Preparation of Helium-Charged Nanocrystalline Titanium Films Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering

Using direct currentmagnetron sputtering, He-Ti films with different He contents were prepared with various substrate temperatures and the helium contents in sputter gas. The helium content in Ti films, the average crystal sizes and the surface character of Ti films were analyzed by PBS, XRD, TEM and AFM. The effect of temperature on the He content in Ti films is related to the temperature scope. The He content is directly related to average crystal size and the crystal size is restricted when helium charges into the Ti films. The average crystal size decreases from about 35 nm to about 4 nm when the He/Ti atoms ratio in Ti films increases from 1.0% to 11.9%. The He-Ti films with higher He content can be prepared by choosing the appropriate helium-content in sputter gas.