TEMPERATURE DEPENDENT RESISTIVITY OF THIN FILMS OF NITRIDES OF Zr AND Hf; EFFECT OF NITROGEN CONTENT.

Abstract

The temperature dependence of electrical resistivity of nitrides of Hf and Zr are investigated in the temperature range from 4. 2 to 300K and it is found to be a strong function of nitrogen content. Indeed, a very important property of nitrides is their defect structure; deviations from stoichiometry are common. Appreciable vacancy concentrations (up to 50 at %) can exist on the non-metal lattice sites and they significantly affect all properties of nitrides. A 30-40% increase in the nitrogen content with respect to the mononitrides of both Hf and Zr results in the transition from metallic to semiconducting behavior.