50 eV O+ ion induced deposition of tin dioxide using tetramethyltin

The aim of the present study was to deposit tin oxide films on Si wafers or quartz crystal microbalance plates acting as substrates, using low-energy ion beams. The substrates were held at ambient temperature and two different methods were employed. In one case, the substrates were exposed to a 100 eV beam of Sn⁺ ions together with a flow of gaseous oxygen, and these conditions were found to generate films. Analyses by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed that these films were made of metallic tin. In other trials, the substrates were exposed to tetramethyltin in conjunction with a 50 eV O⁺ ion beam. This procedure deposited films with a thickness of 30 nm and assessments by XPS and X-ray diffraction established that these films were made of tin dioxide.