Titanium carbide film deposition on silicon wafers by pulsed KrF laser ablation of titanium in low-pressure CH₄ and C₂H₂ atmospheres

¹ INFM and Università di Lecce, Dipartimento di Fisica, 73100 Lecce, Italy
² INFM and Università di Ancona, Dipartimento di Fisica e Ingegneria dei Materiali e del Territorio, 60131 Ancona, Italy

Corresponding author: manuel.fernandez@unile.it

Received: 14 November 2003
Accepted: 6 May 2004
Published online: 25 August 2004

Abstract

We report on the deposition of thin titanium carbide films on 60 mm and 100 mm Si wafers by KrF laser ablation of titanium targets in low-pressure (0.1 Pa) CH₄ and C₂H₂ atmospheres, and on their characterization. The targets were titanium foils (purity 99.6%). Si (111) wafers, 60 and 100 mm in diameter, were used as substrates. Film characteristics (thickness, composition and crystalline structure) were studied as a function of the carbon-containing gas (C₂H₂ or CH₄), laser fluence (4 or 6 J/cm²), substrate temperature (20 or 250 °C) and target-to-substrate distance (70–120 mm). Continuous, well adhesive polycrystalline TiC films were deposited even without any heating of the substrate. Films deposited in C₂H₂ ambient atmosphere are better crystallized and less prone to surface oxidation with respect to films deposited in CH₄ atmosphere, in otherwise identical conditions.