STRUCTURAL AND COMPOSITION PROPERTIES OF Nb THIN FILMS PRODUCED BY MAGNETRON SPRAYING
Niobium thin films were deposited on Si substrates using DC and RF magnetron sputtering at different substrate temperatures. The
morphological and compositional properties of the films were studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and wavelengthdispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (WDXRF). AFM results showed that heating the substrate led to the coalescence of
crystallites and an increase in surface roughness. WDXRF analysis confirmed the high purity of the sputter-grown Nb layers with
a dominant Nb Kα emission peak. The obtained results indicate that the deposition mode and substrate temperature play a crucial
role in controlling the microstructure and surface morphology of Nb thin films, which is important for their applications in
nanoelectronics and superconducting devices.
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