TiN is a material made from a metallic element (Ti) and a non-metallic one (Nitride). It is characterized by its excellent mechanical strength, high corrosion resistance, and good biocompatibility. It is used as a coating on a variety of different products, including jewelry, consumer plumbing fixtures, and automotive trim.
Conductivity
The conductivity of the TiN film was measured using a four-point probe method and ellipsometry. The results showed a conductivity of 6.6 x 103 S/cm, corresponding to resistivity of 1.5 x 10- 4 mOcm.
Optical Properties
The optical properties of the TiN film were evaluated by UV, visible and near-IR spectroscopy and by ellipsometry. The reflectance spectrum of the TiN film exhibited a maximum at wavelengths around 500 nm and decreased below 5% in the near-infrared region. The extinction coefficient was also determined by ellipsometry.
Hardness
The hardness of the silicon substrate, the sol-gel TiO2 film and the nitridation-treated TiN film were deduced from nano-indentation investigations. The roughness mapping over about 130 mm x 100 mm of the surface of the TiO2 film and the nitridation-treated film are presented in Fig. 2a and d. The arithmetic and quadratic roughness coefficients are Ra = 4,9 nm and Rq = 6,1 nm for the TiO2 film, and Ra = 3,1 nm and Rq = 3,9 nm for the nitridation-treated film.
Moreover, the electrical and mechanical properties of the TiN films were assessed by dc reactive magnetron sputtering. They were found to be correlated with the bias voltage and the deposition temperature. The low resistivity (43 mO cm) and the high hardness and elastic modulus values indicate that TiN is a promising metallization material in Si technology.