The nucleation and growth of thin films on MgO(111) substrates during dual direct current reactive magnetron cosputtering from Ti and Al targets in an atmosphere at a substrate temperature of have been investigated. Time and thickness dependent in situ specular x-ray reflectivity and x-ray diffraction in combination with cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy reveal the formation of competing phases for slight N superstoichiometry with respect to . The stoichiometry deviations initiate the layer-by-layer growth of a thick epitaxial N-substoichiometric cubic layer. N-vacancy driven diffusion of Ti and Al leads to decomposition of this metastable solid solution into nanosized cubic and domains as well as to a solid-state reaction with the MgO(111) by formation of a spinel, reducing the transformed layer thickness down to . Local domains serve as templates for nucleation at higher thicknesses. At the same time and serve as a sink for excess gas phase N during the subsequent polycrystalline growth with random renucleation as a tissue phase along grain boundaries. The individual grains with vertical sizes up to the total thickness retain local epitaxy to the substrate, with basal planes nonparallel to the substrate interface. Concurrently the layer is further reduced by inward grain growth along the basal planes.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
1 October 2007
Research Article|
October 11 2007
Nucleation and growth of thin films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering onto MgO(111)
M. Beckers;
M. Beckers
a)
Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research,
Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (FZD)
, P.O. Box 510119, 01314 Dresden, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
N. Schell;
N. Schell
Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research,
Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (FZD)
, P.O. Box 510119, 01314 Dresden, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
R. M. S. Martins;
R. M. S. Martins
Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research,
Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (FZD)
, P.O. Box 510119, 01314 Dresden, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
A. Mücklich;
A. Mücklich
Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research,
Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (FZD)
, P.O. Box 510119, 01314 Dresden, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
W. Möller;
W. Möller
Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research,
Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (FZD)
, P.O. Box 510119, 01314 Dresden, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
L. Hultman
L. Hultman
Thin Film Physics Division, Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (IFM),
Linköping University
, Linköping SE-581 83, Sweden
Search for other works by this author on:
a)
Electronic mail: [email protected]
J. Appl. Phys. 102, 074916 (2007)
Article history
Received:
May 23 2007
Accepted:
August 13 2007
Citation
M. Beckers, N. Schell, R. M. S. Martins, A. Mücklich, W. Möller, L. Hultman; Nucleation and growth of thin films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering onto MgO(111). J. Appl. Phys. 1 October 2007; 102 (7): 074916. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2786871
Download citation file:
Pay-Per-View Access
$40.00
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Citing articles via
A step-by-step guide to perform x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
Grzegorz Greczynski, Lars Hultman
Piezoelectric thin films and their applications in MEMS: A review
Jinpeng Liu, Hua Tan, et al.
Tutorial: Simulating modern magnetic material systems in mumax3
Jonas J. Joos, Pedram Bassirian, et al.
Related Content
Microstructure and nonbasal-plane growth of epitaxial Ti 2 Al N thin films
J. Appl. Phys. (February 2006)
Optical function evolution of ion-assisted ZrN films deposited by sputtering
J. Appl. Phys. (October 2010)
Influence of nitrogen vacancies on the decomposition route and age hardening of wurtzite Ti1−xAlxNy thin films
J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A (November 2023)
The influence of substrate temperature and Al mobility on the microstructural evolution of magnetron sputtered ternary Ti–Al–N thin films
J. Appl. Phys. (September 2009)
Low-temperature formation of Ti2AlN during post-deposition annealing of reactive multilayer systems
J. Appl. Phys. (September 2024)