Research of niobium thin films with a predetermined thickness produced by RF magnetron sputtering

Abstract

Niobium and niobium thin films are widely used in various fields of modern science and technology: in the electronics industry, in a nuclear medical imaging technique, in the information technology, in superconducting cavities technology etc. The grain size of thin niobium films depends on its thickness and the film's stoichiometry can be varied as a function of thickness. Thus the problem of thickness control has a great practical importance in all fields of niobium films application. The focus of this study was to perform an experimental calibration of STC-2000A deposition controller for niobium target on ADVAVAC VSM-200 setup and to conduct a grain size, roughness and stoichiometry research by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and laser interference microscopy of niobium films produced by RF magnetron sputtering with the thickness range from 200 nm to 400 nm and 50 nm step.