Metal oxynitrides (MeNxOy) represent a group of modern ceramic materials of increasing technological importance. These films can be used for protective applications, also in microelectronics and optoelectronics. The oxynitrides with a high ionic conductivity, comparable with yttria stabilized cubic ZrO2, could be obtained by a high temperature reaction of ZrO2 with nitrogen.
The reactive magnetron sputtering is one of the most used physical vapour deposition (PVD) technologies. By changing the sputter parameters a wide variety of different structures with specific properties may be obtained.
The main purpose of this work is to study structural, electrical and optical properties of ZrNxOy films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering.
Zirconium oxynitride films were prepared on Si (111) and glass substrates in argon-nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere (working pressure 0,15 Pa) with constant discharge current of 4 A and argon pressure of 0,1 Pa. The oxygen flow was increased stepwise from 0 to 10 sccm while at the same the nitrogen flow was decreased from 10 to 0 sccm.
The structure of ZrNxOy films were investigated with the XRD. Electrical resistivity was measured with four-point probe method. Optical properties were analyzed with a scanning microscope-photometer and ellipsometer.
When films were deposited in argon-nitrogen atmosphere diffraction patterns corresponded to cubic ZrN phase. Films deposited in argon-oxygen atmosphere diffraction patterns corresponded to monoclinic ZrO2 phase, and, when were used equal oxygen and nitrogen flow (f = 5 sccm) diffraction patterns corresponded to cubic ZrN and cubic ZrO2 phases. The resistivity and optical constants very much depended on reactive gas (N2 + O2) flow.
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