Sputtering and characterizations of titanium oxide films

Reactive magnetron sputtering of titanium oxides has been investigated with emphasis on the technique of using a reactive gas baffle to enhance film oxidation. This method consists of placing a partial barrier between the sputtering target and the substrate. For the first time the dependence of the effectiveness of this technique on the material being sputtered has been considered and the effects of various baffles were compared for the same material (TiO[sub x] ,0≤x≤2). Decreasing the transparency of the baffle to sputtered flux resulted in an increase in the maximum attainable oxygen partial pressure for the metallic target condition. However, electrical resistivity data for the sputtered films revealed that film oxidation was not correspondingly enhanced. The structural, electrical and optical properties of the sputtered titanium oxide films were measured.The films were found to be amorphous without discernible microstructure. The visible absorption band in substoichiometric films was found to have its maximum at 880 nm (1.41 eV) and the UV absorption edge was at 335 nm (3.70 eV). Based on reported photoluminescence in polycrystalline films of TiO₂ [39] an attempt was made to observe photoluminescence in amorphous films with negative results.Science, Faculty ofPhysics and Astronomy, Department ofGraduat