Nanoparticles of Metastable Copper Nitride Grown by Ar Ion Beam Irradiation

Abstract

Nanoparticles of metastable copper nitride(Cu3N) have been successfully fabricated from Cu mask using Ar ion ‘transcription method’ which is firstly invented by B.-S. Xu, C. Iwamoto and S.-I. Tanaka in 1996 [1]. The structural and morphological changes with irradiation time are studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The thin film-like crystalline Cu3N which is covered with amorphous or polycrystalline cuprite (Cu2O) layer in the as-received Cu mask plays a role of target. Polycrystalline Cu3N nanoparticles nucleate and grow up to the average size of 15nm after 30 sec-irradiation. Coalesence of 50nm-sized grown Cu3N nanoparticles forms polycrystalline thin film after 2min-irradiation and its growth behavior follows Volmer-Weber mode. As irradiation time increases from 30 sec to 15 min, Cu3N nanoparticles are thought to be grown preferentially along the [111] and [100] directions. Cu2O still remain with Cu3N after 15 min.-irradiation.