Titanium dioxide films deposited by cathodic arc for water treatment and microelectronics

MARQUEZ, A. ; KLEIMAN, A.; MÄNDL, S.; MANOVA, D.; M. I. LITTER; J.M. MEICHTRY; VEGA, D.; ABIZANO, I.; PERALTA, C.; ACHA, C.

Congreso; Plasma based Ion Implantation and Deposition 2017; 2017

Titanium dioxide is known to be non-toxic and to exhibit excellent chemical and physical properties, which make this material very attractive for a wide variety of applications. One of the recent, most active research focused on titania thin films is linked to its high hydrophilicity and excellent photocatalytic activity under UV irradiation [1]. As a consequence, actual and potential applications include purification of wastewaters, disinfection based on the bactericidal properties, and its use as self-cleaning coating. Among the different TiO2 polymorphs, anatase is considered as the most photoactive phase. Recently, the use of titania films in a metal-insulator-metal device configuration has been evaluated as an alternative for the development of resistive non-volatile memories (Re-RAM) based on the resistive switching of the insulator placed in between two-terminal electrodes [2]. Low and high resistive states can be programmed by application of voltage pulses to the metal electrodes. Stoichiometry and crystallinity of the TiO2 films influence on the switching behavior.Cathodic arc deposition (CAD) has demonstrated to be an efficient method for the deposition of TiO2 thin films with excellent adhesion to the substrate. The structure of the films can be independently controlled through different deposition parameters, among them the substrate bias and the temperature employed during the process.In this work, TiO2 films deposited by CAD were studied toward their use as photocatalyst in water decontamination treatments and as oxide layer in Re-RAM devices.