Synthesis and Characterization of TiN Thin Films by DC Reactive Magnetron Sputtering

Abstract

In this work, the titanium nitride (TiN) thin films were prepared on Si-wafers by using the DC reactive magnetron sputtering from a pure titanium target. The influence of N2 flow rates, in the range of 1.0-4.0 sccm, on the as-deposited TiN film’s structure was characterized by several techniques. (i) The crystal structures were studied by GI-XRD. (ii) The film’s thicknesses, microstructures, and surface morphologies were analyzed by FE-SEM. (iii) The elemental composition of films was measured by EDS. (iv) The hardness was measured by the nano-indentation. (v) The color was identified by a UV-VIS spectrophotometer. The results showed that the as-deposited films were polycrystalline of B1-NaCl structure. The lattice constants were ranging from 4.211-4.239 Å. The as-deposited films showed a nano crystal size in the range of 17.8-24.6 nm. The thickness decreases from 1254 nm to 790 nm with following in the N2 flow rates. The concentration of Ti and N depended on the N2 flow rates. The cross-sectional analysis showed that the films had a compact-columnar structure. The hardness increased from 4 to 19 GPa with increasing in the N2 flow rates. The close to the color of 24K gold thin films in the CIE L*a*b* system was obtained by deposition in optimal N2 flow rates.