Wetting state and mechanical property alteration for the Fe3Si films using rapid thermal annealing under various temperatures

Nattakorn Borwornpornmetee; Thawichai Traiprom; Takafumi Kusaba; Phongsaphak Sittimart; Hiroshi Naragino; Boonchoat Paosawatyanyong; Tsuyoshi Yoshitake; Nathaporn Promros

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22511

Wetting state and mechanical property alteration for the Fe₃Si films using rapid thermal annealing under various temperatures

Heliyon. 2023 Nov 19;9(12):e22511. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22511. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Authors

Nattakorn Borwornpornmetee¹, Thawichai Traiprom², Takafumi Kusaba³, Phongsaphak Sittimart⁴, Hiroshi Naragino³, Boonchoat Paosawatyanyong⁵, Tsuyoshi Yoshitake³, Nathaporn Promros¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physics, School of Science, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok, 10520, Thailand.
² Program of Science for Industry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
³ Department of Advanced Energy Science and Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 816-8580, Japan.
⁴ Synchrotron Light Research Institute, Muang District, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand.
⁵ Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.

Abstract

The current research demonstrates the modification of the wetting behavior and mechanical features as well as structure and morphology of Fe₃Si films created via facing target sputtering by the rapid thermal annealing (RTA) with the set RTA temperatures (T_RTA) of 200, 400, 600, and 800 °C. Following the RTA process, the crystallinity of Fe₃Si developed under 400 °C or below. At the 600 °C and 800 °C T_RTA, new crystal orientations emerged for FeSi and then β-FeSi₂, respectively. Together with composition results, the Fe₃Si films were proven to change into FeSi and then FeSi₂ under a high T_RTA regime. At temperatures of 600 °C and 800 °C, large crystallites, including the scraggly interface, were observed. The root-mean-square roughness roughened slightly according to the RTA process at T_RTA of 600 °C or above. The hydrophobic properties of the Fe₃Si film surfaces became hydrophilic after the RTA procedure at a T_RTA value above 400 °C. The hardness value of the Fe₃Si films evidently increased through RTA at 600 °C and 800 °C. Thus, above 400 °C, the RTA process significantly alters the physical features of as-created Fe₃Si films.

Keywords: Facing target sputtering; Fe3Si; Mechanical trait; Rapid thermal annealing; Wetting trait.