Sputter deposition of platinum films in argon/oxygen and neon/oxygen discharges

Abstract

We have investigated the resistivity, crystallography, and chemistry of films sputter deposited from a platinum target in argon and neon discharges containing small amounts of oxygen. The results presented here indicate that the oxidation behavior of platinum is strongly dependent upon the type of rare gas used for the deposition. A comparison of the dependence of platinum-oxygen bond formation on cathode voltage and deposition rate suggests that oxide formation in the films is controlled by a reaction which occurs at the target surface and is enhanced when neon carrier gas is used. A large increase in resistivity above that of bulk platinum metal is always correlated with platinum-oxygen bond formation in the film.