Dielectric dispersion of vacuum-deposited SiO films is measured with a transformer bridge at frequencies from 45 c/s to 180 kc/s. The deposition is done in most cases at a pressure of 3 × 10
-5 mmHg and the rate of deposition is varied from 0.75 to 77.4 Å/sec by controlling the source temperature. The prepared films are found to be completely amorphous from X-ray diffraction. The thickness of the films is measured by the multiple beam interferometry, being about 1 micron in the present case.
Two dielectric dispersions are generally observed in the measured range, one at several kilocycles per second and the other below 45 c/s. The intensity of both the dispersions decreases with decreasing deposition rate and with increasing air pressure during the deposition. The intensity is also diminished after the heat-treatment up to 180°C in air. Effect of the heat-treatment becomes saturated in one hour or so.
All these phenomena are believed to be due to the oxidation of SiO films. Change in the optical transmission in blue and ultra-violet ranges measured for the same specimens is also interpreted in terms of the oxidation process. The activation energies for the dispersions are determined and possible molecular mechanisms associated with them are proposed.
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