DEPOSITION OF ALN FILMS ONTO FE-AL-MN ALLOYS BY REACTIVE RF MAGNETRON SPUTTERING

Aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films were deposited onto austenitic Fe-Al-Mn alloys by reactive r.f. magnetron sputtering with a mixture of argon and nitrogen. Various N2 contents and deposition times were employed to carry out the deposition. The deposition rate decreases as the N2 content is increased and the deposition thickness increases linearly with deposition time for a fixed N2 content. The structure, morphology and elemental distribution were analyzed using X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and electron probe microanalysis. The growth habits of AlN films are strongly dependent on the deposition rate. Transmission electron diffraction patterns reveal that a polycrystalline h.c.p. AlN structure is present.