Structural and electrical properties of TiO2 RF sputtered thin films

The samples were obtained by a RF sputtering technique onto glass substrates covered with indium till oxide (ITO). The film structure was modified by doping with different impurities like Nb (0.35 at.%) and Fe (1 at.%). The morfology of the thin films was analysed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and their structure by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The dependencies of the electrical conductivity versus inverse temperature, In sigma =f(10(3)/T) were studied in a wide range of temperature (from 13 to 500 K) and activation energies were obtained for different domains of temperature. The changes in the electrical properties of the titanium dioxide thin films were correlated with the observed changes in their structure. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.