Optical and Structural Analysis of TiO₂–SiO₂ Nanocomposite Thin Films Fabricated via Pulsed Laser Deposition Technique

Abstract

TiO2–SiO2 nanocomposite thin films have gained the attention of the scientific community due to their unique physical and chemical properties. In this paper, we report on the fabrication and characterization of a TiO2–SiO2 nanocomposite disk-shaped target. The target was used for the deposition of TiO2–SiO2 nanocomposite thin films on fluorine-doped tin oxide/glass substrates using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The thicknesses of the thin films were fixed to 100 nm, and the deposition temperature ranged from room temperature to 300 °C. As revealed by the microstructural and morphological characterizations revealed, the TiO2–SiO2 nanocomposite thin films are amorphous and display homogeneous distribution. The determined values of the indirect optical band gap range from 2.92 to 3.07 eV, while those of the direct optical band gap lie between 3.50 and 3.55 eV. Additionally, as the deposition temperature decreases, the light transmission increases in the visible and in the ultraviolet ranges, which is suitable for flexible perovskite solar cells. This research can uncover new insights into the fabrication of amorphous TiO2–SiO2-based nanostructured thin films using the PLD technique for perovskite solar cell technology.

Keywords

• TiO₂–SiO₂
• nanocomposite thin films
• pulsed laser deposition
• structural properties
• optical properties
• UV–vis transmittance spectra