Hole conduction characteristics of cubic Ti_1−xAl_xN

Cubic Ti_1−xAl_xN (x = 0.5, 0.6) films were deposited using RF (radio frequency) magnetron sputtering and cathodic arc ion plating methods on a thermally oxidized Si substrate to evaluate the temperature dependence of their electrical characteristics by Hall measurements from 10 K to 295 K. The temperature dependence of the hole concentration and the electrical conductivity above about 200 K shows that cubic TiAlN in this study had semiconductor characteristics, indicating that the hole conduction in the valence band is dominant in a high temperature range above about 200 K. In contrast, the variable range hopping conduction is dominant in a low temperature range below about 100 K. In addition, the hole mobility of Ti_0.4Al_0.6N deposited by RF sputtering increased with increasing temperature above 220 K, even though the phonon scattering increases. This result shows that a disordered grain boundary between polycrystalline TiAlN acts as a barrier layer for the hole conduction.