Rotating crucible electron beam evaporation technique for the deposition of multicomponent oxide films

Abstract

Deposition of multicomponent films with perfect stoichiometry is a challenging task in thin film technology. A novel electron beam deposition technique has been developed to achieve this task. A conventional electron beam gun crucible has been modified to accommodate two constituent materials. Necessary electronic hardware and software based on INTEL 8085 microprocessor have been built to provide the crucible rotation with the required speed and for changing the emission currents of the electron beam gun. Mixed oxide films of CeO 2 and SiO 2 of different compositions have been prepared. The refractive index of mixed films were computed using a spectrophotometer, an ellipsometer and correlated with the Lorentz-Lorenz formula. The atomic percentages of Ce, Si and O 2 have been computed and correlated with the data obtained from Auger spectroscopy. The present technique was found to be suitable for preparing homogeneous and inhomogeneous mixed films.