On the development of texture during growth of magnetron-sputtered CrN

During growth of CrN films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering, the development of the microstructure, especially the texture, was studied. By ex-situ Bragg-Brentano X-ray diffraction measurements, the texture, the grain size and the microstrain were measured as a function of film thickness. In addition, in-situ Bragg-Brentano X-ray diffraction and reflection measurements were carried out with synchrotron radiation, including measurements where the dynamic development of the microstructure was followed in real-time. Below a transition deposition temperature of approximately 550 degreesC, it was found that the <0 0 2> preferred orientation dominated, while a mixture of <1 1 1> and <0 0 2> preferred orientations was found above the transition temperature. The development of texture with film thickness was controlled by a recrystallization mechanism. With increasing film thickness, the grain size increased while the microstrain decreased. The real-time measurements with synchrotron radiation revealed that several different dynamic processes took place both during and after depositions. After a long-time interruption of the growth, major changes in the texture were observed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.