RF Magnetron Sputtering Deposition of TiO₂ Thin Films in a Small Continuous Oxygen Flow Rate

• Main Authors: Octavian-Gabriel Simionescu, Cosmin Romanițan, Oana Tutunaru, Valentin Ion, Octavian Buiu, Andrei Avram
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-07-01
• Series: Coatings
• Subjects: room temperature; magnetron sputtering; rutile TiO₂
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/9/7/442

Rutile titanium oxide (TiO₂) thin films require more energy to crystallize than the anatase phase of TiO₂. It is a prime candidate for micro-optoelectronics and is usually obtained either by high substrate temperature, applying a substrate bias, pulsed gas flow to modify the pressure, or ex situ annealing. In the present work, we managed to obtain high enough energy at the substrate in order for the particles to form rutile TiO₂ at room temperature without any intentional substrate bias in a continuous gas flow. The rutile TiO₂ thin films were deposited by a reactive radiofrequency magnetron sputtering system from a titanium target, in an argon/oxygen gas mixture. Investigations regarding the film’s structure and morphology were performed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray reflectivity (XRR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), while the optical properties were investigated by means of ellipsometry.