Novel Optoelectronic Applications of Amorphous and Nanocrystalline Semiconductors

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2022) | Viewed by 3835

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1. Centre of Technology and Systems (UNINOVA-CTS) FCT Campus, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
2. Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa (ISEL), R. Conselheiro Emídio Navarro 1, 1959-007 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: photonic devices; semiconductor science; biomedical sensors
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Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Interests: photovoltaic material; polymer based nanocomposites; perovskite; silicon

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The amorphous phase of silicon has been intensively studied in the last two decades of the 20th century, and it is well known that the electronic and optical properties of the films are strongly influenced by deposition techniques and conditions. While these techniques have reached a stable maturity and quality, due to the large investment in the mass production of a-Si:H solar cells and thin film transistors for active matrix flat panel displays, the same technology has also been demonstrated to be successful in producing new micro/nanocrystalline materials, paving the way for a wide range of novel materials and applications. Micro- and nanocrystalline semiconductors, which are not limited to amorphous silicon and group IV elements but also include alloys, chalcogenide glasses, oxide semiconductors and hybrid perovskites, represent a key technology for low-cost optoelectronic devices for the future, enabling the integration of LEDs, photovoltaic cells, sensors, thin film transistors and other optoelectronic and photonic structures into the future IoT technology paradigm.

The scope of this Special Issue is to present an insight into the recent advances in amorphous and nanocrystalline materials for novel optoelectronic applications. It is our pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript for publication in this Special Issue, welcoming contributions in the form of research papers or reviews on this exciting theme, addressing from fundamental material physics and chemistry to the preparation, modeling and characterization of novel materials and devices.

Prof. Dr. Alessandro Fantoni
Prof. Dr. Heinz Christoph Neitzert
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1953 KiB  
Article
Improving Thickness Uniformity of Amorphous Oxide Films Deposited on Large Substrates by Optical Flux Mapping
by Chuen-Lin Tien and Kuan-Sheng Cheng
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(23), 11878; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app122311878 - 22 Nov 2022
Viewed by 1574
Abstract
In this study, three amorphous oxide thin films are prepared by an electron beam evaporation combined with ion-assisted deposition technique. With the aid of optical flux mapping method, thin film thickness distribution with good uniformity can be obtained by appropriate coating masks. Three [...] Read more.
In this study, three amorphous oxide thin films are prepared by an electron beam evaporation combined with ion-assisted deposition technique. With the aid of optical flux mapping method, thin film thickness distribution with good uniformity can be obtained by appropriate coating masks. Three metal oxide single-layer thin films are SiO2, Ta2O5 and Nb2O5, respectively. These thin films were deposited on a substrate holder with a radius of 275 mm that was divided into five different segments. Based on the optical flux mapping method, we can effectively simulate the geometric dimensions of the coating mask and obtain the width of the coating mask at different segments. If the film thickness uniformity is a function of masking area and center angle, it is necessary to determine the thickness distribution of the different segments and use a surface profiler to accurately measure the film thickness. We analyzed the thickness uniformity of three oxide films deposited at five different segments. The experimental measurement results show that the deviation of thickness uniformity is 0.38% for SiO2, 0.36% for Ta2O5, and 0.15% for Nb2O5 thin films, respectively. Full article
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20 pages, 9777 KiB  
Article
Complex Research on Amorphous Vanadium Oxide Thin Films Deposited by Gas Impulse Magnetron Sputtering
by Michał Mazur, Aneta Lubańska, Jarosław Domaradzki and Damian Wojcieszak
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(18), 8966; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app12188966 - 06 Sep 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1728
Abstract
In this work, a complex examination of vanadium oxide thin films prepared by gas impulse magnetron sputtering with various Ar:O2 gas ratios of 2:1 ÷ 8:1 was conducted. X-ray diffraction revealed the amorphous nature of the prepared thin films, and scanning electron [...] Read more.
In this work, a complex examination of vanadium oxide thin films prepared by gas impulse magnetron sputtering with various Ar:O2 gas ratios of 2:1 ÷ 8:1 was conducted. X-ray diffraction revealed the amorphous nature of the prepared thin films, and scanning electron microscopy images showed that the thin films were crack-free and homogenous. Optical properties investigations revealed that a higher oxygen content in the Ar:O2 atmosphere during sputtering caused an increase in transparency. The sample prepared with the highest amount of oxygen in the gas mixture during deposition had 51.1% of the average transmission in the visible wavelength range. A decrease in oxygen caused deterioration in the thin film transparency with the lowest value equal to 21.8%. Electrical measurements showed that the prepared thin films had a semiconducting character with either electron or hole conduction type, depending on the sputtering gas composition. A small amount of oxygen in the gas mixture resulted in the deposition of p-type thin films, whereas an increase in the amount of oxygen caused a change to n-type electrical conduction. Resistivity decreased with increasing Ar:O2 ratio. The gas sensing response toward diluted hydrogen was investigated for all the VxOy thin films, but at low operating temperatures, only the p-type thin films exhibited a visible response. Full article
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