescence and percolation stages of the film growth clearly distinguishable. For our films deposited by magnetron sputtering on fused silica substrates, the minimum thickness when a film becomes continuous was found to be approximately 12 nm. The percolation threshold was determined as approximately 6 nm. The method of selective-wavelength transmittance BBM is practical, intuitive and hence may represent a useful tool enabling high-precision growth of ultrathin silver layers. Furthermore, we show here for the first time that ellipsometry is sensitive to the metal coalescence development. In particular, the ellipsometric analysis suggests that the percolation of silver sputtered films begins at the top of the growing layer and hence propagates towards the film bottom.

In this work, the impacts of different precursors on Cu2SnS3 thin film solar cells were investigated in detail. The two kinds of precursors of CuS/Sn and Cu/Sn were deposited on Mo-coated soda lime glasses by magnetron sputtering. Cu2SnS3 (CTS) films based on different precursors were fabricated by soft annealing and following sulfurization in S vapor. The crystal structure, phase purity, composition, surface morphology and cross section images of CTS films from different precursors were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) respectively. Meanwhile, the optical-electrical properties of CTS thin films were detected by using UV–vis–INR Spectrophotometer and Hall measurement. As a result, the CTS thin films with smooth surface and uniform compositional ratio distribution were obtained from the precursors of CuS/Sn. The best conversion efficiency of the fabricated CTS film solar cell based on CuS/Sn precursors was 1.18% with a high open-circuit voltage of 299 mV.

The BN thin film is only one option for the high temperature application instead of the diamond like carbon coatings. Cubic form BN thin film is hard. The friction coefficient is also very low in hexagonal form. An alternative method for the BN coating is RF magnetron sputtering system. In this paper, BN thin films were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering. The film thickness changed in the range of 20–120 nm. In XRD patterns, 2 theta values of 29.48° (143), 44.61° (400) which exhibits the phase of the e-BN and 41.86° (100), 39.80° (010) indicates the phase of h-BN crystals. The smallest crystallites sizes were calculated as to be 12 nm and biggest crystallites sizes ere calculated as to be 66 nm. A strong Raman peak at approximately 1086 cm−1 were measured, correspond the cubic phase of BN. According to the Raman spectra, pure c-BN thin films were deposited.

Gold, copper and gold/copper thin layers were obtained in FIB/SEM system by Focused Ion Beam sputter deposition. Layers deposited on SiO2/Si and quartz substrates were subjected to Rapid Thermal Annealing (RTA) in vacuum at 1100 °C. One minute annealing of 20 nm thick films leads to formation of nanoparticles with average size of ∼20 nm but does not change the morphology of 170 nm Au and 180 nm Cu films. Implantation of Ga ions into SiO2/Si substrate before deposition of ∼20 nm Au layers has a strong effect on the nanostructures formed after 1 min annealing. Implantation at 30 kV for 1 and 2 min leads to formation of arbitrary shape nanoislands, which are much larger than the nanoparticles outside of the implanted region. Increase of the implantation time to 4 and 16 min leads to formation of large spheres, the size of which increases with the implantation time. The observed Ga effect is explained by the lower melting temperatures of Au/Ga and Cu/Ga binary alloys and by increased nanoparticle mobility, which favors the coalescence process. Gold nanoparticles with size of ∼20 nm obtained by RTA on control quartz substrate showed local surface plasmon resonance at 535 nm.

We report on enhancement in crystallinity of wurtzite ZnO and rhombohedral Zn 2 SiO 4 phase using rf sputtering deposition with substrate bias. Substrates were kept at floating potential and subjected to a bias upto −60 V for shallow implantation of Zn and O ions in SiO on Si and local energy deposition. Crystalline Zn 2 SiO 4 phase improved upto −20 V applied bias above which it deteriorated. Wurtzite ZnO phase formed on rhombohedral Zn 2 SiO 4 phase and showed opposite trend and a decrease in strain. The improvement in crystallinity of ZnO phase resulted in decrease in defects identified from a decrease of visible light absorption and dark current. The mechanisms identified to be responsible for the improvement in ZnO phase and formation of zinc silicate phase is transfer of energy through elastic collisions from the plasma species to the deposited atoms on the growing film and shallow implantation of Zn and O ions into SiO/Si.