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The effect of long-range screening on the surface morphology of thin films grown with pulsed-dc (p-dc) magnetron sputtering is studied. The surface evolution is described by a stochastic diffusion equation that includes the nonlocal shadowing effects in three spatial dimensions. The diffusional relaxation and the angular distribution of the incident particle flux strongly influence the transition to the shadowing growth regime. In the magnetron sputtering deposition the shadowing effect is essential because of the configuration of the magnetron system (finite size of sputtered targets, rotating sample holder, etc.). A realistic angular distribution of depositing particles is constructed by taking into account the cylindrical magnetron geometry. Simulation results are compared with the experimental data of surface roughness evolution during 100 and 350 kHz p-dc deposition, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analysis of dynamic roughening and smoothening mechanisms of thin films grown with pulsed-dc magnetron sputtering is presented. The roughness evolution has been described by a linear stochastic equation, which contains the second- and fourth-order gradient terms. Dynamic smoothening of the growing interface is explained by ballistic effects resulting from impingements of ions to the growing thin film. These ballistic effects are sensitive to the flux and energy of impinging ions. The predictions of the model are compared with experimental data, and it is concluded that the thin film roughness can be further controlled by adjusting waveform, frequency, and width of dc pulses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface roughness and dynamic growth behavior of TiC/a-C nanocomposite films deposited by nonreactive pulsed-dc (p-dc) magnetron sputtering were studied using atomic force microscopy, cross-sectional scanning, and transmission electron microscopy. From detailed analyses of surface morphology and growth conditions, it is concluded that a transition in growth mechanisms occurs, i.e., a mechanism dominated by geometric shadowing at a p-dc frequency of 100 kHz evolving to a surface diffusion mechanism driven by impact-induced atomistic downhill flow process by Ar+ ions at a p-dc frequency of 350 kHz. It is shown that rapid smoothening of initially rough surfaces with rms roughness from ∼6 to <1 nm can be effectively achieved with p-dc sputtering at 350 kHz pulse frequency, leading to a transition from a strong columnar to a columnar-free microstructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carrier recombination dynamics in epitaxial a-plane GaN and fully coalesced epitaxial laterally overgrown (ELOG) a-plane GaN films has been studied by means of time-resolved photoluminescence under high photoexcitation. The results were compared with conventional c-plane GaN films grown under similar conditions. In a-plane GaN epilayers, the total efficiency of electron-hole plasma spontaneous luminescence decreases 20 times, whereas the luminescence decay time reduces from τLU=42 to τLU≤10 ps in comparison with c-plane GaN films. Meanwhile, an essential increase in total emission efficiency (by more than two orders of magnitude) and an increase of the decay time up to τLU=430 ps have been observed for an ELOG a-plane sample in comparison with a-plane GaN films. This confirms a significant reduction of the nonradiative recombination rate for nonequilibrium carriers. Assuming a saturation of the nonradiative deep-level transitions, the room-temperature free-carrier lifetime of τ=910 ps for ELOG a-plane GaN sample was obtained, which indicates on an excellent quality of the a-plane ELOG GaN films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) extends the conventional nano-indentation technique and has become one of the most widely used methods to determine the properties of small scale piezoelectric materials. Its accuracy depends largely on whether a reliable analytical model for the corresponding properties is available. Based on the coupled theory and the image charge model, a rigorous analysis of the film thickness effects on the electromechanical behaviors of PFM for piezoelectric films is presented. When the film is very thick, analytical solutions for the surface displacement, electric potential, image charge, image charge distance, and effective piezoelectric coefficient are obtained. For the infinitely thin (IT) film case, the corresponding closed-form solutions are derived. When the film is of finite thickness, a single parameter semi-empirical formula agreeing well with the numerical results is proposed for the effective piezoelectric coefficient. It is found that if the film thickness effect is not taken into account, PFM can significantly underestimate the effective piezoelectric coefficient compared to the half space result. The effects of the ambient dielectric property on PFM responses are also explored. Humidity reduces the surface displacement, broadens the radial distribution peak, and greatly enlarges the image charge, resulting in reduced effective piezoelectric coefficient. The proposed semi-empirical formula is also suitable to describe the thickness effects on the effective piezoelectric coefficient of thin films in humid environment. The obtained results can be used to quantitatively interpret the PFM signals and enable the determination of intrinsic piezoelectric coefficient through PFM measurement for thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]