Reversible orientation-biased grain growth in thin metal films induced by a focused ion beam

2005 ◽  
Vol 53 (11) ◽  
pp. 1291-1296 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Spolenak ◽  
L. Sauter ◽  
C. Eberl
Keyword(s):  
Grain Growth ◽  
Focused Ion Beam ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Metal Films ◽  
Thin Metal ◽  
Thin Metal Films

Epitaxial grain growth in thin metal films

1990 ◽  
Vol 67 (9) ◽  
pp. 4099-4104 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. V. Thompson ◽  
J. Floro ◽  
Henry I. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Grain Growth ◽  
Metal Films ◽  
Thin Metal ◽  
Thin Metal Films ◽  
Epitaxial Grain Growth

Microstructure Control for Thin Film Metallization

1996 ◽  
Vol 441 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. S. Was ◽  
D. J. Srolovitz ◽  
Z. Ma ◽  
D. Liang
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Molecular Dynamics ◽  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Metal Films ◽  
Fiber Texture ◽  
Thin Metal ◽  
Thin Metal Films ◽  
Ion Beam Assisted Deposition ◽  
Hillock Formation

AbstractA strategy was developed for controlling hillock formation in thin metal films by controlling the fiber texture to be of a relatively “weak” orientation. Two-dimensional molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to determine the parameter dependencies of texturing under ion beam assisted deposition. Simulations showed that even for film orientations that have a lower number of nearest neighbor surface bonds, the reduction in sputtering rate by ion channeling will favor the growth of the grains aligned with their channeling direction in the direction of the ion beam. Higher energies should result in greater sputtering and a higher surface roughness. Confirmatory experiments were performed by growing Al films using ion beam assisted deposition in which the Ne ion beam was normal to the substrate surface. For all energies above 0 eV/atom, the fiber texture contained a (220) component and, at high normalized energies, the fiber texture was heavily (220) dominated. Subsequent annealing at 450°C for 30 min. resulted in hillock formation in the PVD (physical vapor deposition) condition, a reduction in the hillock density by two orders of magnitude in the 120 eV/atom condition and complete elimination of hillocking above 800 eV/atom. Although the surface roughness increased with ion beam energy as modeled by MD, the surface became smoother during annealing. These results show that the fiber texture can be controlled in a thin metal film in such a way as to eliminate hillock formation, that molecular dynamics simulation is a valuable predictive tool for guiding experiments in the development of thin film microstructures and that ion beam assisted deposition is an effective, practical tool for controlling microstructures of thin metal films.

The Improvement of Immunity to Electromigration by Means of Microstructural Design

1996 ◽  
Vol 428 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. V. Kononenko ◽  
V. N. Matveev
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Grain Boundary ◽  
Grain Growth ◽  
Metal Films ◽  
Thin Metal ◽  
The Self ◽  
Thin Metal Films ◽  
Deposition Technique ◽  
Aluminum Films ◽  
Microstructural Design

AbstractIt is known from literature that the properties of thin films greatly depend on their structuare. Therefore, the microstructural design is attractive for control over the properties of thin metal films used for interconnect metallization.In this paper we discuss the potentialities of the self-ion assisted deposition technique for control over the grain and grain boundary structures of thin metal films and their properties such as resistivity and immunity to electromigration.It was found that resistivity of aluminum films deposited at the 6 kV bias was virtually equal to resistivity of bulk aluminum. Films deposited at the less bias or without it had higher resistivities. Abnormal grain growth was found in 6 kV-films. In films prepared without bias normal grain growth proceeds.

Measuring Plasticity in Confined Cu Thin Films at Different Geometries

2015 ◽  
Vol 651-653 ◽  
pp. 987-992
Author(s):  
Yang Mu ◽  
Wen Jin Meng
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Axial Direction ◽  
Metal Films ◽  
Shear Loading ◽  
Thin Metal ◽  
Thin Metal Films ◽  
Cu Films ◽  
Testing Protocol ◽  
Micro Pillars

We report quantitative measurement of plasticity in confined Cu thin films with a new micro-pillar testing protocol. Polycrystalline Cu and CrN thin films were sequentially sputter deposited onto Si (100) substrates, forming thin film assemblies in which polycrystalline Cu thin films of various thicknesses were confined between non-deforming Si and CrN. Cylindrical micro-pillars of CrN/Cu/Si were fabricated through scripted focused Ga+ ion beam milling, with the interfaces either normal to the axial direction or at a 45° inclination. The CrN/Cu/Si micro-pillars were compression loaded in the axial direction with a flat diamond punch on an instrumented nanoindenter. The axial compression loading caused extensive plasticity within the thin Cu interlayers with the interfaces in both the normal and inclined orientations, but with distinctly different responses. We show that significant plastic flow occurs within the confined Cu thin films in both normal compression and shear loading. The flow stress of the confined Cu films is dependent on the Cu layer thickness and the deformation geometry. The presently described micro-pillar testing protocol offers quantitative evaluation of the plastic response of thin metal films under different deformation geometries. The present results offer new experimental examples of scale-dependent plasticity in thin metal films, and new experimental test cases for non-local plasticity theories.

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