Structural and optical properties of zirconia thin films

Abstract

Thin films of zirconia have been deposited using reactive electron beam evaporation in neutral and ionized oxygen media. The variation in optical properties and structure with post-deposition annealing temperature in the range 300-850°C has been studied. It has been found that the refractive index decreases and the extinction coefficient increases with increasing annealing temperature. Phase transitions have been characterized using IR absorption in conjunction with X-ray diffraction. The effect of ambient background ions on optical properties is not as marked as that on structure.