Pulsed laser ablation deposition of ZrC films

Zirconium carbide films prepared by pulsed laser ablation technique, starting from ZrC pellets evaporated by frequency doubled Nd-YAG laser, were deposited on silicon (111) in a vacuum chamber under different experimental conditions. Different analytical techniques were utilised to obtain information about the gaseous and solid phases during the processing. In particular the gaseous phase has been characterized by mass spectrometry, emission spectroscopy and geometrical distribution. Thermodynamic considerations have been made to clarify the gas phase composition. X-Ray diffraction and SEM and TEM analyses give indications about the composition, cristallinity grade and morphology of the films. The deposits obtained have been characterized also in connection with their mechanical properties of hardness by using a method that allows to derive the films hardness from indentation measurements of the system substrate - film..