Production of HfO₂ thin films using different methods: chemical bath deposition, SILAR and sol-gel process

Hafnium oxide thin films (HOTFs) were successfully deposited onto amorphous glasses using chemical bath deposition, successive ionic layer absorption and reaction (SILAR), and sol-gel methods. The same reactive precursors were used for all of the methods, and all of the films were annealed at 300°C in an oven (ambient conditions). After this step, the optical and structural properties of the films produced by using the three different methods were compared. The structures of the films were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The optical properties are investigated using the ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopic technique. The film thickness was measured via atomic force microscopy (AFM) in the tapping mode. The surface properties and elemental ratios of the films were investigated and measured by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The lowest transmittance and the highest reflectance values were observed for the films produced using the SILAR method. In addition, the most intense characteristic XRD peak was observed in the diffraction pattern of the film produced using the SILAR method, and the greatest thickness and average grain size were calculated for the film produced using the SILAR method. The films produced using SILAR method contained fewer cracks than those produced using the other methods. In conclusion, the SILAR method was observed to be the best method for the production of HOTFs.