Mechanical and electrical properties of fcc TiO1+x thin films prepared by rf reactive sputtering

This paper reports on an investigation on fee TiO1+x thin films with 0<x<1. The films were deposited by r.f. reactive sputtering and characterized by X-ray diffraction, electron probe microanalysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, and electrical measurements. The films crystallized in the fee phase with a lattice parameter a=0.419 nm, exhibit a gold like color, an electrical resistivity of about 400 mu Omega cm at room temperature, and remarkable nanohardness values of about 23 GPa. The results of these experiments are discussed and compared to the archetypal fee TiN coatings. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.