Stoichiometry Calculation in BaxSr1−xTiO3 Solid Solution Thin Films, Prepared by RF Cosputtering, Using X-Ray Diffraction Peak Positions and Boltzmann Sigmoidal Modelling. (9th August 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Reséndiz-Muñoz, J.; Fernández-Muñoz, J. L.; Corona-Rivera, M. A.; Zapata-Torres, M.; Márquez-Herrera, A.; Meléndez-Lira, M.; Caballero-Briones, F.; Chale-Lara, F.; Zelaya-Ángel, O.
• Other Names: Rack Philip D. Academic Editor.
• Is Part Of: Journal of nanomaterials. Volume 2017(2017)
• Publication Date: 2017-08-09
• Subjects: Nanostructured materials -- Periodicals; Nanotechnology -- Periodicals; Nanomatériaux; Nanostructured materials; Nanotechnology; Nanostructures; Nanotechnology; Periodicals; Fulltext; Internet Resources; Periodicals; 620.115
• DOI: 10.1155/2017/4308294
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1687-4110

Abstract

Abstract : A novel procedure based on the use of the Boltzmann equation to model the x parameter, the film deposition rate, and the optical band gap of Ba x Sr1− x TiO3 thin films is proposed. The Ba x Sr1− x TiO3 films were prepared by RF cosputtering from BaTiO3 and SrTiO3 targets changing the power applied to each magnetron to obtain different Ba/Sr contents. The method to calculate x consisted of fitting the angular shift of (110), (111), and (211) diffraction peaks observed as the density of substitutional Ba 2+ increases in the solid solution when the applied RF power increases, followed by a scale transformation from applied power to x parameter using the Boltzmann equation. The Ba/Sr ratio was obtained from X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy; the comparison with the X-ray diffraction derived composition shows a remarkable coincidence while the discrepancies offer a valuable diagnosis on the sputtering flux and phase composition. The proposed method allows a quick setup of the RF cosputtering system to control film composition providing a versatile tool to optimization of the process.