Effect of Microstructure on Microhardness of AlN Thin Films

2001 ◽  
Vol 695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuichi Miyabe ◽  
Masami Aono ◽  
Nobuaki Kitazawa ◽  
Yoshihisa Watanabe
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Film Thickness ◽  
Beam Energy ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Columnar Structure ◽  
Granular Structure ◽  
Nano Indentation ◽  
Ion Beam Assisted Deposition ◽  
Film Microstructure ◽  
Nitrogen Ion

ABSTRACTAluminum nitride (AlN) thin films with columnar and granular structures were prepared by ion-beam assisted deposition method by changing nitrogen ion beam energy, and the effects of the film microstructure and film thickness on their microhardness were studied by using a nano-indentation system with the maximum force of 3 mN. For the columnar structure film of 600 nm in thickness, the microhardness is found to be approximately 24 GPa when the normalized penetration depth to the film thickness is about 0.1. For the granular structure film of 700 nm in thickness, the microhardness is found to be approximately 14 GPa. These results reveal that the microhardness of the AlN films strongly depends on the film microstructure, which can be controlled by regulating the nitrogen ion beam energy.

Mechanical Properties of AlN Thin Films Prepared by Ion Beam Assisted Deposition

2000 ◽  
Vol 647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuichi Miyabe ◽  
Toshiyuki Okawa ◽  
Nobuaki Kitazawa ◽  
Yoshihisa Watanabe ◽  
Yoshikazu Nakamura
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Residual Stress ◽  
Beam Energy ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Columnar Structure ◽  
Ion Beam Assisted Deposition ◽  
Film Hardness ◽  
Nitrogen Ion

AbstractAluminum nitride (AlN) thin films were prepared by ion-beam assisted deposition method, and the influence of the nitrogen ion beam energy on their microstructure and mechanical properties was studied by changing the ion beam energy from 0.1 to 1.5 keV. Films prepared with a low-energy ion beam show a columnar structure, while films prepared with a high-energy ion beam show a granular structure. The film hardness is found to decrease with increasing nitrogen ion beam energy. It is also found that the film hardness does not change drastically after annealing in nitrogen atmosphere at 500 °C, yielding the residual stress relaxation. It is proposed that the film hardness is dependent on the film microstructure, which can be controlled with the nitrogen ion beam energy, rather than the residual stress in the films.

Irradiation Effect of Nitrogen Ion Beam on Carbon Nitride Thin Films

2003 ◽  
Vol 792 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinichiro Aizawa ◽  
Yuka Nasu ◽  
Masami Aono ◽  
Nobuaki Kitazawa ◽  
Yoshihisa Watanabe
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Carbon Nitride ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Chemical Vapor ◽  
Columnar Structure ◽  
Irradiation Effect ◽  
Carbon Filament ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Nitrogen Ions ◽  
Nitrogen Ion

ABSTRACTIrradiation effect of low-energy nitrogen ion beam on amorphous carbon nitride (a-CNx) thin films has been investigated. The a-CNx films were prepared on silicon single crystal substrates by hot carbon-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD). After deposition, the CNx films were irradiated by a nitrogen ion beam with energy from 0.1 to 2.0 keV. Irradiation effect on the film microstructure and composition was studied by SEM and XPS, focusing on the effect of nitrogen ion beam energy. Surface and cross sectional observations by SEM reveal that the as-deposited films show a densely distributed columnar structure and the films change to be a sparsely distributed cone-like structure after irradiation. It is also found that 2.0 keV ions skeltonize the films more clearly than 0.1 kev ions. Depth profiles of nitrogen in the films observed by XPS show that nitrogen absorption into films is more prominent after irradiation by 0.1 keV nitrogen ions than 2.0 keV ions.

scholarly journals The effect of the ion beam energy on the properties of indium tin oxide thin films prepared by ion beam assisted deposition

2008 ◽  
Vol 516 (7) ◽  
pp. 1365-1369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li-Jian Meng ◽  
Jinsong Gao ◽  
M.P. dos Santos ◽  
Xiaoyi Wang ◽  
Tongtong Wang
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Tin Oxide ◽  
Indium Tin Oxide ◽  
Beam Energy ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Oxide Thin Films ◽  
Ion Beam Assisted Deposition

Effects of Substrate Materials on Nanoindentation Tests of AlN Thin Films

2002 ◽  
Vol 750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuichi Miyabe ◽  
Masami Aono ◽  
Nobuaki Kitazawa ◽  
Yoshihisa Watanabe
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Film Thickness ◽  
Penetration Depth ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Fused Silica ◽  
Indentation Hardness ◽  
Ion Beam Assisted Deposition ◽  
Film Hardness ◽  
Aln Film ◽  
Different Thickness

ABSTRACTAluminum nitride (AlN) thin films with different thickness were synthesized by ion-beam assisted deposition on various substrates, Corning 7059 glass, fused silica, Si single crystal, and sapphire, which show the hardness ranging from 7 to 37 GPa. Effects of substrate materials on indentation-hardness of AlN films were studied by using a nanoindentation system equipped with a diamond Berkovich indenter. The maximum force applied to the films was kept at 3 mN. For the films on the Corning 7059 glass substrate, when the normalized penetration depth to the film thickness is 0.98, the film hardness is found to be about 7 GPa, which is close to the hardness of the substrate. While the normalized penetration depth is reduced to 0.11, the film hardness becomes to be about 16 GPa. On the other hand, for the films on the sapphire substrate, when the normalized penetration depth is 0.83, the film hardness is observed to be about 25 GPa, while the normalized penetration depth is reduced to 0.10, the film hardness is found to be about 15 GPa. These results reveal that when the normalized penetration depth to the film thickness is about 0.1, the hardness of the AlN film can be evaluated to be about 15 GPa without being affected by substrate materials.

The Influence of Processing Parameters on the Development of Biaxially Aligned Zirconia Thin Films Deposited by Ion Beam Assisted Deposition

1994 ◽  
Vol 341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neville Sonnenberg ◽  
Kevin G. Ressler ◽  
Paul C. Mcintyre ◽  
Michael J. Cima
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Beam Energy ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Superconducting Devices ◽  
Processing Parameters ◽  
Multichip Modules ◽  
Substrate Heating ◽  
Low Dielectric ◽  
Ion Beam Assisted Deposition ◽  
Biaxial Alignment

AbstractDeposition of high quality superconducting thin films requires lattice-matched single crystal substrates. This greatly reduces the number of candidate materials to a few expensive substrates that are only available in small sizes. Inexpensive, low-dielectric constant amorphous or polycrystalline substrates would greatly enhance the feasibility of superconducting devices such as HTSC multichip modules. Deposition of HTSC films on aligned dielectric layers allows the use of amorphous and polycrystalline substrates in these structures. Biaxially aligned zirconia thin films have been deposited using ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) on pyrex, quartz, and Hastelloy substrates. Deposition rate, substrate temperature, ion beam energy, and other processing parameters control the orientation of films deposited by ion beam assisted deposition. Biaxially aligned (200) oriented zirconia has been deposited by IBAD on all three substrates without active substrate heating. Biaxial alignment was not observed in films deposited at 400°C. Increased ion beam energy promotes polycrystalline nucleation at lower temperatures, which is important to the development of biaxial alignment. Other faster growing orientations begin to dominate as the temperature is increased. These results are consistent with a growth and extinction model.

Ion Beam Assisted Texture Evolution during Thin Film Deposition of Metal Nitrides

2000 ◽  
Vol 647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernd Stritzker ◽  
Jürgen W. Gerlach ◽  
Stephan Six ◽  
Bernd Rauschenbach
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Defect Density ◽  
Texture Evolution ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Thin Film Deposition ◽  
Film Deposition ◽  
Crystalline Quality ◽  
Ion Energy ◽  
Ion Beam Assisted Deposition ◽  
Nitrogen Ion

AbstractIon beam assisted deposition, i.e., the bombardment of thin films with a beam of energetic particles has become a highly developed tool for the preparation of thin films. This technique provides thin films and coatings with modified microstructure and properties. In this paper examples are presented for the modifying of the structure: in-situ modification of texture during ion beam assisted film growth and ion beam enhanced epitaxy.The biaxial alignment of titanium nitride films prepared on Si(111) by nitrogen ion beam assisted deposition at room temperature was studied. The bombardment perpendicular to the surface of the substrate causes an {001} alignment of crystallites. A 55° ion beam incidence angle produces both a {111} orientation relative to the surface and a {100} orientation relative to the ion beam. This results in a totally fixed orientation of the crystallites. The texture evolution is explained by the existence of open channeling directions.Epitaxial, hexagonal gallium nitride films were grown on c-plane sapphire by low-energy nitrogen ion beam assisted deposition (≤ 25 eV). The ion energy was chosen to be less than the corrected bulk displacement energy to avoid the formation of ion-induced point defects in the bulk. The results show that GaN films with a nearly perfect {0002} texture are formed which have superior crystalline quality than films grown without ion irradiation. The mosaicity and the defect density are reduced.By applying an assisting ion beam during pulsed laser deposition of aluminum nitride on the c-plane of sapphire, epitaxial, hexagonal films could be produced. The results prove the beneficial influence of the ion beam on the crystalline quality of the films. An optimum ion energy of 500 eV was found where the medium tilt as well as the medium twist of the crystallites was minimal.

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