GROWTH OF TI THIN-FILMS ON SAPPHIRE SUBSTRATES

Titanium thin films have been grown by electron-beam physical vapor de position on the (0001) surface of sapphire (single crystal alpha-Al2O3 ) substrates at growth temperatures ranging from 295 to 1223 K. Single phase alpha-Ti films grew at all growth temperatures, even at 1223 K which is above the alpha-beta transition temperature of Ti. Crystal qu ality, as measured by the width of x-ray rocking curves, was found to improve, and the elastic strain to increase, as the growth temperature increased from 295 K to 1023 K. The epitaxial relationship between th e Ti and sapphire was (0002)(Ti) parallel to (0006)(Al2O3) and [11 (2) over bar 0](Ti) parallel to [10 (1) over bar 0](Al2O3). The extent of interdiffusion across the Ti/Al2O3 interface was observed to be small (<20 nm) at all growth temperatures.