Atomic force microscopy study of growth kinetics: Scaling in TiN-TiB2 nanocomposite films on Si(1 0 0) |
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Authors: | K Chu |
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Institution: | Department of Manufacturing Engineering & Engineering Management (MEEM), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, PR China |
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Abstract: | We used the reactive unbalanced close-field dc-magnetron sputtering growth of TiN-TiB2 on Si(1 0 0) at room temperature to determine if scaling theory provides insight into the kinetic mechanisms of two-phase nanocomposite thin films. Scaling analyses along with height-difference correlation functions of measured atomic force microscopy (AFM) images have shown that the TiN-TiB2 nanocomposite films with thickness ranging from 70 to 950 nm exhibit a kinetic surface roughening with the roughness increasing with thickness exponentially. The roughness exponent α and growth exponent β are determined to be ∼0.93 and ∼0.25, respectively. The value of dynamic exponent z, calculated by measurement of the lateral correlation length ξ, is ∼3.70, agreeing well with the ratio of α to β. These results indicate that the surface growth behavior of sputter-deposited TiN-TiB2 thin films follows the classical Family-Vicseck scaling and can be reasonably described by the noisy Mullins diffusion model, at which surface diffusion serves as the smoothing effect and shot noise as the roughening mechanism. |
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Keywords: | Atomic force microscopy Growth kinetics Surface evolution TiN-TiB2 thin films |
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