Abstract
To investigate the influence of temperature on nucleation and growth of Ti3SiC2, Ti–Si–C thin films were deposited by magnetron sputtering from elemental targets of Ti, Si and C on Si(100) and Al2O3 substrates at temperature <200°C. Subsequently, the as deposited films were annealed in vacuum at 800, 950, 1100 and 1200°C respectively. The as deposited films consisted of amorphous TiC, amorphous Si and free C, as determined by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Annealing in vacuum <950°C resulted in improved crystallinity of TiC and formation of SiCx and Ti5Si3 phases. However, the Ti3SiC2 phase forms in films at 1100°C owing to the increase in Si diffusion coefficient. Moreover, the evolution of hardness and elastics modulus with annealing temperatures was determined by nanoindentation. The results showed a continuous decline of film hardness with increasing annealing temperature due to the formation of Ti3SiC2 and Ti5Si3 phases.
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