Effects of post-deposition annealing on the structure and optical properties of Y2O3 thin films

Abstract: Y2O3 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 Y2O3 films with annealing temperature was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Spectroscopic ellipsometry was employed to determine the optical properties of Y2O3 films annealed at various temperatures. It was found that with increasing annealing temperature, the refractive index (n) of Y2O3 films increases. The optical band gap of Y2O3 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 Y2O3 films. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]