Influence of nitrogen partial pressure on the microstructure and morphological properties of sputtered RuN coatings

Abstract

In this work, the production of RuN thin films using the reactive direct current magnetron sputtering technique is presented. Samples were grown with varying Ar/N2 ratio with values of 60/40, 80/20, 85/15, 90/10, 95/5, and 100/0. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy was employed to determine the presence of RuN before and after a sputtering etching process. According to the high‐resolution of N1s spectra, 3 peaks were identified at 397.4 ± 0.3 eV, 398.3 ± 0.3 eV, and 398.8 ± 0.3 eV binding energies, corresponding to hybridizations of nitrogen with transition metals, oxynitrides, and oxycarbides. X‐ray diffraction analyses were performed, showing the coexistence of the RuN face‐centered cubic and Ru hexagonal compact packed phases. After the etching process, the samples grown at nitrogen flow rates greater than 15% continued to show the RuN face‐centered cubic phase. Atomic force microscope analyses showed that as the nitrogen concentration increased, the grain size and roughness also tended to increase.

Near-threshold sputter yields of ruthenium under argon and nitrogen ion bombardment

“…The contribution to the broadening of the metal peaks by oxide formation from an exposure to atmosphere and the nitride formed by the ion exposure experiment are difficult to quantify. The lack of a significant peak shift of the Ru3d peaks indicates that the sample remains mostly metallic, consistent with transition metal nitrides [13]. The O1s peak for air exposed nitrides shares similar difficulties as the contributions from the oxy-nitride and O-H groups from adsorbed water and hydroxides are challenging to deconvolve.…”

“…The quantification of the nitride and oxynitride is therefore limited to the N1s spectra. Two components of the N1s have been identified, one at 397.3eV corresponding to the nitride and 398.8 eV which is characteristic for an oxynitride for transition metal nitrides exposed to atomsphere [13,30]. The area under the N1s peak corresponded to 18 atomic percent of nitrogen in the measured sample volume, implying implantation of nitrogen within the target.…”

“…Ruthenium nitride (RuN x ) is predicted to have a positive enthalpy of formation [11]. The formation energy barrier is overcome by the incidence of energetic nitrogen ions or radicals either by magnetron sputtering [12,13] plasmas or pulsed lasers [14]. The formation of RuN x during sputter measurements would modify the SBE for such combinations involving reactive species leading to larger deviations in model predictions.…”

Thermal treatment of (TiZr)N coatings on CO2‐controlled atmosphere

“…In C1s: C, 16 CO, 17 CN, 18 CO 3 . 19 In N1s: MeN (metal nitride), 20,21 CN, 22 CNO, 23 CN and NO, 24,25 to blocking the slip grain border. 47 If the temperature is continuously increasing, the presence of the CO 2 would accelerate the corrosion on the surface and increase the roughness such that the hardness falls abruptly 8 ; besides, the displacement produced by O atoms would have a decisive effect on the oxidation behavior.…”

“…In C1s: C, 16 CO, 17 CN, 18 CO 3 19 . In N1s: MeN (metal nitride), 20,21 CN, 22 CNO, 23 CN and NO, 24,25 NO, 26 N 2 , 27 NO 2 26 . In O1s: O 2 , 28 C x O y , 29 TiO 2 and ZrO 2 , 30 TiNO x , 31 TiO, 18 CNO, 23 NO x , 32 CO 33 .…”