Control of composition and structure for molybdenum nitride films synthesized using ion beam assisted deposition

Abstract

The purpose of the research described in this article was to synthesize molybdenum nitride films with well-defined structures and stoichiometries using ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). Approximately 400 nm thick films were prepared by the evaporative deposition of molybdenum while simultaneously bombarding the growing film with low energy (250–1000 eV) nitrogen ions. The effects of ion-to-atom arrival rate ratio, ion angle of incidence, and ion energy on the film composition and phase constituents were examined. The film nitrogen to molybdenum stoichiometry increased linearly with increasing arrival rate ratio irrespective of the ion energy and varied significantly with changes in the ion angle of incidence. The latter was interpreted based on sputtering and reflection effects. The phase constituents were functions of all of the deposition parameters investigated. We propose that a single parameter, the effective energy density per deposited atom, can account for the effects of ion energy, mass, and angle of incidence. The effective energy density is approximately the ion energy divided by the ion range. The range incorporates the effects of ion mass and angle of incidence, as well as the energy. For low energy ions the energy density per depositing atom is proportional to E1/2, a dependence that it shares with other models that have been developed to account for phase formation during IBAD. The advantage of the energy density treatment is that it has a more obvious influence on the temperature in the growth zone, a factor controlling phase formation.