摘要
Addition of N 2 to Ar during Ti sputtering has been found to improve the thermal stability of TiSi 2 . For samples sputtered with a mixture of Ar and N 2 , TiSi 2 was found to be stable after 1050 °C, 30 s annealing. Furthermore, the phase transformation temperature from the C49 to C54 phase was not affected with the addition of a small amount of nitrogen. The stuffing of grain boundaries of TiSi 2 and TiN/TiSi 2 interfaces by nitrogen atoms is thought to retard the transport of Si and Ti atoms. In addition, titanium nitride particles embedded in TiSi 2 near the TiN/TiSi 2 interface may also protect the TiSi 2 films from plastic deformation and retard the grain growth during high temperature annealing. Smaller average grain size of C54-TiSi 2 in samples prepared with the addition of N 2 to Ar during Ti sputtering than that in pure Ti samples is also beneficial in enhancing the thermal stability. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.