Annealing effects on the optical and structural properties of Y2O3 thin films deposited by thermal evaporation technique

Abstract

Yttrium oxide (Y2O3) thin films has been prepared on glass substrates at room temperature by thermal evaporation technique using Y2O3 powders (99% purity) and then are annealed at different temperatures ranging from 150℃ to 450℃ for 24 hours in air. The effects of the annealing temperatures on the structural and optical properties of the Y2O3 thin films were studied. The results show that the refractive index, extinction coefficient and forbidden band width of the Y2O3 thin film change to different degrees with the increase of annealing temperature. In addition, the roughness and stress of the Y2O3 thin film showed a trend of increasing first and then decreasing. The crystal state of the film is improved, indicating that the grain size becomes large. The research indicates that annealing treatment can effectively change the optical properties and structural properties of the Y2O3 thin films which has guiding significance for the selection of optimal heat treatment temperature for Y2O3 film modification.