Nitrogen plasma pressure influence on the composition of TiN_xO_y sputtered films

Abstract

Thin films of TiN x O y were deposited by d.c. magnetron sputtering on glass substrates using an (Ar + ,N 2 ) plasma and Ti target. The N 2 partial pressure was changed from 2.3 × 10 −4 mbar to 4.6 × 10 −3 mbar in order to obtain films with increasing nitrogen contents. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to determine the as-deposited composition. The presence of oxygen, which is probably due to contamination from the residual atmosphere in the vacuum chamber, is always detected, both in the surface layers and in the bulk of the films, confirming the formation of TiN x O y . When the nitrogen partial pressure was increased, a maximum for the nitrogen content in the films was reached, corresponding to a TiN 0.8 O 0.4 film composition. The nitrogen content of the films did not increase further for higher N 2 partial pressures. X-ray diffraction showed that each deposited layer had a rock salt structure, isomorphic to that for TiN, in which some nitrogen atoms would seem to be substituted by oxygen atoms in the anionic sub-lattice. Moreover, this crystalline TiN x O y phase is super-stoichiometric with this deposition method. To the best of our knowledge such results have already been observed on TiN films but it is the first time that they have been presented for TiN x O y thin layers.

Structural and electrical properties of magnetron sputtered Ti(ON) thin films: The case of TiN doped in situ with oxygen

“…As the atomic radius of oxygen is smaller than that of nitrogen [36], this effect can be accounted for by substitution of oxygen for nitrogen. Similar behaviour has been reported [37] and attributed to titanium oxynitride formation.…”

“…This effect was previously reported from XPS analysis of oxynitrides thin films [24,37] and attribute to the coexistence of TiO x N y with TiO 2 .…”

“…Such investigations have been conducted before [37] and have led to the conclusion that based on XPS results one can confirm formation of amorphous titanium dioxide.…”

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Structural and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic studies on reactive magnetron sputtered titanium oxynitride (TiON) thin films

“…Recently, interest in titanium oxynitride films has increased and have been extensively studied due to their improved physical and chemical properties, which mainly depend on their N/O ratio. Oxygen-rich TiN x O y films have been used as insulating layer in metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitive structures to avoid interfacial oxide layer formation [11], while nitrogen-rich TiN x O y films have been used as an excellent diffusion barrier layer for semiconductor applications [12]; Additionally, many other useful applications of TiN x O y films, such as anti-reflective coating [13] and biomaterials [14] solar selective absorbers [15] and wearresistant coatings [16], have been demonstrated. The wettability studies to determine hydrophilic or hydrophobic nature of titanium oxynitride film are the area that is unexplored and no literature has been found regarding the investigation of this property so far.…”

Two-step nitridation of photocatalytic TiO2 films by low energy ion irradiation

“…A weak peak at around 399 eV, which can be related to C-N bonds of contaminants [13], disappeared after 10 s of Ar + ion etching. The attribution of the small peaks in N 1s and Ti 2p spectra (397.0, 461.0 and 455.2 eV) is more difficult, but those are presumably associated with mixed compounds of TiO x and TiN x , i.e., TiO y N z .…”