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Thermal stability of carbon nitride thin films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Niklas Hellgren ,
Nian Lin ,
Esteban Broitman ,
Virginie Serin ,
Stefano E. Grillo ,
Ray Twesten ,
Ivan Petrov ,
Christian Colliex ,
Lars Hultman  and
Jan-Eric Sundgren
Niklas Hellgren*
Affiliation:
Thin Film Physics Division, Department of Physics, Linköping University, S-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Nian Lin
Affiliation:
Thin Film Physics Division, Department of Physics, Linköping University, S-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Esteban Broitman
Affiliation:
Thin Film Physics Division, Department of Physics, Linköping University, S-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Virginie Serin
Affiliation:
Centre d'Elaboration des Matériaux et Eludes Structurales/Centre de la Recherche Scientifique, B.P. 4347, 29 Rue Jeanne Marvig, F-31055 Toulouse, France
Stefano E. Grillo
Affiliation:
Centre d'Elaboration des Matériaux et Eludes Structurales/Centre de la Recherche Scientifique, B.P. 4347, 29 Rue Jeanne Marvig, F-31055 Toulouse, France
Ray Twesten
Affiliation:
Center for Microanalysis of Materials, Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, 104 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801
Ivan Petrov
Affiliation:
Center for Microanalysis of Materials, Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, 104 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801
Christian Colliex
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, Université Paris-Sud, Bât. 510, F-91405 Orsay, France
Lars Hultman
Affiliation:
Thin Film Physics Division, Department of Physics, Linköping University, S-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Jan-Eric Sundgren
Affiliation:
Thin Film Physics Division, Department of Physics, Linköping University, S-581 83 Linköping, Sweden
*
a) Address all correspondence to this author. Present address: Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, 104 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801. e-mail: hellgren@uiuc.edu
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Abstract

The thermal stability of carbon nitride films, deposited by reactive direct current magnetron sputtering in N2 discharge, was studied for postdeposition annealing temperatures TA up to 1000 °C. Films were grown at temperatures of 100 °C (amorphous structure) and 350 and 550 °C (fullerenelike structure) and were analyzed with respect to thickness, composition, microstructure, bonding structure, and mechanical properties as a function of TA and annealing time. All properties investigated were found to be stable for annealing up to 300 °C for long times (>48 h). For higher TA, nitrogen is lost from the films and graphitization takes place. At TA = 500 °C the graphitization process takes up to 48 h while at TA = 900 °C it takes less than 2 min. A comparison on the evolution of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy and Raman spectra during annealing shows that for TA > 800 °C, preferentially pyridinelike N and –C≡N is lost from the films, mainly in the form of molecular N2 and C2N2, while N substituted in graphite is preserved the longest in the structure. Films deposited at the higher temperature exhibit better thermal stability, but annealing at temperatures a few hundred degrees Celsius above the deposition temperature for long times is always detrimental for the mechanical properties of the films.

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Articles
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Journal of Materials Research , Volume 16 , Issue 11 , November 2001 , pp. 3188 - 3201
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2001

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