Development of tantalum oxynitride thin films produced by PVD: Study of structural stability

When subjected to the thermal annealing at 700 °C or higher, the film produced with lowest partial pressure revealed a remarkable structural change. New diffraction peaks appear and can only be attributed to a sub-stoichiometric hexagonal tantalum nitride structure. The film did not reveal any signs of delamination or cracks after all annealing temperatures. The two films produced with highest partial pressure proved to be the most stable. Structurally, they maintain the amorphous structure after all the annealing treatments and, in addition, no cracks or delamination were detected.