Influence of RF sputtering power on structural and optical properties of Nb2O5 thin films

In this research, Niobium oxide (Nb2O5) films were deposited on glass substrates using RF sputtering technique. The effect of RF sputtering powers (150, 175 and 200 W) on the structural, and optical properties of as-deposited and annealed Nb2O5 thin films were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), UV-vis-NIR double beam spectrophotometer and Photoluminescence (PL) measurements. X-ray diffraction results revealed that the as-deposited and annealed films have polycrystalline structure. The optical parameters such as absorption coefficient, optical band gap energy, refractive index, dielectric constants and oscillators' parameters are estimated. The dispersion parameters are evaluated and analyzed according to a single oscillator model.