The oblique angle configuration has emerged as an invaluable tool for the deposition of nanostructured thin films. This review develops up to date description its principles, including atomistic mechanisms governing film growth and nanostructuration possibilities, well a comprehensive applications benefiting from incorporation in actual devices. In contrast with other reviews on subject, electron beam assisted evaporation technique is analyzed along methods operating at angles, including,...

Growth regimes of gold thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering at oblique angles and low temperatures are studied from both theoretical experimental points view. Thin were in a broad range conditions varying the substrate tilt angle background pressure, analyzed field emission scanning electron microscopy grazing-incidence small-angle x-ray scattering techniques. Results indicate that morphological features strongly depend on conditions, but can be categorized within four generic...

The growth of Ti thin films by the magnetron sputtering technique at oblique angles and room temperature is analysed from both experimental theoretical points view. Unlike other materials deposited in similar conditions, nanostructure development layers exhibits an anomalous behaviour when varying angle incidence deposition flux pressure. At low pressures, a sharp transition compact to isolated, vertically aligned, nanocolumns obtained surpasses critical threshold. Remarkably, this also...

The growth of nanostructured physical vapor deposited thin films at oblique angles is becoming a hot topic for the development large variety applications. Up to now, empirical relations, such as so-called tangent rule, have been uncritically applied account nanostructure these even when they do not accurately reproduce most experimental results. In present paper, analyzed under premises recently proposed surface trapping mechanism. authors demonstrate that this process mediates effective...

We show that the tilt angle of nanostructures obtained by glancing sputtering is finely tuned selecting adequate argon pressure. At low pressures, a ballistic deposition regime dominates, yielding high directional atoms form tilted nanocolumns. High pressures lead to diffusive which gives rise vertical columnar growth. Monte Carlo simulations reproduce experimental results indicating loss directionality sputtered particles in gas phase, together with self-shadowing mechanism at surface, are...

The microstructural features of amorphous TiO 2 thin films grown by the electron beam physical vapour deposition technique at oblique angles have been experimentally and theoretically studied. deposited were characterized considering both column tilt angle increase in thickness with height. A Monte Carlo model film growth has developed that takes into account surface shadowing, short-range interaction between species surface, as well angular broadening flux when arriving substrate. good...

Abstract We describe here the deposition of thin films using magnetron sputtering at oblique angles. General relations between rates and experimental parameters, such as gas pressure or substrate tilt angles, are deduced experimentally tested. The model also permits direct determination thermalization mean free path sputtered particles in plasma gas, a key parameter defining balance ballistic diffusive flows reactor. good agreement calculated results supports validity our description, which...

The formation of the porous structure in dc magnetron sputtered amorphous silicon thin films at low temperatures is studied when using helium and/or argon as processing gas. In each case, a-Si were simultaneously grown two different locations reactor which led to assembly structures. set four fabricated samples has been analyzed microstructural level elucidate characteristics under deposition conditions. With help a growth model, we conclude that chemical nature sputter gas not only affects...

Based on an already tested laboratory procedure, a new magnetron sputtering methodology to simultaneously coat two-sides of large area implants (up ~15 cm2) with Ti nanocolumns in industrial reactors has been developed. By analyzing the required growth conditions setup, geometry and have proposed semi-industrial scale reactor. A bone plate (DePuy Synthes) pseudo-rectangular extracted from patient were coated following methodology, obtaining that their osteoblast proliferation efficiency...

The fabrication of black-gold coatings using sputtering is reported here. Glancing angle deposition with a rotating substrate needed to obtain vertical nanostructures. Enhanced light absorption obtained in the samples prepared ballistic regime high tilt angles. Under these conditions diameter distribution nanostructures centered at about 60 nm and standard deviation large enough black-metal behavior visible range.

Porous thin films grown at oblique angles by evaporation techniques are formed tilted nanocolumnar structures which, depending on the material type and growth conditions, associate along certain preferential directions, giving rise to large domains. This arrangement, commonly denoted as bundling association, is investigated in present work performing fundamental experiments simulations. It proved that trapping processes of vapor species film surface, together with shadowing mechanism,...

The excitation mechanisms of the lower lying excited levels in a low-ionized, low-pressure, argon plasma are modeled and studied order to characterize through optical emission spectroscopy. It is found that states play an important role they must be taken explicitly into account for accurate determination rates. possible influence radiative cascades from upper states, which not included model, has been by introducing effective level description studying its on results. model used calculate...

In this article a recently developed model [A. Palmero, H. Rudolph, and F. P. M. Habraken, Appl. Phys. Lett. 89, 211501 (2006)] is applied to analyze the transport of sputtered material from cathode toward growing film when using plasma-assisted sputtering deposition technique. The argon pressure dependence rate aluminum, silicon, vanadium, chromium, germanium, tantalum, tungsten under several different experimental conditions has been analyzed by fitting results literature above-mentioned...

Morphological evolution of ZrO2 thin films deposited during pulsed laser deposition Zr in O2 atmosphere has been experimentally studied at two different film temperatures, 300 and 873 K. The roughness exponent, α, the growth β, coarsening 1/z, exponent defining characteristic wavelength surface, p, for depositions K amounted to β=1.0±0.1, α=0.4±0.1, 1/z=0.34±0.03, p=0.49±0.03, whereas carried out β=0.3±0.3, α=0.4±0.2, 1/z=0.0±0.2. Experimental error becomes important due flat morphology...

The influence of isotropically directed deposition flux on the formation thin film microstructure at low temperatures is studied. For this purpose we have deposited TiO2 films by two different techniques: reactive magnetron sputtering, in experimental configurations, and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. obtained results indicate that grown under conditions where particles do not possess a clear directionality, absence relevant plasma/film interaction, present similar refractive...

Growth of amorphous SiO2 thin films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering at low temperatures has been studied under different oxygen partial pressure conditions. Film microstructures varied from coalescent vertical column-like to homogeneous compact microstructures, possessing all similar refractive indexes. A discussion on the process responsible for is carried out focusing influence (i) surface shadowing mechanism, (ii) positive ion impingement film, and (iii) negative impingement....

The energy distribution of positive argon ions bombarding the substrate during radiofrequency magnetron sputter deposition has been measured as a function pressure. results are related to measurements plasma potential and understood invoking occurrence resonant charge transfer reactions. This effectively lowers ion bombardment causes growth surface with neutrals few eV kinetic in pressure range 0.1–1Pa.

The effects of a high ion dose irradiation on ${\text{TiO}}_{2}$ thin films under different conditions temperature and nature are discussed. We have shown that anatase irradiated with ${\text{N}}^{+}$ ions at room develop typical microstructure mounds voids open to the surface whereas irradiations 700 K generate pattern well-ordered nanorods aligned beam. formation these patterns is caused by simultaneous effect near film favoring structural mobilization defective network material. To...

Early results on the plasma deposition of dielectric thin films acoustic wave (AW) activated substrates revealed a densification pattern arisen from focusing ions and their impact specific areas piezoelectric substrate. Herein, we extend this methodology to tailor metals onto AW-activated LiNbO3 substrates. Our investigation reveals tracking initial stages nanoparticle (NP) formation growth during submonolayer silver. We elucidate role AW activation in reducing particle size, enhancing...

In order to understand the fundamental mechanisms in a radio-frequency magnetron sputtering system, main properties of argon plasma used process have been measured. A complete three-dimensional map ion density, electron temperature, and potential has obtained using Langmuir probe. The temperature as well density found increase region so called race track at cathode. Furthermore, from map, time-averaged local electric field obtained, pointing out where most intense bombardment takes place....