Preferential orientation of titanium carbide films deposited by a filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique

Titanium carbide films with a thickness of approximately 100-nm were deposited on Si(100) substrates by a filtered cathodic vacuum are technique. The composition and microstructure of the films were assessed by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and atomic force microscopy. A negative bias voltage (V-S =0 similar to - 1000 V) was applied to the substrate during deposition, and the influence of V-S, on the crystalline orientation of the as-deposited films was investigated. It was found that the crystallites are randomly oriented in the film deposited at V-S = 0 V. In the bias voltage range of V-S = - 40 similar to - 500 V, the titanium carbide films exhibited a (111) preferential orientation. When V-S was increased to - 1000 V, however, the film was (100) preferentially oriented. The compressive internal stress, determined by the radius of curvature technique, in the titanium carbide films exhibited a minimum value at approximately V-S = - 80 similar to - 120 V. The (111) preferential orientation can be explained by minimization of elastic energy storage in the films; while the (100) preferential orientation in the film deposited at Ys = - 1000 V is due to the sputter channeling effect, because the (100) direction in the TiC lattice shows the most open channeling direction and therefore the lowest sputtering yield. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.