| AVS 55th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Thin Film | Thursday Sessions |
| Session TF-ThP |
| Session: | Aspects of Thin Films |
| Presenter: | K.E. Wells, The Pennsylvania State University |
| Authors: | K.E. Wells, The Pennsylvania State University S.S.N. Bharadwaja, The Pennsylvania State University M.W. Horn, The Pennsylvania State University |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Uncooled infrared focal plane arrays (IRFPAs) are the critical technology for night vision cameras needed for military and civilian applications. The two most widely used temperature sensitive imaging materials are vanadium oxide and amorphous silicon typically deposited by reactive ion beam sputtering and PECVD respectively. For future applications requiring higher speed and/or sensitivity, materials with high temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) may be desirable. In this work, vanadium oxide thin films were made at room temperature by reactive pulsed DC (225 kHz) magnetron sputtering of a V2O3 target with 200 W power. Total pressure and partial pressure of oxygen were varied during deposition to determine their effects on the films properties. The TCR and resistivity values of the films were in the range of -3 to -5% (K-1) and 10- 200 kΩ-cm respectively. Both Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) data established that the microstructures of the films follow the structure zone model with increased columnar size as total pressure is increased. Spectroscopic ellipsometry analysis indicated significant variation in the dielectric functions in the VOx films with similar electrical properties. We attribute this variation to either differences in porosity or oxygen content. The crystallinity of the films, evaluated by High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) studies, was found to be substrate dependent. Films deposited for various durations with the same deposition parameters showed a lower resistivity with increased thickness.