Effect of post-deposition annealing on ZrW2O8 thin films prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

The effect of post-deposition annealing on the phase and morphology of ZrW2O8 thin film has been investigated. The films have been deposited on quartz substrates by r.f. magnetron sputtering followed by annealing in air at different temperatures. fects of annealing temperature on the structure, surface morphology of ZrW2O8 films are studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). XRD analysis of the as-deposited and annealed ZrW2O8 samples showed that the as-deposited ZrW2O8 thin film was amorphous, while a post-deposition annealing at elevated temperatures was required for the development of the cubic ZrW2O8 with preferred orientation along (012). With increasing annealing temperature, the intensity of the XRD peaks, demonstrating the high crystal quality of ZrW2O8 films deposited by r.f. magnetron sputtering after annealing intensified. AFM images indicated that the particles on the substrates migrated and were synthesized under high temperature. The surface of the ZrW2O8 thin film annealed at 800 °C had the highest roughness. The results of SEM are consistent with the AFM and XRD observation.