PNNL

Abstract

Nanocrystalline WO3 thin films were produced by sputter-deposition by varying the ratio of argon to oxygen in the reactive gas mixture during deposition. The surface chemistry, physical characteristics, and optical properties of nanocrystalline WO3 films were evaluated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray reflectivity (XRR), and spectrophotometric measurements. The effect of ultra-microstructure was significant on the optical properties of WO3 films. The XPS analyses indicate the formation of stoichiometric WO3 with tungsten existing in fully oxidized valence state (W6+). However, WO3 films grown at high oxygen concentration (>60%) in the sputtering gas mixture were over stoichiometric with excess oxygen. XRR simulations, which are based on isotropic WO3 film - SiO2 interface - Si substrate model, indicate that the density of WO3 films is sensitive to the oxygen content in the sputtering gas. The spectral transmission of the films increased with the increasing oxygen. The band gap of these films increases from 2.78 eV to 3.25 eV with increasing oxygen. A direct correlation between the film-density and band gap in nanocrystalline WO3 films is established based on the observed results.