Nucleation and growth of DC magnetron sputtered titanium diboride thin films

Titanium diboride (TiB2) films deposited on different substrates at room temperature using DC magnetron sputtering had good adherence. The studies using transmission electron microscope (TEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) showed fabrication of smooth titanium diboride films with very low surface roughness values. Island formation during nucleation and growth of these films could be observed in scanning electron microscopy study. The nano-crystallinity of these films was confirmed from the AFM investigation, which also revealed layered growth of these materials. These conducting films showed micro-hardness in the range of ∼2850 Hv0.015 on Si and resistivity in the range of 200×10−6 Ω cm.