| In this experiment, titanium nitride films were deposited by Activated Reactive Evaporation at low substrate temperature, and these were characterized by (1) phase identification, lattice parameter determination, and preferred orientation from X-ray diffraction, (2) observation of microstructures of the surface and the fractured cross section of the deposits, and (3) microhardness testing. From the results of the characterization, conditions for the formation of titanium nitrides and overall physical properties were discussed. Kinds of the phases present in the deposits could be predicted by the relative ratio of deposition rate to gas pressure, and the lattice parameter of TiN increased as the nitrogen gas pressure increased, and the deposits were under residual compressive stress condition. TiN in the deposits showed a strong (111) preferred orientation and the microhardness of the deposits increased as more Ti₂N phase were present in the deposits. Deposits belonged to zone 1 of Movchan-Demchishin model, judged from the microstructure of the surface and the fractured cross section, as were observed the longitudinal porosities several hundres A wide between tapered crystallites. Size of the domes in the surface increased as the deposition rate increased and differences in fracture mode were observed between TiN deposits and TiN＋Ti₂N deposits. |
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