Deposition and characterization of TiZrV-Pd thin films by dc magnetron sputtering

TL;DR

This study reports the deposition and detailed characterization of TiZrV-Pd thin films on stainless steel pipes using dc magnetron sputtering, highlighting their microstructure, composition, and surface roughness for potential vacuum applications.

Contribution

It introduces a method for depositing TiZrV-Pd films with specific properties and provides comprehensive analysis of their microstructure and composition, advancing thin film coating techniques for vacuum systems.

Findings

TiZrV grain size: 0.42-1.3 nm

Pd grain size: 8.5-18.25 nm

TiZrV roughness: 2-4 nm, Pd roughness: 17-19 nm

Abstract

TiZrV film is mainly applied in the ultra-high vacuum pipe of storage ring. Thin film coatings of palladium which was added onto the TiZrV film to increase the service life of nonevaporable getters and enhance pumping speed for H2, was deposited on the inner face of stainless steel pipes by dc magnetron sputtering using argon gas as the sputtering gas. The TiZrV-Pd film properties were investigated by atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The grain size of TiZrV and Pd film were about 0.42~1.3 nm and 8.5~18.25 nm respectively. It was found that the roughness of TiZrV films was small, about 2~4 nm, for Pd film it is large, about 17~19 nm. PP At. % of Pd in TiZrV/Pd films varied from 86.84 to 87.56 according to the XPS test results.