Morphology and structural properties of nanocrystalline and nanocolumnar aluminum thin films grown on glass and Ti/glass substrates

Nanocrystalline and nanocolumnar aluminum thin films were deposited on glass and Ti/glass substrates at normal and oblique angles of incidence in vacuum (1.0 x 10-6 Torr) by using an electron-beam evaporator. The average grain size of the Al thin films produced at a normal angle of incidence increased from 25 nm to 50 nm when the substrate was changed from glass to Ti/glass. The average aspect ratio of the aluminum nanocolumns (Al nanorods) grown on the glass substrate increased from 1.65 to 3.65 as the deposition angle increased from 65 .deg. to 85 .deg. while the aspect ratio of Al nanorods grown on Ti/glass substrates increased from 1.80 to 4.00 as the deposition angle increased from 65 .deg. to 85 .deg. . The X-ray diffraction pattern showed a broad baseline in nanocrystalline and nanocolumnar thin films. In the case of Al thin films on glass, the full width at half maximum (FWHM) was observed to be 14.34 for all depositions while in the case of Al thin films on Ti/glass, the FWHM was decreased from 17.66 to 14.02 as the deposition angle increased from 0 .deg. to 85 .deg. . The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirmed that the peak for Al nanorods was observed at a binding energy of 74.44 eV.