Impact Of Substrate Materials On Morphology And Microstructure Of Ti Films

Ti films were deposited on polished Mo, quartz and single crystal silicon substrate by electron beam evaporation. The surface morphology and microstructures of substrates and the thin films were analyzed by AFM, XRD and SEM. The results show that the Ti film's surface morphology and microstructure are greatly influenced by the substrate materials. The surface of the Ti film on the polished Mo substrates has some fluctuations; the Ti film nucleates on the substrate firstly, and then vertically grows upwards in the form of columnar grain. However, the surface of the Ti film on the polished quartz substrate is smooth, and the particles and the interfaces are clearly distinguished by the layer of equiaxed grains on the interface. Besides, the surface of the Ti film on the single crystal silicon substrate is the roughest one, although the surface of the crystal silicon is the smoothest one. There are peaks of TiSi2 controlled by Ti/Si interface silicide growth dynamics.