Mechanical Properties of TiN Films with the Preferred Orientations by Nano-Indentation Method

TiN films with the(111)and(200)preferred orientations were formed on Si(100)and sapphire(0001)substrates by ion-beam-assisted deposition. The difference in the mechanical properties between the(111)and(200)preferred orientation in TiN thin films was clarified by the nano-indentation technique with the trigonal diamond tip. The experiments revealed significant differences in hardness H and modulus E^* irrespective of the substrate materials. The measured values were H=16 GPa, E^*=316 GPa for the(200)preferred orientation and H=9 GPa, E^*=192 GPa for the(111)preferred orientation. The behavior of the plastic deformation in the TiN films was estimated by the cross-sectional SEM observation and the TEM analysis. These microstructural analyses showed significant difference in cross-sectional views of the plastic deformation and the intergranular fracture mechanism