Abstract:
Titatium chromium nitride (TiCrN) thin films were deposited on glass slide and Si by
reactive dc magnetron co-sputtering method with different N2 gas flow rates ranging from 2 sccm
to 6 sccm, and titanium sputtering current ranging from 300 mA to 900 mA. The as-deposited
films were characterized by XRD, AFM, EDS and FE-SEM. The results showed that the structure
of the as-deposited films varied with the N2 gas flow rates and titanium sputtering current. (1) In
case of varied N2 gas flow rate, the as-deposited films were composed of titanium chromium
nitride with (111), (200) and (220) planes. When the N2 gas flow rate increased, it was found that
the lattice constant was in range of 4.1640 Å - 4.1656 Å, while the crystal size increased from
33.5 nm to 59.8 nm, while the films thickness decreased from 767 nm to 483 nm. The elemental
composition of the as-deposited films varied with the N2 flow rate and (2) In case of varied
titanium sputtering current, the as-deposited films were composed of titanium chromium nitride
with (111), (200) and (220) planes. The films structure and elemental composition varied with the
Ti current. When the Ti current increased, it was found that the lattice constant increased from
4.1394 Å to 4.1618 Å, while the crystal size decreased from 39.9 nm to 33.5 nm, while the films
thickness increased from 397 nm to 615 nm. The elemental composition of the as-deposited films
varied with the Ti current.