Nanoindentation measurements of the mechanical properties of polycrystalline Au and Ag thin films on silicon substrates: Effects of grain size and film thickness

2006 ◽  
Vol 427 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 232-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yifang Cao ◽  
Seyed Allameh ◽  
Derek Nankivil ◽  
Steve Sethiaraj ◽  
Tom Otiti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Grain Size ◽  
Film Thickness ◽  
Silicon Substrates

Mechanical Properties of Electroplated Copper Thin Films

1999 ◽  
Vol 594 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Spolenak ◽  
C. A. Volkert ◽  
K. Takahashi ◽  
S. Fiorillo ◽  
J. Miner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Grain Size ◽  
Film Thickness ◽  
Yield Stress ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Focused Ion Beam ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Cu Films ◽  
Electroplated Copper

AbstractIt is well known that the mechanical properties of thin films depend critically on film thickness However, the contributions from film thickness and grain size are difficult to separate, because they typically scale with each other. In one study by Venkatraman and Bravman, Al films, which were thinned using anodic oxidation to reduce film thickness without changing grain size, showed a clear increase in yield stress with decreasing film thickness.We have performed a similar study on both electroplated and sputtered Cu films by using chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) to reduce the film thickness without changing the grain size. Stress-temperature curves were measured for both the electroplated and sputtered Cu films with thicknesses between 0.1 and 1.8 microns using a laser scanning wafer curvature technique. The yield stress at room temperature was found to increase with decreasing film thickness for both sets of samples. The sputtered films, however, showed higher yield stresses in comparison to the electroplated films. Most of these differences can be attributed to the different microstructures of the films, which were determined by focused ion beam (FIB) microscopy and x-ray diffraction.

scholarly journals Experimental Study on the Thickness-Dependent Hardness of SiO2 Thin Films Using Nanoindentation

Coatings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Weiguang Zhang ◽  
Jijun Li ◽  
Yongming Xing ◽  
Xiaomeng Nie ◽  
Fengchao Lang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Thin Films ◽  
Grain Size ◽  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Film Thickness ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Micro Electro Mechanical Systems ◽  
Si Substrates ◽  
Sio2 Thin Film ◽  
Average Grain Size

SiO2 thin films are widely used in micro-electro-mechanical systems, integrated circuits and optical thin film devices. Tremendous efforts have been devoted to studying the preparation technology and optical properties of SiO2 thin films, but little attention has been paid to their mechanical properties. Herein, the surface morphology of the 500-nm-thick, 1000-nm-thick and 2000-nm-thick SiO2 thin films on the Si substrates was observed by atomic force microscopy. The hardnesses of the three SiO2 thin films with different thicknesses were investigated by nanoindentation technique, and the dependence of the hardness of the SiO2 thin film with its thickness was analyzed. The results showed that the average grain size of SiO2 thin film increased with increasing film thickness. For the three SiO2 thin films with different thicknesses, the same relative penetration depth range of ~0.4–0.5 existed, above which the intrinsic hardness without substrate influence can be determined. The average intrinsic hardness of the SiO2 thin film decreased with the increasing film thickness and average grain size, which showed the similar trend with the Hall-Petch type relationship.

Microwave Absorbing Ferrite Thin Films for Microwave Heating of Microstructured Reactors

2009 ◽  
Vol 1222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengzhao Gao ◽  
Evgeny V. Rebrov ◽  
Jaap C. Schouten ◽  
Richard Kleismit ◽  
John Cetnar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Grain Size ◽  
Microwave Heating ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Coplanar Waveguide ◽  
Sol Gel ◽  
Microwave Cavity ◽  
Silicon Substrates ◽  
Microwave Microscopy ◽  
Zn Ferrite

AbstractNanocrystalline Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 thin films have been synthesized with various grain sizes by sol–gel method on polycrystalline silicon substrates. The morphology and microwave absorption properties of the films calcined in the 673–1073 K range were studied by using XRD, AFM, near–field evanescent microwave microscopy, coplanar waveguide and direct microwave heating measurements. All films were uniform without microcracks. The increase of the calcination temperature from 873 to 1073 K and time from 1 to 3h resulted in an increase of the grain size from 12 to 27 nm. The complex permittivity of the Ni-Zn ferrite films was measured in the frequency range of 2–15 GHz. The heating behavior was studied in a multimode microwave cavity at 2.4 GHz. The highest microwave heating rate in the temperature range of 315–355 K was observed in the film close to the critical grain size of 21 nm in diameter marked by the transition from single– to multi–domain structure of nanocrystals in Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 film and by a maximum in its coercivity.

scholarly journals Effect of Grain Size and Film Thickness on the Thermoelectric Properties of Flexible Sb2Te3 Thin Films

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pornsiri Wanarattikan ◽  
Piya Jitthammapirom ◽  
Rachsak Sakdanuphab ◽  
Aparporn Sakulkalavek
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Grain Size ◽  
Film Thickness ◽  
Seebeck Coefficient ◽  
Thermoelectric Properties ◽  
Flexible Substrate ◽  
Rf Magnetron Sputtering ◽  
Mean Free Path

In this work, stoichiometric Sb2Te3 thin films with various thicknesses were deposited on a flexible substrate using RF magnetron sputtering. The grain size and thickness effects on the thermoelectric properties, such as the Seebeck coefficient (S), electrical conductivity (σ), power factor (PF), and thermal conductivity (k), were investigated. The results show that the grain size was directly related to film thickness. As the film thickness increased, the grain size also increased. The Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity corresponded to the grain size of the films. The mean free path of carriers increases as the grain size increases, resulting in a decrease in the Seebeck coefficient and increase in electrical conductivity. Electrical conductivity strongly affects the temperature dependence of PF which results in the highest value of 7.5 × 10−4 W/m·K2 at 250°C for film thickness thicker than 1 µm. In the thermal conductivity mechanism, film thickness affects the dominance of phonons or carriers. For film thicknesses less than 1 µm, the behaviour of the phonons is dominant, while both are dominant for film thicknesses greater than 1 µm. Control of the grain size and film thickness is thus critical for controlling the performance of Sb2Te3 thin films.

Growth Front Roughening of Room Temperature Deposited Oligomer Thin Films

2000 ◽  
Vol 648 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Tsamouras ◽  
G. Palasantzas ◽  
J. Th. M. De Hosson ◽  
G. Hadziioannou
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Film Thickness ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Growth Front ◽  
Silicon Substrates ◽  
Height Distribution ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Roughness Amplitude ◽  
Non Gaussian

AbstractGrowth front scaling aspects are investigated for PPV-type oligomer thin films vapor- deposited onto silicon substrates at room temperature. For film thickness d~15-300 nm, commonly used in optoelectronic devices, correlation function measurement by atomic force microscopy yields roughness exponents in the range H=0.45±0.04, and an rms roughness amplitude which evolves with film thickness as a power law σ∝ dβ with β=0.28±0.05. The non-Gaussian height distribution and the measured scaling exponents (H and β) suggest a roughening mechanism close to that described by the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang scenario.

Quantitative analysis of strengthening mechanisms in thin Cu films: Effects of film thickness, grain size, and passivation

1998 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1307-1317 ◽  
Author(s):  
R-M. Keller ◽  
S. P. Baker ◽  
E. Arzt
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Film Thickness ◽  
Thermal Stresses ◽  
Native Oxide ◽  
Silicon Substrates ◽  
Native Oxide Layer ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Cu Films ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Constraint Model

Thermal stresses in thin Cu films on silicon substrates were examined as a function of film thickness and presence of a silicon nitride passivation layer. At room temperature, tensile stresses increased with decreasing film thickness in qualitative agreement with a dislocation constraint model. However, in order to predict the stress levels, grain-size strengthening, which is shown to follow a Hall–Petch relation, must be superimposed. An alternative explanation is strain-hardening due to the increase in dislocation density, which was measured by x-ray diffraction. At 600 °C, the passivation increases the stress by an order of magnitude; this leads to a substantially different shape of the stress-temperature curves, which now resemble those of aluminum with only a native oxide layer. The effect of passivation is shown to be very sensitive to the deposition and test conditions.

Effect of Grain Size on Mechanical Properties and Fatigue Strength of Nano-Crystalline Nickel Thin Films

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 (0) ◽  
pp. OS02-01
Author(s):  
Yuta NAKATSUKA ◽  
Hiroyuki ENOMOTO ◽  
Ryota TAKESHIGE ◽  
Yoshikazu NAKAI ◽  
Shoichi KIKUCHI
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Grain Size ◽  
Fatigue Strength ◽  
Nickel Thin Films ◽  
Nano Crystalline

Film Thickness Effect on Tensile Properties and Microstructures of Submicron Aluminum Thin Films on Polyimide

1996 ◽  
Vol 436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. S. Kang ◽  
P. S. Ho ◽  
R. Knipe ◽  
J. Tregilgas
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Grain Size ◽  
Film Thickness ◽  
Metal Film ◽  
Tensile Force ◽  
Thickness Effect ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Free Standing ◽  
Aluminum Films ◽  
Flexible Polymer

AbstractThe mechanical behavior of the metal film on a polymer substrate becomes an important issue in microelectronics metallization. The metal/polymer structure is also useful to investigate the deformation behavior of very thin free-standing metal film since the flexible polymer serves as a deformable substrate. The tensile force-elongation curves have been measured using a microtensile tester for aluminum thin films, deposited on a PMDA-ODA polyimide film, in the thickness range from 60 rum to 480 nm. The stress-strain curves for aluminum films were constructed by subtracting these curves with polyimide curves measured separately. Tensile strength increases linearly with decreasing film thickness from 196 MPa to 408 MPa within the film thickness range studied. This is in good agreement with the published data for free-standing aluminum films in the same thickness range. The measured Young's modulus is lower than the bulk modulus and exhibits no systematic dependence on the film thickness. The microstructures of aluminum films have been examined using a transmission electron microscope (TEM). These films posses the (111)-textured columnar grain structures. Grain sizes exhibit log-normal distributions and the mean grain size increases monotonically with the film thickness. An attempt is made to evaluate the effect of film thickness and grain size on the strength of aluminum thin film and the result is discussed.

scholarly journals The Effect of Film Thickness on the Structural Properties of Vacuum Evaporated Poly(3-methylthiophene) Thin Films

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandip V. Kamat ◽  
Vijaya Puri ◽  
R. K. Puri
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Surface Morphology ◽  
Film Thickness ◽  
Structural Properties ◽  
Vacuum Evaporation ◽  
Intrinsic Stress ◽  
Glass Substrates ◽  
Structure Surface

This paper reports on the structural properties of poly(3-methylthiophene) P3MeT thin films prepared by vacuum evaporation on the glass substrates. The structural and surface morphology, wettability, adhesion, and intrinsic stress of these thin films were studied for three different thicknesses. The variation of the film thickness affects the structure, surface, and mechanical properties of P3MeT thin films. Vapor chopping also strongly influences the surface morphology, surface roughness, and wettability of the thin films. It was found that there is a decrease in the intrinsic stress and (RMS) roughness, while the adhesion increases with increase in film thickness.

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