The Formation of nanosuboxide layers in the oxide of niobium in low-power ion beam of argon

this paper presents the results of chemical, quantitative, and layer-by-layer phase analysis of a 10 nm thick niobium thin film created by magnetron sputtering and subsequently oxidized in air. The analysis was performed before and after long-term delicate modification by argon ions by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy using numerical simulation of the interaction of ion beams with the target surface in the SRIM software package. At different durations of low-current ion sputtering of niobium oxide, the formation of metastable stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric nanosuboxide layers of various thicknesses, as well as their sputtering, was found. The study shows that it is possible to create the necessary nanosuboxide layers, the structure of which is determined by the performance of functional devices.