The effect of the deposition rate on microstructural and opto-electronic properties of β-Sn layers

Highlights: • The 30 nm layer of β-Sn were formed using thermal evaporation. • Microstructure of Sn films strongly depend on the deposition rate. • The Sn films exhibit strong texture. • The optical resistivity of Sn films depends of the deposition rate. -- Abstract: Microstructural and opto-electronic properties of thin films strongly depend on the deposition conditions (e.g. temperature, deposition rate). The 30 nm tin (Sn) layers were prepared using the physical vapor deposition technique. The tin layers were deposited on the Al₂O₃ - coated Si substrates at five different deposition rates in the range from 0.05 Å/s up to 5.00 Å/s. The influence of the deposition rate on the microstructure of the surface was investigated using atomic force microscope and scanning electron microscope. Changes in the microstructure of the Sn layers cause variations in its opto-electronic properties. These features were examined using spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements.