Ta–Zr–N Thin Films Fabricated through HIPIMS/RFMS Co-Sputtering

Abstract

Ta-Zr-N thin films were fabricated through co-deposition of radio-frequency magnetron sputtering and high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS/RFMS co-sputtering). The oxidation resistance of the fabricated films was evaluated by annealing the samples in a 15-ppm O 2 -N 2 atmosphere at 600 • C for 4 and 8 h. The mechanical properties and surface roughness of the as-deposited and annealed thin films were evaluated. The results indicated that the HIPIMS/RFMS co-sputtered Ta-Zr-N thin films exhibited superior mechanical properties and lower surface roughness than did the conventional direct current-sputtered Ta-Zr-N thin films and HIPIMS-fabricated ZrN x thin films in both the as-deposited and annealed states.

Mechanical Properties of Zr–Si–N Films Fabricated through HiPIMS/RFMS Co-Sputtering

“…Both Batches I and II samples exhibited an atomic ratio N/(Zr + Si) of 0.41-0.89, which is under the stoichiometric ratio of 1.0 for ZrN. In a previous study [22], Ta-Zr-N films fabricated by the same HiPIMS/RFMS co-sputtering also exhibited an under-stoichiometric N/(Ta + Zr) ratio of 0.40-0.68. In another previous work [23], ZrN x films prepared using HiPIMS system exhibited an under-stoichiometric N/Zr ratio of 0.65-0.78.…”

“…Therefore, exploring the mechanical performance of low-Si-content Zr-Si-N films fabricated by HiPIMS is essential for extending potential practical applications. Because the HiPIMS process resulted in low deposition rates [18], hybrid HiPIMS/DCMS [21] and HiPIMS/RFMS (radio-frequency magnetron sputtering) [22] were utilized to raise the deposition rate. In a previous study [23], the ZrN x films prepared using HiPIMS system exhibited a nanoindentation hardness level of [26][27] GPa.…”

Comparison of properties of multilayer film sputtered on glass and polypropylene substrates with angular DC magnetron Co-sputtering system

“…Magnetron sputtering is a physical vapor deposition process [ 1 , 2 ] widely used in various target-substrate configurations, typically categorized as planar and angular systems. In planar systems [ 3 , 4 ], the target surface is arranged parallel to the substrate surface, either horizontally or vertically, while angular systems [ 5 , 6 ] employ a tilted target surface-configured target substrate, oriented in a top-down [ 7 ] or bottom-up [ 8 , 9 ] vertical direction. In both laboratory and industrial applications, planar and angular systems often utilize multiple cooperative magnetron targets, each equipped with two or more magnetron guns, to produce multilayer thin films.…”

Mechanical Properties and Diffusion Barrier Performance of CrWN Coatings Fabricated through Hybrid HiPIMS/RFMS

“…Therefore, HiPIMS helps to produce coatings with a dense structure and high hardness [43,44]. Moreover, a hybrid HiPIMS/radio-frequency magnetron sputtering (RFMS) process has been previously employed to simultaneously improve the deposition rate and coating quality [45,46]. In this paper, CrWN films were prepared by hybrid HiP-IMS/RFMS, the Cu/CrWN/Cr/Si structures were annealed in a vacuum (7 × 10 −4 Pa) at elevated temperatures for 1 h, and the thermal stability and diffusion barrier characteristics of the CrWN barriers were studied.…”