Copper thin films with nano-scale structure have numerous applications in modern technology.  In this work, Cu thin films with different thicknesses from 50–220 nm have been deposited on glass substrate by DC magnetron sputtering technique at room temperature in pure Ar gas. The sputtering time was considered in 4, 8, 12 and 16 min, respectively. The thickness effect on the structural, mo...

As metal nanostructures demonstrated extraordinary plasmon resonance, their optical characteristics have widely been investigated in photo-electronic applications. However, there has been no clear demonstration on the location effect of plasmonic metal layer within the photoanode on both optical characteristics and photovoltaic performances. In this research, the gold (Au) nano-islands (NIs) fi...

A variety of methods are available for creating the titanium dioxide (TiO2) semiconductor surface layer of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs); however, many of them are used independently to create surface morphologies that are influenced by only one process. A series of experimental techniques are utilized, some not originally used for thin film preparation, to create a semiconductor surface t...

A full solution-based method is reported to fabricate multilayer thin film stacks for structural color applications. This in contrast the conventional fabrication methods that require high vacuum processes such as physical vapor deposition and magnetron sputtering, which significantly limits their practical use due cost long processing time. Copper/silicon dioxide/copper (Cu/SiO2/Cu) copper/tit...

The influence of Cu, Ag, and Au additives on the L10 ordering, texture, and grain size of FePt thin films has been examined. Lattice parameter data indicated that Au and Ag additives tended to segregate from FePt, but Cu alloyed with FePt. FePt films with Au or Ag additive showed 1–2 kOe higher coercivity values compared to a pure FePt film after annealing at 450 °C and above for 10 min. The ad...

The TiO2–SiO2 thin films were deposited on AISI 316L stainless steel via sol-gel method. Then, the effect of the added amount of SiO2 on the structure, morphology and mechanical properties of the films and corrosion behavior of AISI 316L stainless steel substrate were investigated. So, X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, depth-sensing indenta...

Chalcocite (Cu2S) has been deposited via pulsed chemical vapor deposition (PCVD) into a porous TiO2 matrix using hydrogen sulfide and a metal-organic precursor. The precursor used is similar to the more common Cu(hfac)(tmvs) precursor, but it is fluorine free and exhibits increased thermal stability. The simultaneous exposure of the substrate to the copper precursor and hydrogen sulfide resulte...

This paper reports the correlation between film thickness, nanostructure and DC electrical properties of copper thin films deposited by PVD method on glass substrate. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used for crystallography and morphology investigation, respectively. Resistivity was measured by four point probe instrument, while a Hall effects measurement system w...

An optical method to determine the nanostructure and the morphology of porous thin films is presented. This procedure is based on the response of a side-polished optical fiber with the film under study, when an adsorption-desorption cycle is carried out. Spectroscopic ellipsometry provides additional information about the optical properties and adsorption behavior of the film. Pore size distrib...

A new method for the growth of nanoporous thin films is described. The process is targeted to the formation of titanium dioxide (TiO2) through a low-temperature inorganic-filler chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. The growth technique employs gas-phase reaction of an alkali metal (Na) and a metal halide (TiCl4) and subsequent thin film growth within a low-pressure coflow diffusion reactor....