Influence of the film structure on the properties of electrochromic CeO2 thin films deposited by e-beam PVD

Cerium oxide (CeO2) thin films were deposited by e-beam PVD on different substrates, such as glass, ITO coated glass, Si wafers and fused silica. Ion bombardment assistance during the deposition process is recognized as a useful tool to enhance the opto-mechanical properties of evaporated films. The ion bombarded films show a denser structure and a different layer growth. In this work we analyzed the influence of ion bombardment and the oxygen flow on the density of the deposited films and on the amount of incorporated water. The results show that the ion bombardment makes CeO2 thin films very insensitive to the oxygen flow. Impedance analysis pointed out that the ion-bombarded samples have higher DC-conductivity and different dielectric absorption characteristics