TiO₂–SiO₂ nanocomposite thin films have gained the attention of the scientific community due to their unique physical and chemical properties. In this paper, we report on the fabrication and characterization of a TiO₂–SiO₂ nanocomposite disk-shaped target. The target was used for the deposition of TiO₂–SiO₂ nanocomposite thin films on fluorine-doped tin oxide/glass substrates using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The thicknesses of the thin films were fixed to 100 nm, and the deposition temperature ranged from room temperature to 300 °C. As revealed by the microstructural and morphological characterizations revealed, the TiO₂–SiO₂ nanocomposite thin films are amorphous and display homogeneous distribution. The determined values of the indirect optical band gap range from 2.92 to 3.07 eV, while those of the direct optical band gap lie between 3.50 and 3.55 eV. Additionally, as the deposition temperature decreases, the light transmission increases in the visible and in the ultraviolet ranges, which is suitable for flexible perovskite solar cells. This research can uncover new insights into the fabrication of amorphous TiO₂–SiO₂-based nanostructured thin films using the PLD technique for perovskite solar cell technology.

In this paper, we report on the effect of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) target sintering temperature on the morphological and optical properties of amorphous titanium dioxide thin films synthesized by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrate and subsequently heat-treated in air at low temperature (150 °C). Three types of targets were used, unsintered (pressed at room temperature), sintered at 500 °C and sintered at 1000 °C. The surface morphology of the samples was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and profilometry was used for thickness measurements. The structural properties of the films were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), while their optical properties were studied by UV‒vis spectroscopy. The obtained TiO₂ thin films have an amorphous nature, as shown by XRD analysis. Profilometer showed that sintered target samples have more reliable thicknesses than unsintered ones. The SEM studies revealed the sufficient structural homogeneity of sintered target nanosized TiO₂ films and agglomerates in the case of unsintered target film. The UV‒vis transmittance spectra showed high transparency in the visible range of PLD films, proportional to the target sintering temperature. The optical band gaps of the films deposited using the 500 °C and 1000 °C sintered targets are closer to those of anatase and rutile phases, respectively, which provides a promising approach to the challenges of amorphous TiO₂-based nanostructures.