Preferential orientation of titanium carbide films deposited by a filteredcathodic vacuum arc technique

Titanium carbide films with a thickness of approximately 100-nm were deposi ted on Si(100) substrates by a filtered cathodic vacuum are technique. The composition and microstructure of the films were assessed by Rutherford bac kscattering spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffracti on, and atomic force microscopy. A negative bias voltage (V-S =0 similar to - 1000 V) was applied to the substrate during deposition, and the influenc e of V-S, on the crystalline orientation of the as-deposited films was inve stigated. It was found that the crystallites are randomly oriented in the f ilm deposited at V-S = 0 V. In the bias voltage range of V-S = - 40 similar to - 500 V, the titanium carbide films exhibited a (111) preferential orie ntation. When V-S was increased to - 1000 V, however, the film was (100) pr eferentially oriented. The compressive internal stress, determined by the r adius of curvature technique, in the titanium carbide films exhibited a min imum value at approximately V-S = - 80 similar to - 120 V. The (111) prefer ential orientation can be explained by minimization of elastic energy stora ge in the films; while the (100) preferential orientation in the film depos ited at Ys = - 1000 V is due to the sputter channeling effect, because the (100) direction in the TiC lattice shows the most open channeling direction and therefore the lowest sputtering yield. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.