The effect of ion bombardment on the properties of TiOx films deposited by a modified ion-assisted PECVD technique

In this work we discuss the effect of ion bombardment on the structural, optical and electrical properties of TiOx-like films deposited by a novel ion-assisted plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. In such a technique an electrical biased substrate is positioned in a region of low ion density, outside the gap between the electrodes used to generate the discharge. Films were deposited in different conditions of substrate bias, Vb, and their chemical structure and composition were analyzed by infrared reflectance absorbance (IRRAS) and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopies (RBSs), respectively. The optical constants of the films were evaluated by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. Furthermore, the two-probe method was employed to determine electrical resistivity. The results indicate that film properties are strongly influenced by Vb, that is, by the kind and the energy of the charged species bombarding the growing film. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V.