Preparation of nanocrystalline titanium carbonitride coatings using Ti(N(Et)2)4

Titanium carbonitride films with a thickness of 80–150 nm have been synthesized by low pressure chemical vapor deposition from a gas mixture of tetrakis(diethylamino)titanium and ammonia at temperatures of 773–973 K. The film properties have been studied by spectroscopy (IR, XPS, and EDS), scanning electron and atomic force microscopy, and ellipsometry. The studies have shown that the films consist of polycrystals with a size of 15–80 nm; their structure contains chemical bonds of titanium with atoms of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. The film composition is consistent with the data of the previously performed thermodynamic modeling of the deposition of different condensed phases in the Ti-C-N-H-O system. As the deposition temperature increases in the range under study, the refractive index of the films increases from 2.1 to 2.7.