Journal article
Growth of thin films of TiN on MgO(100) monitored by high-pressure RHEED
Thermo Ceramics, Fuel Cells and Solid State Chemistry Division, Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Technical University of Denmark1
Fuel Cells and Solid State Chemistry Division, Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Technical University of Denmark2
Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Technical University of Denmark3
Technical University of Denmark4
Electroceramics, Fuel Cells and Solid State Chemistry Division, Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Technical University of Denmark5
Optical Microsensors and Micromaterials, Department of Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark6
Department of Photonics Engineering, Technical University of Denmark7
Reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) operated at high pressure has been used to monitor the initial growth of titanium nitride (TiN) thin films on single-crystal (100) MgO substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). This is the first RHEED study where the growth of TiN films is produced by PLD directly from a TiN target.
At the initial stage of the growth (average thickness similar to 2.4 nm) the formation of islands is observed. During the continuous growth the islands merge into a smooth surface as indicated by the RHEED, atomic force microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. These observations are in good agreement with the three-dimensional Volmer-Weber growth type, by which three-dimensional crystallites are formed and later cause a continuous surface roughening.
This leads to an exponential decrease in the intensity of the specular spot in the RHEED pattern as well.
| Language: | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Springer-Verlag |
| Year: | 2008 |
| Pages: | 705-710 |
| Journal subtitle: | Materials Science and Processing |
| ISSN: | 14320630 and 09478396 |
| Types: | Journal article |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s00339-008-4700-2 |
| ORCIDs: | Pryds, Nini and Schou, Jørgen |
