Regensburg 2004 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Downloads | Help

DS: Dünne Schichten

DS 14: Schichtwachstum

DS 14.5: Talk

Wednesday, March 10, 2004, 15:30–15:45, HS 32

Structural evolution in chromium nitride thin films: A comparison with structure-zone models — •Yvonne Gerbig¹, Corinne Nouveau², and Henry Haefke¹ — ¹CSEM Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology Inc, Rue Jaquet-Droz 1, CH-2007 Neuchatel, Switzerland — ²Ecole Nationale Superieure d’Arts et Metiers, LA.Bo.MA.P, F-71250 Cluny, FranceCluny

The correlation between micro/nanostructure of thin films and their deposition conditions is scientifically interesting as well as technologically relevant for the engineering of functional surfaces. In the last decades, several structure-zone models (SZMs) have been developed for thin films grown by pvd techniques to improve the under-standing of the deposition-structure relationship.

The well-known SZMs of Movchan & Demchishin, Thornton and Messier consider only a few selected deposition parameters. Recently, Kelly has created a SZM using more universal energy related parameters. However, all these SZMs were developed for metal thin films and their extension to other materials, e.g. ceramic thin films, is not clear.

In this study the validity of various SZMs were evaluated for CrN thin films synthesized through reactive sputtering by varying the most important deposition parameters. By applying the thickness gradient technique, the structural and morphological evolution of CrN thin films was examined using SEM, AFM and XRD. The observed microstructures and topographical features are discussed and classified as a function of deposition parameters in a new SZM based on the approaches of Thornton, Messier and Kelly.