Paper TF-WeA9
Biaxial Texture of Titanium Nitride Thin Films Deposited by Off-normal Incidence Magnetron Sputtering

Wednesday, October 17, 2007, 4:20 pm, Room 613/614

We studied the development of crystallographic texture in titanium nitride films deposited by off-normal incidence reactive magnetron sputtering at room temperature. For a deposition angle of 40 degrees from normal, we obtained strongly oriented biaxial textures for a range of deposition conditions using both direct current (DC) and radio frequency (RF) sputtering. Texture measurements were performed by x-ray pole figure analysis of the 111 and the 002 orientations. Typically, we find that the 111 orientation is close to the substrate normal and the 002 orientation is close to the direction of the deposition source, showing substantial in-plane alignment. For example, TiN deposited by DC sputtering at 5% N₂/(Ar+N₂) flow ratio and 2.2 mTorr total pressure showed 111 planes perpendicular to the substrate and 002 planes tilted 55 degrees from the substrate normal and facing the source. However, TiN deposited by DC sputtering at 2% N₂/(Ar+N₂) flow ratio and 1 mTorr total pressure showed 111 planes tilted 18 degrees from the substrate normal but away from the source and 200 planes tilted 35 degrees from the substrate normal towards the source. The strength of biaxial texture decreases as the N₂/(Ar+N₂) flow ratio is increased up to 20%. These results suggest a competition between texture mechanisms related to the substrate normal and related to the deposition direction.