Tungsten-carbide thin films were produced by reactive magnetron sputtering (argon + benzene) onto monocrystalline silicon substrates. Substrates were in a fixed position relative to the two adjacent cylindrical magnetrons. A series of samples were prepared, with benzene partial pressure varied from 1% to 10% of the total working gas pressure and the substrate temperature held at RT, 200^oC, and 400^oC, while the substrate potential was floating potential or biased (-70 V) with respect to discharge plasma.
Grains in the films, few nm in size, were investigated by GISAXS using a two dimensional CCD detector in order to obtain the information about the bulk of the films from the off-specular plane scattering. For the higher values of the benzene partial pressure, the generated films consist of densely packed tungsten carbide grains with an amorphous, carbon rich matrix in between. The lower benzene pressure resulted, in some cases, in isolated carbon rich particles buried in tungsten carbide. While the bias influence was minor, the influence of the substrate temperature on the grain size is evident.

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