Surface treatment method for 1/f noise suppression in reactively sputtered nickel oxide film

A surface treatment method combined with O-2 plasma treatment and Ar+ bombardment is proposed for 1/f noise suppression in a reactively sputtered NiO film as a micro-bolometer sensing material. The 1/f noise power spectral density on a sample prepared by the proposed surface treatment method prior to the contact formation is suppressed to a level roughly 18 times lower than that on an untreated sample. The improved noise characteristic can be ascribed to the cooperative effects of the two steps in the proposed surface treatment method. In its effects, the oxygen plasma treatment is supposed to increase the Ni3+ component on the surface of the NiO film, which in turn increases the hole concentration on the surface. Additional Ar+ bombardment is expected to remove contaminants on the surface of the NiO film, leading to a low contact resistance. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4736590]