Filtern
Erscheinungsjahr
- 2016 (5) (entfernen)
Dokumenttyp
Sprache
- Englisch (5)
Schlagworte
- Catalysis (1)
- Coatings (1)
- Degradation (1)
- Density (1)
- EDX (1)
- Electrolysis (1)
- Electron Microscopy (1)
- Imaging ellipsometry (IE) (1)
- Impurities (1)
- Magnetron sputtering (1)
By means of an effective medium (EMA) based approach, it is possible to use spectroscopic ellipsometry to determine the mixing ratios between air and material in porous dielectrics and calculate a quantitative value of the porosity for these materials. As this method is model-based, it is very difficult to provide a quantitative measure for the accuracy of porosity values determined by this method. Valuable additional information can often be obtained by combining ellipsometry with other complementary methods. In the present study, the ellipsometry results were validated by Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA) with the option of layer analysis (by the socalled “STRATAGem” approach), gravimetry, and electron microscopy. We analysed porous TiO2 thin layers synthesised by means of a template synthesis approach (evaporation induced self assembly).
Ellipsometry measurements on porous samples are difficult to analyse due to the complexity of the models necessary. Often it is difficult to decide if the measured data contains enough information to successfully determine the target quantities (mixing ratio, dielectric function of the matrix material). One method to decrease the complexity of the fit and therefore use the measurement data most efficiently is a multi-sample analysis. In the present case, multi-sample analysis was used for determining the porosity factors of the individual layers while using one common set of dielectric function values for the matrix in all cases.
While the results of the fit analysis in this case can be used to show the feasibility and also the limitations of the multi-method approach, the porosity values themselves show a promising agreement between the independent methods. It can therefore be concluded that determining porosity values with ellipsometry is in accordance to other methods to the level of accuracy provided by the complementary methodologies.
One of the crucial characteristics of functionalized thin films is their porosity (i.e., the ratio between the pore volume and the volume of the whole film). Due to the very low amount of material per coated area corresponding to thin films, it is a challenge for analytics to measure the film porosity. In this work, we present an Approach to determine the porosity of thin films by means of electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) either by wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (WDX) or by energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The procedure is based on the calculation of the film mass deposition from electron-excited X-ray spectra. The
mass deposition is converted into film density by division of measured film thickness.
Finally, the film porosity is calculated from the measured film density and the density of bulk, nonporous film material. The general applicability of the procedure to determine the
porosity is demonstrated on thin templated mesoporous TiO₂
films, dip-coated on silicon
wafer, with controlled porosity in the range of 15 to 50%. The high accuracy of the mass deposition as determined from X-ray spectra was validated with independent methods (ICP-OES and weighing). Furthermore, for the validation of the porosity results, ellipsometry, interference fringes method (IFM), and focused ion beam (FIB) cross sectioning were employed as independent techniques. Hence, the approach proposed
in the present study is proven to be suited as a new analytical tool for accurate and relatively fast determination of the porosity of thin films.
Iron-doped SnO2 coatings were deposited in a 50 kHz DC-pulsed magnetron sputtering discharge. The pulses had a duration of 4 µs in selected gas mixtures from pure argon up to
60% of oxygen at a constant total pressure of 0.2 Pa. A single target of SnO2 with Fe inset was used. The mass spectrometry study detected the gas-related ions Ar+, O2+ and O+, where the last one becomes the dominant positive ion at higher oxygen contents. Atomic oxygen ions had a higher energy as it resulted from the collision-caused dissociation on the target surface. The tin-related species were detected as Sn+ and SnO+. SnO2+ species were not detected. The deposition rate decreased by using gas mixtures with oxygen as well as the corresponding amount of Sn-related species in the plasma. The increase of oxygen also increased significantly the sheet resistance of the films. The XPS study showed that the iron concentration decreased by using additional oxygen. But the O/Sn ratio in the coatings was constant, contrary to the increased FeO/Fe ratio in the films. An additional analysis of the coatings by spectroscopic ellipsometry has shown a dependence of the polarizability and the permittivity on the amount of oxygen used during the deposition. In contrast, the study has found no such dependence for the absorption of the layers.
By means of an effective medium (EMA) based approach, it is possible to use spectroscopic ellipsometry to determine the mixing ratios between air and material in porous dielectrics and calculate a quantitative value of the porosity for these materials. As this method is model-based, it is very difficult to provide a quantitative measure for the accuracy of porosity values determined by this method. Valuable additional information can often be obtained by combining ellipsometry with other complementary methods. In the present study, the ellipsometry results were validated by Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA) with the option of layer analysis (by the socalled “STRATAGem” approach), gravimetry, and electron microscopy. We analysed porous TiO2 thin layers synthesised by means of a template synthesis Approach (evaporation induced self assembly).
Ellipsometry measurements on porous samples are difficult to analyse due to the complexity of the models necessary. Often it is difficult to decide if the measured data contains enough information to successfully determine the target quantities (mixing ratio, dielectric function of the matrix material). One method to decrease the complexity of the fit and therefore use the measurement data most efficiently is a multi-sample analysis. In the present case, multi-sample analysis was used for determining the porosity factors of the individual layers while using one common set of dielectric function values for the matrix in all cases.
While the results of the fit analysis in this case can be used to show the feasibility and also the limitations of the multi-method approach, the porosity values themselves show a promising agreement between the Independent methods. It can therefore be concluded that determining porosity values with ellipsometry is in accordance to other methods to the level of accuracy provided by the complementary methodologies.
Visualization of surface modifications may be very challenging for coating/substrate systems of either almost identical optical constants, e.g. transparent films on substrates of the same material, or minor film thickness, substance quantity and affected area, e.g. ultra-thin or island films. Methods for visualization are optical microscopy (OM), imaging ellipsometry (IE), and referenced spectroscopic ellipsometry (RSE). Imaging ellipsometry operates at oblique incidence near Brewster angle of the bare, clean or unmodified substrate. In this configuration, reflected intensities are rather weak. However, the contrast to add-on and sub-off features may be superior. Referenced spectroscopic ellipsometry operates in a two-sample configuration but with much higher intensities. In many cases, both ellipsometric techniques reveal and visualize thin films, printed-pattern, laser-induced changes, and impurities better than optical microscopy. In particular for stratified homogeneous modifications, ellipsometric techniques give access to modelling and hence thickness determination. Modifications under investigation are polymer foil residue on silicon, laser-induced changes of ta-C:H coatings on 100Cr6 steel, imperfections of ta-C:H on thermal silicon oxide, degradation of glass, thin film tin oxide pattern on silicon, printed and dried pattern of liquids such as deionized water, cleaning agents, and dissolved silicone. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.