Krzanowski J.E. , ENDRINO ARMENTEROS, JOSÉ LUIS
Si
Mater. Lett.
Article
Científica
1.186
0.652
01/01/2004
000224449500014
2-s2.0-4944222391
The effects of substrate bias on phase formation and physical properties of rf magnetron sputter-deposited tungsten carbide films have been investigated in this work. Films were deposited at 275°C using bias levels ranging from 0 to -150 V and at room temperature and -160 V. At low bias levels, the films were primarily composed of the WC1-x/W2(C,O) phases, both of which have the B1 structure, and the fraction of the hexagonal W2C phase increased with bias level. The increased substrate bias levels also correlated with a reduction in oxygen content, suggesting that reducing oxygen content promotes formation of the W2C phase. However, the film deposited at room temperature and -160 V bias had an oxygen content of only 3%, yet did not form the W2C phase, indicating a minimum level of thermal activation is also required to form W2C. Increasing the bias voltage also resulting in increases in film hardness, modulus and compressive residual stress, while reducing resistivity. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Composition; Compressive stress; Elastic moduli; Electric potential; Hardness; Magnetrons; Residual stresses; Sputter deposition; Thermal effects; Tungsten carbide; Atomic ratio; Phase formation; Phase stability; Sublattice; Thin films