Characterization of NbC coatings deposited by magnetron sputtering method

The paper presents the results obtained on the deposition and characterization of niobium carbide thin films obtained by reactive magnetron sputtering method in a reactive atmosphere composed by Ar and CH 4. The coatings were deposited on Si substrates, at 100 °C, 400 °C and 750 °C, at two different...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Surface & coatings technology 2010-03, Vol.204 (12), p.2002-2005
Main Authors: Zoita, C.N., Braic, L., Kiss, A., Braic, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science
rheology
Exact sciences and technology
Magnetron sputtering
Materials science
Metals. Metallurgy
Niobium carbide coatings
Optical properties
Physics
Production techniques
Structure
Surface treatment
Surface treatments
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The paper presents the results obtained on the deposition and characterization of niobium carbide thin films obtained by reactive magnetron sputtering method in a reactive atmosphere composed by Ar and CH 4. The coatings were deposited on Si substrates, at 100 °C, 400 °C and 750 °C, at two different substrate bias values and five different CH 4/(Ar + CH 4) flow ratios. The films were analyzed for phase (XRD) and elemental (AES) compositions, surface morphology (AFM) and optical reflectivity in UV–VIS domain. X-ray analysis revealed that the coatings crystallized in either cubic or hexagonal structure, depending on the CH 4 relative abundance in the deposition atmosphere, independent of the substrate bias or deposition temperature. The films deposited at a lower substrate temperature were less crystallized and had significantly smaller mean grain sizes. The reflectivity values were found to depend on the films crystallographic structure, carbon content and amount of non-reacted metal. The films presented a low roughness, specific to films deposited by magnetron sputtering method.
ISSN:0257-8972
1879-3347
DOI:10.1016/j.surfcoat.2009.08.050