Abstract
Cr 2O 3 films 1425 Å thick deposited by reactive r.f. magnetron sputtering onto polycrystalline tantalum substrates were annealed in ultrahigh vacuum between 670°C and 750°C. The temperature induced compositional changes were determined by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) sputter depth profiling without breaking the vacuum. In comparison with an unheated Cr 2O 3/Ta couple the annealing procedure leads to a homogeneous reduction of the oxygen content in the Cr 2O 3, film and an enrichment of chromium in the near-surface region. Based on the concentration depth profiles derived from the AES sputter profiles, the mechanism of oxide dissolution is discussed in detail. It is described by a first-order reaction for which the temperature dependent rate constants have been determined. For the respective activation energy a value of 5.3 eV was found.
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