Native target chemistry during reactive dc magnetron sputtering studied by ex-situ x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

We report x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of native Ti target surface chemistry during magnetron sputtering in an Ar/N2 atmosphere. To avoid air exposure, the target is capped immediately after sputtering with a few-nm-thick Al overlayers; hence, information about the chemical state of target elements as a function of N2 partial pressure pN2 is preserved. Contrary to previous reports, which assume stoichiometric TiN formation, we present direct evidence, based on core-level XPS spectra and TRIDYN simulations, that the target surface is covered by TiNx with x varying in a wide range, from 0.27 to 1.18, depending on pN2. This has far-reaching consequences both for modelling of the reactive sputtering process and for everyday thin film growth where detailed knowledge of the target state is crucial.