Preparation of single-crystal TiC (111) by radio frequency magnetron sputtering at low temperature

Single-crystal films of TiC (111) have been synthesized at room temperature on Al2O3 (0001) substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering using a compound Ti–C target. The substrate temperature and bias were varied to explore the influence of deposition parameters on the crystal structure. Both Al2O3 (0001) and Si (100) substrates were used for epitaxial growth of TiC films. A series of characterizations of TiC films were carried out, including Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Single-crystal films of TiC (111) on the Al2O3 (0001) were demonstrated.

► Single-crystal films of TiC (111) have been synthesized by RF magnetron sputtering.
► Both temperature and bias affect greatly the TiC crystal structure.
► Al2O3 substrate is much better than Si substrate for TiC epitaxial growth.
► TiC (111) epitaxial film can be grown on Al2O3 (0001) at room temperature.