Thermally induced reactions of thin Ti and Nb films with SiO2 substrates

Abstract
The reactions between thin refractory metal Ti or Nb films and SiO2 substrates in the temperature range 650–1000 °C in a vacuum have been studied by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and glancing angle x‐ray diffraction. The reactions started with the growth of measureable phases at 700 and 900 °C and completed with the configurations of SiO2 /Ti5 Si3/ TiO and SiO2 /Nb5 Si3 /NbO. Marker experiments indicated that the Ti atoms were the dominant diffusing species in the formation of Ti5 Si3 in the SiO2 /Ti reaction. The formation rate of the Ti5 Si3 layer was thickness dependent: The thicker the original thin Ti film, the higher the rate.