Sintered samples were implanted with 70keV Ti ions to a dose of 1017/cm2 in order to investigate the effect of the implanted species upon phase formation. The implanted ions were found at depths which corresponded to the calculated distribution of vacancies produced during implantation, instead of the predicted ion profile. Study of the resultant phases led to the conclusion that the Ti was surrounded by N atoms as a result of collision cascades. It formed TiN after post-implantation annealing. The TiN nucleus was formed by the substitution of Ti for Al. Therefore, the heat of formation, which was more negative for TiN than for AlN, was a key parameter in predicting the final structure.

M.Borowski, A.Traverse, J.P.Dallas: Journal of Materials Research, 1995, 10[12], 3136-42