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Compositional tailored sol-gel SiO2–TiO2 thin films: Crystallization, chemical bonding configuration, and optical properties

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Abstract

Thin films of SiO2–TiO2 composite oxides with various SiO2:TiO2 compositions were prepared by the sol-gel method, using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) as precursors. The composition, crystal structure, and chemical bonding configuration of the as-deposited and annealed SiO2–TiO2 thin films were analyzed using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), glancing incident angle x-ray diffraction (GIAXRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. Optical properties of the films were characterized by spectroscopic ellipsometry and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry. The Si/Ti ratios in the SiO2–TiO2 films agree with the TEOS/TTIP molar ratio in the sol-gel precursor. When the TEOS/(TEOS + TTIP) ratio is greater than 40%, the SiO2–TiO2 thin films remain amorphous (without formation of TiO2 crystalline phase) after annealing at temperatures as high as 700 °C. FTIR spectra indicate that the quantity of Si–O–Ti bonding can be maximized when the TEOS:TTIP in the precursor is 80%:20%. The refractive index of the SiO2–TiO2 films increases approximately linearly to the mixing ratio of TTIP/(TEOS + TTIP). However, SiO2-rich films possess higher ultraviolet-visible transmittance than the TiO2-rich films. The modification of microstructure and chemical bonding configuration in the SiO2–TiO2 films by the composition and its influence on the optical properties are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, People’s Republic of China

    Li-Lan Yang, Yi-Sheng Lai & J. S. Chen

  2. Electronics Research & Service Organization, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu, Taiwan, People’s Republic of China

    P. H. Tsai, C. L. Chen & C. Jason Chang

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  1. Li-Lan Yang
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  2. Yi-Sheng Lai
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  3. J. S. Chen
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Correspondence to J. S. Chen.

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Yang, LL., Lai, YS., Chen, J.S. et al. Compositional tailored sol-gel SiO2–TiO2 thin films: Crystallization, chemical bonding configuration, and optical properties. Journal of Materials Research 20, 3141–3149 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.2005.0393

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.2005.0393

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