ICP assisted sputter deposition of TiC/CaO nanocomposite films

TiC/CaO nanocomposite films have been deposited from a TiC0.5+10% CaO target by a hybrid PVD/PACVD system, which combines the interaction of three different plasmas: a dc magnetron plasma to create a flux of species to be deposited, a high density inductively coupled plasma (ICP) to excite and ionize these species to a degree as high as possible, and a rf substrate bias plasma to control the energy of the ions impinging onto the growing film. The nanocomposite films have been characterized concerning their composition, morphology and structure, crystallinity, and their bonding environment by means of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The average composition of the coatings is Ti0.43C0.35Ca0.02O0.15N0.05; the films are nanocrystalline with fcc structure, a lattice parameter close to that of cubic TiC, and crystallite sizes between 5 and 15 nm. The influence of the major process parameters such as the ICP power and the substrate bias on these properties is discussed.