Microstructural and Optical study of polycrystalline manganese oxide films using Kubelka-Munk function

Tetragonal Mn3O4 phase of manganese oxide with traces of cubic Mn2O3 was grown on p-type silicon (100) using pulsed laser deposition technique under different deposition temperatures ranging from 500 degrees C to 800 degrees C. Structural features and presences of different phases in thin films were obtained from X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The XRD pattern reveal the transformation of multi-phase tetragonal Mn3O4 and cubic Mn2O3 into single phase Mn3O4 at higher deposition temperature. As a result, the defect density reduced and crystalline quality improved. Optical band gap increased in single phase manganese oxide film, measured using UV-Vis Spectroscopy. A consistent increase in optical band gap, measured using Kubelka-Munk function, was observed in thin film samples with maximum value of 2.35 eV at 800 degrees C, a pre-requisite for many opto-electronics applications.