Tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) films with the resistivity less than 1.35×10−4 Ω cm were formed by low voltage dc magnetron sputtering (LVMS) and highly dense plasma-assisted electron beam (EB) evaporation using the arc plasma generator (HDPE). The structural properties of these films were investigated using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis, in comparison with the films formed by conventional magnetron sputtering and EB evaporation, in order to clarify the key factors for low resistivity. With decreasing plasma impedance and sputtering voltages from 540 to 380 V, the resistivity of the films deposited at Ts=400 °C decreased from 1.92 to 1.34×10−4 Ω cm, due mostly to increase in the carrier density. This LVMS film showed higher crystallinity because of lower damages of high-energy particles during the deposition, which might increase the number of electrically active species. For HDPE, the film with resistance of 1.23×10−4 Ω cm was deposited at Ts=280 °C, which showed more flat surface morphology and less surface segregation of tin than the conventional EB films.
Samples of nanocrystalline Ge embedded in SiO2 that display visible photoluminescence were synthesized from chemical vapor deposition-grown Si0.6Ge0.4 in a two step process of hydrothermal oxidation using steam at 25 MPa and 475 °C followed by annealing at 750 °C in flowing forming gas (80/20:N2/H2). A broad photoluminescence band, peaked at 2.14 eV (580 nm) with a full width at half maximum of 0.3 eV, was observed in samples that were annealed at 750 °C in flowing forming gas for 10, 30, and 60 min. As-oxidized (i.e., unprecipitated) samples show no photoluminescence peak when excited under identical conditions.
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