Room-temperature deposition of amorphous titanium dioxide thin film with high refractive index by a filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique.

Amorphous titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin film has been prepared by a filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique at room temperature. It was concluded from the core level of Ti 2p 3/2 (458.3 eV) and O 1s (529.9 eV) and their deviation in binding energy (deltaBE = 71.6 eV) that only one of Ti oxidation states, Ti4+, existed in the film and the film was of ideal stoichiometry. The film possessed high transmittance, which can reach as high as that of a quartz substrate, especially in the visible range, owing to its optical bandgap of 3.2 eV. The high refractive index (2.56 at 550 nm) and low extinction coefficient (approximately 10(-4) at 550 nm) suggested that the film had a high packing density and a low scattering-center concentration. These good optical properties implied the film prepared by this technique was a promising candidate for optical application. Besides, the film was found to transform in the structure from amorphous to anatase crystalline when it was annealed at 300 degrees C, as evidenced by Raman and x-ray diffraction.