NUMERICAL DESCRIPTION OF TEXTURE EVOLUTION IN A GROWING FILM, STARTING FROM RANDOM ORIENTATIONS

Abstract

In physically vapour deposited TiN coatings a continuous evolution of the texture can be observed during deposition. The texture evolves from random near the substrate to a definite texture ((111) orientation) near the outer surface. This evolution seems to be typical for a number of coatings. This texture evolution was modelled, using the tendency for the smallest possible surface energy as the driving force. The experimental trends observed in a number of experiments could be reproduced or explained, e.g. the evolution towards larger column diameters for thicker films, the sharpening of the angular distribution of the columns, and the dependence of the texture on deposition parameters.