The role of oxygen in the intrinsic tensile residual stress evolution in sputter-deposited thin metal films uri icon

abstract

  • The intrinsic tensile stress and oxygen content in thin Cr films sputter deposited at high argon pressure are investigated as a function of negative substrate bias. With increasing bias from 0 to 100 V, the tensile stress increases to a maximum while the oxygen content decreases. At bias higher than 100 V, the tensile stress decreases but no significant change is observed in the oxygen content. A similar trend in stress evolution with bias is also observed in Cr films capped with Al to protect from postdeposition oxidation. It is concluded that, for a given deposition condition, the incorporation of oxygen may lower the magnitude of tensile stress without affecting the trends in stress evolution with increasing substrate bias. These effects are discussed using a model that correlates the film microstructure with long range attractive forces predicted from interatomic potentials.

published proceedings

  • Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A Vacuum Surfaces and Films

author list (cited authors)

  • Misra, A., & Nastasi, M.

citation count

  • 7

complete list of authors

  • Misra, A||Nastasi, M

publication date

  • September 2000