Nanoscale characterization of Cr, Cu, Al and Ni metallic magnetron nanofilm multilayers on sitall

Results of nanoscale study (by atomic force microscopy and X−ray diffraction) of single−, two− and three−layered Cr, Cu, Al and Ni metallic nanofilms formed on a ceramic sital substrate on MVU TM−Magna T magnetron equipment (NIITM, Zelenograd) have been reported. The growth rates and the structure of the nanofilms were determined while varying of power/current ratio from 200/0.7 to 800/2 Wt/A and magnetron sputtering time from 30 to 360s at an operating pressure of 0.5 Pa Ar. The criterion for optimization quality based on the minimum roughness was as follows: Ra = min{Rai} and/or Rq → min{Rqi} (i is the number of varies modes used). The mean roughness Ra and RRMS = Rq have been determined from the scan of the vertical profile (resolution 20 pm) of the atomic force microscopic image. We found that the nanofilm–forming nanocluster structure size for the modes when Ra and Rq were the smallest had a close–to–Gaussian grain size distribution. The film growth rates have been determined based on the atomic force images of the nanofilm structure in the form of either a single step or steps obtained at different time intervals. The mode and parameters of magnetron sputtering and the composition of the Cr, Cu, Al and Ni targets affect the size of clusters which form the surface of the metallic nanofilms. X−ray phase and structural analyses have been carried out in order to determine the texture and the change in the distances between the lattice planes. The correctness of the optimization criterion correlating the nanolayer deposition parameters and their quality has been corroborated by the coincidence of the magnetron sputtering modes which provided for the lowest roughness and the smallest average size of the X−ray coherence region as using the Debye− Scherrer equation.

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