Abstract
The main objective of this study was to investigate the structure and properties of ZrN x O y thin films associated with oxygen content and film thickness. ZrN x O y thin films were deposited using hollow cathode discharge ion plating on Si (100) substrate. The thickness of ZrN x O y films increased with increasing oxygen flow rate, ranging from 143 to 894 nm. Phase separation from ZrN x O y to ZrN and monoclinic ZrO 2 (m -ZrO 2 ) was observed by x-ray diffraction (XRD). The electrical and mechanical properties were influenced by the film thickness and the amount of separated phase, m -ZrO 2 . ZrN x O y thin films with smaller thickness or deposited at higher O 2 flow rate were found to have higher electrical resistivity. Hardness of the ZrN x O y thin films increased with increasing thickness, which could be related to microstructure change of the thin films. Residual stress of the ZrN phase in the ZrN x O y thin films, measured using the modified sin 2 ψ XRD method, decreased with increasing oxygen flow rate. The thickness dependence of the residual stress in ZrN was different with different oxygen flow rates. The average residual stress of the ZrN x O y thin films also decreased with increasing oxygen flow rate and the stress did not showed significant dependence on the film thickness. © 2011 American Vacuum Society.