Texture development and phase transformation behaviour of sputtered Shape Memory Alloy Ni-Ti films

Ni-Ti SMA films are attractive materials for microfabrication and integration in micro-miniature systems composed of mechanical elements, actuators, sensors and electronics made on one chip. However, there are still important issues unresolved like formation of film texture and its control as well as substrate effects. It is essential to identify and control their preferential orientation since it is a crucial factor in determining the shape memory behaviour. Widening the scope of previous experiments concerning the influence of the deposition parameters on the Ni-Ti films structure, the incorporation of a TiN intermediate layer was tested.
Here, it is established a clear relationship between the TiN substrates and Ni-Ti texture development (B2 phase) and it is shown that the distinct crystallographic orientations of the Ni-Ti films influence their phase transformation behaviour. The influence of a substrate bias voltage on the preferential orientation of the B2 phase and transformation temperatures is as well revealed.