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X-ray reflectometry investigation of interfacial structure of CrAIN/TiAIN multilayers

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Abstract

TiAIN, CrAIN films and alternate CrAIN/TiAIN multilayers with different repeated bilayer thickness ranging from 10 to 30 nm were prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering. The interface structures of the films were characterized using x-ray reflectometry method. The individual thickness of the repeated bilayers in multilayers and total thickness of the films are close to the nominal thickness and they are more accurate for thicker films. The interface roughness increases as the thickness of the repeated bilayer in mutilayers decreases. The scattering length density profiles of the films suggests that the chemical composition is more accurate for thicker films.

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Acknowledgment

The authors gratefully acknowledge Projects supported by NPL, CAEP (Key Laboratory of Neutron Physics, Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics) (2014BB05) and the Research Foundation of Education Bureau of Liaoning Province, China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenyang Ligong University, Shenyang, 110159, China

    Xiaoming Du, Minpeng Wang & Gang Zhang

  2. Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, 621900, China

    Yan Wang, Xinxi Li & Chaoqiang Huang

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  1. Xiaoming Du
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  2. Minpeng Wang
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  4. Yan Wang
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Correspondence to Xiaoming Du.

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Du, X., Wang, M., Zhang, G. et al. X-ray reflectometry investigation of interfacial structure of CrAIN/TiAIN multilayers. MRS Communications 6, 408–415 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1557/mrc.2016.44

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