Phase transitions in the CN$_x$-TiN system attendant on the variation of the bias voltage during ion-stimulated growth

The structure of amorphous CN$_x$-TiN films grown by ion-stimulated deposition at a bias voltage $U$ = 200–500 V is studied by X-ray diffraction. As the bias voltage increases in the range $U$ = 300–360 V, the CN$_x$-TiN films are shown to undergo a phase transition in the amorphous phase having different order scales (20–50 $\mathring{\mathrm{A}}$): this transition is related to an increase in the content of the fraction of medium-cell (4 $\mathring{\mathrm{A}}$) carbon clusters as compared to the fractions of clusters with large (8 $\mathring{\mathrm{A}}$) and small (2 $\mathring{\mathrm{A}}$) cells. Under these conditions, 80–150 $\mathring{\mathrm{A}}$ crystalline clusters undergo the phase transition from the Ti$_2$C(N) carbide into graphite $(C_g)$ and diamond $(C_d)$; the last two phases are represented by 100-$\mathring{\mathrm{A}}$ clusters.