Growth defects in magnetron sputtered PVD films deposited in UHV environment

The growth defects in magnetron sputtered coatings have been well studied in industrial environment. In this work, on the other hand, the emphasis is in observing the same phenomena in a lab-scale UHV environment. TiN and CrN films were deposited at a thickness of 1-2 μm. The statistical evaluation of defect density was based on stylus profilometry scans (2 mm2 area), and consequent analysis of hillock density in dependence of threshold height. Morphology of defects was observed by SEM, while on selected defects we made FIB cross-sections. In this way we were able to measure the chemical composition of individual seeds - starting points for growth defects. In contrast to expectations, there was only a relatively minor reduction of defect density by using UHV environment.