The Effect of Post Annealing on Physical Properties of NiTe2 Thin Film Fabricated by Magnetron Sputtering

In this study, the effect of post annealing time on the physical properties of NiTe2 thin films with 2D structure deposited by co-sputtering was investigated. After heat treatment for 10 min, nickel ditelluride thin films with a composition of Ni : Te = 1 : 2 exhibited transmittance of 46% and a resistivity of 40 mu Omega center dot cm. When using both Ni and Te targets, the formation of NiTe2 with 2D structure was found to depend on the co-sputtering and heat treatment conditions. Thin films with the composition of NiTe2 were deposited on glass substrates by co-sputtering (Radio Frequency : Te, Direct Current : Ni). The Ni : Te = 1: 2 composition was confirmed by X-ray Photo Electron Spectroscopy (XPS) after in situ heat treatment in the sputter chamber (10 min, 20 min, 40 min, 80 min). In this study, we confirmed that the NiTe2 thin film with the ratio of Ni : Te = 1 : 2 can be obtained by co-sputtering, followed by in situ heat treatment. We believe that the NiTe2 thin film is a potential candidate for transparent electrodes because of its high electrical conductivity and 2D structure. It should be possible to reduce the thickness of the NiTe2 films with 2D structure by exfoliation, thus increasing their optical transparency.