Process Effects on Heat-Sensitive Properties of Sputtered TiOx Thin Film

Titanium oxide (TiOx) thin films were deposited on K9 glass substrates using a pure titanium target in a dc sputtering system. In this present work, we have investigated the dependence of electrical properties of deposited TiOx thin films on the different process condition, i.e., as the substrate temperature increases from 50 °C to 300 °C, the oxygen partial pressure (pO2) ranged from 2.5% to 10%, the sputtering time increases from 20 min to 60 min, and annealed in different oxygen concentration atmospheres. The film's thickness and composition has been performed by profilometer and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) respectively. The films’ electrical resistance and the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) were studied as a function of the sputtering time, growth temperature, oxygen partial pressure (pO2) and annealing process. The TCR value of the films varied from 0.6% (K-1) to 2.2% (K-1) by controlling deposition process.