Physical and chemical properties of sputter-deposited TaCxN y films

S. M. Aouadi, Y. Zhang, P. Basnyat, S. Stadler, P. Filip, M. Williams, J. N. Hilfiker, N. Singh, J. A. Woollam

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

The structural, electronic, optical, and mechanical properties of stoichiometric TaCxNy ≤ 1-x were simulated using an ab initio calculation based on density functional theory (DFT) within the generalized gradient approximation. The calculations revealed the theoretical lattice parameter, density of states, refractive index, and elastic constants as a function of carbon and nitrogen content. TaCxNy films were subsequently produced on Si wafers using unbalanced magnetron sputtering. The structural, optical, and mechanical properties were measured using x-ray diffraction/transmission electron microscopy, vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopic ellipsometry, and nanoindentation, respectively. The computational and experimental properties were compared. The lattice parameter, the energy of the 2p bands in the density of states, and the energy of the interband transitions were found to decrease with increasing C content. No significant changes in the elastic constants were observed as a result of substituting N atoms with C atoms. The hardness and the elastic modulus were in the 40 and 380 GPa range, respectively. The experimental Young's modulus was much smaller than the computational one and this discrepancy was attributed to the nanocrystalline nature of the films. Also, the elastic constants were found to decrease dramatically for over-stoichiometric films.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1977-1986
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Physics Condensed Matter
Volume18
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 15 2006
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics

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