Characterization of HfO2 Optical Coatings Deposited by MF Magnetron Sputtering

Abstract

The aim of this work is to determine the influence of medium frequency magnetron sputtering powers on the various properties of hafnium dioxide (HfO2) thin films. Microstructure observations show that an increase in the sputtering power has a significant influence on HfO2 films’ microstructure. As-deposited hafnia thin films exhibit nanocrystalline structure with a monoclinic phase, however thr rise of the sputtering power results in an increase of crystallite sizes. Atomic force microscopy investigations show that the surface of the deposited films is smooth, crack-free, and composed of visible grains. The surface roughness and the value of the water contact angle increase with the increase of the sputtering power. Measurements of the optical properties show that HfO2 coatings are transparent in the visible wavelength range. A higher sputtering power causes a decrease of an average transmittance level and a simultaneous increase of the real part of the refractive index. Nanoindentation measurements reveal that the thin film hardness and Young’s elastic modulus increase with an increase in the sputtering power. Moreover, the results of plasticity index H/E and plastic resistance parameter H3/E2 are discussed. Based on the obtained results, a correlation between the sputtering power and the structural, surface, and optical properties, as well as the hardness and Young’s elastic modulus, were determined.

Genome-wide comparison deciphers lifestyle adaptation and glass biodeterioration property of Curvularia eragrostidis C52

“…Of note, fluorine and hafnium contents were strongly decreased in fungus-treated glass (Supplementary Table S2). This could be explained by the fact that silica-based glasses used in this study were coated with fluorine and hafnium-based oxide materials to increase surface roughness, the contact angle of water and the sputtering power 15 , 16 . Taken together, the isolate C52 severely damaged the surface layer of the experimental glasses in short-term incubation.…”

Effects of Stoichiometry on Structural, Morphological and Nanomechanical Properties of Bi2Se3 Thin Films Deposited on InP(111) Substrates by Pulsed Laser Deposition

“…Nanoindentation is a versatile technique ubiquitously used to obtain the basic mechanical parameters, such as the hardness and elastic modulus, as well as to delineate the deformation mechanisms, creep and fracture behaviors of various nanostructured materials [15][16][17][18] and thin films [19][20][21][22][23] with very high sensitivity and excellent resolution. On the other hand, wettability is an important property of a solid surface, which is intimately related to the chemical compositions and morphology of the surface [24].…”

Development of Morphologically engineered Flower-like Hafnium-Doped ZnO with Experimental and DFT Validation for Low-Temperature and Ultrasensitive Detection of NOX Gas

“… 27 As the doping concentration increased, the intensity of the peaks at 42 and 51.8° emerged, which are related to the (321) and (022) planes of HfO 2 . 27 This implied that 5% was the critical doping point at which the dopant ions (Hf 4+ ) were well incorporated into the ZnO lattice by substituting the host ions (Zn 2+ ), whereas a secondary phase of HfO 2 starts forming at higher doping concentrations. Further, this small shift toward a lower 2θ was observed with increasing doping concentration, indicating lattice distortion, owing to the successful substitution of Zn with Hf, thereby causing a decrease in the lattice parameters.…”