Emergence of film-thickness- and grain-size-dependent elastic properties in nanocrystalline thin films

2013 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 261-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Lian ◽  
Seok-Woo Lee ◽  
Lorenzo Valdevit ◽  
Michael I. Baskes ◽  
Julia R. Greer
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Grain Size ◽  
Film Thickness ◽  
Elastic Properties ◽  
Size Dependent ◽  
Nanocrystalline Thin Films

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.

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 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.

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.

The cracking and decohesion of thin films

1988 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 1043-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. G. Evans ◽  
M. D. Drory ◽  
M. S. Hu
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Residual Stress ◽  
Yield Strength ◽  
Film Thickness ◽  
Elastic Properties ◽  
Fracture Resistance ◽  
Critical Values ◽  
Substrate Thickness ◽  
The Status ◽  
Ductile Substrates

The cracking and decohesion of thin films can be characterized by critical values of a nondimensional parameter governed by the residual stress, the film thickness, and a fracture resistance. This article reviews the status of understanding concerning the magnitude of this number for various types of adherent film on either brittle or ductile substrates. Important effects of elastic properties, substrate thickness, and yield strength are described.

Nanocrystalline CdSe Thin Films of Different Morphologies in Thermal Evaporation Process

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 6474-6480 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Pal ◽  
M. Herrera Zaldivar ◽  
R. Sathyamoorthy ◽  
V. Manjuladevi ◽  
P. Sudhagar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Film Thickness ◽  
Quantum Confinement Effect ◽  
Band Gap Energy ◽  
Morphological Variations ◽  
Glass Substrates ◽  
Interface Strain ◽  
Average Size ◽  
Film Interface ◽  
Nanocrystalline Thin Films

Cadmium selenide nanocrystalline thin films of quasi-spherical morphology are prepared by evaporating CdSe nanopowders on glass substrates. Slightly oval shaped CdSe particles of about 165 nm average size (in 2-D) could be assembled over glass substrates by controlling the film thickness. Morphologies like assembly of particles, interconnected particles with mosaic-like structures and thin films of smooth surfaces could be prepared simply by controlling film thickness. A mechanism for such morphological variations is proposed. Observed variation of band gap energy in the films is explained in terms of quantum confinement effect and substrate-film interface strain.

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