Investigating the growth behavior of titanium dioxide film prepared with direct current pulsed–magnetron sputtering technology

• Published in: Materials letters Vol. 373; p. 137140
• Main Authors: Zhang, Yi, Hao, Yuji, Yao, Tingting, Ding, Wanyu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 15-10-2024
• Subjects: Growth behavior; Preferential orientation; Sputtering; Thin film; Titanium dioxide; Preferential orientation; Titanium dioxide; Sputtering; Growth behavior; Thin film
• ISSN: 0167-577X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137140

•TiO2 film is prepared by direct current pulsed magnetron sputtering technology.•Annealing makes TiO2 film with obvious anatase (001) preferred orientation.•Diffusion and orientation effect controls TiO2 film growth with Volmer-Weber mode.•Nuclei coalescence makes TiO2 film with anatase (001) preferred orientation.
The direct current pulsed magnetron sputtering technology is employed to deposit TiO2 film onto the glass and Si(100) substrates. After annealing treatment, TiO2 film displays anatase (001) preferential orientation. The growth behavior of deposited and annealed TiO2 films is investigated. The results show that in the original stage, TiO2 film growth behavior is in Volmer–Weber mode, which is dominated by the diffusion effect. Considering the rivalry between TiO2 crystal nuclei, both crystallographic orientation and diffusion effects jointly dominate the film growth behavior in the rest stage. More importantly, the annealing treatment resulted in the coalescence of TiO2 crystal nuclei, as well as the growth of TiO2 crystal nuclei. Most importantly, after coalescence and growth of TiO2 nuclei, the anatase [001] crystal orientation of TiO2 grains remains the same as the normal direction of TiO2 film. Finally, after annealing treatment, TiO2 films comprise anatase (001) preferential orientation.