REACTIVE PULSED - DC MAGNETRON SPUTTERING OF Cr2O3 THIN FILMS.

Oxide materials with high proton conductivity (because of their high selectivity of hydrogen) are good candidates for hydrogen separation membranes [1]. One of the candidates for proton conductivity is corundum type chromium oxide thin films [2]. The chromium oxide thin films could be formed by different techniques. The pulsed - DC magnetron sputtering is one of the chromium oxide thin films synthesis techniques, which is versatile and more effective than other magnetron sputtering techniques [3, 4]. The main requirement for chromium oxide thin films used for hydrogen separation is dense microstructure and stoichiometry. The influence of pulsed DC sputtering technological parameters (oxygen partial pressure, the distance between the substrate, and the magnetron cathode) on the properties of formed chromium oxide thin films were investigated in this work. The oxygen pressure was changed form 2 Pa to 16 Pa and the distance of the substrate to the magnetron cathode - from 3 cm to 5 cm. Chromium oxide thin films were characterized by X - ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and ellipsometer. Thin films of chromium oxide were deposited onto Alloy- 600 (Ni, Cr, Fe, Mo and Co alloy), Hastelloy-X, quartz, and silicon substrates. The formed chromium oxide thin films showed an amorphous structure. The polycrystalline structure was obtained when the distance of the substrate to the magnetron cathode was 3 cm. Cross sections of synthesized chromium oxide thin films show that they grow with columnar structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]