TiO2 thin films grown on SiO2–Si(111) by the reactive evaporation method

TiO2 thin films were grown on silicon substrates using an electron-beam evaporator. Grainy TiO was used as the evaporation material. Temperature substrate during TiO2 growth was relatively low (about 150 °C), what is important for many optoelectronic devices and multilayers mirrors. High vacuum condition allows to maintain clean surfaces substrates before and during oxide growth. The morphology of titanium oxide thin films was ex situ investigated using atomic force microscopy operating in contact mode, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffractometry, and by means of a contact angle analyzer. The influence of annealing treatment and exposure to UV–VIS radiation on the morphology has been also discussed.