Deposition and characterisation of MoSi2 films

Deposition of MoSi2 films on silicon and tantalum substrates applying pulsed laser deposition technique has been performed. Crystalline, hexagonal symmetry, MoSi2 films were prepared directly from stoichiometric MoSi2 tetragonal target on room temperature and heated substrates (500 °C). Textured MoSi2 films having privileged (110) and (115) orientations and average crystallite size of about 105 nm were grown on Si(111) substrates with a good degree of axial texture (rocking curve full width half maximum of 1.5°). MoSi2 films grown on Ta(211) substrates, instead, turned out to be polycrystalline, with an average crystallite size of about 100 nm and 50 nm on substrates kept at room temperature and at 500 °C, respectively. Vickers hardness for 1.2 ¼m thick MoSi2 films on Si(111) substrates resulted to be 15 GPa both at room temperature and 500 °C, while for 0.4 ¼m thick MoSi2 films on Ta(211) substrates — 26 GPa at room temperature and 30 GPa at 500 °C.