Publication detail

Characterization of argon etched Ta2O5 thin films

KASPAR, P. ŠKARVADA, P. HOLCMAN, V. GRMELA, L.

Original Title

Characterization of argon etched Ta2O5 thin films

Type

journal article in Web of Science

Language

English

Original Abstract

Tantalum pentoxide finds use in many electronic and optical applications, and in the recent years has been highly important for use in optics. Its sought-after properties include dielectric insulation and optical reflectivity. Its full potential seems not yet fully tapped and further research into the material brings ever more possibilities of use. To further the development of Tantalum pentoxide-based technologies, this paper explores the properties of thin film coating created by electron beam evaporation with plasma ion assisted deposition on a silicon substrate. Ion etching is a highly popular and precise method of surface alteration, as it allows for alteration on nanoscale and better control over optical properties of the resulting sample. In our paper, etching was used to increase the topographical variability of the surface, while not breaching the tantalum pentoxide coating. The sample is subjected to several different measurement methods: X-ray diffraction and ellipsometry were used to establish the quality and integrity of the material, and optical reflectometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy were used for characterization of argon etching results. Optical and morphological properties and their relationship before and after etching are observed and documented to improve the knowledge base about the material and set a baseline for future development.

Keywords

Tantalum Pentoxide, XPS, AFM, Ellipsometry, XRD, Reflectometry

Authors

KASPAR, P.; ŠKARVADA, P.; HOLCMAN, V.; GRMELA, L.

Released

8. 11. 2019

Publisher

Springer Berlin Heidelberg

ISBN

0947-8396

Periodical

Applied Physics A

Year of study

125

Number

820

State

Federal Republic of Germany

Pages from

1

Pages to

7

Pages count

7

URL

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00339-019-3134-3

BibTex

@article{BUT159719,
  author="Pavel {Kaspar} and Pavel {Škarvada} and Vladimír {Holcman} and Lubomír {Grmela}",
  title="Characterization of argon etched Ta2O5 thin films",
  journal="Applied Physics A",
  year="2019",
  volume="125",
  number="820",
  pages="1--7",
  doi="10.1007/s00339-019-3134-3",
  issn="0947-8396",
  url="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00339-019-3134-3"
}