Interaction of oxygen with ZrN at room temperature: An XPS study†

Quantitative XPS has been used to characterize the interaction of oxygen with ZrN at room temperature. The results indicate that ZrN remains unaffected for oxygen exposures <104 L at oxygen pressures <10−7 Torr. However, higher oxygen exposures at higher pressures cause the formation of an oxynitride (ZrN0.5O0.5) and ZrO2. At 108 L saturation is reached, with the formation of an oxidized layer that is 17 A thick formed by 5 A of ZrO2 and an interface layer (12 A thick) of average composition ZrN0.5O0.5. Analysis of the core levels and valence band of the oxynitride demonstrates its ionic character as well as its insulating properties in comparison with metallic ZrN.

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