Controllable physicochemical properties of WOx thin films grown under glancing angle

In this work, various physicochemical properties are investigated in nanostructured WOx thin films prepared by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering for optoelectronic applications. A glancing angle of 87° is employed to grow films of different thicknesses, which are then exposed to post-growth annealing. Detailed local probe analyses in terms of morphology and work function of WOx films are carried out to investigate thickness-dependent property modulations of the as-deposited and annealed films. The analyses show a reasonably good correlation with photoelectron spectroscopic measurements on the films and the bulk I–V characteristics acquired on a series of WOx/p-Si heterojunction diodes. The presence of a critical WOx thickness is identified to regulate the rectification ratio values at the WOx/p-Si heterostructures and increase in series resistance within the bulk of the films. The present study provides valuable insights to correlate optical, electrical, and structural properties of WOx thin films, which will be beneficial for fabricating WOx-based optoelectronic devices, including photovoltaic cells.