Low-energy (∼100 eV) ion irradiation during growth of TiN deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering: Effects of ion flux on film microstructure

Abstract

Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) has been used to investigate the effects of variations in the low-energy ion irradiation flux during the growth of reactively sputter-deposited TiN. The films were deposited on steel substrates with a negative bias of 100 V at 350 °C in mixed Ar–N2 discharges at a pressure of 5 Pa (37 mTorr). The ion-to-Ti arrival rate ratio Jion /JTi at the substrate was varied between 0.3 and 7.1 through the use of a variable external magnetic field. Films grown with Jion /JTi ≲2 had a columnar morphology with a highly underdense microstructure. Increasing Jion /JTi ≳4 was sufficient to cause the growth of dense films with a more equiaxed grain structure due to renucleation. Further increases in Jion /JTi ≳7 resulted in increased TiN grain size and local heteroepitaxy between TiN and the martensitic phase of the substrate.

Transmission Electron Microscopy and X-ray Diffraction Investigation of the Microstructure of Nanoscale Multilayer TiAlN/VN Grown by Unbalanced Magnetron Deposition

“…9(b)]. The curved top of the columns together with the inter-column voids, which were typically seen for magnetron sputtered coatings, 6,8,16,19,29 agreed well with the AFM and plane-view TEM results. The inserted selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns in Fig.…”

Effect of Coating Thickness on Formability of Hot-dip Galvanized Low Carbon Steel Sheet

“…Conversely, the surface energy is high and important because surface energy does not vary with the coating thickness 14,15) ; therefore, the texture of the coating consists of planes which have the lowest surface energy and highest strain energy to compensate the shortage of strain energy and make a balance between surface and strain energies. 14,15,27) h layer has about 98 wt% of zinc and in hcp structure of this element, (00.2) planes have the lowest surface energy and the highest strain energy. 10) Thus, when the coating thickness (and h layer thickness) is small, basal planes would increase and become the predominant texture component of the coating and other planes, such as (20.1) and (10.0) with much higher surface energy and lower strain energy than basal planes, would have a low intensity.…”

“…10) Thus, when the coating thickness (and h layer thickness) is small, basal planes would increase and become the predominant texture component of the coating and other planes, such as (20.1) and (10.0) with much higher surface energy and lower strain energy than basal planes, would have a low intensity. 14,15,27) …”

“…Since texture is determined by a competition between surface and strain energies; at small thicknesses, the coating shows an orientation corresponding to that with lowest surface energy and highest strain en- ergy. 14,15,27) In other words, when the coating is thin, the strain energy of the coating structure is very low and negligible. Conversely, the surface energy is high and important because surface energy does not vary with the coating thickness 14,15) ; therefore, the texture of the coating consists of planes which have the lowest surface energy and highest strain energy to compensate the shortage of strain energy and make a balance between surface and strain energies.…”

Time and energy resolved ion mass spectroscopy studies of the ion flux during high power pulsed magnetron sputtering of Cr in Ar and Ar/N2 atmospheres

“…As such HIPIMS appears as an attractive alternative to conventional DC sputtering for thin film deposition. Since the influence of ion bombardment during film growth on properties of resulting coatings is well proven [3][4][5] it is of primary importance to understand what factors affect the ion energy distribution function (IEDF) in the case of HIPIMS processing. The correlation is expected to be even more pronounced since film-forming ions are available in concentrations that significantly exceed standards of DC sputtering, and in some cases, even dominate the ion flux incident on the substrate.…”