Defects assisted structural and electrical properties of Ar ion irradiated TiO2/SrTiO3 bilayer

The present study focuses on the effect of 1 MeV Ar ion irradiation on pulsed laser deposited TiO2/SrTiO3 bilayer thin films on Si (100) and SrTiO3 (STO) substrates. Irradiation results in the reduction of crystallinity and the bilayer film on Si exhibits higher electrical conductivity compared to film on STO with the Seebeck coefficient-175 mV/K and the power factor-0.13 mW.m(-1)K(-2) at 420 K. The X-ray absorption spectra at Ti L and O K-edges reveal the reduction of the ion valence of Ti and the presence of oxygen vacancies. This study evidences that Ar ion irradiation enhances the electrical and thermoelectric properties in heterostructure oxides due to oxygen vacancies. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study investigates the effect of 1 MeV Ar ion irradiation on pulsed laser deposited TiO2/SrTiO3 bilayer thin films, revealing that irradiation reduces crystallinity and enhances electrical conductivity in films on Si substrates compared to those on SrTiO3 substrates. X-ray absorption spectra show a reduction in Ti ion valence and the presence of oxygen vacancies, indicating that Ar ion irradiation improves electrical and thermoelectric properties in oxide heterostructures due to the generation of oxygen vacancies.