Optical properties of chromium oxide thin films deposited by electron-beam evaporation

• Published in: Optical materials Vol. 29; no. 6; pp. 709 - 713
• Main Authors: Al-Kuhaili, M.F., Durrani, S.M.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.02.2007; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Chromium oxide; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Optical constants; Optical constants: refractive index, complex dielectric constant, absorption, reflection and transmission coefficients, emissivity; Optical materials; Optical properties; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Optical properties of bulk materials and thin films; Optics; Physics; Substrate temperature; Transmittance; XPS; XRD; 78.20.C; Chromium oxide; Optical properties; Substrate temperature; XPS; XRD; 78.66; 81.40.T; Transmittance; Optical constants; Thin films; 78.66; 78.20.C; 81.40.T; Chromium oxides; Refractive index; Optical materials; Electron beam evaporation; Chromium oxide; Optical properties; Optical constants; Transmittance; XPS; XRD; Substrate temperature
• ISSN: 0925-3467; 1873-1252
• DOI: 10.1016/j.optmat.2005.11.020

Thin films of chromium oxide were deposited by electron-beam evaporation. The effects of substrate temperature on the structural, chemical and optical properties of the films were investigated. Films deposited on unheated substrates were amorphous and almost stoichiometric, whereas those deposited at 300 °C had microcrystallites embedded in an amorphous matrix and were less stoichiometric. The optical properties of the films were derived from transmittance measurements. It was found that the refractive index, the extinction coefficient and the optical bandgap all increased with substrate temperature.