Effect of Preparation Method on Film Structure and Thermal Stability of Me/MeN/Me (Me = Al, Ti) Multilayer Thin Films

Me/MeN/Me (Me=Al, Ti ) multilayer thin films were deposited on silicon substrates by a multi-arc ion plating method (MAIP) and successive magnetron sputtering method (MS) respectively. The as-prepared and heat-treated films were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and auger electron spectra (AES). The results revealed that MS method has an advantage over MAIP method to prepare the Al/AlN/Ti submicron thin films which have high density, clear interface and smooth surface. In addition, the present study indicated that both the deposition sequence and mid-layer composition have a significant effect on the thermal stability. After heat-treatment at 500 oC for 10 min, the Al/AlN/Ti multilayer film prepared by the MS method has good thermal stability without surface crack or surface flaking. Furthermore, significant diffusion of oxygen element and nitrogen element within the multilayer interface was observed by the AES measurement. It is believed that the element diffusion in the multilayer interface plays an important role in the binding strength of multilayer interface.