Eva Schubert

Optical, structural, and magnetic properties of cobalt nanostructure thin films

We report on optical, structural, and magnetic properties of two substantially different cobalt nanostructure thin films deposited at an oblique angle of incidence of 85° away from the substrate normal. Comparison is made between an achiral columnar thin film grown without substrate rotation and a chiral nanocoil sculptured thin film by glancing angle deposition with substrate rotation. Generalized spectroscopic ellipsometry is employed to determine geometrical structure properties and the anisotropic optical constants of the films in the spectral range from 400 to 1000 nm. The magnetic properties are analyzed with a superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer. Both nanostructure thin films show highly anisotropic optical properties such as strong form birefringence and large dichroism. In particular, Co slanted columnar thin films are found to possess monoclinic optical properties. Magnetic measurements at room temperature show hysteresis anisotropy with respect to a magnetic field either pa...

Monoclinic optical constants, birefringence, and dichroism of slanted titanium nanocolumns determined by generalized ellipsometry

rection of the incoming vapor. 1 The physical properties of such thin films differ drastically from their bulk material. 2 Intriguing mechanical, magnetic, and optical properties, for example, can be obtained and may be explored in future applications. Form-induced polarization current confinement, crosscoupling between individual nanoelements, and quantization effects will lead to entirely different optical properties unknown from their bulk counterpart. Hodgkinson and Wu 1 predicted, and partially determined, strong nanostructure form-induced optical orthorhombic birefringence in slanted nanostructure thin films, also termed columnar thin film CTF. Deposition conditions such as the angle of the incoming vapor have strong influence on shape and arrangement of the nanostructures. 3 Controlled CTF growth together with accurate measurement of their anisotropic optical properties will allow for tailoring materials at the nanometer scale to achieve desired optical applications such as omnidirectional mirrors and thin film polarization filters. In this letter we report accurate and complete determination of the intrinsic optical properties of slanted metal nanocolumn thin films. We extend the prediction of Hodgkinson and Wu 1 by dem

Generalized ellipsometry for monoclinic absorbing materials: determination of optical constants of Cr columnar thin films.

Generalized spectroscopic ellipsometry is used to determine the form-induced birefringence and monoclinic optical constants of chromium columnar thin films. The slanted nanocolumns were deposited by glancing angle deposition under 85 degrees incidence and are tilted from the surface normal. Dichroism measured for wavelengths from 400 to 1000 nm renders the Cr nanocolumns monoclinic absorbing crystals with c axis along the nanocolumns axis, b axis parallel to the film interface, and 74.8 degrees monoclinic angle between a and c axes. The columnar thin film reveals anomalous optical dispersion, extreme birefringence, and strong dichroism and differs entirely from bulk chromium.

Optical properties of cobalt slanted columnar thin films passivated by atomic layer deposition

Optical properties of passivated metal slanted columnar thin films from cobalt within the visible spectral region are reported. Glancing angle deposition is utilized to grow slanted nanocolumns which have been conformally coated with Al2O3 by a subsequent atomic layer deposition process. A generalized anisotropic Bruggeman effective medium approximation has been employed to analyze spectroscopic generalized ellipsometry data. The modified homogenization approach allows for determination of biaxial (monoclinic) optical and structural properties as well as fractions of three film constituents. The conformal alumina passivation layer preserves the pristine metal character of the nanostructures and prevents oxidation and aging effects.

Generalized ellipsometry in-situ quantification of organic adsorbate attachment within slanted columnar thin films

We apply generalized ellipsometry, well-known to be sensitive to the optical properties of anisotropic materials, to determine the amount of fibronectin protein that adsorbs onto a Ti slanted columnar thin film from solution. We find that the anisotropic optical properties of the thin film change upon organic adsorption. An optical model for ellipsometry data analysis incorporates an anisotropic Bruggeman effective medium approximation. We find that differences in experimental data from before and after fibronectin adsorption can be solely attributable to the uptake of fibronectin within the slanted columnar thin film. Simultaneous, in-situ generalized ellipsometry and quartz crystal microbalance measurements show excellent agreement on the amount and rate of fibronectin adsorption. Quantitative characterization of organic materials within three-dimensional, optically anisotropic slanted columnar thin films could permit their use in optical sensor applications.

THz dielectric anisotropy of metal slanted columnar thin films

The anisotropic optical dielectric functions of a metal (cobalt) slanted columnar thin film deposited by electron-beam glancing angle deposition are reported for the terahertz (THz) frequency domain using generalized spectroscopic ellipsometry. We employ a simple effective medium dielectric function homogenization approach to describe the observed optical response. The approach describes isolated, electrically conductive columns which render the thin film biaxial (orthorhombic). Our findings suggest controlled variability of dielectric polarizability and anisotropy in the THz spectral range by choice of geometry, material, and structure.

Magneto-optical properties of cobalt slanted columnar thin films

Magneto-optical properties of ferromagnetic slanted columnar thin films from cobalt made by electron-beam glancing angle deposition are reported. Magneto-optic ellipsometry in the polar Kerr effect configuration was employed to determine the field- and wavelength-dependent complex magneto-optic polarizability parameter within the spectral range from 0.74 to 3.0 eV. Kerr effect measurements and calculations reveal a strong azimuthal dependence for the incident linear polarization with peak Kerr rotation one order of magnitude larger than what has been reported for solid Co thin films.

Recrystallization behavior in chiral sculptured thin films from silicon

Chiral sculptured thin films, which contain amorphous silicon screws with a fiberlike fine structure, were grown by ion-beam-assisted glancing-angle deposition at room temperature. The thin films were postgrowth annealed in the temperature range from 400to1000°C. Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy investigations performed before and after sample annealing reveal a recrystallization of silicon at temperatures above 800°C, with a persistence of the chiral structure geometry and fine structure. The Raman results are further discussed in terms of quantum confinement and coexisting phase effects.

Multilayer Graphitic Coatings for Thermal Stabilization of Metallic Nanostructures

We demonstrate that graphitic coatings, which consist of multilayer disordered graphene sheets, can be used for the thermal protection of delicate metal nanostructures. We studied cobalt slanted nanopillars grown by glancing angle deposition that were shown to melt at temperatures much lower than the melting point of bulk cobalt. After graphitic coatings were conformally grown over the surfaces of Co nanopillars by chemical vapor deposition, the resulting carbon-coated Co nanostructures retained their morphology at elevated temperatures, which would damage the uncoated structures. Thermal stabilization is also demonstrated for carbon-coated Ti nanopillars. The results of this study may be extended to other metallic and possibly even nonmetallic nanostructures that need to preserve their morphology at elevated temperatures in a broad range of applications.

Use of precisely sculptured thin film (STF) substrates with generalized ellipsometry to determine spatial distribution of adsorbed fibronectin to nanostructured columnar topographies and effect on cell adhesion

Sculptured thin film (STF) substrates consist of nanocolumns with precise orientation, intercolumnar spacing, and optical anisotropy, which can be used as model biomaterial substrates to study the effect of homogenous nanotopogrophies on the three-dimensional distribution of adsorbed proteins. Generalized ellipsometry was used to discriminate between the distributions of adsorbed FN either on top of or within the intercolumnar void spaces of STFs, afforded by the optical properties of these precisely crafted substrates. Generalized ellipsometry indicated that STFs with vertical nanocolumns enhanced total FN adsorption two-fold relative to flat control substrates and the FN adsorption studies demonstrate different STF characteristics influence the degree of FN immobilization both on top and within intercolumnar spaces, with increasing spacing and surface area enhancing total protein adsorption. Mouse fibroblasts or mouse mesenchymal stem cells were subsequently cultured on STFs, to investigate the effect of highly ordered and defined nanotopographies on cell adhesion, spreading, and proliferation. All STF nanotopographies investigated in the absence of adsorbed FN were found to significantly enhance cell adhesion relative to flat substrates; and the addition of FN to STFs was found to have cell-dependent effects on enhancing cell-material interactions. Furthermore, the amount of FN adsorbed to the STFs did not correlate with comparative enhancements of cell-material interactions, suggesting that nanotopography predominantly contributes to the biocompatibility of homogenous nanocolumnar surfaces. This is the first study to correlate precisely defined nanostructured features with protein distribution and cell-nanomaterial interactions. STFs demonstrate immense potential as biomaterial surfaces for applications in tissue engineering, drug delivery, and biosensing.