Reactive magnetron sputtering of TiOx films

This article reports on the hysteresis effect in synthesis of TiOx films prepared by a single magnetron (SM) and dual magnetron (DM), the development of deposition rate aD and elemental and phase composition of these films with increasing partial pressure of oxygen pO2. It was shown that: (1) when a control of the oxygen flow rate ϕO2 is used, a jump decrease in aD occurs at a critical value of ϕO2, which corresponds to a transition from the metallic to the oxide mode of sputtering; (2) TiOx films deposited in the metallic mode are opaque while those deposited in the transition and oxide modes are transparent; (3) TiOx films sputtered in the oxide mode are almost stoichiometric and exhibit a well-crystallized structure when both the SM and DM sputtering system are used; (4) 400-nm-thick films prepared by the SM exhibit an X-ray amorphous structure; and (5) the transparent stoichiometric TiOx≈2 films can be sputtered in the transition mode at a high deposition rate aD TiOx≈2=31.5 nm/min achieving up to 77% of that of the pure Ti film, i.e., aD TiO2=0.77 aD Ti, if the DM with a control of pO2 is used.