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Modeling evaporation, ion-beam assist, and magnetron sputtering of TiO2 thin films over realistic timescales

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2011

Sabrina Blackwell ,
Roger Smith ,
Steven D. Kenny ,
Louis J. Vernon  and
John M. Walls
Sabrina Blackwell*
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematical Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU, United Kingdom
Roger Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematical Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU, United Kingdom
Steven D. Kenny
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematical Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU, United Kingdom
Louis J. Vernon
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematical Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU, United Kingdom
John M. Walls
Affiliation:
Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU, United Kingdom
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Results are presented for modeling the growth of TiO2 on the rutile (110) surface. We illustrate how long time scale dynamics techniques can be used to model thin film growth at realistic growth rates. The system evolution between deposition events is achieved through an on-the-fly Kinetic Monte Carlo method, which finds diffusion pathways and barriers without prior knowledge of transitions. We examine effects of various experimental parameters, such as substrate bias, plasma density, and stoichiometry of the deposited species. Growth of TiO2 via three deposition methods has been investigated: evaporation (thermal and electron beam), ion-beam assist, and reactive magnetron sputtering. We conclude that the evaporation process produces a void filled, incomplete structure even with the low-energy ion-beam assist, but that the sputtering process produces crystalline growth. The energy of the deposition method plays an important role in the film quality.

Keywords

SputteringSimulationIon-beam-assisted deposition
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 27 , Issue 5: Focus Issue: Plasma and Ion-Beam Assisted Materials Processing , 14 March 2012 , pp. 799 - 805
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2011

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