Premium
The effect of oxygen partial pressure on physical properties of nano‐crystalline silver oxide thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering
Author(s) -
Narayana Reddy P.,
Sreedhar A.,
Hari Prasad Reddy M.,
Uthanna S.,
Pierson J. F.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
crystal research and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.377
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1521-4079
pISSN - 0232-1300
DOI - 10.1002/crat.201100206
Subject(s) - partial pressure , sputter deposition , crystallite , analytical chemistry (journal) , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , raman spectroscopy , materials science , electrical resistivity and conductivity , oxygen , phase (matter) , sputtering , band gap , oxide , monoclinic crystal system , silver oxide , thin film , chemistry , mineralogy , crystallography , nanotechnology , nuclear magnetic resonance , crystal structure , optics , metallurgy , optoelectronics , physics , electrical engineering , organic chemistry , engineering , chromatography
Nano‐crystalline silver oxide films were deposited on glass and silicon substrates held at room temperature by RF magnetron sputtering of silver target under different oxygen partial pressures. The influence of oxygen partial pressure on the structural, morphological, electrical and optical properties of deposited films was investigated. Varying oxygen partial pressure during the sputter deposition leads to changes of mixed phase of Ag 2 O and Ag to a single phase of Ag 2 O and to AgO. The X‐ray diffraction and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy results showed the formation of single phase Ag 2 O with cubic structure at oxygen partial pressures of 2x10 ‐2 Pa while the films deposited at higher oxygen partial pressure of 9x10 ‐2 Pa showed the formation of single phase of AgO with monoclinic structure. Raman spectroscopic studies on the single phase Ag 2 O showed the stretching vibration of Ag‐O bonds. Single‐phase Ag 2 O films obtained at oxygen partial pressure of 2x10 ‐2 Pa were nano‐crystalline with crystallite size of 20 nm and possessed an electrical resistivity of 5.2x10 ‐3 Ωcm and optical band gap of 2.05 eV. The films deposited at higher oxygen partial pressure of 9x10 ‐2 Pa were of AgO with electrical resistivity of 1.8x10 ‐2 Ωcm and optical band gap of 2.13 eV. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)