Influence of Si on the Structural, Electrical, and Optical Properties of (Al, Ti, Si)N Films Deposited Via Reactive DC Sputtering

Abstract

The physical and chemical properties of multifunctional materials have been extensively studied in the last few years especially the mechanical and tribological applications and less attention has taken the electrical and optical properties. Therefore, in this work presents the growth of (Al, Ti, Si)N films deposited on common glass substrates with a maximum thickness of 1024 nm, via reactive DC magnetron sputtering, to analyze the influence of the silicon content on their crystallographic structure, optic and electric behavior. The microstructure of the films was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The films morphology was evaluated through scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The optical measurements were carried out by means UV-vis spectroscopy, and the electrical properties were analyzed using a four-point probe. XRD analysis indicated that the films changed from a crystalline phase to an amorphous phase, and the electrical and optical response indicated that the films with higher Si content have l223.6 Ω.cm of resistivity with an energy gap of approximately 1.0 eV and an optical energy gap of 1.5 eV. This electrical property has not been previously reported in these films.