Tailoring Properties of Hafnium Nitride Thin Film via Reactive Gas-Timing RF Magnetron Sputtering for Surface Enhanced-Raman Scattering Substrates
Nguentra Sucheewa,
Winadda Wongwiriyapan,
Annop Klamchuen,
Michiko Obata,
Masatsugu Fujishige,
Kenji Takeuchi,
Tossaporn Lertvanithphol,
Tuksadon Wutikhun,
Saifon Kullyakool,
Wanwalee Auttasiri,
Nataporn Sowasod,
Theerayut Prataen,
Wiwut Tanthapanichakoon,
Jiti Nukeaw
Affiliations
Nguentra Sucheewa
College of Materials Innovation and Technology, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Chalongkrung Rd., Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520, Thailand
Winadda Wongwiriyapan
College of Materials Innovation and Technology, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Chalongkrung Rd., Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520, Thailand
Annop Klamchuen
National Nanotechnology Center (NANOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand
Michiko Obata
Interdisciplinary Cluster for Cutting Edge Research, Research Initiative for Supra-Materials, Shinshu University, 4-17-1 Wakasato, Nagano 380-8553, Japan
Masatsugu Fujishige
Global Aqua Innovation Center, Shinshu University, 4-17-1 Wakasato, Nagano 380-8553, Japan
Kenji Takeuchi
Interdisciplinary Cluster for Cutting Edge Research, Research Initiative for Supra-Materials, Shinshu University, 4-17-1 Wakasato, Nagano 380-8553, Japan
Tossaporn Lertvanithphol
National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand
Tuksadon Wutikhun
National Nanotechnology Center (NANOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand
Saifon Kullyakool
National Nanotechnology Center (NANOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand
Wanwalee Auttasiri
Division of Chemical Process Engineering Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (Rayong Campus), Rayong 21120, Thailand
Nataporn Sowasod
Division of Chemical Process Engineering Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (Rayong Campus), Rayong 21120, Thailand
Theerayut Prataen
Division of Chemical Process Engineering Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (Rayong Campus), Rayong 21120, Thailand
Wiwut Tanthapanichakoon
Academy of Science, Royal Society of Thailand, Sanam Sua Pa, Dusit District, Bangkok 10300, Thailand
Jiti Nukeaw
College of Materials Innovation and Technology, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Chalongkrung Rd., Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520, Thailand
This study successfully demonstrated the tailoring properties of hafnium nitride (HfN) thin films via reactive gas-timing (RGT) RF magnetron sputtering for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate applications. The optimal RGT sputtering condition was investigated by varying the duration time of the argon and nitrogen gas sequence. The RGT technique formed thin films with a grain size of approximately 15 nm. Additionally, the atomic ratios of nitrogen and hafnium can be controlled between 0.24 and 0.28, which is greater than the conventional technique, resulting in a high absorbance in the long wavelength region. Moreover, the HfN thin film exhibited a high Raman signal intensity with an EF of 8.5 × 104 to methylene blue molecules and was capable of being reused five times. A superior performance of HfN as a SERS substrate can be attributed to its tailored grain size and chemical composition, which results in an increase in the hot spot effect. These results demonstrate that the RGT technique is a viable method for fabricating HfN thin films with controlled properties at room temperature, which makes them an attractive material for SERS and other plasmonic applications.