Effect of Ion Energy on the Microstructure and Properties of Titanium Nitride Thin Films Deposited by High Power Pulsed Magnetron Sputtering

Donglin Ma,Huaiyuan Liu,Qiaoyuan Deng,Yongxiang Leng

doi:10.3390/coatings11050579

Donglin Ma, Huaiyuan Liu + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11050579

Copy DOI

Journal: Coatings	Publication Date: May 17, 2021
Citations: 5	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Southwest Jiaotong University

Abstract

Titanium nitride (Ti-N) thin films are electrically and thermally conductive and have high hardness and corrosion resistance. Dense and defect-free Ti-N thin films have been widely used in the surface modification of cutting tools, wear resistance components, medical implantation devices, and microelectronics. In this study, Ti-N thin films were deposited by high power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HPPMS) and their plasma characteristics were analyzed. The ion energy of Ti species was varied by adjusting the substrate bias voltage, and its effect on the microstructure, residual stress, and adhesion of the thin films were studied. The results show that after the introduction of nitrogen gas, a Ti-N compound layer was formed on the surface of the Ti target, which resulted in an increase in the Ti target discharge peak power. In addition, the total flux of the Ti species decreased, and the ratio of the Ti ions increased. The Ti-N thin film deposited by HPPMS was dense and defect-free. When the energy of the Ti ions was increased, the grain size and surface roughness of the Ti-N film decreased, the residual stress increased, and the adhesion strength of the Ti-N thin film decreased.

Highlights

Titanium nitride (Ti-N) thin films are widely used in the surface modification of cutting tools, wear resistance components, and medical implantation devices owing to their advantages of high hardness, electrical and thermal conductivity, and corrosion resistance [1]
A study by Elmkhah et al demonstrated that the Ti-N thin film deposited by high power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HPPMS) had a dense and defect-free structure and better corrosion resistance than that of the thin film deposited by Direct current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) [8]
The ion energy was varied by applying different substrate bias voltages, and the effect of the Ti ion energy on the microstructure, residual stress, and adhesion of the Ti-N thin film deposited by HPPMS was studied

Summary

Introduction

Titanium nitride (Ti-N) thin films are widely used in the surface modification of cutting tools, wear resistance components, and medical implantation devices owing to their advantages of high hardness, electrical and thermal conductivity, and corrosion resistance [1]. High power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HPPMS) has been employed to deposit dense and defect-free Ti-N thin films [3] or as an additional tool to manipulate the ionization degree in the plasma during Ti-N thin films deposited by DCMS [4]. It offers high power density at a low duty cycle [5] resulting in unique plasma characteristics, such as high sputtering species ionization degree and ion energy [6], which are beneficial for the deposition of dense and defect-free TiN thin films for the surface modification of wear- and corrosion-resistant components [7]. The ion energy was varied by applying different substrate bias voltages, and the effect of the Ti ion energy on the microstructure, residual stress, and adhesion of the Ti-N thin film deposited by HPPMS was studied

Experimental

Target Discharge and Plasma Characteristics

Conclusions