In-situ growth of iron mononitride thin films studied using x-ray absorption spectroscopy and nuclear resonant scattering

Gupta, Mukul; Pandey, Nidhi; Niti,; Reddy, ‬V. Raghavendra; Phase, D. M.; Schlage, Kai; Wille, Hans‐Christian; Gupta, Ajay

doi:10.1007/s10751-019-1633-4

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…As described above, the N K-edge spectra of bulk-like Fe-N film (thickness >1000 Å ) matches very well with ZB-type Fe-N film (Niti et al, 2020). In several reports it has been emphasized that the Fe-N phase is formed when Fe is sputtered in a pure N 2 plasma atmosphere (Niti et al, 2020;Gupta et al, 2019Gupta et al, , 2011Tayal et al, 2015). Therefore, the formation of the Fe-N phase can also be expected in the present work as the deposition was performed under similar conditions.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

“…These test samples were then employed for X-ray reflectivity and X-ray diffraction measurements (using Bruker D8 Advance with Cu K X-rays) to obtain the deposition rates and structural information, respectively. From our earlier studies, it was found that reactive sputtering with nitrogen alone results in the formation of FeN (Gupta et al, 2019), CoN (Gupta et al, 2020) and Ni 2 N (Pandey et al, 2021) phases. N K-edge XANES of bulk-like ($ 1500 Å thick) Fe-N, Co-N and Ni-N thin film samples are shown in Fig.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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In situ N K-edge XANES study of iron, cobalt and nickel nitride thin films

et al. 2021

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A prototype in situ X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) system was developed to explore its sensitivity for ultra-thin films of iron-nitride (Fe-N), cobalt-nitride (Co-N) and nickel-nitride (Ni-N). They were grown using DC-magnetron sputtering in the presence of an N2 plasma atmosphere at the experimental station of the soft XAS beamline BL01 (Indus-2, RRCAT, India). XANES measurements were performed at the N K-edge in all three cases. It was found that the N K-edge spectral shape and intensity are greatly affected by increasing thickness and appear to be highly sensitive, especially in low-thickness regions. From a certain thickness of ∼1000 Å, however, samples exhibit a bulk-like behavior. On the basis of the obtained results, different growth stages were identified. Furthermore, the presence of a molecular N2 component in the ultra-thin regime (<100 Å) was also obtained in all three cases studied in this work. In essence, this prototype in situ system reveals that N K-edge XANES is a powerful technique for studying ultra-thin films, and the development of a dedicated in situ system can be effective in probing several phenomena that remain hitherto unexplored in such types of transition metal nitride thin films.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

In situ N K-edge XANES study of iron, cobalt and nickel nitride thin films

et al. 2021

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“…Since TEY mode is surface sensitive, samples were sputtered to remove about 20 nm of top layer using a 5 KeV, 50µA Ar + source incident at an angle of 45 • . Comparing the sputtered and in-situ grown N K-edge spectra 38 , it can be anticipated that sputtering of FeN sample does not severally affect the integrity of atomic arrangement in FeN sample. Local magnetic structure of samples was investigated using Mössbauer spectroscopy (MS) carried out at 300 K and also at low temperature (100 K) using a liquid He cryomagnet.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-diffusion processes in stoichiometric iron mononitride

Tayal

Pandey

Reddy

et al. 2021

Journal of Applied Physics

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In this work, we studied atomic self-diffusion and structural phase transformation in a single phase iron mononitride (FeN) thin film deposited at an optimized substrate temperature (T s ) of 423 K. At this T s , FeN film exhibit a tetrahedral coordination between Fe and N atoms (ZnS-type structure with lattice parameter of 4.28Å). The structure of FeN film was studied by combining x-ray diffraction with Fe and N K-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy and conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy measurements. Selfdiffusion of Fe and N was measured using secondary ion mass spectroscopy depth profiling in trilayer structures: [FeN(50 nm)/ 57 FeN(2 nm)/FeN(50 nm)] and [FeN(50 nm)/Fe 15 N(2 nm)/FeN(50 nm)] deposited on an amorphous quartz substrate using reactive magnetron sputtering. It was found that atomic self-diffusion is strongly associated with the thermal stability. Before reaching the phase decomposition temperature, the self-diffusion of N was found to be slower than Fe. Upon phase decomposition, both Fe and N diffuse rapidly, and at this stage, the self-diffusion of N takes over Fe. Within the thermally stable state, slower N diffusion indicates that Fe-N bonds are stronger than Fe-Fe bonds in FeN. This behavior was predicted theoretically and has been evidenced in this work.

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“…The stability of both phases was confirmed theoretically, with some calculations indicating that the zinc blende structure is more stable, − while the other opting in favor of the rock salt structure. , Experimentally, Eck et al observed that, for compounds with stoichiometry FeN x , the rock salt structure emerges with the nitrogen content x = 0.5–0.7, while the zinc blende structure appears for x = 0.91 . As far as thin FeN films are concerned, Pandey and Gupta et al reported a transition from the rock salt γ′′′ to the zinc blende γ′′ structure with increasing film thickness. , …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Single-phase and single-crystal films are only possible for epitaxial growth on single-crystal substrates, such as MgO(001), Cu(001), Cu(111), LaAlO 3 (001), SrTiO 3 (001), or Ru(0001) thin film . The other relatively commonly occurring phases are the γ′′-FeN, ε-Fe 3‑x N and α′′-Fe 16 N 2 . The films representing ζ-Fe 2 N, α′-Fe 8 N, γ′′′-FeN, and w-FeN constitute very rare cases.…”

Section: Structure Of Iron Nitride Filmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Iron Nitride Thin Films: Growth, Structure, and Properties

Wojciechowski

Lewandowski

2022

Crystal Growth & Design

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The current state-of-the-art in the growth, structure, and physicochemical properties of iron nitride thin films is presented. First, different iron nitride phases are introduced based on their crystallographic structure and the Fe−N phase diagram. Second, preparation methods for thin iron nitride films are described. Next, the structure, electronic, and magnetic properties of the films are discussed. Finally, potential applications of iron nitride films, as well as the challenges to be faced in the field, are highlighted. This Review constitutes a starting point for anyone who would like to conduct research on these fascinating materials, the scientific and technological potential of which has not been fully explored to date.

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In-situ growth of iron mononitride thin films studied using x-ray absorption spectroscopy and nuclear resonant scattering

Cited by 7 publications

References 86 publications

In situ N K-edge XANES study of iron, cobalt and nickel nitride thin films

In situ N K-edge XANES study of iron, cobalt and nickel nitride thin films

Self-diffusion processes in stoichiometric iron mononitride

Iron Nitride Thin Films: Growth, Structure, and Properties

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