Compositional and electrical properties of Cr, Nb, Cr/Nb, CrNbN, and CrN/NbN multilayers grown using the d.c. magnetron sputtering technique

Cr, Nb, Cr/Nb, CrN x , NbN x , CrNbN, and (CrN/NbN) n structures were produced on Si and glass substrates, using the d.c. magnetron sputtering technique. Compositional analysis, based on binding energies of Cr, Nb, and N, was carried out by means of X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Through Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), depth profiles were obtained, allowing to demonstrate the multilayers production. Surface morphological characteristics, as roughness and grain size, were evaluated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), revealing very smooth surfaces, that is a consequence of the deposition parameters used in the synthetization experiments. Finally, for different configurations, conductivity measurements were carried out, revealing the influence of nitrogen content and temperature on electron transport. It was found that substoichiometric nitrides (CrN 0.35 and NbN 0.12 ) exhibited the highest conductivity, because the nitrogen atoms act as donor of electrons.