Growth mode and texture development in Ni-Ti shape memory alloy (SMA) films during co-sputtering deposition – An in situ synchrotron radiation study

In-situ X-ray scattering measurements were carried out during Ni-Ti shape memory alloy film processing at the Rossendorf Beamline (BM20-ESRF). The experiments performed with a two-magnetron sputter deposition chamber mounted into the six-circle diffractometer of the beamline enabled us to identify the different steps of the structural evolution during deposition with a set of parameters as well as to evaluate the effect of changing parameters (Ti target power) during film growth. The results show that the type of substrate plays an important role for the preferential orientation of sputtered Ni-Ti films. Amorphous SiO2 and TiN buffer layers were used to successfully control their crystallographic orientations. The deposition conditions leading to films mainly containing grains with (100) or (110) planes of the B2 phase parallel to the film surface are presented. The control of texture is an important achievement since it has a strong influence on the extent of the strain recovery of the Ni-Ti films. The deposition of graded Ni-Ti films by deliberately changing the Ti:Ni ratio, thereby altering microstructure and transformation temperatures across the film thickness, provided significant data for the optimisation of the deposition parameters in order to fabricate films with a “two-way” actuation (films with a combination of superelasticity and shape memory characteristics). This is a plus for the miniaturization of Ni–Ti films based devices in the field of micro-electro-mechanical systems since no consideration has to be paid to a resetting spring.