Temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity of reactively sputtered TiN films

Abstract

The electrical resistivity of reactively sputtered TiN films was measured as a function of film thickness. The effect of directionality of the sputtered atoms, substrate temperature, bias voltage, deposition rate, and film morphology on the electron conductivity in TiN films was studied. The combination of rapid deposition rate and high substrate temperature with bias-collimated sputtering results in TiN films with the lowest resistivity, 45 μΩ cm, the largest temperature coefficient of resistance, 1355 ppm, and the highest superconducting transition temperature, 5.04 K. These films are characterized by small grains with mixed <111≳ and <200≳ orientation and reduced electron scattering with an estimated electron mean-free path of 96 nm.