Boron-doped amorphous carbon (BDAC) thin films with a regular oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalytic activity were synthesized in a hot filament chemical vapor deposition device using a mixture of CH4 and H2 as a gas source and B2O3 as a boron source and then oxidized in air at 380–470 °C for 15–75 min. Scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrochemical tests were used to characterize the physical and electrochemical properties of the BDAC catalysts. It was concluded that the BDAC catalyst oxidized at 450 °C for 45 min showed the best ORR catalytic activity in alkaline medium. The oxygen reduction potential and the transfer electron number n, respectively, are − 0.286 V versus Ag/AgCl and 3.24 from the rotating disk electrode experiments. The treated carbon film has better methanol resistance and stability than the commercial Pt/C catalyst.

Aluminum nitride (AlN) has versatile and intriguing properties, such as wide direct bandgap, high thermal conductivity, good thermal and chemical stability, and various functionalities. Due to these properties, AlN thin films have been applied in various fields. However, AlN thin films are usually deposited by high temperature processes like chemical vapor deposition. To further enlarge the application of AlN films, atomic layer deposition (ALD) has been studied as a method of AlN thin film deposition at low temperature. In this mini review paper, we summarize the results of recent studies on AlN film grown by thermal and plasma enhanced ALD in terms of processing temperature, precursor type, reactant gas, and plasma source. Thermal ALD can grow AlN thin films at a wafer temperature of 150~550 oC with alkyl/amine or chloride precursors. Due to the low reactivity with NH3 reactant gas, relatively high growth temperature and narrow window are reported. On the other hand, PEALD has an advantage of low temperature process, while crystallinity and defect level in the film are dependent on the plasma source. Lastly, we also introduce examples of application of ALD-grown AlN films in electronics.

ZnO thin-films are grown on a p-Si(111) substrate by RF sputtering. The effects of growth temperature and O2 mixture ratio on the ZnO films are investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and roomtemperature photoluminescence (PL) measurements. All the grown ZnO thin films show a strong preferred orientation along the c-axis, with an intense ultraviolet emission centered at 377 nm. However, when O2 is mixed with the sputtering gas, the half width at half maximum (FWHM) of the XRD peak increases and the deep-level defect-related emission PL band becomes pronounced. In addition, an n-ZnO/p-Si heterojunction diode is fabricated by photolithographic processes and characterized using its current-voltage (I-V) characteristic curve and photoresponsivity. The fabricated n-ZnO/p-Si heterojunction diode exhibits typical rectifying I-V characteristics, with turn-on voltage of about 1.1 V and ideality factor of 1.7. The ratio of current density at ± 3 V of the reverse and forward bias voltage is about 5.8 × 103, which demonstrates the switching performance of the fabricated diode. The photoresponse of the diode under illumination of chopped with 40 Hz white light source shows fast response time and recovery time of 0.5 msec and 0.4 msec, respectively.

Tungsten trioxide (WO3) is a promising candidate as a photocatalyst because of its outstanding electrical and optical properties. In this study, we prepare WO3 thin films by electrodeposition and characterize the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue using these films. Depending on the voltage conditions (static and pulse), compact and porous WO3 films are fabricated on a transparent ITO/glass substrate. The morphology and crystal structure of electrodeposited WO3 thin films are investigated by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. An application of static voltage during electrodeposition yields a compact layer of WO3, whereas a highly porous morphology with nanoflakes is produced by a pulse voltage process. Compared to the compact film, the porous WO3 thin film shows better photocatalytic activities. Furthermore, a much higher reaction rate of degradation of methylene blue can be achieved after post-annealing of WO3 thin films.

Inorganic semiconductor compounds, e.g., CIGS and CZTS, are promising materials for thin film solar cells because of their high light absorption coefficient and stability. Research on thin film solar cells using this compound has made remarkable progress in the last two decades. Vacuum-based processes, e.g., co-evaporation and sputtering, are well established to obtain high-efficiency CIGS and/or CZTS thin film solar cells with over 20% of power conversion. However, because the vacuum-based processes need high cost equipment, they pose technological barriers to producing low-cost and large area photovoltaic cells. Recently, non-vacuum based processes, for example the solution/nanoparticle precursor process, the electrodeposition method, or the polymer-capped precursors process, have been intensively studied to reduce capital expenditure. Lately, over 17% of energy conversion efficiency has been reported by solution precursors methods in CIGS solar cells. This article reviews the status of non-vacuum techniques that are used to fabricate CIGS and CZTS thin films solar cells.

Highly self-cleaning thin films of TiO2-SiO2 co-doped with Ag and F are prepared by the sol-gel method. The asprepared thin films consist of bottom SiO2 and top TiO2 layers which are modified by doping with F, Ag and F-Ag elements. XRD analysis confirms that the prepared thin film is a crystalline anatase phase. UV-vis spectra show that the light absorption of Ag-F-TiO2/SiO2 thin films is tuned in the visible region. The self-cleaning properties of the prepared films are evaluated by a water contact angle measurement under UV light irradiation. The photocatalytic performances of the thin films are studied using methylene blue dye under both UV and visible light irradiation. The Ag-F-TiO2/SiO2 thin films exhibit higher photocatalytic activity under both UV and visible light compared with other samples of pure TiO2, Ag-doped TiO2, and F-doped TiO2 films.

Conductive and dielectric SiC are fabricated using electroless plating of Ni–Fe films on SiC chopped fibers to obtain lightweight and high-strength microwave absorbers. The electroless plating of Ni–Fe films is achieved using a two-step process of surface sensitizing and metal plating. The complex permeability and permittivity are measured for the composite specimens with the metalized SiC chopped fibers dispersed in a silicone rubber matrix. The original noncoated SiC fibers exhibit considerable dielectric losses. The complex permeability spectrum does not change significantly with the Ni–Fe coating. Moreover, dielectric constant is sensitively increased with Ni–Fe coating, owing to the increase of the space charge polarization. The improvements in absorption capability (lower reflection loss and small matching thickness) are evident with Ni–Fe coating on SiC fibers. For the composite SiC fibers coated with Ni–Fe thin films, a -35 dB reflection loss is predicted at 7.6 GHz with a matching thickness of 4 mm.

Copper oxide thin films are deposited using an ultrasonic-assisted spray pyrolysis deposition (SPD) system. To investigate the effect of substrate temperature and incorporation of a chelating agent on the growth of copper oxide thin films, the structural and optical properites of the copper oxide thin films are analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emssion scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. At a temperature of less than 350 ℃, threedimensional structures consisting of cube-shaped Cu2O are formed, while spherical small particles of the CuO phase are formed at a temperature higher than 400 ℃ due to a Volmer-Weber growth mode on the silicon substrate. As a chelating agent was added to the source solutions, two-dimensional Cu2O thin films are preferentially deposited at a temperature less than 300 ℃, and the CuO thin film is formed even at a temperature less than 350 ℃. Therefore the structure and crystalline phase of the copper oxide is shown to be controllable.

TiN and CrN thin films are among the most used coatings in machine and tool steels. TiN and CrN are deposited by arc ion plating(AIP) method. The AIP method inhibits the reaction by depositing a hard, protective coating on the material surface. In this study, the characteristics of multi-layer(TiN/CrN/TiN(TCT), CrN/TiN/CrN(CTC)) are investigated. For comparison, TiN with the same thickness as the multilayer is formed as a single layer and analyzed. Thin films formed as multilayers are well stacked. The characteristics of micro hardness and corrosion resistance are better than those of single layer TiN. The TiN/CrN peak is confirmed because both TCT and CTC are formed of the same component(TiN, CrN), and the phase is first grown in the (111) direction, which is the growth direction. However, the adhesion and abrasion resistance of the multilayer films are somewhat lower.

Among the fuel cell electrolyte candidates in the intermediate temperature range, glass materials show stable physical properties and are also expected to have higher ion conductivity than crystalline materials. In particular, phosphate glass has a high mobility of protons since such a structure maintains a hydrogen bond network that leads to high proton conductivity. Recently, defects like volatilization of phosphorus and destruction of the bonding structure have remarkably improved with introduction of cations, such as Zr4+ and Nb5+, into phosphate. In particular, niobium has proton conductivity on the surface because of higher surface acidity. It can also retain phosphorus content during heat treatment and improve chemical stability by bonding with phosphorus. In this study, we fabricate niobium phosphate glass thin films through sol-gel processing, and we report the chemical stability and electrical properties. The existence of the hydroxyl group in the phosphate is confirmed and found to be preserved at the intermediate temperature region of 150-450 oC.

In order to increase the efficiency of the sputtering method widely used in thin film fabrication, a dc sputtering apparatus which supplies both high frequency and magnetic field from the outside was fabricated, and cobalt thin film was fabricated using this apparatus. The apparatus can independently control the applied voltage, the target-substrate distance, and the target current, which are important parameters in the sputtering method, so that a stable glow discharge is obtained even at a low gas pressure of 10−3 Torr. The fabrication conditions using the sputtering method were mainly performed in Ar+O2 mixed gas containing about 0.6% oxygen gas under various Ar gas pressures of 1 to 30 mTorr. The microstructure of Co thin films deposited using this apparatus was examined by electron diffraction pattern and X-ray techniques. The magnetic properties were investigated by measuring the magnetization curves. The microstructure and magnetic properties of Co thin films depend on the discharge gas pressure. The thin film fabricated at high gas pressure showed a columnar structure containing a large amount of the third phase in the boundary region and the thin film formed at low gas pressure showed little or no columnar structure. The coercivity in the plane was slightly larger than that in the latter case.

Li-incorporated ZnO thin films were deposited by using ultrasonic-assisted spray pyrolysis deposition (SPD) system. To investigate the effect of Li-incorporation on the performance of ZnO thin films, the structural, electrical, and optical properites of the ZnO thin films were analyzed by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emssion scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Hall effect measurement, and UV-Vis spectrophotometry with variation of the Li concentraion in the ZnO sources. Without incorporation of Li element, the ZnO surface showed large spiral domains. As the Li content increases, the size of spiral domains decreased gradually, and finally formed mixed small grain and one-dimensional nanorod-like structures on the surface. This morphological evolution was explained based on an anti-surfactant effect of Li atoms on the ZnO growth surface. In addition, the Li-incorporation changed the optical and electrical properties of the ZnO thin films by modifying the crystalline defect structures by doping effects.

In this study, we synthesize tungsten oxide thin films by electrodeposition and characterize their electrochromic properties. Depending on the deposition modes, compact and porous tungsten oxide films are fabricated on a transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate. The morphology and crystal structure of the electrodeposited tungsten oxide thin films are investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is employed to verify the chemical composition and the oxidation state of the films. Compared to the compact tungsten oxides, the porous films show superior electrochemical activities with higher reversibility during electrochemical reactions. Furthermore, they exhibit very high color contrast (97.0%) and switching speed (3.1 and 3.2 s). The outstanding electrochromic performances of the porous tungsten oxide thin films are mainly attributed to the porous structure, which facilitates ion intercalation/deintercalation during electrochemical reactions.

We report facile solution processing of mesoporous hematite (α-Fe2O3) thin films for high efficiency solar-driven water splitting. Fe2O3 thin films were prepared on fluorine doped tin oxide(FTO) conducting substrates by spin coating of a precursor solution followed by annealing at 550 oC for 30 min. in air ambient. Specifically, the precursor solution was prepared by dissolving non-toxic FeCl3 as an Fe source in highly versatile dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO) as a solvent. The as-deposited and annealed thin films were characterized for their morphological, structural and optical properties using field-emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. The photoelectrochemical performance of the precursor (α-FeOOH) and annealed (α-Fe2O3) films were characterized and it was found that the α-Fe2O3 film exhibited an increased photocurrent density of ~0.78 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE, which is about 3.4 times higher than that of the α-FeOOH films (0.23 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE). The improved performance can be attributed to the improved crystallinity and porosity of α-Fe2O3 thin films after annealing treatment at higher temperatures. Detailed electrical characterization was further carried out to elucidate the enhanced PEC performance of α-Fe2O3 thin films.

We investigated the effect of ZnO buffer layer on the formation of ZnO thin film by ultrasonic assisted spray pyrolysis deposition. ZnO buffer layer was formed by wet solution method, which was repeated several times. Structural and optical properties of the ZnO thin films deposited on the ZnO buffer layers with various cycles and at various temperatures were investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and photoluminescence spectrum analysis. The structural investigations showed that three-dimensional island shaped ZnO was formed on the bare Si substrate without buffer layers, while two-dimensional ZnO thin film was deposited on the ZnO buffer layers. In addition, structural and optical investigations showed that the crystalline quality of ZnO thin film was improved by introducing the buffer layers. This improvement was attributed to the modulation of the surface energy of the Si surface by the ZnO buffer layer, which finally resulted in a modification of the growth mode from three to two-dimensional.

A thin film thermoelectric generator that consisted of 5 p/n pairs was fabricated with 1 μm-thick n-type In3Sb1Te2 and p-type Ge2Sb2Te5 deposited via radio frequency magnetron sputtering. First, 1 μm-thick GST and IST thin films were deposited at 250 oC and room temperature, respectively, via radio-frequency sputtering; these films were annealed from 250 to 450 oC via rapid thermal annealing. The optimal power factor was found at an annealing temperature of 400 oC for 10 min. To demonstrate thermoelectric generation, we measured the output voltage and estimated the maximum power of the n-IST/ p-GST generator by imposing a temperature difference between the hot and cold junctions. The maximum output voltage and the estimated maximum power of the 1 μm-thick n-IST/p-GST TE generators are approximately 17.1 mV and 5.1 nW at ΔT = 12K, respectively.

This study describes the effects of polyurethane/loess powder (PU/LP) nanofiber thin films composite produced from electrospun for absorption volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from air. Environmental issue has become a focus with improving people's living quality. The VOCs are one of the factors that affect the environmental safety. So, in order to improve the environment and safety for people, many air cleaning techniques have been investigated. One of the methods is nanofiber filtration technology. In this study, the PU nanofiber thin film has been studied that it has the adsorption of VOCs capacity, and LP nanoparticles (NPs) can be used as an additive to load into PU nanofiber thin film by electrospinning. For studying PU/LP nanofiber thin films's absorption of VOCs capacity, 4 samples (0, 10, 30, and 50 wt% LP with respect to PU) were manufactured, respectively. The results show that PU composite mats containing 30 wt% LP NPs has the highest VOCs absorption capacity, and the adsorption capacity for toluene was the highest compared to benzene and chloroform.

We performed this study to understand the effect of a single-crystalline anode on the mechanical properties of asdeposited films during electrochemical deposition. We used a (111) single- crystalline Cu plate as an anode, and Si substrates with Cr/Au conductive seed layers were prepared for the cathode. Electrodeposition was performed with a standard 3-electrode system in copper sulfate electrolyte. Interestingly, the grain boundaries of the as-deposited Cu thin films using single-crystalline Cu anode were not distinct; this is in contrast to the easily recognizable grain boundaries of the Cu thin films that were formed using a poly-crystalline Cu anode. Tensile testing was performed to obtain the mechanical properties of the Cu thin films. Ultimate tensile strength and elongation to failure of the Cu thin films fabricated using the (111) single-crystalline Cu anode were found to have increased by approximately 52 % and 37%, respectively, compared with those values of the Cu thin films fabricated using apoly-crystalline Cu anode. We applied ultrasonic irradiation during electrodeposition to disturb the uniform stream; we then observed no single-crystalline anode effect. Consequently, it is presumed that the single-crystalline Cu anode can induce a directional/uniform stream of ions in the electrolyte that can create films with smeared grain boundaries, which boundaries strongly affect the mechanical properties of the electrodeposited Cu films.

We have investigated the properties of thin film transistors(TFT) fabricated using zinc tin oxide(ZTO) thin films deposited via on-axis sputtering and FTS methods. ZTO thin films deposited by FTS showed lower root-mean-square(RMS) roughness and more uniformity than those deposited via on-axis sputtering. We observed enhanced electrical properties of ZTO TFT deposited via FTS. The ZTO films were deposited at room temperature via on-axis sputtering and FTS. The as-deposited ZTO films were annealed at 400 oC. The TFT using the ZTO films deposited via FTS process exhibited a high mobility of 12.91 cm2/V.s, a low swing of 0.80 V/decade, Vth of 5.78 V, and a high Ion/off ratio of 2.52 × 106.

Dy3+ and Eu3+-codoped SrWO4 phosphor thin films were deposited on sapphire substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering by changing the growth and thermal annealing temperatures. The results show that the structural and optical properties of the phosphor thin films depended on the growth and thermal annealing temperatures. All the phosphor thin films, irrespective of the growth or the thermal annealing temperatures, exhibited tetragonal structures with a dominant (112) diffraction peak. The thin films deposited at a growth temperature of 100 oC and a thermal annealing temperature of 650 oC showed average transmittances of 87.5% and 88.4% in the wavelength range of 500-1100 nm and band gap energy values of 4.00 and 4.20 eV, respectively. The excitation spectra of the phosphor thin films showed a broad charge transfer band that peaked at 234 nm, which is in the range of 200-270 nm. The emission spectra under ultraviolet excitation at 234 nm showed an intense emission peak at 572 nm and several weaker bands at 479, 612, 660, and 758 nm. These results suggest that the SrWO4: Dy3+, Eu3+ thin films can be used as white light emitting materials suitable for applications in display and solid-state lighting.