Preferred orientation and film structure of TaN films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering

The structural evolution of tantalum nitride (TaN) films deposited by reactive rf magnetron sputtering were studied. The formation mechanisms of these structures were systematically explained by mapping them in 2D graphs of film thickness against N₂/Ar flow ratio. The texture maps of films deposited on a-SiO₂ substrates were found to reflect both nucleation and growth states, while that of films deposited on poly-fcc TaN substrates reflected the growth stages. It was also found that evolutionary selection growth ocurred when the film was 200 nm thick to cause the PO change.