Effect of Thickness on Microstructure, Electrical and Optical Properties of Zirconium Nitride Thin Film Prepared by DC Reactive Magnetron Sputtering at Room Temperature

Abstract

Zirconium Nitride (ZrN) thin films were prepared by dc reactive magnetron sputtering without an external substrate heating on silicon (100) wafer and glass slide. The as-deposited films obtained from different conditions and various films thickness was investigated for physical, optical and electrical properties. First, the microstructure and film morphology were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). The optical transparency was measured by UV-vis spectrophotometer. Finally, the electrical properties, based on measured resistivity, were studied by four-point probe. The result showed that the ZrN films were all well orientated in the (111) plane. When the film thickness was increased, the grain size was also increased. The effect of the film thickness was observed in the charge in colors and optical transmission of the films.