Microstructure and Kinetics of the Interface Reaction Between Titanium Thin Films and (112) Sapphire Substrates

Abstract

AbstractWe studied the reactivity of titanium with the R-plane (112) surface of sapphire by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and Rutherford backscattering (RBS) techniques. Cross-section TEM specimens were prepared from 200–400 nm thick titanium films deposited on sapphire at 25, 525, 554, 562, 580, 630, and 663°C to observe the interfacial region. In samples deposited at 25°C, without further annealing, no reaction zone could be seen in the TEM. In all other samples titanium reduced the sapphire to form Ti0 6 7[O0 3 3] and Ti3Al[O], Ti and Ti3Al with oxygen in solid solution. An activation energy of 24.7 ± 6 kcal/deg-mole was determined for the growth of the Ti3Al[O] layer. Layer thickness measurements from the TEM and RBS studies were within 10–20% of one another.