Relation between work function, microstructural and mechanical properties of TiN-films

ABSTRACT

A study of titanium nitride (TiN) films microstructural and mechanical properties at nanoscale using resonance tracking acoustic force atomic microscopy is presented. Also for this study, the work function (Φ_e) measured for Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy of TiN films deposited by pulsed dc magnetron sputtering is analysed. The films were deposited on Si and glass substrates using a gas mixture ratio Ar–N₂ 10 and 12% of N₂ and power density from 7.4 to 10.8 W cm⁻² using the Pulsed DC Magnetron Sputtering. Mechanical properties at nanoscale are measured and a relation between microstructure and nanoscale elastic domains is seen. It was found that the hardness increases when the Φ_e increases. This directly proportional relationship between hardness and work function, for the first time observed and reported in this contribution, is more accurate and shows a stronger dependence than the relation between hardness and microstructural properties independently.

KEYWORDS:

• Electronic work function
• hardness
• kelvin probe
• magnetron sputtering
• RT-AFAM

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge Martin A. Hernandez Landaverde and Carlos Alberto Ávila Herrera, for their technical support. The authors acknowledge CONACYT for supporting this work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.