Ion beam induced modifications of TiN and Ti films on Al-3% Mg substrates

Abstract

Thin titanium nitride films (50–110 nm) deposited via magnetron sputtering on Al+3 wt.% Mg substrates were irradiated with Ar, Kr, and Xe ion beams at room temperature and with energies between 0.1–0.9 MeV. Sputtering yields and interface mixing rates were determined using Rutherford backscattering (RBS) as depth profiling method. The obtained TiN sputtering yields for Ar and Xe irradiation are found to be in good agreement with predictions of the Sigmund approach. A systematic study with Ar and Xe beams revealed a correlation of the mixing rate with the parameter d/R _p, where d denotes the layer thickness and R _p the mean projected ion range. The mixing data and Monte-Carlo calculations of the collision cascades elucidate the importance of focused recoil transport, especially in the case of Xe irradiations. The results from ion mixing experiments of titanium films (70–140 nm) on Al-3% Mg with 0.1–1.0 MeV Xe beams and 0.05–0.2 MeV Ar beams support these conclusions.