18 Al 2 O 3 THIN FILM DEPOSITION USING THERMIONIC VACUUM ARC Tamer AKAN 1 , Erdinç KARAKAŞ *1 , Geavit MUSA 2 1 Department of Physics, Osmangazi University,Eskisehir/TURKEY 2 National Institute for Laser, Plasma & Radiation Physics, Bucharest/ROMANIA Geliş/Received: 17.11.2004 Kabul/Accepted: 23.05.2005 ABSTRACT The thermionic vacuum arc (TVA) is a new technique for the deposition of thin metallic and nonmetallic films. TVA discharge is established in vacuum between a heated cathode (a tungsten filament) and an anode (a tungsten crucible filled with Al 2 O 3 pellets). TVA discharges in Al 2 O 3 vapors were generated and thin Al 2 O 3 films were deposited on the glass substrates using TVA. The surfaces of thin Al 2 O 3 films were examined using a Metallurgical Optical Microscope (MOM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Al 2 O 3 thin films have been analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) method. Keywords: Plasma, Thermionic vacuum arc, Al 2 O 3 thin film deposition. TERMİYONİK VAKUM ARK KULLANARAK AL 2 O 3 İNCE FİLM DEPOLAMA ÖZET Termiyonik Vakum Ark (TVA), ince metal ve metal olmayan filmlerin depolanması için yeni bir tekniktir. TVA deşarj, vakum içinde ısıtılmış bir katot (tungsten flament) ve anot (Al 2 O 3 parçacıkları ile dolu tungsten pota) arasında meydana gelir. Al 2 O 3 buharlarında TVA deşarjlar üretildi ve ince Al 2 O 3 filmleri cam tabanlar üzerine TVA kullanılarak depolanıldı. İnce Al 2 O 3 filmlerin yüzeyleri Metalurjik Optik Mikroskop (MOM) ve Taramalı Elektron Mikroskobu ile analiz edildi. Al 2 O 3 ince filmleri X-ışını difraksiyon metodu ile incelenildi. Anahtar Sözcükler: Plazma, Termiyonik vakum ark, Al 2 O 3 ince film depolama. 1. INTRODUCTION Al 2 O 3 is a widely used electrical insulating material. This is due to its high electrical breakdown field, its large bandgap, and its high dielectric constant. Al 2 O 3 is a hard material and has a very high melting temperature and excellent chemical stability. Al 2 O 3 depositions in various forms are used in semiconductor devices [1-3], refractory, antireflection and anticorrosive coatings [4], and capacitance humidity sensors [5]. These films have been prepared by various techniques such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD) [6], metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), [1, 3], spray pyrolysis [7], thermal evaporation [8], sputtering [9], etc. The thermionic vacuum arc (TVA) is a new technique for the deposition of thin metallic and nonmetallic films. TVA thin films are obtained as a result of heated cathode discharge * Sorumlu Yazar/Corresponding Autor: e-posta: ekarakas@ogu.edu.tr, tel: (0222) 229 04 33 / 2338 Sigma 2005/3 Journal of Engineering and Natural Sciences Mühendislik ve Fen Bilimleri Dergisi