Dependence of characteristics of LaB6 films on DC magnetron sputtering power

Lanthanum hexaboride(LaB₆) thin films were deposited on glass substrate by DC magnetron sputtering technology, and the AFM, XRD and scratch tests were used to characterize the deposited films. Influences of sputtering power on the microstructure and the bonding strength between the film and substrate were investigated. AFM observation proves that the dense films are obtained, and the surface roughness is below 4.3 nm. The LaB₆ film shows the crystalline structure with the grain less than 100 nm. The XRD pattern identifies that the crystal structure of the films is in accordance with that of bulk LaB₆, and the (100) crystal face is dominated. The average grain size decreases firstly and then increases with increasing power, and reaches the minimum of 40 nm when the sputtering power is 44 W. Moreover, the intensity of peaks in XRD pattern increases firstly and decreases afterward with increasing power. When the sputtering power is 50 W, the peak intensity reaches the maximum, showing an intense relationship between the power and crystal structures. The scratch test shows that interface bonding strength of the film/substrate is higher at the power of 44 W than the others, due to the formation of the nanosized crystals and their improved surface energy.