69th Annual Gaseous Electronics Conference
Volume 61, Number 9
Monday–Friday, October 10–14, 2016;
Bochum, Germany
Session AM3: Pulsed High Power Plasmas for Synthesis of Nanostructured Thin Films
11:00 AM–4:45 PM,
Monday, October 10, 2016
Room: Room 3
Chair: Peter Awakowicz, Ruhr University
Abstract ID: BAPS.2016.GEC.AM3.4
Abstract: AM3.00004 : Synchronized metal-ion irradiation as a way to control growth of transition-metal nitride alloy films during hybrid HIPIMS/DCMS co-sputtering*
1:30 PM–2:00 PM
Preview Abstract
Abstract
Author:
Grzegorz Greczynski
(Link\"oping University)
High-power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) is particularly attractive
for growth of transition metal (TM) nitride alloys for two reasons: (i) the
high ionization degree of the sputtered metal flux, and (ii) the time
separation of metal- and gas-ion fluxes incident at the
substrate.$^{\mathrm{\thinspace }}$The former implies that ion fluxes
originating from elemental targets operated in HIPIMS are distinctly
different from those that are obtained during dc magnetron sputtering
(DCMS), which helps to separate the effects of HIPIMS and DCMS metal-ion
fluxes on film properties. The latter feature allows one to minimize
compressive stress due to gas-ion irradiation, by synchronizing the pulsed
substrate bias with the metal-rich-plasma portion of the HIPIMS pulse.
Here, we use pseudobinary TM nitride model systems TiAlN, TiSiN, TiTaN, and
TiAlTaN to carry out experiments in a hybrid configuration with one target
powered by HIPIMS, the other operated in DCMS mode.$^{\mathrm{\thinspace
}}$This allows us to probe the roles of intense
and
metal-ion fluxes ($n \quad =$ 1, 2) from HIPIMS-powered targets on film growth
kinetics, microstructure, and physical properties over a wide range of
M$_{\mathrm{1}}$M$_{\mathrm{2}}$N alloy compositions.
TiAlN and TiSiN mechanical properties are shown to be determined by the
average metal-ion momentum transfer per deposited atom.
Irradiation with lighter metal-ions (M$_{\mathrm{1}} \quad =$
Al$^{\mathrm{+}}$ or Si$^{\mathrm{+}}$ during
M$_{\mathrm{1}}$-HIPIMS/Ti-DCMS) yields fully-dense single-phase cubic
Ti$_{\mathrm{1-}}_{x}$(M$_{\mathrm{1}})_{x}$N films. In contrast, with
higher-mass film constituent ions such as Ti$^{\mathrm{+}}$,
easily exceeds the threshold for precipitation of second phase $w$-AlN or
Si$_{\mathrm{3}}$N$_{\mathrm{4}}$.
Based on the above results, a new PVD approach is proposed which relies on
the hybrid concept to grow dense, hard, and stress-free thin films with no
external heating. The primary targets, Ti and/or Al, operate in DCMS mode
providing a continuous flux of sputter-ejected metal atoms to sustain a high
deposition rate, while a high-mass target metal, Ta, is driven by HIPIMS to
serve as a pulsed source of energetic heavy-metal ions to densify the dilute
TiTaN and/or TiAlTaN alloys. No external heating is used and the substrate
temperature does not exceed 120 \textdegree C. This development allows for
widening the application range of hard TM nitride coatings to new classes of
technologically-relevant temperature-sensitive substrates, such as
components made by plastics, glasses, aluminum alloys, and tempered steels.
*Author wants to acknowledge the financial support from VINN Excellence Center Functional Nanoscale Materials (FunMat) Grant 2005 02666
To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2016.GEC.AM3.4