Effect of deposition power and pressure on rate deposition and resistivity of titanium thin films grown by DC magnetron sputtering

Based on magnetron sputtering deposition technology, titanium (Ti) thin films are deposited on silicon (Si) substrate using different preparation conditions such as sputtering power and pressure. The influence of altering these conditions on deposition rate and microstructure is studied. The results show that sputtering power significantly affects the rate of deposition and the resistivity. The deposition rate of the Ti thin film increases when the resistivity decreases under sputtering powers of 150–225 W with a pressure of 0.8 Pa and Argon (Ar) flux of 80 sccm. As sputtering power was increased further (from 225 to 250 W), the deposition rate reduced and the resistivity augmented. Pressure also has influence on the deposition rate and resistivity – when pressure increases from 0.6 to 0.8 Pa, the deposition rate escalates while the resistivity reduces; when the pressure is raised from 0.8 to 1.0 Pa with Ar flux of 100 sccm, the deposition rate decreases and resistivity increases. The surface chemical compositions and the structures of the Ti film were studied by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). Observing the cross-section of the thin-film samples produced by scanning electron microscope (SEM) reveals the influence of the preparation conditions used on the microstructure and confirms the influence of sputtering power and pressure on the resistivity.