Microstructure evolution in zirconium carbide thin films at different substrate temperatures
الموضوعات : Journal of Theoretical and Applied Physics
Ali Heidarnia
1
,
Hamid Ghomi
2
1 - Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti university
2 - Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University
الکلمات المفتاحية: Plasma facing materials, Thin film deposition, Substrate temperature, Microstructure, Zirconium carbide,
ملخص المقالة :
Zirconium carbide (ZrC) is promising candidate materials in advanced nuclear reactors as fuel cladding and plasma facing materials. It can employ to increase ductility and fracture toughness of tungsten as prominent candidate of plasma facing materials in ITER and DEMO future fusion reactors. In this study, ZrC thin films were deposited through DC magnetron sputtering at different substrate temperatures. Argon and acetylene are respectively employed as the sputtering gas and reaction gas to produce ZrC from a Zr target. The phase and structure, crystallite size, displacement density, microstrain, and lattice's constant of the produced thin films were determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Raman spectroscopy was also used to identify various structures and chemical bonds. Furthermore, the analysis of Raman peaks associated with amorphous carbon bonds revealed that the ratio of sp3/sp2 carbon bonds increases by increasing temperature from 100°C to 180°C, which substantially affects the hardness of the thin films. Field Emission Scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) was used to measure the cross-sectional area and thickness of the thin films, and it was discovered that increasing temperature enhances the thickness of the thin films. The elemental analysis of ZrC thin films that was performed using X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) demonstrated the atoms that constitute the thin film, and their changes with temperature variations.
