Time-resolved light scattering studies of Spin-coated titanium dioxide

Spin coating of titanium alkoxides is a fast and straightforward method of forming compact and durable titanium dioxide thin films. In this report, an optical interference technique is used to understand the dynamics of titanium dioxide thin film formation during the spin coating process of titanium...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of sol-gel science and technology 2013-09, Vol.67 (3), p.429-435
Main Authors: Smith, Nathanael J., Bunnell, Ben
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alkoxides
Annealing
Ceramics
Chemistry
Chemistry and Materials Science
Colloidal gels. Colloidal sols
Colloidal state and disperse state
Composites
Exact sciences and technology
Film thickness
General and physical chemistry
Glass
Inorganic Chemistry
Interference fringes
Light scattering
Materials Science
Nanotechnology
Natural Materials
Optical and Electronic Materials
Original Paper
Photovoltaic cells
Quantum dots
Sol gel process
Sol-gel processes
Solar cells
Spin coating
Thickness measurement
Thin films
Time dependence
Titanium
Titanium dioxide
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Summary:Spin coating of titanium alkoxides is a fast and straightforward method of forming compact and durable titanium dioxide thin films. In this report, an optical interference technique is used to understand the dynamics of titanium dioxide thin film formation during the spin coating process of titanium (IV) ethoxide sols, and a 4-stage thinning model is proposed. Optical monitoring of interference fringes as a function of time enables determination of the time-dependent film thickness through measurement of the interference fringe separation while the sol to gel transition can be monitored by analyzing the fringe visibility. For films that are spun at 2,000 rpm or faster, a spin duration of 5 s is sufficient for the film to reach its final thickness. At a given spin speed, spin times longer than 5 s do not affect the final film thickness. However, thinner final film thicknesses can be achieved by increasing the spin speed. All films were found to densify on annealing with an annealed thickness approximately 0.4 times that of the pre-anneal thickness regardless of spin speed. Spin-coated titanium dioxide films are expected to play an important role in low-cost and scalable next generation solar cells employing dyes and quantum dots as the light harvesting agents.
ISSN:0928-0707
1573-4846
DOI:10.1007/s10971-013-3095-5