Berlin 2018 – scientific programme
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DS: Fachverband Dünne Schichten
DS 17: Poster Session I
DS 17.45: Poster
Tuesday, March 13, 2018, 18:15–20:15, Poster B
NixO thin films - impact of composition x on optical parameters — •Martin Becker, Fabian Michel, Angelika Polity, and Peter J. Klar — Institute for Exp. Physics I and Center for Materials Research (LaMa), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
NixO thin films were grown on single crystal sapphire substrates of various orientation by ion beam sputtering of a Ni metal target in a mixed argon and oxygen atmosphere. Epitaxial growth was verified by X-ray diffraction measurements on all substrates. Surface morphology and surface roughness were explored via atomic force microscopy. Consequential, NixO films on c-plane and a-plane sapphire were found to be best suited to serve as antiferromagnetic pinning layers.
For thin films grown on c-plane sapphire the composition of the film was varied systematically by changing the ratio of inert gas (Ar) and reactive gas (O2). The information of chemical bonding was investigated via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Optical characterization yielded a strong dependence of the refractive index and the optical band gap of NixO on composition x, although the samples were very similar relating to their structure. The dependence of the refractive index of NixO on composition x contributes substantially to the broad span of values reported for NixO in literature.