Thin films of the IV group transition-metal nitrides possess unique properties, such as chemical stability, high melting point, and hardness, and hence are widely used in industrial sectors. This work briefly introduces the field of transition-metal nitrides, in particular ZrN, and proposes their sputter-based preparation in the form of nanoparticles, which has yet been poorly studied.
The first experimental results on the production of Zr and ZrN nanoparticles by DC magnetron sputtering have been obtained, and a comparison of the main characteristics of these two types of nanoparticles is presented.