Chemistry of Materials
Chemistry of Materials
5 years ago

A Chemical Vapor Deposition Route to Epitaxial Superconducting NbTiN Thin Films

A Chemical Vapor Deposition Route to Epitaxial Superconducting NbTiN Thin Films
Dibyendu Harza, Elisabeth Blanquet, Eirini Sarigiannidou, Frederic Mercier, Max Hofheinz, Nikolaos Tsavdaris, Manoel Jacquemin, Roman Reboud, Gilles Renou, Stéphane Coindeau, Florence Robaut
The deposition of epitaxial superconducting (Nb,Ti)N thin films is addressed with a new approach, using a chemical vapor deposition technique with in situ production of precursors. Both classic and reactive CVD process are optimized toward (i) the control of crystal structure of the deposited films and (ii) the control of stoichiometry and thus of superconducting properties. Films are chararcterized using thermodynamic, structural, and electrical characterization tools. Precession electron diffraction and electron backscatter diffraction techniques provide the phase and orientation mapping of the films down to the nanometer scale. We demonstrate that the cubic phase (structure with the most prominent superconducting properties) is the thermodynamically stable phase under classic CVD from 800 °C up to 1300 °C. The hexagonal (Nb,Ti)N is formed via a “nitridation like” process under reactive CVD, up to 1200 °C. The composition of the films is controlled by the chemistry of the gas phase, whereas the thickness is regulated down to less than 10 nm due to the low growth rate that can be achieved. This technique allows for the control of the superconducting properties of the films, through the control of Ti composition.

Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.7b00490

DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.7b00490

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