SIMS characterization of TiN diffusion barrier layer on steel substrate

Here we report experimentally determined diffusivity of Fe in TiN diffusion barrier layer. TiN films were deposited on mild steel substrates at room temperature. The samples were annealed at high temperatures in view of processes requiring high temperature such as GaAs thin film solar cells. SIMS was used to extract the diffusion coefficient for bulk diffusion and grain boundary diffusion. At 700°C, the effective diffusion coefficient was found to be 1.7 nm
²
/sec.