Deposition of TiN Films onto Glaze of Porcelain by Reactive Sputtering

Abstract

In an attempt to develop a new method for decorating porcelain, TiN films were deposited onto the glaze of porcelain by reactive DC magnetron sputtering of Ti in NH3 discharge gas. For comparison with the glaze, effects of other substrates such as Si, Ti, Al2O3, ZrO2, and MgO on the formation of TiN films were examined. A pleasing gold-like appearance was obtained under the following sputtering conditions; pressure of 0.007 Torr, discharge power below 40W and substrate temperature above 300°C. At higher pressures, higher discharge powers, or lower substrate temperatures, the hue of TiN films changed gradually to reddish gold and then dark red. The degradation in color is ascribed to the increasing oxygen contamination as well as the deviation of the nitrogen content from the stoichiometry. XPS analysis revealed the existence of a considerable amount of O-H bonds in the film when the substrate temperature was below 200°C. In the case of oxide substrates such as glaze, gray diffusion layers with a thickness less than 100nm were formed between TiN films and the substrates. The layers contained more Ti-O bonds and less nitrogen than those on Si or Ti substrate. TiN films with a similar hue and reflection to gold over-glaze were obtained on the glaze with surface roughness of 0.25μm.