Optical and electronic properties of CrOxNy films, deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering in Ar/N2/O2(N2O) atmospheres

Chromium oxynitride films CrOxNy were prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering from a chromium target in Ar/O-2(N2O)/N-2 gas mixtures. The argon-to-nitrogen partial pressure ratio and the DC discharge power were kept constant in the experiments. By changing the gas composition the film stoichiometry can be continuously varied from CrN to Cr2O3. The film composition has been determined by Rutherford backscattering (RBS) and by elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA). From an XRD analysis it was concluded that the films consist of CrN nanocrystals in an amorphous oxide matrix. Depending on the oxygen content [O], the electronic behaviour of the films changes, accompanied by the evolution of an optical band gap, which was determined by spectral transmission and reflection measurements. The (negative) temperature coefficient at approximate to 300 K of the resistivity of the films is in the range of 0.5 (CrN) to 2% K-1 (CrO0.5N0.7). This film property can be used for temperature-dependent resistors, for instance in thermal radiation detectors.