Evolution of nanoscale texture in ultrathin TiN films

Abstract

We investigate the evolution of texture and grain morphology in fine-grained TiN thin films using cross correlation of dark-field images obtained using annular objective apertures with radii that correspond to different low index TiN reflections. This technique enables parallel analyses of the orientations of thousands of grains, with a spatial resolution of order 10 nm. Preferred grain orientations were determined for 40 and 100 nm thick TiN layers grown on SiO2 by magnetically unbalanced reactive magnetron sputter deposition. We find that no single orientation is dominant in the 40 nm films but that a 〈100〉 texture has developed by the time these films reach 100 nm in thickness.

Interface properties and structural evolution of TiN/Si and TiN/GaN heterostructures

“…The TiN x(ϭ1. 16) film was the most overstoichiometric sample that we were able to grow. The reference dielectric functions of TiN x(ϭ1.…”

“…For the most successful EMT analysis we have assumed that the bulk TiN x (1ϽxϽ1.16) is a composite material consisting of randomly distributed stoichiometric TiN, overstoichiometric TiN x(ϭ1. 16) , and voids and thus we used BEMT. The TiN x(ϭ1.…”

“…The reference dielectric functions of TiN x(ϭ1. 16) and TiN used for the BEMT analysis are presented in Fig. 3.…”

“…Special attention is given to the morphological evolution of TiN heterostructures. [13][14][15][16][17] However, the detailed study of the composition, structure, and electron-transport properties at the very initial stages of growth of ultra-thin TiN heterostructures has not yet been addressed. In situ and real-time spectroscopic ellipsometry ͑SE͒ is a powerful, surface-sensitive optical technique, which is appropriate for such study of the optical properties, microstructure, and growth evolution of nanoscale structures with submonolayer resolution.…”

Crystalline texture in hafnium diboride thin films grown by chemical vapor deposition

“…However, when a material is deposited as a thin film, the crystallographic texture plays an important role in determining the properties [6]. A prominent example is the transition metal nitrides, especially TiN, for which the dependence of texture on growth parameters and the underlying mechanisms responsible for texture development have been studied in detail [7][8][9][10][11]. In contrast, the textures of transition metal diboride thin films have received much less attention [12,13].…”