Publications

Abstract : The study of surface morphology is an unavoidable part of thin-film characterisation. The present paper reports the application of electronic speckle interferometry in understanding the quality of thin films taking radio frequency sputtered MoO3 films, prepared at two argon pressure 0.03 mbar and 0.05 mbar, as an example. The intrafilm thermal-induced particle dynamics on thin films’ surface morphology are studied using the cross-correlation, inertia moment, displacement vector, lacunarity and multifractal analyses. The study reveals that not only the argon pressure in the chamber but also the heating of the films significantly influence the surface morphology and quality of the film. The displacement vector, lacunarity and multifractal analyses also reveal that as-grown films prepared at 0.03 mbar argon pressure (M0.03) are better than as-grown films prepared at 0.05 mbar argon pressure (M0.05). Thus, the cross-correlation, inertia moment, displacement vector, lacunarity and multifractal analyses can effectively be used as surrogate methods for understanding the surface morphology.