Effects of substrate temperature on properties of NbNx films grown on Nb by pulsed laser deposition

► Niobium nitride thin films were deposited on Nb using pulsed laser deposition at different substrate temperatures. ► Increasing temperature leads to change in the phase structure of the film. ► The structure changes from hexagonal to a mixed and then back to a hexagonal phase. ► Crystallite sizes of the hexagonal phase increased as the temperatures increased.