Effects of post-deposition annealing on the structure and optical properties of Y_2O_3 thin films

摘要

Y_2O_3 thin film waveguides were prepared by RF magnetron sputtering. The effects of post-deposition annealing on the structure and optical properties have been investigated. The structural evolution of Y_2O_3 films with annealing temperature was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Spectroscopic ellipsometry was employed to determine the optical properties of Y_2O_3 films annealed at various temperatures. It was found that with increasing annealing temperature, the refractive index (n) of Y_2O_3 films increases. The optical band gap of Y_2O_3 films shifts to higher energy after higher temperature annealing, which is likely due to the reduction of defects and the change of crystalline structure in Y_2O_3 films.