Phase formation, structure, and state of stress of nanostructured tantalum boride films

Nanostructured tantalum boride films have been synthesized using the method of nonreactive radio-frequency sputtering of TaB^sub 2^ target. The effect of sputtering regimes on the phase formation, structure, and the state of stress of the samples produced has been studied. The thickness of films was determined by multibeam interferometry and X-ray diffraction methods; the structure and phase composition of films were studied by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy; and the chemical composition was determined by the secondary ion mass spectrometry. The change in the sputtering regimes affected the phase formation and the structure of the synthesized films and led to changes in their substructural parameters, namely, subgrain sizes, microdeformations of the crystal lattice, and the degree of texture and the level of macrostresses. Both textured stressed and nontextured stressless nanostructured films of tantalum borides have been obtained.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]