Abstract
In order to explore the effects of Ti doping on the optical and mechanical properties of Ta2O5 coatings prepared by Ar/N2-Ar co-sputtering, Ta2O5, N2-Ta2O5, Ti-Ta2O5, and N2-Ti-Ta2O5 coatings were prepared on the glass substrate surface by radio frequency and direct current magnetron co-sputtering techniques. The microstructures and surface morphologies of Ta2O5, N2-Ta2O5, Ti-Ta2O5, and N2-Ti-Ta2O5 coatings were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and atomic force microscope (AFM). The optical parameters of the coatings were tested by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry. The hardness and Young's modulus of the coatings were tested by nanoindentation. XRD test results show that the Ta2O5, N2-Ta2O5, Ti-Ta2O5, and N2-Ti-Ta2O5 coatings mainly consist of amorphous phase structure with Ta2O5 as the main body. SEM and AFM results show that the coatings deposited on the glass substrate do not have extensive voids. The sputtered particles are uniformly piled and grow on the substrate surface. The coating thicknesses are basically the same and the thickness error is within 5%. The separate introduction of N2, Ti, and N2-Ti co-doping can reduce the roughness of Ta2O5 coatings. The optical test results show that the separate introduction of N2 and Ti element can increase the average transmittance of Ta2O5 coatings to more than 81%, whereas the average transmittance of N2-Ti-Ta2O5 coatings prepared by N2-Ti co-doping reduces. Mechanical test results show that compared with that of Ta2O5 coating, the hardness of N2-Ta2O5 and N2-Ti-Ta2O5 coatings increases significantly. The hardness of Ti-Ta2O5 coatings is basically the same. The elasticity index (H/E) and plasticity index (
Optical coatings are important optical materials with high transparency in the visible range and high reflectivity in the infrared rang
Chen et a
In this research, RF and direct current (DC) magnetron co-sputtering techniques were used to investigate the effects of Ar/N2-Ar co-sputtering Ti doping on the microstructure, optical properties, and mechanical properties of Ta2O5 coatings. This research promotes the development of multifunctional coatings with both excellent optical performance parameters and good mechanical properties.
Ta2O5, N2-Ta2O5, Ti-Ta2O5, and N2-Ti-Ta2O5 coatings were prepared by JGP045CA multi-target sputtering system. The substrate materials are high transparent quartz glass and N<111>Si wafers. The substrates were ultrasonically cleaned by acetone, anhydrous ethanol, and deionised water for 15 min before deposition, and then dried with high purity N2 before placement in the sputtering chamber. The vacuum in the sputtering chamber was pumped to 5×1
Sample | Target power/W | Thickness/nm | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Ta2O5 | Ti | N2 | ||
Ta2O5 | 120 | - | - | 574.6 |
N2-Ta2O5 | 120 | - | 20 | 557.2 |
Ti-Ta2O5 | 120 | 60 | - | 581.3 |
N2-Ti-Ta2O5 | 120 | 60 | 20 | 561.5 |
The phase structure and surface morphology of Ta2O5, N2-Ta2O5, Ti-Ta2O5, and N2-Ti-Ta2O5 coatings were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD, XRD-Max2500, Rigaku, Japan) was used to analyze the phase structure of the coatings with different components at the scanning angle of 5° under 50 kV, 150 mA, and Cu Kα radiation. The scanning range was 10°–90°. The surface and cross-section morphologies of the coating were obtained by scanning electron microscope (SEM, Zeiss Sigma 300), and the cross-sectional thickness of the coating was measured. The energy spectrum and element distribution of the coating surface were obtained by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS, Smart EDX). The surface morphology of the coating was also studied by atomic force microscope (AFM, Bruker Dimension Icon), and the surface roughness (Ra) of the coating was obtained.
The transmission spectrum of the coating was obtained by ultraviolet (UV)-visible spectrophotometer (Shimadzu UV-2700) with the step of 0.5 nm in the wavelength range of 220–850 nm. The optical parameters, such as reflectivity, absorbance, and optical band gap, of the coatings were obtained by spectral inversion fitting. The hardness and elastic modulus of the coatings were obtained by applying the load of 25 mN through nanoindentation tester (ZDT075-07).

Fig.1 XRD patterns of Ta2O5, N2-Ta2O5, Ti-Ta2O5, and N2-Ti-Ta2O5 coatings

Fig.2 SEM surface (a–d) and cross-section (e–h) morphologies of Ta2O5 (a, e), N2-Ta2O5 (b, f), Ti-Ta2O5 (c, g), and N2-Ti-Ta2O5 (d, h) coatings

Fig.3 3D-AFM images of Ta2O5 (a), N2-Ta2O5 (b), Ti-Ta2O5 (c), and N2-Ti-Ta2O5 (d) coatings
In order to study the effect of doping elements on the optical properties of Ta2O5 coatings, the coating transmittance was measured by UV-visible spectrophotometer in the wavelength range of 220–850 nm.

Fig.4 Transmittance of Ta2O5 and N2-Ta2O5 coatings (a) as well as Ti-Ta2O5 and N2-Ti-Ta2O5 coatings (b)
Coating | Average transmittance/ % | Maximum transmittance/ % | Surface roughness, Ra/nm | RMS/ nm |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ta2O5 | 77.25 | 92.07 | 1.280 | 1.620 |
N2-Ta2O5 | 86.33 | 93.85 | 0.355 | 0.473 |
Ti-Ta2O5 | 81.46 | 93.53 | 1.050 | 1.360 |
N2-Ti-Ta2O5 | 76.56 | 85.18 | 0.266 | 0.554 |
Band gap energy (Eg) can directly affect the electronic band structure of materials and the performance of devices, which is an important parameter to characterize semiconductor materials. In order to evaluate the optical band gap of the coatings, the absorption coefficient (k) of Ta2O5, N2-Ta2O5, Ti-Ta2O5, and N2-Ti-Ta2O5 coatings was calculated through the transmittance results of the coatings, and the results are shown in
(1) |
(2) |

Fig.5 Absorption coefficients of Ta2O5 and N2-Ta2O5 coatings (a) as well as Ti-Ta2O5 and N2-Ti-Ta2O5 coatings (b)
where h is Planck constant, v is the frequency of the incident photon, α is the absorption coefficient, n is a parameter related to the condition, C is a constant related to the material, d is the thickness of the film, and T is the transmittance of the film. Because Ta2O5 is a direct band gap material and the main part of the coatings, Ti is the doping element, and N2 is the induced gas, n=2.

Fig.6 Optical band gap energy curves of Ta2O5 (a), N2-Ta2O5 (b), Ti-Ta2O5 (c), and N2-Ti-Ta2O5 (d) coatings

Fig.7 Hardness and elastic modulus (a) as well as elasticity index and plasticity index results (b) of Ta2O5, N2-Ta2O5, Ti-Ta2O5, and N2-Ti-Ta2O5 coatings
1) Ta2O5, N2-Ta2O5, Ti-Ta2O5, and N2-Ti-Ta2O5 coatings all have amorphous phase structure, which mainly consists of Ta2O5. With the introduction of N2 and doping Ti, the agglomerated particles on the coating surface are significantly reduced. The coatings become flat and smooth, and the surface roughness reduces.
2) With the introduction of N2 and doping Ti, the transmittance of N2-Ta2O5 and Ti-Ta2O5 coatings is increased. The average transmittance of N2-Ta2O5 and Ti-Ta2O5 coatings is more than 81%, and the maximum transmittance is more than 93%. The average transmittance of N2-Ti-Ta2O5 coating is slightly lower than that of Ta2O5 coating. The introduction of N2 and doping Ti result in the blueshift phenomenon of the coatings and the increase in band gap energy.
3) The hardness of N2-Ta2O5 coating increases significantly, but the elastic modulus is basically the same as that of the Ta2O5 coating. The hardness of Ti-Ta2O5 coating is basically the same as that of Ta2O5 coating, but its elastic modulus increases significantly. The hardness and elastic modulus of N2-Ti-Ta2O5 coating increase obviously. Comparatively, the N2-Ta2O5 coating has better fracture toughness and plastic deformation resistance.
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