TeO2-ZnO (tellurium oxide-Zinc oxide) thin film deposition by the thermionic vacuum arc plasma

In this study, 75TeO2-25ZnO and 70TeO2-30ZnO (mol %) (TZ) glasses were synthesized by using a traditional melt-quenching method. The synthesized TZ glasses were deposited as a thin film using the thermionic vacuum arc (TVA) system. The structure of the deposited TZ thin films and the synthesized TZ bulk glass samples were compared. The structural properties of the TZ thin films and bulk glass samples were determined by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The morphological properties of the TZ thin films were obtained by using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The optical properties of bulk glass samples are obtained with ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry in the range of 350-1000 nm. Lastly, the electrical properties were obtained by using dielectric spectroscopy. XRD and Raman analysis showed that the TZ thin films had an amorphous structure similar to the synthesized bulk glasses with limited crystallization. The results show homogenous and amorphous thin film structures with few polycrystalline formations.