The thermal stability of Ti₃SiC₂(0 0 0 1) thin films is studied by in situ X-ray diffraction analysis during vacuum furnace annealing in combination with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The films are found to be stable during annealing at temperatures up to ∼1000 °C for 25 h. Annealing at 1100–1200 °C results in the rapid decomposition of Ti₃SiC₂ by Si out-diffusion along the basal planes via domain boundaries to the free surface with subsequent evaporation. As a consequence, the material shrinks by the relaxation of the Ti₃C₂ slabs and, it is proposed, by an in-diffusion of O into the empty Si-mirror planes. The phase transformation process is followed by the detwinning of the as-relaxed Ti₃C₂ slabs into (1 1 1)-oriented TiC_0.67 layers, which begin recrystallizing at 1300 °C. Ab initio calculations are provided supporting the presented decomposition mechanisms.

The effect of chemical composition on the elastic and electrical properties is studied for the BOxYz system with 0.27less than or equal toxless than or equal to1.14 and 0.36less than or equal tozless than or equal to0.08. We use ab initio calculations to obtain the elastic constants and density of states for BO1.5 and the BOY phase (yttrium substituting for oxygen in the boron suboxide structure). For decreasing x values, the elastic modulus is predicted to increase from 11 to 340 GPa, while electronic structure calculations suggest a shift in electrical properties from insulating to metallic. Thin films in the B-O-Y system are grown by reactive rf magnetron sputtering. As x decreases from 1.14 to 0.27, the elastic modulus increases from 12 to 282 GPa, which is a factor of 24, while resistivity decreases from 7.6+/-0.4 to (3.8+/-0.1)x10(-2) Omegam. The observed shifts in elasticity and resistivity are shown to be induced by the associated changes in chemical bonding from van der Waals type in BO1.5 to icosahedral type in the BOY phase.

Boron suboxide thin films nave been deposited on Si(100) substrates by reactive RF magnetron sputtering of a sintered B target in an Ar/O2 atmosphere. Elastic recoil detection analysis was applied to determine the film composition and density. Film structure was studied by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The elastic modulus, measured by nanoindentation, was found to decrease as the film density decreased. The relationship was affected by tuning the negative substrate bias potential and the substrate temperature during film growth. A decrease in film density, by a factor of 1.55, caused an elastic modulus reduction by a factor of 4.5, most likely due to formation of nano-pores containing Ar. It appears evident that the large scattering in the published data on elastic properties of films with identical chemical composition can readily be understood by density variations. These results are important for understanding the elastic properties of boron suboxide, but may also be qualitatively relevant for other B-based material systems.

We describe the role of the presence of hydrogen on the elastic properties of AlxOyHz (0.32less than or equal toxless than or equal to0.4, 0.54less than or equal toyless than or equal to0.6, 3x10(-4)less than or equal tozless than or equal to0.14) films. The films were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering in an Ar/O-2/H2O discharge and were studied by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, nuclear resonance analysis, selected area electron diffraction, as well as nanoindentation. As the hydrogen concentration is increased from 0.03% to 13.9% the measured elastic modulus value is reduced by approximately 53%. The measured elastic modulus is in excellent agreement with our electronic structure calculations. The large scattering in the reported values of the elastic properties of amorphous alumina thin films can readily be understood by hydrogen incorporation during synthesis. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.

The synthesis and mechanical properties of boron suboxide thin films deposited on silicon and graphite substrates was discussed. The deposition was performed using reactive magnetron sputtering technique, and amorphous films were obtained. The affect of varying O2 partial pressure on film composition and microstructure was studied using spectroscopic techniques. It was found that variation of partial pressure from 0.02 to 0.21 resulted in a decrease in elastic modulus from 272 to 109 GPa.

A variety of plasma-based deposition techniques utilize magnetic fields to affect the degree of ionization as well as for focusing and guiding of plasma beams. Here we use time-of-flight charge-to-mass spectrometry to describe the effect of a magnetic field on the plasma composition of a pulsed Al plasma stream in an ambient containing intentionally introduced oxygen as well as for high vacuum conditions typical residual gas. The plasma composition evolution was found to be strongly dependent on the magnetic field strength and can be understood by invoking two electron impact ionization routes: ionization of the intentionally introduced gas as well as ionization of the residual gas. These results are characteristic of plasma-based techniques where magnetic fields are employed in a high-vacuum ambient. In effect, the impurity incorporation during reactive thin-film growth pertains to the present findings. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.

A high power density pulsed plasma discharge for ionized sputter deposition is studied. The temporal evolution of the plasma ion composition in high power pulsed magnetron sputtering is investigated and shows that Ar ions dominated the beginning of the pulse. As time elapsed, metal ions are detected and finally dominated the ion composition.

The effect of a magnetic field on the plasma composition of a pulsed Au plasma stream in a high-vacuum ambient is described. The plasma was formed with a pulsed vacuum-arc-plasma source, and the time-resolved plasma composition was measured with time-of-flight charge-to-mass spectrometry. Plasma impurities due to ionization of nonmetallic species (H+, O+, and N+) were found to be below the detection limit in the absence of a magnetic field. However, in the presence of a magnetic field (0.4 T), the contribution of ionized nonmetal species to the plasma composition was up to 0.22 atomic ratio. These results are characteristic of plasma-based techniques where magnetic fields are employed in a high-vacuum ambient. In effect, the impurity incorporation during thin-film growth pertains to the present findings. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)00712-9].

Recent developments in plasma assisted physical vapour deposition (PAPVD) processes an reviewed. A short section on milestones in advances in PAPVD covering the time period from 1938 when the first PAPVD system was patented to the end of the 1980s is followed by a more detailed discussion of some more recent advances, most of which have been related to increases in plasma density. It has been demonstrated that the state of the art PAPVD processes operate in a plasma density range of 10(11) to 10(13) cm(-3). In this range a substantial fraction of the plasma consists of ionized film forming species. Hence, the energy of the condensing film forming species can be directly controlled, as opposed to utilizing indirect energy control with, for example, ionized inert gas bombardment. For a large variety of applications ranging from ceramic film synthesis at conditions far from thermodynamic equilibrium to state of the art metallization technology, such direct energy control of the condensing film forming species is of critical importance, and offers the possibility to engineer the coating microstructure and hence the coating properties.