Abstract

SnO2 and In2O3 thin films have been succesfully prepared by direct UV irradiation of amorphous films of b-diketonate complexes on Si(100) substrates. The as-deposited films were analyzed by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), whereas annealing was required in order to get X-ray diffraction spectra, indicating the amorphous nature of the films. The surface morphology of the films examined by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) revealed that In2O3 films are much smoother than SnO2 films, with average surface roughness (Ra) of 3 nm and 11 nm respectively. The low resistivity values determined for these metal oxide films (3-4 x 10-4 W cm) demonstrate the potential use of these deposited films in gas-sensing devices for detection of environmentally significant concentrations of oxidizing species such as NO2 and O3