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We present a novel simulation approach combined with pulsed laser experiments, spectroscopic ellipsometry, and Raman spectroscopy to comprehensively analyze phase transformation dynamics in thin films. The simulations apply to any thin film stack and incorporate critical factors, such as thin film interference, heat transfer, and temperature-dependent optical properties during heating and melting. As a case study, we investigate the picosecond laser-induced amorphization of antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) thin films, a promising alternative to traditional phase-change materials in photonic applications to validate the simulation model. The computational efficiency of our simulations enables not only the investigation of the laser-induced phase transformation but also the optimization of key process parameters and parameter fitting. The simulations identified optimal film thickness and laser fluence parameters that maximize energy efficiency, melting effectiveness, and quenching rate while ensuring high reflectivity contrast between the amorphous and crystalline states. By constructing a wide-ranging, high-resolution parameter map of the laser fluence and film thickness dependence of the melting process, we demonstrate how this model guides the understanding of phase transformation dynamics. Raman spectroscopy confirms the polycrystalline to amorphous transition of Sb2S3 and provides a semiquantitative estimate of the amorphous fraction as a function of laser fluence, which is qualitatively consistent with the simulation predictions of the model. The open-source simulation framework, experimentally validated, provides valuable insights into laser-induced amorphization dynamics in Sb2S3 and related phase-change material thin films, enabling rapid optimization of photonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

c-Si/a-Si:H/indium tin oxide (ITO) heterojunctions have been prepared by electron-beam deposition of an (ITO) thin film on a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition grown c-Si/a-Si:H heterojunction. These heterostructures, which are the basis of solar cells, have been annealed in N[sub 2] atmosphere at temperatures in the range 250–650 °C. Thermal annealing effects on structural and optical properties of the ITO, the a-Si:H layer, and of the c-Si/a-Si interface have been detected by spectroscopic ellipsometry. The optical response of ITO is described in the energy range 1.5–5.0 eV, where a high transparency is required for ITO, by analyzing ellipsometric spectra in terms of a model which combines the Drude model and a double Lorentzian oscillator. Spectroscopic ellipsometry has shown that annealing at T>450 °C causes hydrogen out-diffusion from the a-Si:H layer into the ITO layer whose optical and electrical properties are modified. Additionally, damage of the c-Si/a-Si interface and of the ITO layer by hydrogen diffusion is detected and seen as a factor affecting performance of c-Si/a-Si/ITO stacked structure based solar cells. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy measurements have corroborated ellipsometric analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes the interaction of alpha-aluminum oxide surfaces with hydrogen (H) and nitrogen (N) atoms from remote radiofrequency H and N plasmas. Use of metallorganic chemical vapor deposition techniques; Effectiveness of H atoms treatments in removing carbon contaminants; Factors controlling nitridation chemistry and kinetics of the surfaces.

We report on differential reflectance contrast (DRC) sub-microscopic images measured of graphene layers exfoliated on a SiO2/Si substrate by using a near field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) with a spatial resolution of 40 nm. In general, high-quality mechanically exfoliated graphene flakes have sizes of some micrometers and exhibit a distribution of different thicknesses; thus an approach to characterize the topography of the flakes in the sub-micrometric regime is fundamental. DRC in the near field limit is a very useful technique to characterize the flakes in the sub-microscopic scale. The DRC signal is obtained by taking the numerical difference between the reflectivity coming from a region with no graphene (substrate) and a region containing a graphene layer. It is shown by a multiple reflection model (graphene/SiO2/Si) and spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements that the optical contrast in such system can be modulated by changing the thickness of the SiO2 layer or/and the wavelength of the incident light. The results open the possibility to use this optical technique for the thicknesses characterization in the sub-micrometer scale of 2D materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the change of the valence band energy of GaAs1-xBix (0

A high Al-content (y > 0.4) multi-quantum-well (MQW) structure with a quaternary InxAlyGa(1-x-y)N active layer was synthesized using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The MQW structure exhibits strong carrier confinement and room temperature ultraviolet-B (UVB) photoluminescence an order of magnitude stronger than that of a reference InxAlyGa(1-x-y)N thin film with comparable composition and thickness. The samples were characterized using spectroscopic ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy, and high-resolution X-ray diffraction. Numerical simulations suggest that the UVB emission efficiency is limited by dislocationrelated non-radiative recombination centers in the MQW and at the MQW - buffer interface. Emission efficiency can be significantly improved by reducing the dislocation density from 109 cm-2 to 107 cm-2 and by optimizing the width and depth of the quantum wells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin films of the wide bandgap quaternary semiconductor InxAlyGa(1-x-y)N with low In (x = 0.01-0.05) and high Al composition (y = 0.40-0.49) were synthesized on GaN templates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. High-resolution X-ray diffraction was used to correlate the strain accommodation of the films to composition. Room temperature ultraviolet B (280 nm-320 nm) photoluminescence intensity increased with increasing In composition, while the Stokes shift remained relatively constant. The data suggest a competition between radiative and non-radiative recombination occurs for carriers, respectively, localized at centers produced by In incorporation and at dislocations produced by strain relaxation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

InAlN films deposited by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy exhibited a lateral composition modulation characterized by 10-12 nm diameter, honeycomb-shaped, columnar domains with Al-rich cores and In-rich boundaries. To ascertain the effect of this microstructure on its optical properties, room temperature absorption and photoluminescence characteristics of InxAl(1_X)N were comparatively investigated for indium compositions ranging from x = 0.092 to 0.235, including x = 0.166 lattice matched to GaN. The Stokes shift of the emission was significantly greater than reported for films grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition, possibly due to the phase separation in these nanocolumnar domains. The room temperature photoluminescence also provided evidence of carrier transfer from the InAlN film to the GaN template. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mild wet nitridation procedure using hydrazine-based solutions has been developed for GaAs (100) surface passivation. Both x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry show that this nitridation procedure results in a very thin, coherent, and homogeneous GaN layer that is very stable in air. Photoluminescence data show a strong enhancement of the intensity as compared to that of an as-cleaned GaAs sample, indicating that this nitrided layer provides both chemical and electronic passivation of GaAs surfaces. The chemical mechanism of nitridation is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The remote hydrogen plasma passivation of semi-insulating InP substrates has been investigated by in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), to characterize the changes of InP morphology, and ex situ photoluminescence (PL) to reveal the passivation effect of nonradiative centers operated by H atoms. The concurrence of the InP native oxide removal without surface damage (phosphorus ablation) and the passivation by H-atoms results in a remarkable enhancement of the PL intensity. © 1996 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the ablation process of phosphorus by hydrogen (H) atoms in a H ion plasma reactor. Basis for the calibration of the absolute density of H atoms; Details on the operation of hydrogen ion plasmas; Determination of hydrogen atom density.