M. Ritala et al., SURFACE-ROUGHNESS REDUCTION IN ATOMIC LAYER EPITAXY GROWTH OF TITANIUM-DIOXIDE THIN-FILMS, Thin solid films, 249(2), 1994, pp. 155-162
The surface smoothness of TiO2 films grown by atomic layer epitaxy was
improved by incorporating thin intermediate Al2O3 layers into them. T
he elimination of light scattering from the film surface caused a mark
ed increase in the specular transmittance. Optical measurements, atomi
c force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction
were used in examining the relationships between the amount of Al2O3
added and the optical, morphological and structural properties of the
films. The mechanism of the surface roughness reduction is discussed.