Structural and mechanical properties of sputtered cubic and hexagonal NbNx thin films

被引:103
作者
Benkahoul, M [1 ]
Martinez, E [1 ]
Karimi, A [1 ]
Sanjinés, R [1 ]
Lévy, F [1 ]
机构
[1] Ecole Polytech Fed Lausanne, Inst Phys Complex Matter, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
关键词
NbN; crystalline structure; morphology; hardness; Young modulus;
D O I
10.1016/j.surfcoat.2003.10.040
中图分类号
TB3 [工程材料学];
学科分类号
0805 ; 080502 ;
摘要
Niobium nitride NbNx films with 0.61 less than or equal to x less than or equal to 1.06 were prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering of a Nb metal target in an Ar/N-2 atmosphere at a total pressure of 0.4 Pa. Different nitrogen partial pressures P-N2 and substrate temperatures T-s were used. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, electron probe microanalysis, scanning electron microscopy and nano-indentation measurements. The films deposited without substrate heating contain a pure cubic delta-NbN phase for 0.61 less than or equal to x < 0.98. While, for 0.98 less than or equal to x less than or equal to 1.06, they include a mixture of hexagonal NbN and cubic delta-NbN phases. The hardness variation correlates with changes in grain size and film morphology. Compact poorly crystallized films exhibit high nanohardness values of approximately 32 GPa. For films deposited at various P-N2 with heating the substrate to 400 degreesC, the crystalline structure was mixed (delta'-NbN + delta-NbN) phases. The concentration of the hexagonal delta'-NbN phase in the film changes with x. The hardness and the Young modulus follow the variation of the concentration of the hexagonal delta'-NbN phase. The films with high concentration of the hexagonal delta' phase exhibit high hardness and Young modulus. It appears that the hardness of the hexagonal delta'-NbN phase is 40 GPa, whereas the hardness of the cubic delta-NbN phase is 25 GPa. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
引用
收藏
页码:178 / 183
页数:6
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