Electrochemical Characteristics of NixN thin films deposited by DC and HiPIMS reactive magnetron sputtering

This study deals with the DC and HiPIMS reactive magnetron deposition process using a pure nickel target (99.995%) in an Ar-N2 gas mixture with varied nitrogen gas flow and bias voltage (floating or -100 V). The characterization of the NiN films has been carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectrons spectroscopy (XPS) and Energy dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDXS). XRD measurements have highlighted the deformation of the Ni cubic cell as a function of nitrogen content, and a mixture of nitrided phases (Ni4N, Ni3N and Ni2N) appears for 20% N2 in the discharge. XPS and EDX are well correlated and permit us to determine three zones: metallic between 0 and 20% N2, Ni4N between 20% and 42% N2 and finally Ni3N for N2 above 50%. These three zones are in good agreement with deposition rates and optical emission spectroscopy measurements. Cyclic voltammetry has been performed in a conventional three-electrode cell using neutral, alkaline and acidic aqueous electrolytes. The NixN electrochemical behavior shows a pseudocapacitive charge storage mechanism in LiNO3 and KOH electrolytes using an appropriate voltage window, suitable for supercapacitors, whereas NixN exhibits reversible faradaic redox peaks beyond one potential in KOH, depicting NixN film as a battery-type electrode.