Deposition of single-crystal Ti{sub 2}AlN thin films by reactive magnetron sputtering from a 2Ti:Al compound target

Journal Article · Mon Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 2007 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2785958· OSTI ID:21062146

Joelsson, T; Flink, A; Birch, J; Hultman, L ^[1]

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1. Thin Film Physics Division, Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (IFM), Linkoeping University, S-581 83 Linkoeping (Sweden)

Single-crystal Ti{sub 2}AlN (0001) thin films were grown on (111) oriented MgO substrates kept at 830 deg. C by ultrahigh vacuum dc reactive magnetron sputtering from a compound 2Ti:Al target in a mixed Ar/N{sub 2} discharge. The effects of variations in the nitrogen partial pressure on the phase composition of the films were studied. Results from transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and elastic recoil detection analysis show a narrow region for growth of Ti{sub 2}AlN MAX phase with respect to the nitrogen content in the discharge. Perovskite Ti{sub 3}AlN and intermetallic Ti{sub 3}Al and TiAl phases dominate at nitrogen depletion. For overstoichiometric deposition conditions with respect to Ti{sub 2}AlN, a phase mixture with NaCl-structured TiN is obtained. Epitaxial growth is observed with a layer-by-layer mode on the 0001 basal planes for all phases. A superstructure in the TiN phase is also observed along [111] with the repetition distance of 7.34 A ring , most likely related to Al segregation. Nanoindentation shows that the film hardness increases from 11 to 27 GPa with increasing nitrogen content and corresponding phase transformations from Ti-Al intermetallics to Ti{sub 3}AlN, Ti{sub 2}AlN, and TiN.

• OSTI ID: 21062146
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 102; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ALUMINIUM NITRIDES
CRYSTAL GROWTH
DEPOSITION
EPITAXY
HARDNESS
INTERMETALLIC COMPOUNDS
MAGNESIUM OXIDES
MONOCRYSTALS
NITROGEN
PARTIAL PRESSURE
PEROVSKITE
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PRESSURE RANGE GIGA PA
SODIUM CHLORIDES
SPUTTERING
THIN FILMS
TITANIUM NITRIDES
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
X-RAY DIFFRACTION