Effects of sputtering power on microstructure and mechanical properties of TiVCr films

We investigated the effects of sputtering power on the microstructure of direct-current magnetron sputter-deposited TiVCr films on silicon wafer grown at room temperature. When the sputtering power was 100 W, composite structure with amorphous and body-centered cubic (BCC) crystal phases can be observed. When sputtering power was increased to 200 W, the composite structure was almost transformed into crystal columnar structure. Apart from interface region, the amorphous zone was composed of bundles of fine fibrous structure, whereas the BCC crystal zone contained V-shaped columnar structures without significant element segregation. Results indicated that the high sputtering power favored the formation of crystal films and the decrease of intracolumnar voids. However, a significant crack occurred, thereby widening intercolumnar voids. The film deposited at high sputtering power demonstrates slight improvement of mechanical properties.