Transient creep in free-standing thin polycrystalline aluminum films

2002 ◽  
Vol 92 (9) ◽  
pp. 4968-4975 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Kalkman ◽  
A. H. Verbruggen ◽  
G. C. A. M. Janssen ◽  
S. Radelaar
1995 ◽  
Vol 403 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. R. Moody ◽  
D. Medlin ◽  
S. Guthrie ◽  
R. Q. Hwang ◽  
K. F. McCarty

AbstractWe employed nanoindentation, continuous microscratch testing, and high resolution TEM to determine the effect of structure on the properties and resistance to fracture of thin polycrystalline aluminum films deposited onto single crystal sapphire substrates at 25°C and 250°C. These films had a nominal thickness of 90 nm and a grain size of 160 nm. The elastic and plastic properties were similar for both films. The elastic moduli superimposed, increasing from bulk aluminum values at the surface to sapphire values at the interface. Hardness values also superimposed, but were constant through the film thickness at a value between aluminum and sapphire. In contrast, susceptibility to fracture varied markedly between the films with the 25°C film exhibiting abrupt failure along the film-substrate interface while the 250'C film gave no indication of fracture in the film, along the interface, or in the substrate under the conditions tested.


1996 ◽  
Vol 428 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Dagge

AbstractThin polycrystalline aluminum films were investigated by high-resolution ac noisemeasurements before and after damaging by high direct current. Immediately after the interruption of the dc-stress a transient noise component was observed that was inversely proportional to the square of the frequency f (1/f2 -noise). It was caused by discrete jumps in the resistance presumably due to the relaxation of mechanical stress. The second component of noise was stable and in all cases approximately proportional to 1/f. The spectral density of 1/f-noise showed characteristic discrete steps as a function of damaging time, in contrast to the resistance which increased almost continuously up to the failure of the film. This indicates that nucleation-and-growth processes of mobile defects were observed in the noise measurements. Thus noise measurements might help to understand the microscopic process of electromigration.


2009 ◽  
Vol 106 (7) ◽  
pp. 073508 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Winey ◽  
B. M. LaLone ◽  
P. B. Trivedi ◽  
Y. M. Gupta

2004 ◽  
Vol 820 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaap M.J. den Toonder ◽  
Auke R. van Dijken

AbstractThe mechanical properties of the thin film materials used in RF-MEMS are crucial for the reliability and proper functioning of the devices. In this paper we study a large number of aluminum alloys as possible RF-MEMS thin film materials. The yield strength and creep properties are measured using nano-indentation. The results show that the mechanical properties of thin aluminum films can be improved substantially by alloying elements. Of the alloys studied in this paper, AlCuMgMn in particular seems quite promising as a thin film material for RF MEMS, having both high yield strength and little creep. Using X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy, the observed effects are partly explained.


1996 ◽  
Vol 436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. S. Kang ◽  
P. S. Ho ◽  
R. Knipe ◽  
J. Tregilgas

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.


2001 ◽  
Vol 695 ◽  
Author(s):  
David T. Read ◽  
Yi-Wen Cheng ◽  
J. David McColskey ◽  
Robert R. Keller

ABSTRACTWe report the results of tensile tests of thin films of Al-0.5 % Cu deposited on bare silicon. This material was subjected to the complete CMOS fabrication process, including a high-temperature heat treatment. Contact metal makes the electrical connection between the metal wiring and the silicon transistors in a chip. Room-temperature values of yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and elongation were all lower than the corresponding values found previously for pure electron-beam-evaporated aluminum films. The strengths and elongation decreased slightly as the specimen temperature was raised from 25 to 150°C. The slopes of the stress-strain curves from unloading-reloading runs were lower than the accepted Young's modulus of bulk polycrystalline aluminum. The results are interpreted with the help of scanning and transmission electron microscopy.


Author(s):  
E. Johnson ◽  
U. Dahmen ◽  
S.-Q. Xiao ◽  
A. Johansen

Ion implantation of lead in aluminum leads to spontaneous phase separation and formation of dense distributions of nanosized lead inclusions[1]. The inclusions have fee structure, and despite the large lattice mismatch (aA1 = 0.4048 nm and aPb = 0.495 nm) they grow in parallel-cube topotaxy with the matrix. Their shape is cuboctahedral with larger {111} facets and smaller {100} facets which is the minimum- energy shape for an fee crystal in equilibrium with its vapor, as calculated by considering only nearest neighbor bonds. Implantation of polycrystalline aluminum films is accompanied by preferential nucle- ation and enhanced growth of inclusions in the grain boundaries. In adapting their equilibrium shape, grain boundary inclusions will be subject to a larger number of constraints than inclusions in the bulk matrix. This may result in a variety of morphologies characteristic for different types of grain boundaries.In the present study we have used a well-defined bicrystal geometry to study the morphology and structure of lead grain boundary inclusions in mazed bicrystal aluminum films containing mainly 90°<110> tilt boundaries with fixed misorientation but variable inclination[2]. It was found that the shape, size and orientation of the inclusions in the grain boundaries depend on the inclination, i.e. the orientation of the grain boundary plane. Inclusions were all single crystalline and invariably faceted toward one aluminum grain and more rounded toward the other grain (fig.l). Independent of grain boundary inclination, the faceted side was a section of the cuboctahedral equilibrium shape of inclusions in parallel topotaxy with the bulk aluminum matrix. The rounded side, where the inclusions were rotated by 90° with respect to the aluminum lattice, approximated a spherical cap consisting partly of somewhat flatter segments with complex faceting, illustrating the lack of distinctly flat low-energy facets.


Author(s):  
И.В. Николаев ◽  
Н.Г. Коробейщиков ◽  
М.А. Роенко ◽  
П.В. Гейдт ◽  
В.И. Струнин

The possibility of surface modification of thin polycrystalline aluminum nitride films by bombardment with argon cluster ion beam is investigated. The processing was carried out with high- (105 eV/atom) and low-energy (10 eV/atom) cluster ions. Using the spectral function of roughness, a highly efficient smoothing of the surface of nanostructured thin films of aluminum nitride was demonstrated in a wide range of spatial frequencies (ν = 0.02–128 μm-1) and at small etching depth (<100 nm).


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document