STRUCTURAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF TiO₂ SPUTTERED THIN FILMS

Ivan Hotový – Andrea Pullmannová – Martin Predanocy – Juraj Hotový – Vlastimil Řeháček – Thomas Kups – Lothar Spiess

   TiO₂ thin films were prepared by dc reactive magnetron sputtering in a mixture of oxygen and argon on silicon and oxidized silicon substrates. The effect of post-deposition annealing (300, 500 and 700°C for 8h in air) on the structural and morphological properties of TiO₂ thin films is presented. XRD patterns have shown that in the range of annealing temperatures from 300 to 500°C crystallization starts and the thin film structure changes from amorphous to polycrystalline (anatase phase). EDX measurements revealed that post-deposition annealing has affected the oxygen concentration in the film very slightly.

Keywords: TiO₂ thin films, dc magnetron sputtering, structure, morphological properties

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