A model for texture evolution in a growing film

Abstract

A model was developed in order to calculate texture evolution, where two major orientations may be present. The tendency for the lowest possible surface energy was taken as the driving force for texture changes during deposition. It was found that an initially isotropic angular distribution evolves towards a bimodal one and finally to a texture with a sharp distribution around the direction of lowest surface energy. A continuous sharpening of the angular distribution around the main directions was found in all cases. In some cases the texture can turn over from one orientation to the other one. All these effects could be observed in the experimental study of TIN layers deposited on various substrates using the PVD technique.