Abstract Thulium (Tm) doped aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films are deposited by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering in a pure nitrogen atmosphere. As-deposited thin films are irradiated at room temperature with 335 keV protons and a fluence of 1×1014 ions/cm2. The effects of irradiation on the structural and optical properties of the deposited thin films are investigated. Rutherford backscattering (RBS) is performed to determine the thickness and stoichiometric properties of the films while the structural properties of the material are investigated with x-ray diffraction (XRD). Non-ionizing energy loss (NIEL) study demonstrates that scattering events increase as the ions penetrate deep into the matrix and result in higher damage in the material. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is used to see the absorption spectra of thin films which reveals that the implanted films have great capabilities of solar energy storage. Bandgap of the film is determined using diffused reflection spectroscopy (DRS) technique, where a slight upwards shift in bandgap is observed due to irradiation induced material damages.

中文翻译：

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结构和光学特性对 AlN:Tm 薄膜中质子辐照的响应

摘要 掺铥 (Tm) 的氮化铝 (AlN) 薄膜在纯氮气氛中通过射频 (RF) 磁控溅射沉积。沉积后的薄膜在室温下用 335 keV 质子和 1×1014 离子/cm2 的能量密度进行辐照。研究了辐照对沉积薄膜的结构和光学特性的影响。进行卢瑟福背散射 (RBS) 以确定薄膜的厚度和化学计量特性，同时使用 X 射线衍射 (XRD) 研究材料的结构特性。非电离能量损失 (NIEL) 研究表明，随着离子深入基体并导致材料损坏，散射事件会增加。傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）用于查看薄膜的吸收光谱，表明注入的薄膜具有很强的太阳能存储能力。使用漫反射光谱 (DRS) 技术确定薄膜的带隙，其中观察到由于辐射引起的材料损坏导致的带隙略微向上偏移。