Jairo Olaya

By Edgar Alfonso, Jairo Olaya and Gloria Cubillos

Part of the book: Crystallization

By Henry S. Vanegas, Jose E. Alfonso and Jhon J. Olaya

Silicon (Si) has been the paradigm of the electronic industry, because it has been used in fabrication of different electronic circuit elements such as diodes, operational amplifiers, transistors, and in the last few decades, it has been the base material of the development of solar energy industry. However, other research fields in which the physical and chemical properties of Si have demonstrated to be relevant to applications in areas such as the mechanical, optical, electrical, and electrochemical are less known. Therefore, it is relevant to know the technology that has generated materials with new or better physical and chemical properties, such as the nanocomposite materials that have been growing in thin films. These films exhibiting new properties with respect to the bulk material and with the addition of Si, have demonstrated to improve the properties of the transition metal nitride (MeN), obtaining thin films with a high nanohardness, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and high thermal stability. Therefore, the main objective of this chapter is to know the role that plays the incorporation Si in growth, microstructure, chemical composition, and functional properties of ZrN thin films.

Part of the book: Silicon Materials