NbTiN thin films deposited by hybrid HiPIMS/DC magnetron co-sputtering

Samy Adjam, Daniela Dumitriu La Grange, Alireza Karimi, Rosendo Sanjines
Elsevier Science Sa, 2016
Conference paper

Abstract

Nb1 - xTixNy thin films (with 0

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/record/219561?ln=en

About this result

This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.

Related concepts

Related publications

Electrical and optical properties of Ta-Si-N thin films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering

David Oezer, Rosendo Sanjines

The electrical and optical properties of TaxSiyNz thin films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering from individual Ta and Si targets were studied in order to investigate the effects of nitrogen and silicon contents on both properties and their correlation to the film microstructure. Three sets of fcc-TaxSiyNz thin films were prepared: sub-stoichiometric TaxSiyN0.44, nearly stoichiometric TaxSiyN0.5, and over-stoichiometric TaxSiyN0.56. The optical properties were investigated by near-normal-incidence reflectivity and ellipsometric measurements in the optical energy range from 0.375 eV to 6.8 eV, while the d.c. electrical resistivity was measured in the van der Pauw configuration from 20 K to 300 K. The optical and electrical measurements were interpreted using the standard Drude-Lorentz model and the so-called grain boundary scattering model, respectively. The electronic properties were closely correlated with the compositional and structural modifications of the TaxSiyNz films due to variations in the stoichiometry of the fcc-TaNz system and the addition of Si atoms. According to the nitrogen and silicon contents, fcc-TaxSiyNz films can exhibit room temperature resistivity values ranging from 10(2) mu Omega cm to about 6 x 10(4) mu Omega cm. The interpretation of the experimental temperature-dependent resistivity data within the Grain Boundary Scattering model, combined with the results from optical investigations, showed that the mean electron transmission probability G and the free carriers concentration, N, are the main parameters that control the transport properties of these films. The results indicated that the correlation between electrical and optical measurements with the chemical composition and the nanostructure of the TaxSiyNz thin films provides a pertinent and consistent description of the evolution of the Ta-Si-N system from a solid solution to a nanocomposite material due to the addition of Si atoms. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4766904]

Amer Inst Physics2012

, ,

By addition of Si to a binary transition metal nitride MN (e.g. TiN, ZrN, NbN, CrN), the hardness, thermal stability and chemical inertness of films have been considerably improved. The formation of a ternary M–Si–N ternary phase is possible under specific conditions such as low temperature, high deposition rate and low nitrogen pressure. The formation of nanocomposite materials (e.g. crystallites of MN + a thin layer of SiNx) is also possible under a wide range of deposition conditions. In such nanocomposite thin films the crystallite sizes are on the order of a few nanometers. The grain surfaces and boundaries have an important effect on the physical properties. The arrangement and chemical composition of the so-called “amorphous” minority phase (SiNx) are crucial for electrical and mechanical properties. The location, composition and thickness of the amorphous phase must therefore be known precisely. Their experimental determination is challenging due to the small concentration and in particular the geometry of the “amorphous” phase: approximately one monolayer either completely or partially covering the MN nanocrystallites. TEM investigations on such composites are known to have their limitations. It will be shown that the electrical resistivity, measured as a function of temperature, provides an experimental means for following the thickness evolution of the SiNx coverage layer, in such nanocomposite films.

2010

WC/a-C nanocomposite thin films: Optical and electrical properties

Rosendo Sanjines

WC/amorphous carbon (a-C) thin films were deposited by dual magnetron sputtering from individual WC and graphite targets. The influence of film composition and microstructure on the optical and electrical properties was investigated. As evidenced by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and grazing angle x-ray diffraction measurements, the WC/a-C films are composite materials made of hexagonal W2C and/or cubic beta-WC1-X nanocrystallites embedded in (a-C) matrix. The optical properties were studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry and the electrical resistivity was measured by the van der Pauw method between 20 and 300 K. Both the optical and the electrical properties of the WC/a-C films are correlated with the chemical composition and microstructure evolution caused by a-C addition. The optical properties of W2C/a-C and beta-WC1-x/a-C films with a-C content

2009

Electrical and optical properties of Ta-Si-N thin films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering

David Oezer, Rosendo Sanjines

Amer Inst Physics2012