Abstract
ZrO2 exhibits low optical absorption in the near-UV range and is one of the highest laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) materials; it is, therefore, very attractive for laser optics applications. This paper reports explorations of reactive sputtering technology for deposition of ZrO2 films with low extinction coefficient k values in the UV spectrum region at low substrate temperature. A high deposition rate (64 % of the pure metal rate) process is obtained by employing active feedback reactive gas control which creates a stable and repeatable deposition processes in the transition region. Substrate heating at 200 °C was found to have no significant effect on the optical ZrO2 film properties. The addition of nitrogen to a closed-loop controlled process was found to have mostly negative effects in terms of deposition rate and optical properties. Open-loop O2 gas-regulated ZrO2 film deposition is slow and requires elevated (200 °C) substrate temperature or post-deposition annealing to reduce absorption losses. Refractive indices of the films were distributed in the range n = 2.05–2.20 at 1,000 nm and extinction coefficients were in the range k = 0.6 × 10−4 and 4.8 × 10−3 at 350 nm. X-ray diffraction analysis showed crystalline ZrO2 films consisted of monoclinic + tetragonal phases when produced in Ar/O2 atmosphere and monoclinic + rhombohedral or a single rhombohedral phase when produced in Ar/O2 + N2. Optical and physical properties of the ZrO2 layers produced in this study are suitable for high-power laser applications in the near-UV range.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
G. Abromavicius, R. Buzelis, R. Drazdys, K. Juskevicius, S. Kicas, T. Tolenis, J. Mirauskas, M. Sciuka, V. Sirutkaitis, A. Melninkaitis, Lith. J. Phys. 51, 303 (2011)
A. Melninkaitis, D. Mikšys, V. Sirutkaitis, G. Abromavičius, R. Buzelis, R. Drazdys, Proc. SPIE 6596, 65961I (2006)
G. Abromavicius, R. Buzelis, R. Drazdys, A. Melninkaitis, V. Sirutkaitis, Proc. SPIE 6720, 67200Y (2007)
X. Fu, A. Melnikaitis, L. Gallais, S. Kicas, R. Drazdys, V. Sirutkaitis, M. Commandré, Opt. Express 20(23), 26089 (2012)
B. Mangote, L. Gallais, M. Zerrad, M. Commandré, L.H. Gao, F. Lemarchand, M. Lequime, A. Melninkaitis, J. Mirauskas, V. Sirutkaitis, S. Kicas, T. Tolenis, R. Drazdys, M. Mende, L. Jensen, H. Ehlers, D. Ristau, Proc. SPIE 8168, 816815 (2011)
K. Starke, L.O. Jensen, M. Jupé, D. Ristau, G. Abromavicius, K. Juskevicius, R. Buzelis, R. Drazdys, Proc. SPIE 7504(1), 75040B (2009)
A. Melninkaitis, T. Tolenis, L. Mazule, J. Mirauskas, V. Sirutkaitis, B. Mangote, X. Fu, M. Zerrad, L. Gallais, M. Commandré, S. Kicas, R. Drazdys, Appl. Opt. 50(9), C188 (2011)
A. Melninkaitis, D. Mikšys, T. Balčiūnas, V. Sirutkaitis, A. Skrebutėnas, R. Buzelis, R. Drazdys, G. Abromavičius, Proc. SPIE 5991, 59911B (2005)
D. Zhang, J. Shao, Y. Zhao, S. Fan, R. Hong, Z. Fan, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 23(1), 197 (2005)
J. Ciosek, W. Paszkowicz, P. Pankowski, J. Firak, U. Stanislawek, Z. Patron, Vacuum 72(2), 135 (2003)
D.R. McKenzie, D.J.H. Cockayne, M.G. Sceats, P.J. Martin, W.G. Sainty, R.P. Netterfield, J. Mater. Sci. 22(10), 3725 (1987)
T. Koch, P. Ziemann, Thin Solid Films 303(1–2), 122 (1997)
N.K. Huang, H. Kheyrandish, J.S. Colligon, Phys. Status Solidi A 132(2), 405 (1992)
S. Heiroth, R. Ghisleni, T. Lippert, J. Michler, A. Wokaun, Acta Mater. 59(6), 2330 (2011)
K. Koski, J. Hölsä, P. Juliet, Surf. Coat. Technol. 120–121, 303 (1999)
D.H. Kuo, C.H. Chien, Thin Solid Films 429(1–2), 40 (2003)
J. Park, J.K. Heo, Y.C. Kang, B. Kor, Chem. Soc. 31(2), 397 (2010)
L.-M. Chen, Y.-S. Lai, J.S. Chen, Thin Solid Films 515(7–8), 3724 (2007)
S. Ben Amor, B. Rogier, G. Baud, M. Jacquet, M. Nardin, Mater. Sci. Eng. B 57/1, 28 (1998)
M. Audronis, V. Bellido-Gonzalez, B. Daniel, Surf. Coat. Technol. 204(14), 2159 (2010)
S. Venkataraj, O. Kappertz, H. Weis, R. Drese, R. Jayavel, M. Wuttig, J. Appl. Phys. 92(7), 3599 (2002)
E. Hollands, D.S. Campbell, J. Mater. Sci. 3(5), 544 (1968)
M. Scherer, J. Schmitt, R. Latz, M. Schanz, 38th National Symposium of the American Vacuum Society, AVS, Seattle, Washington (USA), 1992, p. 1772
S. Schiller, K. Goedicke, J. Reschke, V. Kirchhoff, S. Schneider, F. Milde, Surf. Coat. Technol. 61(1-3), 331 (1993)
R. McMahon, J. Affinito, R.R. Parsons, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. 20(3), 376 (1982)
A.A. Voevodin, P. Stevenson, C. Rebholz, J.M. Schneider, A. Matthews, Vacuum 46(7), 723 (1995)
S. Schiller, U. Heisig, C. Korndörfer, G. Beister, J. Reschke, K. Steinfelder, J. Strümpfel, Surf. Coat. Technol. 33, 405 (1987)
J. Affinito, R.R. Parsons, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 2(3), 1275 (1984)
M.S. Wong, W.J. Chia, P. Yashar, J.M. Schneider, W.D. Sproul, S.A. Barnett, Surf. Coat. Technol. 86–87, Part 1/0 381 (1996)
S. Zhao, F. Ma, Z. Song, K. Xu, Opt. Mater. 30(6), 910 (2008)
S. Venkataraj, O. Kappertz, R. Jayavel, M. Wuttig, J. Appl. Phys. 92(5), 2461 (2002)
D. Severin, K. Sarakinos, O. Kappertz, A. Pflug, M. Wuttig, J. Appl. Phys. 103(8), 083306 (2008)
G. Gottardi, N. Laidani, V. Micheli, R. Bartali, M. Anderle, Surf. Coat. Technol. 202(11), 2332 (2008)
Y. Liu, A. Ishihara, S. Mitsushima, K. Ota, Electrochim. Acta 55(3), 1239 (2010)
OptiLayer, Thin Film Softwere,OptiChar v8.85, http://www.optilayer.com/products-and-services/optichar
M.M. Yang, T.M. Reith, C.J. Lin, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 8(6), 3925 (1990)
F. Vaz, P. Carvalho, L. Cunha, L. Rebouta, C. Moura, E. Alves, A.R. Ramos, A. Cavaleiro, P. Goudeau, J.P. Rivière, Thin Solid Films 469–470, 11 (2004)
R. Rujkorakarn, J.R. Sites, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 4(3), 568 (1986)
W. Jin, C. Jin, L. Liu, H. Zhu, H. Yang, Proc. SPIE 6624, 66241A (2007)
P.J. Martin, R.P. Netterfield, W.G. Sainty, J. Appl. Phys. 55(1), 235 (1984)
H.J. Cho, C.K. Hwangbo, Appl. Opt. 35(28), 5545 (1996)
H.O. Sankur, W. Gunning, Appl. Opt. 28(14), 2806 (1989)
D. Depla, S. Heirwegh, S. Mahieu, J. Haemers, R. De Gryse, J. Appl. Phys. 101(1), 013301 (2007)
J.A. Thornton, Annu. Rev. Mater. Sci. +7/1, 239 (1977)
D.L. Smith, Thin-Film Deposition: Principles and Practice (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1995)
E. Kisi, Key Eng. Mat. 153–154, 1 (1998)
H. Hasegawa, T. Hioki, O. Kamigaito, J. Mater. Sci. Lett. 4(9), 1092 (1985)
L. Cunha, F. Vaz, C. Moura, L. Rebouta, P. Carvalho, E. Alves, A. Cavaleiro, P. Goudeau, J.P. Rivière, Surf. Coat. Technol. 200(9), 2917 (2006)
W.H. Southwell, R.L. Hall, Appl. Opt. 28(14), 2949 (1989)
E. Lorenzo, C.J. Oton, N.E. Capuj, M. Ghulinyan, D. Navarro-Urrios, Z. Gaburro, L. Pavesi, Appl. Opt. 44(26), 5415 (2005)
S. Venkataraj, D. Severin, S.H. Mohamed, J. Ngaruiya, O. Kappertz, M. Wuttig, Thin Solid Films 502(1–2), 228 (2006)
D. Severin, O. Kappertz, T. Kubart, T. Nyberg, S. Berg, A. Pflug, M. Siemers, M. Wuttig, Appl. Phys. Lett. 88(16), 161504 (2006)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Juškevičius, K., Audronis, M., Subačius, A. et al. High-rate reactive magnetron sputtering of zirconia films for laser optics applications. Appl. Phys. A 116, 1229–1240 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-013-8214-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-013-8214-1