SHI Irradiation Induced Amorphization Of Nanocrystalline Tin Oxide Thin Film At Low Temperature

¹Department of Physics, R. B. S. College, Agra, UP 282002, India

²Inter-University Accelerator Centre, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067, India

³UGC-DAE CSR Khandwa Road, Indore, M.P. 452017, India

Adv. Mater. Lett., 2014, 5 (11), pp 666-670

DOI: 10.5185/amlett.2014.nib501

Publication Date (Web): Nov 09, 2014

Copyright © IAAM-VBRI Press

E-mail: rvschauhan@yahoo.com

Abstract

Nanocrystalline tin oxide (SnO₂) thin films were fabricated using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The as-deposited films were irradiated at liquid nitrogen (LN₂) temperature using 100 MeV Ag ions at different fluences ranging from 3×10¹³ to 3×1014 ions/cm² and at 75o with respect to surface normal. Pristine and irradiated samples were characterized using XRD, AFM, Raman and I-V (current-voltage characteristics) for the study of modifications in structural, surface morphological, bond angle and resistivity respectively. XRD patterns show that the pristine film is highly polycrystalline and irradiation amorphizes the film systematically with increasing the irradiation fluence. The surface of the pristine film contains nanograins of tin oxide with roughness 5.2 nm. Upon irradiation at lower fluences agglomeration is seen and roughness increased to 10.8 nm. Highest fluence irradiation again develops nanograins with roughness 7.5 nm. Raman spectra and I-V characteristics also confirms the irradiation induced amorphization. The observed results are explained in the frame work of thermal spike model.

Keywords

Tin oxide thin film, nanostructures, amorphization, pulsed laser deposition, swift heavy ion irradiation, liquid nitrogen temperature