Epitaxial growth of TiN(100) on Si(100) by reactive magnetron sputtering at low temperature

Epitaxial growth of TiN (150 nm) on Si(100) has been thoroughly investigated by X-ray pole figure analysis. During reactive magnetron sputtering using metal targets, the epitaxial ordering of sputtered atoms starts between 300 degrees C and 400 degrees C. Below this range, the films have a fiber structure, with TiN(200) parallel to Si(100). Above this range, further in-plane order is developed such that Si(001)[110]//TiN(002)[110], which is clearly established by both X-ray and electron diffractions, This is the case despite the large lattice mismatch (Delta a/a=24.6%), suggesting that lattice matching is not always a prerequisite for epitaxial growth.