Band-gap engineering in TiOx and TiOx-Ni thin films by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition: Structural and optical insights

Rutile and anatase phases promote spatial charge separation which leads to a rise in photocatalytic activity. In addition, the fact that the thin film increases its photocatalytic activity when it is doped with another metal such as Ni is an important case of study. This doping technique enhances the wavelength threshold for initiating photocatalytic activity, rendering the photocatalytic effective at ~ 380 nm. TiO₂ thin films were deposited through PE (plasma enhanced)-ALD with ~ 5 nm thickness by TDMAT and O₂ plasma as precursors. Samples were characterized using GAXRD (grazing angle x-ray diffraction), Ellipsometry spectroscopy, and XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy).