Effect of (O2/Ar) Different Mixing Ratios in a Glow Discharge Plasma on the Structural Properties of Niobium Oxide Film

Abstract

Niobium Oxide (Nb2O5) films were prepared on glass substrates using a plasma sputtering system with different ratios of (O2/Ar) gas mixture. The annealing process of all samples was done at (650 °C) for one hour. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results of the Niobium oxide (Nb2O5) films of ratios in group-1, group-2 and group-3 show that the phase of Niobium Oxide was not present before and after annealing, due to the decrease in the ratio of oxygen gas compared to the ratio of Argon gas. While the X-ray diffraction (XRD) of Niobium oxide films of ratios in group-4 and group-5 indicated the phase of Niobium Oxide (Nb2O5) after the annealing because the heat treatment led to the crystalline uniformity of the layer of Niobium oxide and thus the growth of the phases. Also, the X-ray diffraction (XRD) of (Nb2O5) films of ratio in group-6 demonstrates the presence of multiple and clear phases of Niobium oxide (Nb2O5) before and after annealing, as a result of the large increase in the proportion of oxygen gas compared to the proportion of the Argon gas, which led to the growth of the phases and the largest crystalline system.