Different laminated structures of TiO2/SiO2 composite film were prepared via atomic layer deposition (ALD) on alumina substrates. The effect of the annealing temperature in the air on the surface morphologies, crystal structures, binding energies, and ingredient content of these films was investigated using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Results showed that the binding energy of Ti and Si increased with decrease of the Ti content, and the TiO2/SiO2 nanolaminated films exhibited a complex bonding structure. As the annealing temperature increased, the thickness of the nanolaminated films decreased, and the density and surface roughness increased. An increase in the crystallization temperature was proportional to the SiO2 content in TiO2/SiO2 composite film. The annealing temperature and thin thickness strongly affected the phase structure of the ALD TiO2 thin film. To be specific, the TiO2 thin film transformed into an anatase phase from an amorphous phase after an increase in the annealing temperature from 400°C to 550°C, and the TiO2 film exhibited an anatase phase until the annealing temperature reached 850°C, owing to its extremely small thickness. The annealing process caused the Al ions in the substrate to diffuse into the films and bond with O.

Complementary analysis techniques are applied in this work to study the interface structure of Mo/Si multilayers. The samples are characterized by grazing incident x-ray reflectivity, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and extreme ultraviolet reflectivity. The results indicate that the layer thickness is controlled well with small diffusion on the interface by forming MoSi2. Considering MoSi2 as the interface composition, simulating the result of our four-layer model fits well with the measured reflectivity curve at 13.5 nm.

We prepare SiO2 coatings on different substrates by either electron-beam evaporation or dual ion-beam sputtering. The relative transmittances of the SiO2 coatings are measured during the heating process. The SiO2 coating microstructures are studied. Results indicate that the intensity and peak position of moisture absorption are closely related to the microstructures of the coatings. The formation of microstructures depends not only on the preparation process of the coatings but also on the substrate characteristics.