Influences of Target-to-Substrate Distance and Deposition Temperature on a-SiOx/Indium Doped Tin Oxide Substrate as a Liquid Crystal Alignment Layer

We present the structural, optical, and electrical properties of amorphous silicon suboxide (a-$SiO_x$) films grown on indium tin oxide glass substrates with a radio frequency magnetron technique from a polycrystalline silicon oxide target using ambient Ar. For different substrate-target distances (d = 8 cm and 10 cm), the deposition temperature effects were systematically studied. For d = 8cm, oxygen content in a-$SiO_x$ decreased with dissociation of oxygen onto the silicon oxide matrix; temperature increased due to enlargement of kinetic energy. For d = 10 cm, however, the oxygen content had a minimum between $150^{\circ}\;and\;200^{\circ}$. Using simple optical measurements, we can predict a preferred orientation of liquid crystal molecules on a-$SiO_x$ thin film. At higher oxygen content (x > 1.6), liquid crystal molecules on an inorganic liquid crystal alignment layer of a-$SiO_x$ showed homogeneous alignment; however, in the lower case (x < 1.6), liquid crystals showed homeotropic alignment.

RF 마그네트론 스퍼터링에서 증착거리와 증착온도가 무기 액정 배향막의 물리적 성질에 미치는 영향에 대한 연구