The influence of the substrate potential with respect to the plasma on the
morphology of reactively sputtered TiN thin films on Si(100) has been inves
tigated. It is well known that the film quality with respect to grain size
and distribution can be improved by applying a negative substrate bias to i
ncrease energetic ion bombardment. For large-area applications, however, a
grounded substrate is very much desirable. Therefore, a technique has been
developed to deposit films with comparably improved morphology on grounded
substrates by means of a so-called "plasma electrode." Grain size and distr
ibution have been analyzed by top- and side-view scanning electron microsco
py. To adjust the parameters for the TiN deposition we have used in situ ph
otoelectron spectroscopy as the process control. (C) 1999 American Institut
e of Physics. [S0021-8979(99)01518-2].