Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T04:20:53.217Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of silicon addition on surface morphology and structural properties of titanium nitride films grown by reactive unbalanced direct current-magnetron sputtering

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2011

Y.G. Shen ,
Z-J. Liu ,
N. Jiang ,
H.S. Zhang ,
K.H. Chan  and
Z.K. Xu
Y.G. Shen*
Affiliation:
Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Engineering Management (MEEM), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Z-J. Liu
Affiliation:
Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Engineering Management (MEEM), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
N. Jiang
Affiliation:
Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Engineering Management (MEEM), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
H.S. Zhang
Affiliation:
Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Engineering Management (MEEM), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
K.H. Chan
Affiliation:
Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Engineering Management (MEEM), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Z.K. Xu
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: meshen@cityu.edu.hk
Get access

Abstract

Thin films of Ti1–x–y Six Ny were produced on unheated Si(100) substrates by reactive unbalanced dc-magnetron sputtering of titanium and silicon in an Ar–N2 gas mixture. The effects of silicon incorporation on surface morphology and structural properties of these films as well as the influence of postdeposition annealing have been studied. These films were characterized ex situ in terms of their core-level electron bonding configuration by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, their microstructure by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction, their hardness by nanoindentation measurements, and their roughening kinetics by atomic force microscopy (AFM) with the scaling analysis. It was found that a linear increase in the Si concentration of the films was observed with increasing Si target current up to 2 A whereas the reverse trend was seen for the Ti concentration. The films consisted of 15–20-nm-sized TiN crystallites embedded in an amorphous SiNx matrix. They had a hardness of about 32.8 GPa with silicon concentration x = 0.1. The improved mechanical properties of Ti1–x–y Six Ny films with the addition of Si into TiN were attributed to their densified microstructure with development of fine grain size and reduced surface roughness. The reduction in grain size has been supported by means of a Monte Carlo simulation that reveals that the average size of TiN grains decreases with the volume fraction of amorphous SiNx approximately according to a power law, showing a reasonable agreement with the experimental results. By applying the height–height correlation functions to the measured AFM images, a steady growth roughness exponent α = 0.89 ± 0.05 was determined for all the films with different Si additions. It was also found that the nanocomposite films were thermodynamically stable up to 800 °C. The effect of thin SiNx layer in stabilizing nanocrystalline TiN structure is also elucidated and explained on the basis of structural and thermodynamic stability.

Keywords

FilmMicrostructurePhysical vapor deposition (PVD)
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 19 , Issue 2 , February 2004 , pp. 523 - 534
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2004

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1Li, S., Shi, Y. and Peng, H.Plasma Chem. Plasma Process 12, 287 (1992).Google Scholar
2Veprek, S., Reiprich, S. and Shizhi, L.: Appl. Phys. Lett. 66, 2640 (1995).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3Veprek, S. and Reiprich, S.: Thin Solid Films 268, 64 (1995).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4Lee, E.A. and Kim, K.H.: Thin Solid Films 420–421, 371 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5Diserens, M., Patscheider, J. and Levy, F.: Surf. Coat. Technol. 120–121, 158 (1999).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6Lee, W.H., Park, S.K., Kang, B.J., Reucroft, P.J. and Lee, J.G.: J. Electron. Mater. 30, 84 (2001).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7Rebouta, L., Tavares, C.J., Aimo, R., Wang, Z., Pischow, K., Alves, E., Rojas, T.C. and Odriozola, J.A.: Surf. Coat. Technol. 133–134, 234 (2000).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8Diserens, M., Patscheider, J. and Levy, F.: Surf. Coat. Technol. 108–109, 241 (1998).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9Moulder, J.F., Stichle, W.F., Sobol, P.E. and Bomben, K.D.: Handbook of X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, edited by Chastain, J. and King, R.C. Jr. (Physical Electronics, Eden Prairie, MN, 1995).Google Scholar
10Oliver, W.C. and Pharr, G.M.: J. Mater. Res. 7, 1564 (1992).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11Shum, P.W., Zhou, Z.F., Li, K.Y. and Shen, Y.G.: Mater. Sci. Eng. B 100, 199 (2003).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12Bertóti, I., Mohai, M., Sullivan, J.L. and Saied, S.O.: Appl. Surf. Sci. 84, 357 (1995).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13Hu, X.P., Han, Z.G., Li, G.Y. and Gu, M.Y.: J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 20, 1921 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14Kim, S.H., Kim, J.K. and Kim, K.H.: Thin Solid Films 420, 360 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15Klug, H.P. and Alexander, L.E.: X-ray Diffraction Procedures for Polycrystalline and Amorphous Materials (Wiley, New York, 1954).Google Scholar
16Srolovitz, D.J.: J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 4, 2925 (1986).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17Srolovitz, D.J., Mazor, A. and Bukiet, B.G.: J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 6, 2371 (1988).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18Metropolis, N., Rosenbluth, A.W., Rosenbluth, M.N., Teller, A.T. and Teller, E.: J. Chem. Phys. 21, 1087 (1953).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19Halpin-Healy, T. and Zhang, Y-C.: Phys. Rep. 254, 215 (1995).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20Ziegert, M. and Plischke, M.: Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 1517 (1994).Google Scholar
21Lai, Z.W. and Sarma, S.D.: Phys. Rev. Lett. 66, 2348 (1991).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
22Liu, Z-J., Jiang, N., Shen, Y.G. and Mai, Y-W.: J. Appl. Phys. 92, 3559 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
23Pelleg, J., Zevin, L.Z. and Lungo, S.: Thin Solid Films 197, 117 (1991).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24Nakajima, T., Watanabe, K. and Watanabe, N.: J. Electrochem. Soc. 134, 3175 (1987).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
25Brundle, C.R.: J. Vac. Sci. Technol. 13, 301 (1976).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
26CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 72nd ed., edited by Lide, D.R. (CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1991/1992).Google Scholar
27Veprek, S.: J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 17, 2401 (1999).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
28Musil, J.: Surf. Coat. Technol. 125, 322 (2000).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
29Li, B.Q., Kojima, I. and Zuo, J.M.: J. Appl. Phys. 91, 4082 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
30Palasantzas, G.: Phys. Rev. B 48, 14472 (1993).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
31Sinha, S.K., Sirota, E.B., Garoff, S. and Stanley, H.B.: Phys. Rev. B 38, 2297 (1988).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
32Shen, Y.G., Mai, Y-W., McKenzie, D.R., Zhang, Q.C., McFall, W.D. and McBride, W.E.: J. Appl. Phys. 88, 1380 (2000).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
33Shen, Y.G., Mai, Y-W., Zhang, Q.C., McKenzie, D.R., McFall, W.D. and McBride, W.E.: J. Appl. Phys. 87, 177 (2000).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
34Shen, Y.G., Yao, J., O’Connor, D.J., King, B.V. and MacDonald, R.J.: Phys. Rev. B 56, 9894 (1997).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
35Shen, Y.G. and Mai, Y-W.: J. Mater. Res. 15, 2437 (2000).CrossRefGoogle Scholar