A study of the composition distribution at the TiAl2O3 interface using the MCs+-SIMS technique

In this article, the MCs+-SIMS technique has been used to characterize TiAl2O3 metal/insulator interfaces. Our experiment shows that by detecting MCs+ secondary ions, the matrix and interface effects are reduced, and good depth profiles have been obtained. The experimental result also shows that with the increase of the annealing temperature (RT, 300°C, 600°C, 850°C), the interface gets broadened gradually, indicating diffusion and reaction take place at the interface, and the interface reaction is enhanced with the increase in annealing temperature. When the temperature increases, the AlCs+ signal forms two plateaus in the Ti layer, indicating Al from the decomposition of Al2O3 diffuses into the Ti layer and exists as two new forms (phases). Also, with the increase of the annealing temperature, oxygen diffuses into the Ti layer gradually, and makes the O signal in the Ti layer increase significantly in the 850°C annealed sample.