Effect of the Pressure of Oxygen on the Plasma Oxidation of the Titanium Nitride Surface

The dependences of the thickness of the TiO2 layer formed on the TiN surface on a partial pressure (flow) of oxygen in an argon-oxygen plasma of a magnetron sputtering system are established by secondary-ion mass spectrometry. The obtained dependences can be explained using a simple phenomenological model. Based on the previous data, a general expression for the dependences of the TiO2 thickness on the annealing time and temperature, as well as the partial pressure of oxygen, are derived. It is shown that the kinetic oxidation mode changes in the investigated annealing temperature range, which requires refining the model used previously and its parameters. The results can be used to form a nanometer oxide layer of the specified thickness on the titanium nitride surface.