Micro-nanostructuring by optical lithography and nitridation of photo-patternable TiO2 sol-gel to obtain micro-nanostructured TiN

Titanium nitride (TiN) combines plasmonic properties in the visible and near infrared spectral region with good mechanical properties, high thermal and chemical stability making it a very promising alternative to noble metals for optical applications at high temperature or in extreme environments. The authors present a new easy and fast process for the elaboration of micro-nanostructured TiN layers. This process combines photo-patternable TiO2 sol-gel by optical lithography and a nitridation process, by rapid thermal annealing (RTA). During this presentation, the elaboration of sol-gel, its structuring by different optical lithography methods, as well as its nitridation by RTA are presented.