Blister formation in rutile TiO2(1 0 0) films by helium irradiation

✍ Scribed by S. Yamamoto; S. Nagata; A. Takayama; M. Yoshikawa

• Book ID: 104068828
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 235 KB
• Volume: 249
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0168-583X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nimb.2006.04.032

✦ Synopsis

Incident energy, fluence of helium ion and temperature for blister formation in rutile TiO 2 (1 0 0) films were investigated. Epitaxial rutile TiO 2 (1 0 0) films were grown on a-Al 2 O 3 (0 0 0 1) substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The films were irradiated at room temperature and 95 K with 4 keV helium ions up to fluence range from 1.0 • 10 16 to 2.3 • 10 17 ions/cm 2 . The surface morphology of TiO 2 films was observed by scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy with channeling was used to determine the depth profile of radiation-induced damage. In the case of room temperature irradiation with fluences higher than 2 • 10 16 ions/cm 2 , helium blisters with 100-200 nm sizes in TiO 2 films were observed. Furthermore, helium irradiation at 95 K resulted in smaller size blisters ($50 nm). It is suggested that the size of blisters in TiO 2 (1 0 0) films is strongly affected by the temperature during the helium irradiation. The photo-induced superhydrophilicity of TiO 2 films was improved by high fluence helium irradiation, which caused blister growth.