Optical and structural properties of bias sputtered vanadium pentoxide thin films

• Published in: Vacuum Vol. 48; no. 10; pp. 879 - 882
• Main Authors: Krishna, M Ghanashyam, Bhattacharya, A.K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.10.1997; Elsevier
• Subjects: Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Deposition by sputtering; Exact sciences and technology; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Optical constants (including refractive index, complex dielectric constant, absorption, reflection and transmission coefficients, emissivity); Optical constants: refractive index, complex dielectric constant, absorption, reflection and transmission coefficients, emissivity; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Optical properties of bulk materials and thin films; Physics; Vanadium oxides; Inorganic compounds; Refractive index; Transition element compounds; Binary compounds; Crystallinity; Crystal growth from vapors; Experimental study; Thin films; Magnetrons; Cathode sputtering; Bias voltage; Microstructure
• ISSN: 0042-207X; 1879-2715
• DOI: 10.1016/S0042-207X(97)00123-1

The effects of dc bias on the optical and structural properties of dc magnetron sputtered vanadium pentoxide thin films are presented. It is shown that as the bias voltage is increased from 0 to − 150 V the refractive index of the films goes through a maximum at − 75 V and saturates thereafter. The highest refractive index obtained was 2.4 at a bias voltage of − 75 V. The films are transparent in the region from 600 to 1500 nm for all bias voltages. Films which were amorphous up to a bias of − 50V transformed in to a crystalline phase at − 75 V. They show the presence of tensile strain and a small change in grain size.