Structural analysis of NbN thin films grown through rf magnetron sputtering

Abstract

In this work NbN thin films have been grown through rf magnetron sputtering technique from an 8-NbN (99.99%) target. In particular, we have studied the influence of the additional N2 flux in the preparation chamber on crystallization and microstructure of the deposited films. The films have been characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD) in 0-20 configuration and at a grazing angle, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). XRD results show that the films grown at different fluxes of N2 have high textured coefficients along the [200] direction. SEM results indicate the films have columnar growth with high homogeneity and an average thickness of 0.7 μm. TEM results reveal that the films have grown from crystalline nanoparticles of NbN with high texture along the (200) plane.