OPTICAL AND CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF TITANIUM BORON NITRIDE NANOCOMPOSITE PROTECTIVE COATINGS

M. Debessai and S. M. Aouadi

Department of Physics, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901-4401

K. C. Wong and K.A.R. Mitchell

Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1

F. Namavar

University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-1080

Titanium Boron Nitride coatings with a functionally graded underlayer of Titanium have been deposited at low temperatures (<200 C) on silicon substrates using ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD).  X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to determine the relative atomic concentration and the chemical states of the elements. Spectrospcopic Ellipsomtery in the energy range of 1.5 – 3.5 eV was used to determine the optical response of the film. A correlation between the optical response and the chemical composition was deduced using effective medium approximations and optical parametric functions such as the Lorentz oscillator model. A good agreement between the elemental/phase composition and optical constants was confirmed.