Investigation of TiC thin films synthesised by low energy IBAD from electron evaporation of TiC powder

Electron beam evaporation of TiC powder has been used to deposit TiC thin f ilms on room temperature silicon wafers with and without simultaneous assis tance of low energy bombardment of Ar+ at 0-450 eV. The composition of the TiC films was studied by Auger electron spectroscopy, while the preferentia l orientation of the deposited film and phase composition were determined b y X-ray diffraction. We have investigated the influence of the carbon and o xygen content on both the morphological and mechanical properties of the Ti C films. The influence on the film properties and their composition of the ion beam acceleration voltage, argon flow, operating pressure as well as th e ion impact angle were also investigated. Nanoindentation tests indicate t hat the synthesised TIC films exhibit both a high hardness (12-18 GPa) and a high deposition rate (1.5 mum/h). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All righ ts reserved.