Comparison study on structure of Si and Cu doping CrN films by reactive sputtering

► We compare the microstructure of the copper and silicon doping CrN films under the same deposition conditions, and thus we can get a better understanding of nanocomposite films. ► The different variation in the preferred orientation with substrate bias of CrN, CrCuN and CrSiN films is considered in the manuscript. ► The TEM observation combined with the XPS results shows that the CrSiN film is composed of nanocrystallites distributed in amorphous Si3N4, while no amorphous phase exists in CrCuN films.