Ion bombardment effects during deposition of nitride and metal films

Ion bombardment during physical vapour deposition of thin films, also called ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD), influences density, grain size, crystallographic orientation, morphology, topography and many other features of the films. The most important process parameters of IBAD are ion energy, ion:atom arrival ratio, average energy deposited per ion and angle of ion incidence. In the present review, with the example of nickel for metals and titanium nitride for nitride films, the influence of these parameters on structure, stress state, magnetic properties, hardness and microporosity will be described. The mechanisms which cause the property variations will be discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A.