Optical Properties of Tin Oxide Thin Films Before and After Thermal and Fast Neutron Irradiation
Abstract
This study investigates the effect of thermal and fast neutrons on the optical properties of a tin oxide (SnO₂) thin film, which was prepared by thermal evaporation in a vacuum. The thickness of the film ranged from 90 to 110 nm. The samples were irradiated using an americium–beryllium (Am–Be) neutron source, providing thermal neutrons (≈0.025 eV) and fast neutrons (≈5 MeV), with a flux of 3x10⁵ n/cm²s. The optical properties of the thin film were examined before and after the irradiation. Before irradiation, the energy gap (E₆) of the film was 3.307 eV. After one week of irradiation with thermal neutrons, the energy gap decreased to 3.259 eV, and after two weeks, it further decreased to 3.217 eV. For fast neutrons, however, the results indicated that the energy gap remained unchanged even after 14 weeks of irradiation. Regarding the transmittance, it was observed to increase with longer irradiation periods by thermal neutrons in the wavelength range from 190 to 686 nm. In comparison, no change was observed for wavelengths longer than 686 nm. For fast neutrons, no significant changes were observed in transmittance, likely because the cross-section of interaction between tin and fast neutrons is much smaller compared to the interaction between tin and thermal neutrons. Absorbance showed an inverse trend relative to transmittance and remained unaffected by fast-neutron irradiation. The behaviour of absorbance was similar to that of reflectivity before and after irradiation. As for the extinction coefficient (Kₒ), it was found to increase with thermal neutron irradiation, while fast neutrons did not affect it.
Keywords
Ethical Statement
The authors declare that this study complies with research and publication ethics. This study does not require an ethics committee approval as it does not involve any human or animal subjects, surveys, or clinical data. Furthermore, there is no conflict of interest between the authors.
References
- K. D. Loaver, Thin Films. London, U.K.: Wykham Publications, 1971.
- S. A. Amin, P. A. Fouad, and K. S. Ahmed, Physics of Solids. Cairo, Egypt: Dar Al-Fikr Al-Arabi Press, 2000.
- W. Kern, Thin Film Processes II, vol. 2. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier, 2012.
- L. Eckortova, Physics of Thin Films. New York, NY, USA: Plenum Press, 1977.
- R. A. Afre et al., “Transparent conducting oxide films for various applications: A review,” Rev. Adv. Mater. Sci., vol. 53, no. 1, pp. 79–89, 2018.
- H. G. Rashid, “Design and optimization of thin films optical filters with applications in the visible and infrared regions,” Ph.D. dissertation, Al-Mustansiriya Univ., Baghdad, Iraq, 1996.
- C. F. Bell and K. A. K. Lett, A Modern Approach to Inorganic Chemistry, 3rd ed. London, U.K.: Butterworth, 1972.
- M. Batzill and U. Diebold, “The surface and materials science of tin oxide,” Prog. Surf. Sci., vol. 79, nos. 2–4, pp. 47–154, 2005.
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Radiophysics
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
June 30, 2026
Submission Date
January 23, 2026
Acceptance Date
June 28, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 16 Number: 1
APA
Al-Badry, A. F. D., Aal-Shabeeb, K. H. M., Kanbur, U., & Çakmak, N. (2026). Optical Properties of Tin Oxide Thin Films Before and After Thermal and Fast Neutron Irradiation. Bitlis Eren University Journal of Science and Technology, 16(1), 43-52. https://doi.org/10.17678/beuscitech.1867925
AMA
1.Al-Badry AFD, Aal-Shabeeb KHM, Kanbur U, Çakmak N. Optical Properties of Tin Oxide Thin Films Before and After Thermal and Fast Neutron Irradiation. Bitlis Eren University Journal of Science and Technology. 2026;16(1):43-52. doi:10.17678/beuscitech.1867925
Chicago
Al-Badry, Abdulrahman Faaiq Dawood, Khalid Hadi Mahdi Aal-Shabeeb, Ulvi Kanbur, and Necla Çakmak. 2026. “Optical Properties of Tin Oxide Thin Films Before and After Thermal and Fast Neutron Irradiation”. Bitlis Eren University Journal of Science and Technology 16 (1): 43-52. https://doi.org/10.17678/beuscitech.1867925.
EndNote
Al-Badry AFD, Aal-Shabeeb KHM, Kanbur U, Çakmak N (June 1, 2026) Optical Properties of Tin Oxide Thin Films Before and After Thermal and Fast Neutron Irradiation. Bitlis Eren University Journal of Science and Technology 16 1 43–52.
IEEE
[1]A. F. D. Al-Badry, K. H. M. Aal-Shabeeb, U. Kanbur, and N. Çakmak, “Optical Properties of Tin Oxide Thin Films Before and After Thermal and Fast Neutron Irradiation”, Bitlis Eren University Journal of Science and Technology, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 43–52, June 2026, doi: 10.17678/beuscitech.1867925.
ISNAD
Al-Badry, Abdulrahman Faaiq Dawood - Aal-Shabeeb, Khalid Hadi Mahdi - Kanbur, Ulvi - Çakmak, Necla. “Optical Properties of Tin Oxide Thin Films Before and After Thermal and Fast Neutron Irradiation”. Bitlis Eren University Journal of Science and Technology 16/1 (June 1, 2026): 43-52. https://doi.org/10.17678/beuscitech.1867925.
JAMA
1.Al-Badry AFD, Aal-Shabeeb KHM, Kanbur U, Çakmak N. Optical Properties of Tin Oxide Thin Films Before and After Thermal and Fast Neutron Irradiation. Bitlis Eren University Journal of Science and Technology. 2026;16:43–52.
MLA
Al-Badry, Abdulrahman Faaiq Dawood, et al. “Optical Properties of Tin Oxide Thin Films Before and After Thermal and Fast Neutron Irradiation”. Bitlis Eren University Journal of Science and Technology, vol. 16, no. 1, June 2026, pp. 43-52, doi:10.17678/beuscitech.1867925.
Vancouver
1.Abdulrahman Faaiq Dawood Al-Badry, Khalid Hadi Mahdi Aal-Shabeeb, Ulvi Kanbur, Necla Çakmak. Optical Properties of Tin Oxide Thin Films Before and After Thermal and Fast Neutron Irradiation. Bitlis Eren University Journal of Science and Technology. 2026 Jun. 1;16(1):43-52. doi:10.17678/beuscitech.1867925