Series of amorphous SiO2, ZrO2 and HfO2 films were prepared by electron-beam evaporation at various oxygen pressures such that the packing density varied from 0.6 to 0.82. Transmittance spectra were evaluated with respect to thickness and refractive index by application of analytical formulas to the interference extrema and by dielectric modeling. The thickness of the films ranged from 150 to 1500 nm. The coefficients of Cauchy and Sellmeier dispersion curves were determined as a function of the packing density. The mass density of the compact amorphous grains was estimated by an effective-medium theory and a general refractivity formula. It is similar to those of the crystalline materials. We used the optical data to design multilayer coatings for laser applications in a broad spectral range, including the UV.
Optical transmittance spectra of In2O3 : Sn (ITO) films were
simulated with a computer program based on dielectric modelling. The films
were prepared by radiofrequency sputtering under various oxygen fluxes such
that the carrier density varies from 3×1019 to 1.5×1021 cm-3. The dielectric function used is the sum of three types of electronic
excitations: intraband transitions of free electrons (Drude model), band gap
transitions, and interband transitions into the upper half of the conduction
band. The parameters of these excitations are evaluated as a function of the
carrier density. The damping in the Drude term was modelled
frequency-dependent to account for the low extinction coefficient observed
in the visible spectral range. The parameters resulting from the optical measurements
were compared with those from the electrical measurements. Both the optical
mobility and carrier density are found to be higher than those of the
respective electric parameters. These discrepancies are attributed to a
pronounced microstructure with badly conducting grain boundaries. The
refractive index at 550 nm decreases linearly with increasing electron
concentration. This is due both to the shift of the plasma edge and the
Burstein-Moss shift of the band edge. All band gap transitions go up to the
Fermi level.
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