Effect of grain size on the oxidation kinetics of sputtered titanium nitride films

The oxidation kinetics of sputtered titanium nitride films has been studied as a function of as‐deposited grain size. Films of varying grain size have been heated in air at 200 and 300 °C for 24‐h time periods. Resulting oxide layers have been measured by Auger depth profiling, and the rate of oxidation related to average grain diameter. Single‐crystal films grown on MgO have also been oxidized to provide a comparative end point. Grain diameters have been determined from measurement of the breadth of observed x‐ray diffraction peaks, with calculated diameters ranging from 133 to 545 A. A strong dependence of oxidation rate on as‐deposited grain size is observed.