Synthesis of nanocrystalline TiNi thin films by cluster beam deposition

Nanocrystalline TiNi thin films were produced by cluster beam deposition. A pulsed arc gas aggregation source was used to generate intense and stable supersonic cluster beams. With this technique, films characterized by crystallite sizes of a few tens of nanometers can be obtained without recrystallization by thermal annealing. Films maintain the stoichiometry of the original TiNi alloy. Oxygen contamination is observed.