Structural and chemical characterization of Al-containing (Ti,Zr)C thin films sputter-deposited from a (Ti,Zr)2AlC target

We report on the synthesis of (Ti,Zr)C containing Al deposited using a compound (Ti,Zr)2AlC MAX phase target. The structure, chemistry and microstructure of the films are discussed and have shown that Al distorts the crystal structure of the solid solution carbide. Furthermore, depositions of more than 60 min have resulted in films containing MAX phase features. The compositional analysis of these features has shown that the composition varies from a Zr-rich to a Ti-rich MAX phase. Furthermore, we show that there are two steps towards the growth of the MAX phase: first the deposition of a seed layer whose composition varies from Zr-rich to Ti-rich with low Al content and second the growth of the MAX phase-containing carbide.