Ti(Si)N coatings were deposited on Si wafers via magnetron sputtering physical vapor deposition technique. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were used to study the morphologies, grain size, and thicknesses of the different films. X-ray diffraction confirmed the formation of the titanium nitride cubic phase. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to study the silicon and oxygen levels in the films, and high resolution XPS was used to determine the surface oxide to nitride ratios as well as the silicon–nitrogen environment. The hardness of these films was then determined with nanoindentation. It was shown that grain size and film density could be controlled by the Si level and the ion bombardment to eliminate the oxygen level in the nitride coatings, which led to the harder films. It was suggested that due to the miscibility of Si, a ternary TiSiN solid solution was formed. Stronger (200) orientation of the TiN B1-NaCl crystals was associated with increased hardness of the coatings. This crystalline structure was preserved after incorporating Si.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
September 2023
Research Article|
July 27 2023
Characterizing the composition, structure, and mechanical properties of magnetron sputtering physical vapor deposition TiN and TiSiN coatings
Special Collection:
Functional Coatings
Gilad Zorn
;
Gilad Zorn
a)
(Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing)
1
GE Research, One Research Circle
, Niskayuna, New York 12309
Search for other works by this author on:
Joshua Salisbury;
Joshua Salisbury
(Methodology, Writing – review & editing)
1
GE Research, One Research Circle
, Niskayuna, New York 12309
Search for other works by this author on:
Jae-Hyuk Her
;
Jae-Hyuk Her
(Formal analysis, Writing – review & editing)
1
GE Research, One Research Circle
, Niskayuna, New York 12309
Search for other works by this author on:
Rachel Rose;
Rachel Rose
(Formal analysis)
1
GE Research, One Research Circle
, Niskayuna, New York 12309
Search for other works by this author on:
Patrick Shower
Patrick Shower
(Project administration, Writing – review & editing)
1
GE Research, One Research Circle
, Niskayuna, New York 12309
Search for other works by this author on:
a)
Electronic mail: zorn@ge.com
J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 41, 053106 (2023)
Article history
Received:
May 02 2023
Accepted:
June 29 2023
Citation
Gilad Zorn, Joshua Salisbury, Jae-Hyuk Her, Rachel Rose, Patrick Shower; Characterizing the composition, structure, and mechanical properties of magnetron sputtering physical vapor deposition TiN and TiSiN coatings. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 1 September 2023; 41 (5): 053106. https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0002805
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionPay-Per-View Access
$40.00