Process effects on structural properties of TiO₂ thin films by reactive sputtering

We have been investigating the growth of crystalline titanium dioxide films at deposition temperature between room temperature and about 400 °C. The films were prepared by a dc magnetron reactive sputtering on glass and Si(100) substrates. The structural properties of the films were analyzed by x‐ray diffractometry. The influence of total pressure, oxygen mole fraction in the mixture of Ar–O₂, discharge current, and substrate temperature on the structural properties were studied. In addition to higher substrate temperature, low total pressure, high discharge current, and small oxygen mole fraction were shown to be preferable for growing anatase–rutile mixture films. Annealing of the films in air at 850 °C showed that anatase–rutile transformation strongly depends on the deposition temperature; the films deposited at temperature below 400 °C were converted to the anatase–rutile mixture films, and the films deposited at 400 °C to complete rutile films.