文摘
High temperature oxidation of 300 nm single crystalline Tib>2b>AlN MAX phase thin film deposited on MgO(111) substrate between 300 and 900 °C has been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and mass spectrometry. As shown by XRD, Tib>2b>AlN remained structurally stable up to 700 °C, before it began to react with MgO substrate and ambient Ob>2b> to form MgTib>2b>Ob>5b> and MgAlb>2b>Ob>4b> at 900 °C. However, as revealed by XPS, oxidation of Tib>2b>AlN occurred at room temperature from its surface by forming TiOb>2b>, TiNb>xb>Ob>yb> and Alb>2b>Ob>3b> with surface enrichment of Al. This initial oxidation continued up to 300 °C, until Ti and Al in the surface layer (∼7.1 nm thick) have been completely oxidized into TiOb>2b> and Alb>2b>Ob>3b> at 500 °C, where Al in the subsurface preferentially diffused to the edges of the terraces and agglomerated into Alb>2b>Ob>3b> islands. At 700 °C and above, surface of Tib>2b>AlN lost its characteristic hexagonal terrace morphology by transforming into round islands as a result of high temperature oxidation. Mass spectrometry revealed that N in Tib>2b>AlN was released from the MAX thin film as Nb>2b> and Nb>2b>O.