Structure, Surface Morphology, Chemical Composition, and Sensing Properties of SnO2 Thin Films in an Oxidizing Atmosphere

We conducted experiments on SnO2 thin layers to determine the dependencies between the stoichiometry, electrochemical properties, and structure. This study focused on features such as the film structure, working temperature, layer chemistry, and atmosphere composition, which play a crucial role in t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2021-08, Vol.21 (17), p.5741
Main Authors: Izydorczyk, Weronika, Izydorczyk, Jacek
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chemical composition
Crystallites
DC reactive magnetron sputtering
Electrochemical analysis
Gases
Humidity
Magnetron sputtering
Morphology
Oxidation
Oxygen probes
Photoelectrons
RGTO technique
Sensors
Stoichiometry
surface morphology
Thickness
Thin films
Tin dioxide
Topography
X ray photoelectron spectroscopy
X-ray diffraction
X-ray diffraction (XRD)
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)
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Summary:We conducted experiments on SnO2 thin layers to determine the dependencies between the stoichiometry, electrochemical properties, and structure. This study focused on features such as the film structure, working temperature, layer chemistry, and atmosphere composition, which play a crucial role in the oxygen sensor operation. We tested two kinds of resistive SnO2 layers, which had different grain dimensions, thicknesses, and morphologies. Gas-sensing layers fabricated by two methods, a rheotaxial growth and thermal oxidation (RGTO) process and DC reactive magnetron sputtering, were examined in this work. The crystalline structure of SnO2 films synthesized by both methods was characterized using XRD, and the crystallite size was determined from XRD and AFM measurements. Chemical characterization was carried out using X-ray photoelectron (XPS) and Auger electron (AES) spectroscopy for the surface and the near-surface film region (in-depth profiles). We investigated the layer resistance for different oxygen concentrations within a range of 1–4%, in a nitrogen atmosphere. Additionally, resistance measurements within a temperature range of 423–623 K were analyzed. We assumed a flat grain geometry in theoretical modeling for comparing the results of measurements with the calculated results.
ISSN:1424-8220
1424-8220
DOI:10.3390/s21175741