Effect of growth parameters on structural, electrical and optical properties of titanium oxide thin films

Semi-transparent and highly conducting nanostructured titanium oxide thin films have been prepared Using pulsed laser deposition technique. Films deposited on quartz substrates, kept at 773 K, are shown to have resistivity of 2.9x10(-4) Omega m and a maximum optical transmittance of 50%. The characterizations of the films are done with X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy and conductivity measurements. Eventhough annealing transformed the films from amorphous to nanocrystalline phase with preferential growth along (110) plane of the rutile TiO2, the grain size as well as the voids between the grains after transformation, have been seen to be governed by the kinetics and thermodynamics during deposition of the films. The optical transmittances of the films have been found to increase with annealing temperature. Optical constants are derived from the transmission spectra and the refractive index dispersion has been discussed in terms of the single oscillator-Wemple and Didomenico model.