Sputter-cleaned Epitaxial VxMo(1-x)Ny/MgO(001) Thin Films Analyzed by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy: 1. Single-crystal V0.48Mo0.52N0.64

Abstract

Epitaxial VxMo(1-x)Ny thin films grown by ultrahigh vacuum reactive magnetron sputter deposition on Mg(001) substrates are analyzed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). This contribution presents analytical results for 300-nm-thick single-crystal V0.48Mo0.52N0.64 films deposited by reactive cosputtering from V (99.95 % purity) and Mo (99.95 % purity) targets. Film growth is carried out at 900 °C in mixed Ar/N2 atmospheres at a total pressure of 5 mTorr, with a N2 partial pressure of 3.2 mTorr; a bias of −30 V is applied to the substrate. Films composition is determined by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). XPS measurements employ monochromatic Al Kα radiation (hν = 1486.6 eV) to analyze V0.48Mo0.52N0.64(001) surfaces sputter-cleaned in-situ with 4 keV Ar+ ions incident at an angle of 70° with respect to the surface normal. XPS results show that the ion-etched sample surfaces have no measurable oxygen or carbon contamination; film composition, obtained using XPS sensitivity factors, is V0.33Mo0.67N0.64. All core level peaks, including the nearby Mo 3p3/2 (binding energy of 394.0 eV) and N 1s (at 397.6 eV) peaks, are well-resolved.