Abstract:
Metallic thin films having a thicknesses that is less than the skin depth display a large absorption of microwave radiation. In this work, ultrafine films of titanium, transparent in the visible spectrum and absorbers of microwaves in the X-band (8-12 GHz), were produced by the electron deposition technique with several thicknesses (20, 25, 30, 40, 50 and 75 Å), at three deposition rates (1, 3 and 5 Å/s), and using titanium with different degrees of purity (TiGr2, TiGr4 and TiGr5). The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, optical transmittance, Hall Effect and microwave absorption. The results showed that ultrathin titanium films can be used as absorbers of electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range. The best results in terms of microwave absorption were obtained for films 30 Å and 40 Å thick with a deposition rate of 5 Å/s and using TiGr5. The fact that a fast deposition rate and a high impurity concentration enhanced microwave absorption is attributed to the creation of microwave-absorbing defects.