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Influence of substrate temperature and N 2 /Ar flow ratio on the stoichiometry, structure and hardness of TaNx coatings deposited by DC reactive sputtering
Author(s) -
Valdez K.,
EspinosaArbeláez D. G.,
GarcíaHerrera J. E.,
MuñozSaldaña J.,
Farias M. H.,
De la Cruz W.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
surface and interface analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.52
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1096-9918
pISSN - 0142-2421
DOI - 10.1002/sia.5808
Subject(s) - stoichiometry , analytical chemistry (journal) , nanoindentation , materials science , auger electron spectroscopy , sputtering , scanning electron microscope , substrate (aquarium) , thin film , chemistry , metallurgy , composite material , nanotechnology , physics , oceanography , chromatography , geology , nuclear physics , organic chemistry
The effect of substrate temperature and N2/Ar flow ratio on the stoichiometry, structure and hardness of TaN x coatings prepared on (111) Si substrates by DC reactive sputtering was investigated. For the structural, chemical and morphological analysis, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Auger electron scanning and atomic force microscopy were respectively used. Hardness values of thin films were determined using the work of indentation model from nanoindentation measurements. TaN stoichiometric coatings were obtained for samples deposited at room temperature. The stoichiometric TaN phase was not obtained by increasing the temperature up to 773 K, even when increasing the N 2 /Ar flow ratio. Even when a saturation in nitrogen content was achieved, nitrogen vacancies are still present in those samples. For coatings prepared at 773 K and low N 2 /Ar flow ratio, a phase mixture between TaN x and cubic α‐Ta was observed, while a cubic structure δ‐TaN was formed by increasing the N 2 /Ar flow ratio. A maximum in hardness and (38 GPa) was obtained for the sample deposited at 773 K and a N 2 /Ar flow ratio of 0.2, which presented a δ‐TaN cubic crystalline structure and a roughness value of 1.6 nm. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.