Synthesis of TiN/a-Si₃N₄thin film by using a Mather type dense plasma focus system

Abstract

A 2.3 kJ Mather type pulsed plasma focus device was used for the synthesis of a TiN/a-Si3N4 thin film at room temperature. The film was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The XRD pattern confirms the growth of polycrystalline TiN thin film. The XPS results indicate that the synthesized film is non-stoichiometric and contains titanium nitride, silicon nitride, and a phase of silicon oxy-nitride. The SEM and AFM results reveal that the surface of the synthesized film is quite smooth with 0.59 nm roughness (root-mean-square).

Structural, Morphological and Mechanical Characterisation of Molybdenum Nitride Thin Films Deposited by a Plasma Focus Device

“…The fundamental processes in the PF device during thin-film deposition are described as follows. 45 Collision of high-energy ions with the sample leads to cleaning, etching and abrupt heating of the Fig. 9 Current signal of a typical plasma focus discharge.…”

Effect of deposition parameters on structural and mechanical properties of niobium nitride synthesized by plasma focus device

“…[31] The main processes occurring in DPF during the sample processing are described as follows. [41] (i) Accelerated ions strike the sample resulting in high thermal gradients due to sufficient energy transfer. Consequently, abrupt heating followed by rapid cooling effects are 065204-2 generated in the sample surface.…”

“…It has been reported that the ion irradiation process in the plasma focus device is similar to transient thermal annealing and causes re-arrangement of atoms in the surface layer, resulting in the formation of nanoparticles. [41] As the bunching of nanoparticles is energetically favored, therefore it can be assumed that high surface energy and bond interactions among multiple phases of nanocomposite causes the gathering of primary nucleates into spherical agglomerates. [53] It can be seen that no such definite coagulation pattern is observed for the sample placed at 13 cm [Fig.…”

Synthesis of ZrSiN composite films using a plasma focus device

“…[15][16][17][18] The relativistic electrons are also used to ablate the material (placed at the anode tip) which reacts with the nitrogen plasma and to sputter the substrate material to form composite films. Films deposited by this device show superior surface qualities including good adhesion to the substrate surface and grain growth of different compounds through nucleation by successive focus shots at ambient temperature [19] and short nitriding time duration.…”