A fully automated multi-target reactive magnetron sputtering (MS) process is presented in which real-time modeling and in situ standard or Mueller matrix ellipsometry is combined demonstrating growth of nanoscale multi-layer optical thin films having desired properties such as thickness, while observing properties such as index of refraction (n), extinction coefficient (k), and complex permittivity throughout growth. For each material layer isotropic or anisotropic properties as required can be modeled automatically in real-time, allowing for the development of hyperbolic metamaterials. In situ use of an RC2 ellipsometer from JA Woollam is presented, having a spectral range of 210nm - 2500nm. TEM measurements of the thin films are presented.
We experimentally analyze the simultaneous processes of difference frequency generation (DFG) and second harmonic (SH) generation in multilayer structures exhibiting an effective epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) response and ENZ properties in one of their layers. The structures consist of subwavelength-thin tri-layer periods of 75% ITO, 12.5% Al2O3, and 12.5% BaTiO3, with the total thickness kept near 120 nm. The number of periods and ITO layer thickness (3-30 nm) vary between samples, allowing to tune the effective ENZ wavelength over 1000 nm. We demonstrate that the level of DFG and SH enhancement can be increased by over two orders of magnitude with multilayer composition, with the highest enhancement in samples having 12-15 nm thick ITO layers. The peak enhancement wavelength follows the effective ENZ wavelength, while the relative enhancement levels of DFG and SH depend on sample composition. Our findings are supported by COMSOL simulations, TEM analysis, and ellipsometry data.
Doped single-crystal YAG fibers used as single-mode lasers require claddings with precise refractive index and high thermal conductivity. Three cladding materials that use coextrusion of green cladding on fiber cores as an initial processing step are described: 1. Undoped YAG cladding, followed by sintering or hot isostatic pressing. 2. Ca3Ga2Ge3O12 garnet cladding that melts beneath 1400°C. 3. LiCa2Mg2As3xV3-3xO12 garnet cladding that melts beneath 1100°C. Microstructures are characterized by TEM. Equipment and procedures are described. Garnet refractive index models are developed and validated to predict cladding refractive index. Advantages and disadvantages of the different claddings are compared.
Layered oxide materials having alternating repeated layer thicknesses of 10 nm or less are difficult to make, especially with sharp interfaces. Nanostructured thin films having repeated layers of two different oxide materials were obtained by using pulsed laser deposition and two independent stationary targets consisting of Al2O3 and BaTiO3. Desired thicknesses were achieved by using a specific number of pulses from a 248-nm KrF excimer laser, at an energy of 450 mJ/pulse, a galvanometer mirror system, and a background pressure of oxygen. Trends in material properties were identified by systematically varying the number of pulses for multiple nanostructured thin films and comparing the resulting properties measured using in-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry and ex-situ capacitance measurements, including relative permittivity and loss. Four films were deposited with a goal of having 0.25-, 1-, 4-, and 10-nm thick layers, and each ∼220 nm thick. Ellipsometry data were modeled in situ to calculate thickness, n and k. A representative transmission electron microscopy measurement was also collected for the 10-nm sample with corresponding x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy disperive x-ray spectroscopy. Ellipsometry and capacitance measurements were all performed on each of the samples, with one sample having calculated impedance greater than 30 GOhm at 0.001 Hz.
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