Improvement of mechanical properties of Ti/TiN multilayer film deposited by sputtering

Advanced functional (multi-layer) coatings, were conducted by r.f. magnetro n sputtering. Ti-TiN multi-layer coatings were deposited on a silicon (100) by using multi cathodes. The total thickness was kept at 150 nm and the nu mber of layers was changed from 4 to 40. The relief of internal stress in a film, which causes breaking of the film, and formation of a preferred orie ntation of the film by increasing the number of layers, was confirmed by me asurements of scratching, nano-indenting tests and XRD. These phenomena wer e explained by minimization of total energy composed of interface and strai n energies. The preferred orientation was predicted to change from (111) to (100) with increasing layer number, and XRD produced the expected result. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.