Morphological analysis of TiB{sub 2} thin film prepared by rf magnetron sputtering
- State Key Laboratory of Material Processing and Die and Mold Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China)
Superhard TiB{sub 2} thin films were deposited on steel substrates using the radio-frequency magnetron-sputtering technique with a low normalized substrate temperature (0.1<T{sub s}/T{sub m}<0.2). The microstructure of these films was observed by a field-emission scanning-electron microscope (FESEM) and grazing-incidence x-ray diffraction (GIXRD), while the composition of films was obtained using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). It was found that the TiB{sub 2} thin films were overstoichiometric and that the diffusion of Ti and B atoms on the substrate surface was greatly improved at a temperature of 350 deg. C. Moreover, a new dense structure, named the 'equiaxed' grain structure, was observed by FESEM at this substrate temperature. GIXRD was carried out at different directions with same the grazing-incidence method and the variation of diffraction intensity of the nonrandom textured grains was confirmed. Combined with FESEM and AES analysis, it is suggested that the equiaxed grain structure was located in zone 2 at the normalized substrate temperature as low as 0.18.
- OSTI ID:
- 21192379
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. A, International Journal Devoted to Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films, Vol. 26, Issue 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1116/1.2943642; (c) 2008 American Vacuum Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1553-1813
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
AUGER ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
FIELD EMISSION
GRAZING
HARDNESS
MAGNETRONS
MICROSTRUCTURE
MORPHOLOGY
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
SPUTTERING
STEELS
STOICHIOMETRY
SUBSTRATES
SURFACE COATING
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0400-1000 K
THIN FILMS
TITANIUM BORIDES
X-RAY DIFFRACTION