ISSN:
1089-7550
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
Single-crystal TiN(111) layers, 45 nm thick, were grown on MgO(111) by ultrahigh vacuum reactive magnetron sputter deposition in pure N2 discharges at Ts=700 °C. Epitaxial Al(111) overlayers, 160 nm thick, were then deposited at Ts=100 °C in Ar without breaking vacuum. Interfacial reactions and changes in bilayer microstructure due to annealing at 620 and 650 °C were investigated using x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The interfacial regions of samples annealed at 620 °C consist of continuous (similar, equals)7-nm-thick epitaxial wurtzite-structure AlN(0001) layers containing a high density of stacking faults, with (similar, equals)22 nm thick tetragonal Al3Ti(112) overlayers. Surprisingly, samples annealed at the higher temperature are more stable against Al3Ti formation. TEM analyses of bilayers annealed at 650 °C (10 °C below the Al melting point!) reveal only the self-limited growth of an (similar, equals)3-nm-thick interfacial layer of perfect smooth epitaxial wurtzite-structure AlN(0001) which serves as an extremely effective deterrent for preventing further interlayer reactions. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1372162
