Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T21:59:23.508Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Oxidation of Ni-toughened nc-TiN/a-SiNx nanocomposite thin films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2011

Sam Zhang ,
Deen Sun  and
Xianting Zeng
Sam Zhang*
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798
Deen Sun
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798
Xianting Zeng
Affiliation:
Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, Singapore 638075
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author.e-mail: [email protected] This author was an editor of this journal during the review and decision stage. For the JMR policy on review and publication of manuscripts authored by editors, please refer to http://www.mrs.org/publications/jmr/policy.html.
Get access

Abstract

Oxidation behavior of Ni-toughened reactively sputtered composite thin films of nanocrystalline TiN and amorphous SiNx [denoted as nc-TiN/a-SiNx(Ni)] was explored to understand the oxidation mechanism. The films were deposited on silicon substrate using a magnetron sputtering technique. Oxidation was carried out from 450 °C up to 1000 °C. The nature of the oxidation was determined using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The microstructure of the oxidized films was studied using grazing incidence x-ray diffraction. The topography was characterized using atomic force microscopy. It was determined that the oxidation of the nc-TiN/a-SiNx(Ni) thin film proceeds primarily through a diffusion process, in which nickel atoms diffuse outward and oxygen ions inward. The oxidation takes place by progressive replacement of nitrogen with diffused oxygen. Five regions were identified in the oxidized layer from surface into the film. For films doped with 2.1 at.% Ni, a threshold temperature of 850 °C was determined, below which, excellent oxidation resistance prevails but above which, oxidation takes place at exponential rate, accompanied by abrupt increase of surface roughness.

Keywords

OxidationPhysical vapor deposition (PVD)Thin film
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 20 , Issue 10 , October 2005 , pp. 2754 - 2762
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1Cselle, T. and Barimani, A.: Today’s applications and future developments of coatings for drills and rotating tools. Surf. Coat. Technol. 76–77, 712 (1995).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2Veprek, S. and Reiprich, S.: A concept for the design of novel superhard coatings. Thin Solid Films 268, 64 (1995).Google Scholar
3Zhang, S., Sun, D., Fu, Y. and Du, H.: Recent advances of superhard nanocomposite coatings: a review. Surf. Coat. Technol. 167, 113 (2003).Google Scholar
4Zhang, S., Sun, D. and Fu, Y.: Superhard nanocomposite coatings. J. Mater. Sci. Technol. 18, 485 (2002).Google Scholar
5Gusev, A.I.: Effects of the nanocrystalline state in solids. Physics-Uspekhi. 41(1), 49 (1998).Google Scholar
6Cantor, B., Allen, C.M., Dunin-Burkowski, R., Green, M.H., Hutchinson, J.L., O’Reilly, K.A.Q., Petfor-Long, A.K., Schumacher, P., Sloan, J. and Warren, P.J.: Applications of nanocomposites. Scripta Mater. 44, 2055 (2001).Google Scholar
7Veprek, S., Niederhofer, A., Moto, K., Bolom, T., Mannling, H-D., Nesladek, P., Dollinger, G. and Bergmaier, A.: Composition, nanostructure and origin of ultrahardness in nc-TiN/a-Si3N4/a- and nc-TiSi2 nanocomposite with Hv = 80 to ≥ 105 GPa. Surf. Coat. Technol. 133–134, 152 (2000).Google Scholar
8Zhang, S., Sun, D., Fu, Y. and Du, H.: Effect of sputtering target power on microstructure and mechanical properties of nanocomposite nc-TiN/a-SiN x thin films. Thin Solid Films 447–448, 462 (2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9Zhang, S., Sun, D., Fu, Y., Du, H. and Zhang, Q.: Effect of sputtering target power density on topography and residual stress during growth of nanocomposite nc-TiN/a-SiNx thin films. Diamond Relat. Mater. 13, 1777 (2004).Google Scholar
10Ruhle, M. and Evans, A.G.: High toughness ceramics and ceramic composites. Prog. Mater. Sci. 33, 85 (1989).Google Scholar
11Raddatz, O., Schneider, G.A., Mackens, W., Vob, H. and Claussen, N.: Bridging stresses and R-curves in ceramic/metal composites. J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 20, 2261 (2000).Google Scholar
12Mataga, P.A.: Deformation of crack-bridging ductile reinforcements in toughened brittle materials. Acta Metal. 37, 3349 (1989).Google Scholar
13Morris, D.G. Strength and ductility of nanocrystalline materials: What we really understand? inScience of Metastable and Nanocrystalline Alloys: Structure, Properties and Modeling, edited by Dinesen, A.R., Eldrup, M., Jensen, D.J., Linderoth, S., Pedersen, T.B., Pryds, N.H., Pedersen, A.S., and Wert, J.A., (Proc. 22nd Riso Int. Symp. Mater. Sci., Roskilde, Denmark, 2001), p. 89.Google Scholar
14Mishra, R.S. and Mukherjee, A.K.: Processing of high hardness-high toughness alumina matrix nanocomposites. Mater. Sci. Eng. A 301, 97 (2001).Google Scholar
15Musil, J. and Zeman, P.: Structure and microhardness of magnetron sputtered ZrCu and ZrCuN films. Vacuum 52, 269 (1999).Google Scholar
16Musil, J., Zeman, P., Hruby, H. and Mayrhofer, P.H.: ZrN/Cu nanocomposite film- a novel superhard material. Surf. Coat. Technol. 120–121, 179 (1999).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17Musil, J., Karvankova, P. and Kasl, J.: Hard and superhard Zr–Ni–N nanocomposite films. Surf. Coat. Technol. 139, 101 (2001).Google Scholar
18Musil, J. and Regent, F.: Formation of nanocrystalline NiCr–N films by reactive dc magnetron sputtering. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 16, 3301 (1998).Google Scholar
19Misina, M., Musil, J. and Kadlec, S.: Composite TiN–Ni thin films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering ion-plating. Surf. Coat. Technol. 110, 168 (1998).Google Scholar
20Musil, J. and Polakova, H.: Hard nanocomposite Zr–Y–N coatings, correlation between hardness and structure. Surf. Coat. Technol. 127, 99 (2000).Google Scholar
21Wang, T.C., Chen, R.Z. and Tuan, W.H.: Oxiation resistance of Ni-toughened Al2O3. J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 23, 927 (2003).Google Scholar
22Irie, M., Ohara, H., Nakayama, A., Kitagawa, N. and Nomura, T.: Deposition of Ni-TiN nano-composite films by cathodic arc ion-plating. Nucl. Instrum. Meth. Phys. Res. B121, 133 (1997).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
23Zhang, S., Sun, D., Fu, Y., Pei, Y.T. and De Hosson, J.Th.M.: Ni-toughened nc-TiN/a-SiNx nanocomposite thin films. Surf. Coat. Technol. (2005, in press).Google Scholar
24 Surface Ananlysis, Ihe Principal Techniques, edited by Vicerman, C.J. (John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, U.K., 1999), p. 61.Google Scholar
25Barr, T.L. and Seal, S.: Nature of the use of adventitious carbon as a binding energy standard. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A13, 1239 (1995).Google Scholar
26Hu, F. and Chen, H.: XPS analysis of TiN films on Cu substrates after annealing in the controlled atmosphere. Thin Solid Films 355–356, 374 (1999).Google Scholar
27Taylor, J.A.: Further examination of the Si KLL auger line in silicon nitride thin films. Appl. Surf. Sci. 7, 168 (1981).Google Scholar
28Kuiry, S.C., Wannaparhun, S., Dahotre, N.B. and Seal, S.: In-situ formation of Ni-alumina nanocomposite during laser processing. Scripta Mater. 50, 1237 (2004).Google Scholar
29Saha, N.C. and Tompkins, H.G.: Titanium nitride oxidation chemistry: An x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study. J. Appl. Phys. 72, 3072 (1992).Google Scholar
30Jilek, M., Holubar, P., Veprek-Heijman, M.G.J., and Veprek, S.: Towards the industrialization of superhard nanocrystalline composites for high speed and dry machine, in Surface Engineering 2002-Synthesis, Characterization, and Application, edited by Kumar, A., Meng, W.J., Cheng, Y-T., Zabinski, J.S., Dolly, G.L., and Veprek, S. (Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 750, Warrendale, PA, 2003), Y4.2, p. 393.Google Scholar
31Milosev, I., Strehblow, H-H. and Navinsek, B.: XPS in the study of high-temperature oxidation of CrN and TiN hard coatings. Surf. Coat. Technol. 74–75, 897 (1995).Google Scholar
32Fu, Y., Du, H. and Zhang, S.: Adhesion and interfacial structure of magnetron sputtered TiNi films on Si/SiO2 substrate. Thin Solid Films 444, 85 (2003).Google Scholar
33Esaka, F., Furuya, K., Shimada, H., Imamura, M., Matsubayashi, N., Sato, H., Nishijima, A., Kawana, A., Ichimura, H. and Kikuchi, T.: Comparison of surface oxidation of titanium nitride and chromium nitride films studied by x-ray absorption and photoelectron spectroscopy. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A15, 2521 (1997).Google Scholar
34Moulder, J.F., Stickle, W.F., Sobol, P.E. and Bomben, K.D. Appendix B, Chemical states tables, in Handbook of X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy: A Reference Book of Standard Spectra for Identification and Interpretation of XPS Data, edited by Chastian, J. (Physical Electronics, Eden Prairie, MN, 1995), p. 238.Google Scholar
35Milosev, I., Strehblow, H-H. and Navinsek, B.: Oxidation of ternary TiZrN hard coatings studied by XPS. Surf. Interface Anal. 26, 242 (1998).Google Scholar
36Ernsberger, C., Nickerson, J., Miller, A.E. and Moulder, J.: Angular resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of reactively sputtered titanium nitride. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A3(6), 2415 (1985).Google Scholar
37Man, H.C., Cu, Z.D. and Yang, X.J.: Anaylysis of laser gas nitrided titanium by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Appl. Surf. Sci. 199, 293 (2002).Google Scholar
38Zhang, S., Qin, C.D. and Lim, L.C.: Solid solution extent of WC and TaC in Ti(C,N) as revealed by lattice parameter increase. Int. J. Refractory Met. Hard Mater. 12, 329 (1994).Google Scholar
39Gogotsi, Y.G., Porz, F. and Dransfield, G.: Oxidation behavior of monolithic TiN and TiN dispersed in ceramic matrices. Oxid. Met. 39(1/2), 69 (1993).Google Scholar
40Gogotsi, Y.G. and Porz, F.: The oxidation of particulate-reinforced Si3N4–TiN composites. Corros. Sci. 33, 627 (1992).Google Scholar
41Diserens, M., Patscheider, J. and Levy, F.: Mechanical properties and oxidation resistance of nanocomposite TiN–SiNx physical-vapor-deposited thin films. Surf. Coat. Technol. 120–121, 158 (1999).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
42Deschaux-Beaume, F., Cutard, T., Frety, N. and Levaillant, C.: Oxidation of a silicon nitride-titanium nitride composite: Microstructural investigations and phenomenological modeling. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 85, 1860 (2002).Google Scholar
43Desmaison, J., Lefort, P. and Billy, M.: Oxidation mechanism of titanium nitride in oxygen. Oxid. Met. 13, 505 (1979).Google Scholar
44Bellosi, A., Tampieri, A. and Liu, Y.Z.: Oxidation behaviour of electroconductive Si3N4–TiN composites. Mater. Sci. Eng. A 127, 115 (1990).Google Scholar
45Tampieri, A., Landi, E. and Bellosi, A.: The oxidation behavior of monolithic TiN ceramic. Br. Ceram. Trans. 90, 194 (1991).Google Scholar
46Ichimura, H. and Kawana, A.: High temperature oxidation of ion-plated TiN and TiAlN films. J. Mater. Res. 8, 1093 (1993).Google Scholar
47Ogbuji, L.U.J.T.: The SiO2–Si3N4 interface, Part I: Nature of the interface. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 78, 1272 (1995).Google Scholar
48Ogbuji, L.U.J.T.: The SiO2–Si3N4 interface, Part II: O2 permeation and oxidation reaction. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 78, 1279 (1995).CrossRefGoogle Scholar