Optical and mechanical properties of nanocrystalline ZrC thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition

Highlights: • Nanocrystalline ZrC thin film were grown on Si by pulsed laser deposition technique. • Structural properties weakly depend on the CH₄ pressure used during deposition. • The optimum deposition pressure for low resistivity is around 2 × 10⁻⁵ mbar CH₄. • ZrC films exhibited friction coefficients around 0.4 and low wear rates. - Abstract: Thin ZrC films (<500 nm) were grown on (100) Si substrates at a substrate temperature of 500 °C by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique using a KrF excimer laser under different CH₄ pressures. Glancing incidence X-ray diffraction showed that films were nanocrystalline, while X-ray reflectivity studies found out films were very dense and exhibited a smooth surface morphology. Optical spectroscopy data shows that the films have high reflectivity (>90%) in the infrared region, characteristic of metallic behavior. Nanoindentation results indicated that films deposited under lower CH₄ pressures exhibited slightly higher nanohardness and Young modulus values than films deposited under higher pressures. Tribological characterization revealed that these films exhibited relatively high wear resistance and steady-state friction coefficients on the order of μ = 0.4.