Ta-based amorphous metal thin films

• New Ta-based amorphous metals were sputter deposited from individual targets.
• As-deposited amorphous structure was confirmed through diffraction techniques.
• Electrical and surface properties were characterized and possess smooth surfaces.
• No evidence of crystallization up to 600 °C (TaNiSi) and 800 °C (TaMoSi).
• Ultra-smooth surfaces remained unchanged up to crystallization temperature.

With their lack of grains and grain boundaries, amorphous metals are known to possess advantageous mechanical properties and enhanced chemical stability relative to crystalline metals. Commonly, however, they exhibit poor high-temperature stability because of their metastable nature. Here, we describe two new Ta-based ternary metal thin films that retain thermal stability to 600 °C and above. The new thin-film compositions, Ta2Ni2Si1 and Ta2Mo2Si1, are amorphous, exhibiting ultra-smooth surfaces (<0.4 nm) and resistivities typical of amorphous metals (224 and 177 μΩ cm, respectively).

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