Growth of Native Oxides of Niobium Thin Films

Both XPS and ToF-SIMS data and analysis suggest that Nb oxides grow rapidly and overwhelm Nb metal within the first 24 hours following a logarithmic growth. Nb2O5 growth is dominant out of all types of Nb oxide with reaching 80% At conc within 80 days. NbO2 is quickly saturated, maintaining 10% At conc over time with a logarithmic growth. NbO on the opposite follows an exponential decay. Oxide thickness growth also implies sample preparation techniques impact oxide saturation and growth rate.