Effect of target power ratio on microstructure and deposition rate of TiN film deposited by dual pulse power magnetron sputtering

This work focused on removed mode of titanium target material and deposition process of the TiN film in a novel dual pulse power magnetron sputtering (DPPMS), which could improve deposition rate and properties of the TiN film. The study was carried out using DPPMS with different target power ratios between the first and the second ionized periods (Pw/Ps). It was found that when Pw/Ps was changed from 0.9/1.6 to 0.3/2.2, the removed mode of target material changed from sputtering to sputtering and evaporation, and the deposition rate of TiN films increased from 26 to 61 nm/min. All TiN films showed face center cubic (fcc) crystal structure and typical columnar microstructure. The compactness and size of columnar structure were improved with Pw/Ps changed from 0.9/1.6 to 0.3/2.2. Additionally, the hardness of TiN film deposited at Pw/Ps of 0.3/2.2 reached up to 25.4 GPa.