Kinetic crystallization behavior of SbOx thin films

The crystallization behavior of SbOx thin films, prepared by reactive DC magnetron sputtering under different partial oxygen pressures, was examined. The crystal structures of the as-deposited and the annealed films were identified by X-ray diffraction. The crystalline phase was identified as a rhombohedral structure with a c/a value of 2.6 (a=4.307nm, c=11.273nm). The temperatures of crystallization at different heating rates were determined by using a differential scanning calorimeter. Based on the Kissinger formula, the crystallization activation energies of these amorphous films were calculated. The experimental results showed that the activation energy increased with increasing partial oxygen pressure, while the enthalpy difference between the as-deposited and the crystalline states decreased