الفهرس 
Theoretical Background and Literature Review
Microhardness measurementsOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
In the present study, TiO2 powder was used as the starting material to prepare thin films by
conventional thermal evaporation using high vacuum coating unit type (Edwards E 306A). The surface
topography and nanoparticles shape of TiO2 thin films as deposited and annealed at the temperatures
473, 673 and 873K were studied using the scanning electron microscope. The films showed good
uniformity, crack free surface and nanoparticles with small ellipsoidal shape dispersing with high
separations. The indentation experiments were carried out by using micro hardness tester showed the
absence of monotonic behaviour and irregular thermally induced oscillations in the curves of the film
hardness, HVf versus the annealing temperature. This behavior may be due to the combined effects of
the applied factors; the temperature, the load and the dwell time, on the obtained HVf. Also the
indentation size effect index (ISE), m, was calculated as 1.6 for the TiO2 films indicating that the
hardnesss depends on indentation size.