Hetero-epitaxial growth of TiC films on MgO(001) at 100 degrees C by DC reactive magnetron sputtering

摘要

Hetero-epitaxial TiC thin films were deposited at 100 degrees C on MgO(001) by DC reactive magnetron sputtering in a mixture of Ar and CH4. The 62 nm thick films were analyzed for elemental composition and chemical bonding by Auger electron spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The crystallographic structure investigation by high resolution X-ray diffraction revealed that the films consist of two layers: an interface partially strained epilayer with high crystalline quality, and a relaxed layer, formed by columnar grains, maintaining the epitaxial relationship with the substrate.