Photoemission studies of Ti3SiC2 and nanocrystalline-TiC/amorphous-SiC nanocomposite thin films

• Photoemissionstudies using synchrotron radiation have been performed on epitaxial Ti3SiC2(0001)and compound nanocrystalline (nc-)TiC/amorphous (a-)SiC thin films deposited by magnetronsputtering. As-introduced samples were found to be covered by surfaceoxides, SiOx and TiOx. These oxides could be removed byin-situ annealing to ~1000  °C. For as-annealed Ti3SiC2(0001), surface Si wasobserved and interpreted as originating from decomposition of Ti3SiC2 throughSi out-diffusion. For nc-TiC/a-SiC annealed in situ to ~1000  °C, thesurface instead exhibited a dominant contribution from graphitic carbon, alsowith the presence of Si, due to C and Siout-diffusion from the a-SiC compound or from grain boundaries.

Nyckelord

titanium compounds

silicon compounds

wide band gap semiconductors

nanocomposites

amorphous state

epitaxial layers

sputtered coatings

photoelectron spectra

surface composition

annealing

decomposition

surface diffusion

grain boundaries

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