Scanning probe microscopy of nanocrystalline iridium oxide thin films

Structural investigations of nanocrystalline iridium oxide thin films, prepared by de magnetron sputtering technique, were performed by scanning probe microscopy (SPM). SPM studies, using both atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), indicate that the thin films are composed of grains with a size of about 20-50 nm. Fine crystallinity and small RMS microroughness of the films, being well below 2 nm, make iridium oxide thin films promising candidates fox nanolithographic applications. The possibility to perform nanolithographic processes at a scale of less than 150 nm was successfully examined in AFM and STM modes.