PREPARATION OF POLYCRYSTALLINE TI-AL-O FILMS BY MAGNETRON SPUTTERING ION PLATING - CONSTITUTION, STRUCTURE AND MORPHOLOGY

Ti-Al-O layers were deposited on Si-<100> wafers at 500 degrees C by m eans of reactive magnetron sputtering ion plating (R-MSIP). An Al-targ et was sputtered rf-mode and a Ti-tar get in dc-mode simultaneously by an oxygen/argon plasma. The influence of the Al- and Ti-sputter power s on composition, structure, and morphology of the Ti-Al-O layers and the binding states of the components were investigated. The analysis w ith EPMA. XPS, AES and TEM yielded the following results: Ti-Al-O coat ings with different Ti, Al, and O contents in the range of TiO2 to Al2 O3 were grown. TEM structure analysis revealed: the pure TiO2 film con sisted of the tetragonal phases rutile and anatase; the two structures were found in the titanium-rich Ti-Al-O film, too, but with significa nt smaller lattice constants. The aluminium-rich Ti-Al-O film displaye d the same cubic structure of gamma-Al2O3 as determined for the pure A l2O3 trim, but the lattice constant is significant lower. Evaluation o f the TEM pattern of the film with a Ti/Al ratio of 0.8 indicates a he xagonal structure with lattice constants similar to those of kappa'-Al 2O3. All films are nanocrystalline and not textured.