Disorder formation in rutile during ion assisted deposition

Ion assisted deposition (IAD) is a well-known method for obtaining dense and well adhering surface layers. Conventional IAD operates with evaporated metal atoms and energetic gaseous ions whereas metal plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (MePIIID) draws energetic metallic ions from a cathodic arc which may additionally ionise the background gas. TiO2 is a widely investigated material for biomedical, optical and catalysis applications. MePIIID is employed to deposit TiO2 films onto Si substrates at different pulse voltages up to 10 kV. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies are performed to investigate the changing film properties as a function of pulse voltage and to estimate the barrier efficiency against diffusion through the layer.