Low-resistivity oxides in Ti_xFeCoNi thin films after vacuum annealing

ABSTRACT

In this study, we investigated the electrical properties and microstructures of FeCoNi, Ti_0.5FeCoNi, and TiFeCoNi thin films, with the aim of identifying new oxygen-deficient oxides with low resistivity. The resistivity values of as-deposited FeCoNi, Ti_0.5FeCoNi, and TiFeCoNi films were 1089, 2883, and 5708 μΩ-cm, respectively. After vacuum annealing at 1000°C for 30 min, the resistivity values plummeted to 20.4, 32.1, and 45.4 μΩ-cm, respectively. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis revealed that all of the as-annealed films were in the form of an oxygen-deficient oxide/metal composite with layered structure. The resistivity of these oxides is lower than that of indium tin oxide (ITO). They represent a new category of low-resistivity oxides.

KEYWORDS:

• Electrical property
• thin films
• microstructure
• oxidation
• hall effect
• annealing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

We thank the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan for the financial support under the project NSC-102-2221-E-007-047-MY3.