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, V-b, 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 V-b, that is, by the kind and the energy of the charged species bombarding the growing film. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.