Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2003
Journal or Book Title
Journal of Applied Physics
Volume
94
Issue
4
First Page
2607
Last Page
2611
DOI
10.1063/1.1593802
Abstract
In this study, the optical properties and dc resistivity of a series of FeSiAl(N) films reactively sputtered with different partial pressures of N were investigated. Spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to measure the real and imaginary parts of the complex dielectric functions. There is a distinct micro/nanostructural transition from single-phase columnar body-centered-cubic (bcc) grains for partial pressure (pp) of nitrogen in sputtering gas ⩽4% to a two-phase nanocomposite of equiaxed bcc nanograins in an amorphous matrix for filmsdeposited with ⩾5% pp N. To assess the effect of surface oxidation on the optical properties, optical measurements were repeated on the 2 and 5% pp N films (representative of the two different types of films with different structures) after they were sputter etched in situ while performing depth profiling of the chemical composition using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The low-nitrogen films(⩽4% pp N) showed a dielectric function typical of a metal whose charge carrier contribution can be described by a classical free electron Drude model. The nanostructured films(⩾5% pp N) showed a positive real part of the dielectric functionε1and no evidence of free-carrier plasmon excitation. The optical conductivity decreased and the dc resistivity increased by about a factor of 2.5 as the film structure changed from a single phase columnar structure to the two-phase material that consisted of nanograins in an amorphous matrix.
Rights
Copyright 2004 American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics.
Copyright Owner
American Institute of Physics
Copyright Date
2004
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Lee, S. J.; Snyder, John E.; Lo, Chester C.H.; Campos-Anderson, K. M.; Anderegg, James W.; and Jiles, David C., "Influence of nanostructure and nitrogen content on the optical and electrical properties of reactively sputtered FeSiAl(N) films" (2003). Materials Science and Engineering Publications. 105.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/mse_pubs/105
Comments
The following article appeared in Journal of Applied Physics 94 (2003): 2067 and may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1593802.