Annealing-Induced Structural Transformation in NiO Thin Films

The results of structural studies using X-ray and electron microscopy diagnostics of NiO films obtained by magnetron sputtering have been analyzed. The difference in the phase and structural composition of films of different thicknesses before and after annealing is shown. The reasons for these differences are discussed, as well as the role of the interface layer formation for obtaining stable nanoscale NiO films on sapphire substrates.