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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.
A combination of nanosized dielectric relaxation (BDS) and thermal spectroscopy (SHS) was utilized to characterize the dynamics of thin films of Poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME) (thicknesses: 7 nm – 160 nm). For the BDS measurements, a recently designed nano-structured electrode system is employed. A thin film is spin-coated on an ultra-flat highly conductive silicon wafer serving as the bottom electrode. As top electrode, a highly conductive wafer with non-conducting nanostructured SiO2 nano-spacers with heights of 35 nm or 70 nm is assembled on the bottom electrode. This procedure results in thin supported films with a free polymer/air interface. The BDS measurements show two relaxation processes, which are analyzed unambiguously for thicknesses smaller than 50 nm. The relaxation rates of both processes have different temperature dependencies. One process coincidences in its position and temperature dependence with the glassy dynamics of bulk PVME and is ascribed to the dynamic glass transition of a bulk-like layer in the middle of the film. The relaxation rates were found to be thickness independent as confirmed by SHS. Unexpectedly, the relaxation rates of the second process obey an Arrhenius-like temperature dependence. This process was not observed by SHS and was related to the constrained fluctuations in a layer, which is irreversibly adsorbed at the substrate with a heterogeneous structure. Its molecular fluctuations undergo a confinement effect resulting in the localization of the segmental dynamics. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the molecular dynamics of an adsorbed layer in thin films.
For the vast majority of ellipsometric measurements, the application of planar substrates is mandatory and requires a proper sample alignment prior to the measurement. Here, the authors present a generalized approach of how to extract the isotropic ellipsometric sample parameters from an imaging Mueller-matrix measurement even if the sample is significantly misaligned. They validate the method by layer-thickness calculations based on imaging Mueller-matrix measurements of flat crystalline silicon samples that were misaligned on purpose. Furthermore, they also exploit this method’s capabilities to perform spatially resolved layer-thickness measurements of a single-layer indium-tin-oxide coating on a fused-silica microlens without the need of realignment or repositioning of the sample during the measurement.
Background: Gas sensors are very important in several fields like gas monitoring, safety and environmental applications. In this approach, a new gas sensing concept is investigated which combines the powerful adsorption probability of metal oxide conductive sensors (MOS) with an optical ellipsometric readout. This concept Shows promising results to solve the problems of cross sensitivity of the MOS concept.
Results: Undoped tin oxide (SnOx) and iron doped tin oxide (Fe:SnOx) thin add-on films were prepared by magnetron sputtering on the top of the actual surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing gold layer. The films were tested for their sensitivity to several gas species in the surface plasmon resonance enhanced (SPREE) gas measurement. It was found that the undoped tin oxide (SnOx) shows higher sensitivities to propane (C3H8) then to carbon monoxide (CO). By using Fe:SnOx, this relation is inverted. This behavior was explained by a change of the amount of binding sites for CO in the layer due to this iron doping. For hydrogen (H2) no such relation was found but the sensing ability was identical for both layer materials. This observation was related to a different sensing mechanism for H2 which is driven by the Diffusion into the layer instead of adsorption on the surface.
Conclusion: The gas sensing selectivity can be enhanced by tuning the properties of the thin film overcoating. A relation of the binding sites in the doped and undoped SnOx films and the gas sensing abilities for CO and C3H8 was found. This could open the path for optimized gas sensing devices with different coated SPREE sensors.
Modern life and global communication would not be possible without technologically tailored thin films; they are omnipresent in daily life applications. In most cases, the films are deposited entirely at the carrying substrates in a specific processing step of the device or sample. In some cases, however, removal or modification must be performed locally, i.e., site-controlled and material selective through an additional laser processing step. For that ultrashort laser pulses with durations in the femtosecond and picosecond range can provide unique advantages and capabilities in industrially scalable schemes. This article reviews the current state of the research and corresponding industrial transfer related to the structuring of thin films by ultrashort pulsed lasers. It focuses on the pertinent historic developments, reveals the relevant physical and chemical effects, explores the ultimate limits, and discusses selected industrial and scientific applications.
Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) was used as a chemical precursor to deposit ultra-thin SiO x C y plasma polymer films onto mild steel surfaces for preventing the corrosion process. The structure–property relationships of the coatings were evaluated by X-ray Photo Spectroscopy (XPS), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform InfraRed spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) completed with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The SEM micrographs confirmed a pinhole-free surface morphology of the low-pressure deposited plasma polymer films. The TEOS molecules become fragmented in the plasma by numerous collisions with energy-rich electrons and heavier particles. Recombination of fragments and condensation onto the steel substrate is responsible for the formation of organic SiO containing plasma polymer layers. Such thin layers consist of predominantly SiO x structures. Their properties are determined largely by the gap distance between the two samples used as electrodes in the plasma. The efficiency of the corrosion-protecting coating was compared with uncoated samples. The corrosion protection was determined by exposure of samples to 3.5% NaCl aqueous solutions. For this purpose, polarization and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) were used to monitor the corrosion. The optimal gap distance between the electrodes was determined for corrosion protection. The best protective efficiency reached more than 97% of the total protection as measured at room temperature.
We report on the mechanical properties of Cu–Nb alloys produced by combinatorial magnetron sputtering.
Depending on the composition, the microstructure is either fully amorphous (~30–65 at.% Cu), a dispersion of Cu crystallites in an amorphous matrix (~70 at.%), or a dominant crystalline phase with separated nanoscale amorphous zones (~80 at.% Cu). Nanomechanical probing of the different microstructures reveals that the hardness of the fully amorphous alloy is much higher than a rule of mixture would predict. We further demonstrate a remarkable tunability of the resistance to plastic flow, ranging from ca. 9 GPa in the amorphous regime to ca. 2 GPa in the fully crystalline regime. We rationalize these findings based on fundamental structural considerations, thereby highlighting the vast structure-property design space that this otherwise immiscible binary alloy provides.
Ellipsometry is a matured experimental method, whose roots reach back into the early phase of modern optics itself. It is often attributed to be invented by Paul Drude in the last decade of the 19th century, but similar techniques had already been applied for years before Drude started his work. With this Special Issue about ellipsometry and related techniques, we hope to bring more attention to this method and advance and propagate it to be used by a broader community. We have collected a good mixture of articles: some texts are more in the line of users’ tutorial and best practice guides; others are intended to show recent developments of the method. With this collection, we also hope to show the generally rapidly expanding possibilities of ellipsometry and polarimetry to draw attention of new users and previously unrelated communities to this valuable tool.
Elemental composition and thickness determination of thin films by electron probe microanalysis
(2023)
Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) applies to solid samples of homogenous (bulk) chemical composition and can usually not be applied to structures which are inhomogeneous in the micrometer range such as thin film systems down to a few nm. However, in combination with the established thin film software Stratagem, the thickness as well as the elemental composition of thin films on a substrate can be determined. This has been recently successfully demonstrated for Fe-Ni on Si and Si-Ge on Al2O3 thin film systems. For both systems five samples of different elemental composition and a reference were produced and characterised by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), Rutherford backscattering (RBS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) as reference values. Last year, a new and open-source thin film evaluation programme called BadgerFilm has been released. It can also be used to determine thin film composition and thickness from intensity ratios of the unknown sample and standards (k-ratios). In this contribution, we reevaluated the data acquired for the Fe-Ni and Si-Ge systems using the BadgerFilm software package and compared the obtained elemental compositions and thickness values with the results of the Stratagem software and the reference methods. The conclusion is that the BadgerFilm software shows good agreement with the elemental composition and thickness calculated by Stratagem (mostly <2% for both composition and thickness) and with the reference values for two representative thin film systems (<1%–2% for composition and <10%–20% for thickness).
The thickness of thin films can be measured by various methods, e.g., profilometry, ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM), or X-ray reflectometry. For the additional determination of thin film composition, techniques like X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) or mass spectrometry-based techniques can be used. An alternative non-destructive technique is electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). This method assumes a sample of homogenous (bulk) chemical composition, so that it cannot be usually applied to thin film samples. However, in combination with the thin film software StrataGEM, the thickness as well as the composition of such films on a substrate can be determined.
This has been demonstrated for FeNi on Si and SiGe on Al2O3 film systems. For both systems five samples with different elemental composition and a reference were produced and characterised by Korean research institute KRISS using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), Rutherford backscattering (RBS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These samples were used for an international round robin test.
In 2021, a new and open-source thin film evaluation programme called BadgerFilm has been released. It can also be used to determine thin film composition and thickness from intensity ratios of the unknown sample and standards (k-ratios).
In this contribution, we re-evaluated the data acquired for the FeNi and SiGe systems using the BadgerFilm software package and compared the resulting composition and thickness with the results of the established StrataGEM software and other reference methods. With the current evaluation, the BadgerFilm software shows good agreement with the composition and thickness calculated by StrataGEM and as the reference values provided by the KRISS.