A Tetragonal Phase in Cr(N,O) Thin Film Prepared by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Chromium oxynitride (Cr(N,O)) thin film have been successfully prepared by using pulsed laser deposition. The composition of the thin film was determined to be Cr0.50N0.23O0.28 by Ruthreford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS). The structural analysis was carried out by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), and out-of-plane and in-plane measurements were used to clarify the axial ratio (c/a) of the Cr(N,O) phase. The lattice constants of a and c axes in the Cr(N,O) phase were found to be 0.414 and 0.419 nm, respectively. From these results, the cubic to tetragonal phase change by substitution of the oxygen atoms for nitrogen atoms was confirmed for the crystal Cr(N,O) compounds.