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Induced Crystallization in CW Laser-Irradiated Sol-Gel Deposited Titania Films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2011

Gregory J. Exarhos
Affiliation:
Materials Sciences Department, Pacific Northwest Laboratory, PO BOX 999, MS K2-44, Richland, WA 99352
Nancy J. Hess
Affiliation:
Materials Sciences Department, Pacific Northwest Laboratory, PO BOX 999, MS K2-44, Richland, WA 99352
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Abstract

Isothermal annealing of amorphous TiO2 films deposited from acidic sol-gel precursor solutions results in film densification and concomitant increase in refractive index. Subsequent heating above 300°C leads to irreversible transformation to an anatase crystalline phase. Similar phenomena occur when such amorphous films are subjected to focused cw laser irradiation. Controlled variations in laser fluence are used to density or crystallize selected regions of the film. Low fluence conditioning leads to the evolution of a subtle nanograin-size morphology, evident in AFM images, which appears to retard subsequent film crystallization when such regions are subjected to higher laser fluence. Time-resolved Raman spectroscopy has been used to characterize irradiated regions in order to follow the crystallization kinetics, assess phase homogeneity, and evaluate accompanying changes in residual film stress.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1994

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References

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