Growth mechanism of three dimensionally structured TiO2 thin film for gas sensors

Polystyrene (PS) microspheres were used to good advantage as a template material to prepare macroporous $TiO_2$ thin films. This is enabled to run the thermal decomposition of the PS without the collapsing of the 3-D macroporous framework during the calcination step. $TiO_2$ thin films were deposited onto the colloidal templated substrates at room temperature by RF sputtering, and then samples were thermally treated at $450^{\circ}C$ for 40.min in air to remove the organic colloidal template and induce crystallization of the $TiO_2$ film. The macroporous $TiO_2$ thin film exhibited a quasi-ordered partially hexagonal close-packed structure. Burst holes, estimated to be formed during PS thermal decomposition, are seen as the hemisphere walls. the inner as well as the outer surfaces of the hollow hemispheres formed by the method of thermal decomposition can be easily accessed by the diffusing gas species. As a consequence, the active surface area interacting with the gas species is expected to be enlarged about by a factor of fourth as large as compared to that of a planar films. Also the thickness at neighboring hemisphere could be controlled a few nm thickness. If the acceptor density becomes as large that depletion width reaches those thickness, the device is in the pinch off-situation and a strong resistance change should be observed.

가스 감응용 3차원 구조체 TiO2 박막 성장기구