Growth and characterization of MAX-phase thin films

Högberg, Hans; Hultman, Lars; Emmerlich, Jens; Joelsson, Torbjörn; Eklund, Per; Molina-Aldareguia, J.M.; Palmquist, Jens-Petter; Wilhelmsson, Ola; Jansson, Ulf

doi:10.1016/j.surfcoat.2004.08.174

Cited by 181 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…One, the calculated energy difference between the competing phases is based on Ti 5 [90,91,93], that have been predicted to be stable or nearly stable, and one might therefore expect them to be possible to synthesize at least by nonequilibrium methods such as magnetron sputtering. These predictions have not been corroborated by experimentalists, who have been unable to synthesize the V-Si-C or Nb-Si-C MAX phases [104]. Seemingly, the issue here is that the assumptions behind these predictions do not accurately portray reality: the competing silicides are stabilized by incorporation of C (which is not included in the calculations).…”

Section: Can Ti 2 Sic Exist?mentioning

confidence: 90%

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The M+1AX phases: Materials science and thin-film processing

et al. 2010

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This article is a critical review of the M n+1 AX n phases ("MAX phases", where n =1, 2, or 3) from a materials science perspective. MAX phases are a class of hexagonal-structure ternary carbides and nitrides ("X") of a transition metal ("M") and an A-group element. The most well known are Ti 2 AlC, Ti 3 SiC 2 , and Ti 4 AlN 3 . There are ~60 MAX phases with at least 9 discovered in the last five years alone. What makes the MAX phases fascinating and potentially useful is their remarkable combination of chemical, physical, electrical, and mechanical properties, which in many ways combine the characteristics of metals and ceramics. For example, MAX phases are typically resistant to oxidation and corrosion, elastically stiff, but at the same time they exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivities and are machinable. These properties stem from an inherently nanolaminated crystal structure, with M n+1 X n slabs intercalated with pure A-element layers. The research on MAX phases has been accelerated by the introduction of thin-film processing methods.Magnetron sputtering and arc deposition have been employed to synthesize single-crystal material by epitaxial growth, which enables studies of fundamental materials properties. However, the surface-initiated decomposition of M n+1 AX n thin films into MX compounds at temperatures of 1000-1100 °C is much lower than the decomposition temperatures typically reported for the corresponding bulk material. We also review the prospects for low-temperature synthesis, which is essential for deposition of MAX phases onto technologically important substrates. While deposition of MAX phases from the archetypical Ti-Si-C and Ti-Al-N systems typically require synthesis temperatures of ~800 °C, recent results have demonstrated that V 2 GeC and Cr 2 AlC can be deposited at ~450 °C. Also, thermal spray of Ti 2 AlC powder has been used to produce thick coatings. We further treat progress in the use of first-principles calculations for predicting hypothetical MAX phases and their properties. Together with advances in processing and materials 3 analysis, this progress has led to recent discoveries of numerous new MAX phases such as Ti 4 SiC 3 , Ta 4 AlC 3 , and Ti 3 SnC 2 . Finally, important future research directions are discussed. These include charting the unknown regions in phase diagrams to discover new equilibrium and metastable phases, as well as research challenges in understanding their physical properties, such as the effects of anisotropy, impurities, and vacancies on the electrical properties, and unexplored properties such as superconductivity, magnetism, and optics. 4

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Section: Can Ti 2 Sic Exist?mentioning

confidence: 90%

“…As noted in Table 1 [45,46,102,104]. The most advantageous aspect of using three elemental targets is the flexibility achieved by the individual control of the elemental fluxes.…”

Section: Sputtering With 3 Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The M+1AX phases: Materials science and thin-film processing

et al. 2010

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“…In the latter examples the focus is primarily on achieving single-phase films of high density, where steps towards making high quality single crystal samples have mostly been taken since 2010. A routine method to synthesize these materials in thin film form is PVD, such as cathodic arc [102], or, most often, magnetron sputtering [98,103,104] which, combined with a suitable substrate and co-deposition from elemental targets at a relatively high temperature, can yield epitaxial single phase thin films of high crystal quality. It is therefore easier to obtain phase-pure samples with crystals oriented in a single direction and this allows for a more detailed analysis of the materials properties.…”

Section: Thin Film Synthesismentioning

confidence: 99%

Magnetic MAX phases from theory and experiments; a review

Ingason

Dahlqvist

Rosén

2016

J. Phys.: Condens. Matter

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This review presents MAX phases (M is a transition metal, A an A-group element, X is C or N), known for their unique combination of ceramic/metallic properties, as a recently uncovered family of novel magnetic nanolaminates. The first created magnetic MAX phases were predicted using density functional theory through evaluation of phase stability, and subsequently synthesized as heteroepitaxial thin films. All magnetic MAX phases reported to date, in bulk or thin film form, are based on Cr and/or Mn, and they include (Cr,Mn)2AlC, (Cr,Mn)2GeC, (Cr,Mn)2GaC, (Mo,Mn)2GaC, and (V,Mn)3GaC2, Cr2AlC, Cr2GeC and Mn2GaC. A variety of magnetic properties have been found, such as ferromagnetic response well above room temperature and structural changes linked to magnetic anisotropy. In this paper, theoretical as well as experimental work performed on these materials to date is critically reviewed, in terms of methods used, results acquired, and conclusions drawn. Open questions concerning magnetic characteristics are discussed, and an outlook focused on new materials, superstructures, property tailoring and further synthesis and characterization is presented.

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“…for Ti 3 SiC 2 contacts to SiC. [20][21][22] As thin films, the close relatives of Cr 2 GeC, Ti 2 GeC, [23][24][25][26] V 2 GeC, 27,28 and Cr 2 AlC [29][30][31][32][33][34] have all been investigated. From a potential technological viewpoint, the latter two are particularly interesting since they can be grown at a relatively low substrate temperature (450 • C), 27,29 which is essential for deposition onto technologically relevant substrates, such as steels.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%