AVS 52nd International Symposium
    Advanced Surface Engineering Monday Sessions
       Session SE-MoA

Paper SE-MoA4
Observation of the Growth and Microstructural Development of MAX Phase Ti@sub 2@AlN Thin Films during Magnetron Sputtering using Synchrotron Radiation

Monday, October 31, 2005, 3:00 pm, Room 201

Session: MAX Phases: Nanolaminates and Nanomechanical Measurements
Presenter: N. Schell, Forschungszentrum Rossendorf, Germany
Authors: N. Schell, Forschungszentrum Rossendorf, Germany
M. Beckers, Forschungszentrum Rossendorf, Germany
R.M.S. Martins, Forschungszentrum Rossendorf, Germany
A. Mücklich, Forschungszentrum Rossendorf, Germany
W. Möller, Forschungszentrum Rossendorf, Germany
Correspondent: Click to Email
The heteroepitaxial growth of MAX phase Ti@sub 2@AlN (M@sub n+1@AX@sub n@ with M = Ti, A = Al, X = N and n = 1) on single crystal substrates MgO(001) and MgO(111), deposited by reactive magnetron co-sputtering from Ti and Al targets in an Ar/N@sub 2@ atmosphere at a temperature of 690°C, has been studied in situ. Using real-time specular x-ray reflectivity, layer-by-layer growth first of an approximately 10 nm thick epitaxial B1-cubic Ti@sub 0.63@Al@sub 0.37@N seed layer, then, after changing the deposition parameters, of the MAX phase itself was observed, with an increased surface-roughening on MgO(001) substrate. Using off-plane Bragg-Brentano x-ray scattering, the heteroepitaxial growth of Ti@sub 2@AlN to the underlying seed-layer as well as MgO was established with lattice parameters of c = 1.3463 nm and a = 0.2976 nm. From ex-situ pole figures at a laboratory source the epitaxial relationship between film and substrate lattice was determined to be MgO {111}<110> // Ti@sub 2@AlN {1012;‾}[1;‾21;‾0]regardless of choice of substrate orientation during deposition, e.g. a non-basal plane epitaxial growth of the Ti@sub 2@AlN thin films along MgO<110> directions, leading to a threefold grain orientation as also seen in cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. In temperature dependent four-probe measurements at room temperature a specific resistivity of 37 µ@ohm@cm has been derived.