Inelastic relaxation in tin oxide thin films with an amorphous structure

•The amorphous SnO showed maxima of the α - and β-mechanical relaxations.•The activation energy of vacancy-like defects migration of amorphous SnO is 1.22 eV.•The energy of vacancy-like defects formation of amorphous SnO is 1.25 eV. Inelastic relaxation in amorphous tin oxide thin films obtained by ion-beam sputtering in an argon atmosphere were studied. The films retain an amorphous structure after annealing at temperatures below 623 K for 30 min and crystallization begins after annealing at 673 K with the formation of two phases, where the SnO2 phase predominates over the SnO phase. Annealing at 723 K for 30 min leads to a partial transition of the SnO crystalline phase to the SnO2 phase. The temperature dependence of internal friction revealed maxima at 585 K and 603 K, identified as β - relaxation maxima, as well as at 690 K, identified as α - relaxation maximum. It is assumed that the β - relaxation maxima at 585 K and 603 K are associated with local hopps of oxygen atoms within the defect structure of SnO2 and with local hopps of tin atoms within the defect structure of SnO, respectively. The exponential increase in internal friction up to a temperature of 690 K in the α - relaxation region is associated with the diffusion of nonequilibrium vacancy-like defects of the amorphous structure below the glass transition temperature and equilibrium ones above the glass transition temperature. Estimates of the migration energy and formation energy of vacancy-like defects in amorphous tin oxide were made.