Composition and chemical state of titanium nitride films obtained by different methods

Abstract Titanium nitride films were obtained by three methods: ion-assisted deposition, deposition using the cathode spot arc discharge system (ion plating) and deposition using a planar magnetron. The resulting films were analysed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. Depending on the preparation conditions, the films were shown to have different composition and different colour (golden, copper-like, or blue). The golden-coloured films, formed by magnetron sputtering, comprise about 95% titanium nitride and about 5% titanium oxynitride. The other samples contain less titanium nitride, especially the blue-coloured films which contain only about 55% titanium nitride, 35% titanium oxynitrides and 10% titanium oxides.