Titanium nitride (TiN) is one of the most well-established engineering materials nowadays. TiN can overcome most of the drawbacks of palsmonic metals due to its high electron conductivity and mobility, high melting point and due to the compatibility of its growth with Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) technology. In this work, we review the dielectric function spectra of TiN and we evaluate the plasmonic performance of TiN by calculating (i) the Surface Plasmon Polariton (SPP) dispersion relations and (ii) the Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) band of TiN nanoparticles, and we demonstrate a significant plasmonic performance of TiN.

Transition-metal nitrides (TMNs) are used in a variety of applications because of their renowned hardness and stability. Departure from the nominal 1:1 stoichiometry is often observed for TMNs and, therefore, defects have a prevalent role on TMN physical properties. Here, we report the results of first-principles calculations on nitrogen and metal point defects in the prototype system of TiN and in HfN and ZrN. We find features which are common to all systems, while we unravel also key differences. In certain cases—for example, N interstitials in TiN—the interaction between defects is attractive and it favors the formation of defect complexes. Other defects, like N interstitials in HfN and ZrN, do not pair up. We also present results on the effect of point defects on the electronic properties of TiN. Finally, we discuss pertinent experimental data and the implications of our findings on the thermal stability of TMN films.

Over the past few decades, significant progress has been made in the field of photonic processing of electronic materials using a variety of light sources. Several of these technologies have now been exploited in conjunction with emerging electronic materials as alternatives to conventional high‐temperature thermal annealing, offering rapid manufacturing times and compatibility with temperature‐sensitive substrate materials among other potential advantages. Herein, recent advances in photonic processing paradigms of metal‐oxide thin‐film transistors (TFTs) are presented with particular emphasis on the use of various light source technologies for the photochemical and thermochemical conversion of precursor materials or postdeposition treatment of metal oxides and their application in thin‐film electronics. The pros and cons of the different technologies are discussed in light of recent developments and prospective research in the field of modern large‐area electronics is highlighted.

Transition-metal nitrides (TMN) have exceptional stability, which underlies their use in various applications. Here, we study the role of N point defects on the stability of prototype TMNs using first-principles calculations. We find that distinct regimes for TMN changes relate to specific atomic-scale mechanisms, namely, diffusion of N interstitials ($I_{\mathrm{N}}$), of $I_{\mathrm{N}}$ pairs, and of N vacancies. The activation of these processes occurs sequentially as the temperature is raised in a range of several hundreds of degrees, accounting for observed TMN changes under widely different conditions.