Author(s)

Pao-Chi Chen^*, Xiao An Wang

Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Lunghwa University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan.

In this study, the radio-frequency (RF) sputtering of cerium oxide was explored to determine the effect of the operating conditions on the film growth of cerium oxide on glass, and silicon substrates. The process variables were sputtering time, input power and R (Ar/O₂) ratio. In order to better understand the influence of process variables on the growth mechanism, the grain size and film thickness of cerium oxides were explored by using SEM, XRD, and α-step processes. From the results of SEM photographs, the grains of cerium oxides could be evaluated by using an imaging analysis technique. On the other hand, from the XRD data, with the aid of Scherrer’s equation, the crystalline sizes of cerium oxide crystals could be determined. The grain size was higher than the primary size, indicating the agglomeration of cerium oxide crystals. In addition, the effects of parameters on crystal size and film thickness are discussed herein following regression.

Sputtering, Cerium Oxide, Scherrer’s Equation, Agglomeration

Chen, P. and Wang, X. (2020) Cerium Oxide Film Growth Using Radio-Frequency Sputtering Process. Materials Sciences and Applications, 11, 305-318. doi: 10.4236/msa.2020.115021.