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“In situ” XPS studies of laser-induced surface nitridation and oxidation of tantalum

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2015

Ruth Lahoz
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Aragón (ICMA), CSIC-Universidad de Zaragoza, María de Luna 3, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
Juan Pedro Espinós*
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Sevilla (ICMS), CSIC-Universidad de Sevilla, Américo Vespucio 49, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
Francisco Yubero
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Sevilla (ICMS), CSIC-Universidad de Sevilla, Américo Vespucio 49, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
Agustín Rodríguez González-Elipe
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Sevilla (ICMS), CSIC-Universidad de Sevilla, Américo Vespucio 49, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
Germán Francisco de la Fuente
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Aragón (ICMA), CSIC-Universidad de Zaragoza, María de Luna 3, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: jpespinos@icmse.csic.es
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Abstract

This work studies the nitridation of Ta by laser irradiation by means of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The study has been carried out under “in situ” conditions by controlling the nitrogen partial pressure, the presence of traces of oxygen, and the irradiance of the laser. It is found that a thin layer of Ta2O5 is directly obtained when irradiating in the presence of oxygen, while a Ta3N5 surface compound and some minor contributions of nonstoichiometric phases are formed in the presence of nitrogen. For O2:N2 mixtures at 0.1 Pa, preferential nitride formation occurs up to a ratio of 1:4, while Ta2O5 starts to be predominant for ratios above this value. The air stability of the tantalum nitride layer formed by laser irradiation and the surface topography of the irradiated metal are also studied. The possible factors determining this behavior are discussed.

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Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2015 

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References

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