Abstract
In situ oxygen doping modifies both the morphology and texture of the TiN films. It has been found that beyond 15 at% oxygen doping the columnar morphology is preserved however the < 111 > texture is changed to the < 002 >. The detailed structure analysis of the Ti0.45O0.20N0.35 oxynitride films prepared by reactive unbalanced magnetron sputtering (UBMS) in an argon/nitrogen/oxygen mixture atmosphere discovered a substructure in the bulk of the TiN(O) single crystal columns. In the cross sectional transmission electron microscopy (X-TEM) images the substructure is showing up in form of fibre-like morphology parallel to the axis of the columnar crystals and in a honeycomb-like supernetwork in the cross section of the single crystal columns in the plane view TEM specimens. The fibre-like substructure proceeds to the film surface and manifests itself in the morphology of the dome-shaped surface areas of the single crystal columns as revealed by atomic force microscopy analysis. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.