Rutherford backscattering spectrometry analysis of TiO2 thin films

TiO2 layers grown by microwave-activated chemical bath deposition (MW) and dip coating (DC), as well as by the combination of both techniques, were studied by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). RBS analysis allows the determination of the stoichiometry and the thickness (in atoms/cm2) of the TiO2 layers. TiO2 layers grown by DC have higher growth rates on a TiO2 film obtained by MW compared to deposition directly onto an indium-tin oxide (ITO) substrate. TiO2 layers grown by MW on a film obtained by DC have higher growth rates when compared to layers deposited onto ITO substrates. In this case, AFM analysis shows that the surface is rough and RBS reveals the presence of holes in TiO2 films