The influence of substrate temperature on the structure and optical properties of NiO thin films deposited using the magnetron sputtering in the layer-by-layer growth regime

Quality polycrystalline NiO films are very attractive materials for different applications. The effect of substrate temperature on the structure, morphology, and optical properties of NiO films deposited on glass substrates by using magnetron sputtering in the layer-by-layer growth regime has been considered. XRD pattern showed reflection from (111), (200), and (220) planes of cubic NiO. It has been demonstrated that the O/Ni stoichiometric ratio tends to 1.0 with increasing the substrate temperature. The optical transmittance of the deposited NiO films is within the range of 20 to 35%, while the optical band gap varies from 2.76 up to 2.98 eV. AFM analysis of the surface morphology revealed that the average grain size of the NiO films varied from 25 to 30 nm and surface roughness from 1.1 to 1.5 nm, respectively.