Study of Copper Nitride Thin Film Structure

X-ray diffraction and x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Cu K-edge were used to study the atomic structure in copper nitride (Cu₃N) thin films. Textured nanocrystalline films are obtained upon dc magnetron sputtering on substrates heated at about 190 °C, whereas amorphous films having strongly disordered structure already in the second coordination shell of copper are deposited in the absence of heating.