An investigation of cobalt oxide based nanocrystalline thin films by secondary ion mass spectrometry

An investigation of cobalt oxide based nanocrystalline thin films by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is presented. The coatings, whose composition ranged between CoO and Co3O4, were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates, using cobalt(II) β-diketonate as precursor. The SIMS analysis revealed a satisfactory precursor conversion into the oxides and allowed distinction of regions in the films at different compositions. Film-substrate intermixing phenomena were evidenced and studied as a function of deposition temperature, film thickness and composition. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.