EELS characterization of TiN grown by the DC sputtering technique

Titanium nitride thin films were deposited on monocrystalline silicon (mc-S i) substrates by direct current reactive magnetron sputtering. Auger electr on spectra (AES) of deposited films at different nitrogen partial pressures , show the typical N KL23L23 and Ti L3M23M23 Auger transition overlapping. Also, changes in the Ti L3M23M45 Auger transition peak are observed. X-ray diffraction and high resolution electron microscopy (HRTEM) of a golden col or TiN/mc-Si sample, reveal a preferential polycrystalline columnar growth in the [111] orientation. This sample was also analyzed by electron energy- loss spectroscopy (EELS). The N/Ti elemental ratio is slightly different to the value determined by AES. Atomic distribution around the N atoms is in agreement with that expected from the N atom in the fee unit cell of TiN. T his distribution was obtained via an extended energy-loss fine structure (E XELFS) analysis from EELS spectra. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All right s reserved.