Structural and discharging properties of MgO thin films prepared by beam-assisted deposition

This paper describes structural and discharging properties of magnesium oxide (MgO) thin films prepared by ion beam-assisted deposition (IBAD) for a protective layer of plasma panel display. Assistant ion species and energy were found to play a significant role in the preferred orientation of the deposited MgO thin films. (2 0 0)-oriented MgO films were obtained at energetic argon ion bombardment, the (2 0 0) peak intensity increases with increased ion energy. While (1 1 1)-oriented MgO films were obtained at oxygen ion bombardment or a combined bombardment of argon ion and oxygen ion, the (1 1 1) peak intensity decreases with increased ion energy. It has been shown that MgO thin films prepared by IBAD are dense from the density, the refractive index and the surface morphology. The MgO thin films deposited by a combined bombardment of argon ion and oxygen ion show not only low discharge voltage but also more sputter-resistant properties than samples prepared by the electron-beam method.