2.4.1.1 PREPARATION OF TIC/A:C THIN FILMS

Modern methods of vacuum deposition provide great flexibility for manipulating ma­terial chemistry and structure, leading to films and coatings with special properties. TiC/A:C nanocomposite thin films have been prepared by DC magnetron sputter­ing (Fig. 2.15) on silicon (001) substrate with 300 nm thick oxidized silicon sub­layer. Films have been deposited at 200 °C in argon at 0.25 Pa. The input power of 99.999% purity carbon target (C) was kept constant at 150 W and the input power of the 99.995% purity titanium target (Ti) was changed between 15 and 50 W. The deposition rate was ~0.06 nm/s. The thickness of thin films was about 300 nm. The structural investigations have been performed on a Philips CM-20 Microscope using a 200 kV accelerating voltage. The elemental analysis of film composition was also performed in this microscope, which is equipped with a NORAN EDS (Energy Dis­persive Spectrometer), with an HP-Ge detector.