Abstract
A simple oblique-incident method for suppressing substrate interference and enhancing Raman sensitivity is discussed. Using this method, Raman spectroscopy on different types of titania films is shown to be a sensitive technique for probing the microscopic structures of thin films and characterizing submicron thin film coatings. With Raman spectroscopy, ion-beam-sputtered and electron-beam-evaporated coatings, when exposed to heat or laser light, are found to crystallize into different polycrystalline structures. The rate of crystal growth may be investigated with in situ Raman scattering. Using zirconia films as an example, polarization analysis of Raman scattered light can be used to discern the state of crystallinity of the film and to enhance the sensitivity of detection of low-frequency Raman modes. It is shown, again by oblique-incident Raman spectroscopy, that a few per cent SiO 2 admixture in an amorphous titania coating can hinder the process of crystallization and increase the onset of the amorphous-crystalline transformation temperature by more than 100°C.
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