Effect of annealing and O2 pressure on structural and optical properties of pulsed laser deposited TiO2 thin films

In this paper, effect of annealing and O₂ pressure on the structural and optical properties of pulsed laser deposited thin films of TiO₂ is reported. XRD, FTIR spectra and SEM images confirm that at high annealing temperatures, the rutile phase and crystalline quality of thin films increases. Higher pressure of O₂ during deposition improves the rutile phase and favors the rod like growth of TiO₂ thin film. The red shift in photoluminescence (PL) spectra of TiO₂ thin films with annealing temperature is reported. Contact angle measurement data for the thin films reveals the hydrophobic nature of the films. The very low reflectivity (～10%) reported in this paper may be promising for anti-reflection coating applications of pulsed laser deposited TiO₂ thin films.