AUGER AND X-RAY CHARACTERIZATION OF SURFACE NITRIDE FILMS ON TI, ZR, AND HF.

POLYCRYSTALLINE DISCS OF TI, ZR, AND HF HAVE BEEN NITRIDED BY RF HEATING TO 925, 1200, AND 925 D. C IN FLOWING NH//3 GAS AT 300 TORR. THE SURFACE FILMS ARE CHARACTERIZED BY AUGER ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY USING ARGON ION SPUTTERING TO DETERMINE THE COMPOSITION DEPTH PROFILES AND BY X-RAY DIFFRACTION TOIDENTIFY THE PHASES PRESENT. THE DEPTH PROFILES HAVE CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES CONSISTENT WITH THE PHASES IDENTIFIED BY X-RAY DIFFRACTION: CUBIC TIN, TETRAGONAL TI//2N AND HEXAGONAL″ALPHA″ -TI, CUBIC ZRN AND HEXAGONAL ″ALPHA″ -ZR, AND ″ALPHA″ -HF N SOLID SOLUTIONS. THE HF NITRIDE SURFACE PHASE WAS TOO THIN TO BE DETECTED BY X-RAYS. A SEMIQUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF AUGER INTENSITIES IS DESCRIBED USING THE COMPOSITION OFTHE PHASES IDENTIFIED BY X-RAY DIFFRACTION.