Titanium nitride thin films deposited by reactive pulsed-laser ablation in RF plasma

Titanium nitride thin films were deposited on Si (100) substrates by pulsed laser ablation of a titanium target in a N2 atmosphere (gas pressure approx. 10 Pa) using a doubled frequency Nd:YAG laser (532 nm) also assisted by a 13.56-MHz radio frequency (RF) plasma. Deposition was carried out at various substrate temperatures ranging from 373 up to 873 K and films were analyzed by X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy and optical emission spectroscopy. A comparison between the ‘normal’ pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and the RF plasma-assisted PLD showed the influence of the plasma on the structural characteristics of the thin films.