Our research was aimed at the study of aluminum films and porous anodic alumina (PAA) films in thin-film РАА/Al structures for optical sensors, based on metal-clad waveguides (MCWG). The results of the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies of the structure of Al films, deposited by DC magnetron sputtering, and of PAA films, formed on them, are presented in this work.The study showed that the structure of the Al films is defined by the deposition rate of aluminum and the thickness of the film. We saw that under anodization in 0.3 M aqueous oxalic acid solution at a voltage of 40 V, the PAA film with a disordered array of pores was formed on aluminum films 200-600 nm thick, which were deposited on glass substrates with an ultra-thin adhesive Nb layer. The research revealed the formation of two differently sized types of pores. The first type of pores is formed on the grain boundaries of aluminum film, and the pores are directed perpendicularly to the surface of aluminum. The second type of pores is formed directly on the grains of aluminum. They are directed perpendicularly to the grain plains. There is a clear tendency to self-ordering in this type of pores.
Keywords: Aluminum thin films; Magnetron sputtering; Metal-clad waveguide; Porous anodic alumina; Thin film anodization.