Annealing Textures of Thin Films and Copper Interconnects

Vapor-, electro-, and electroless-deposits have usually strong fiber textures. When annealed, the deposits undergo recrystallization or abnormal grain growth to reduce their energy stored during deposition. The driving force for recrystallization is mainly caused by dislocations, whereas that for abnormal grain growth is due to the grain boundary, surface, interface, and strain energies. During recrystallization and abnormal grain growth, the texture change can take place. The recrystallization and abnormal grain growth textures are in general of fiber type. However, copper interconnects are subjected to non-planar stress state due to geometric constraints during room temperature and/or elevated temperature annealing. The annealing textures of the thin films and copper interconnects are discussed in terms of the minimization of the surface, interface, and strain energies, the grain boundary energy and mobility, and the strain-energy-release maximization.

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Monte-Carlo Simulation of Goss Abnormal Grain Growth in Fe-3%Si Steel by Sub-Boundary Enhanced Solid-State Wetting

Materials Science Forum ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/msf.715-716.146 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 715-716 ◽

pp. 146-151

Author(s):

K.J. Ko ◽

A.D. Rollett ◽

N.M. Hwang

Keyword(s):

Monte Carlo ◽

Solid State ◽

Grain Boundary ◽

Grain Growth ◽

Boundary Energy ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Abnormal Grain Growth ◽

Grain Boundary Energy ◽

Simulation Based ◽

Mc Simulation

The selective abnormal grain growth (AGG) of Goss grains in Fe-3%Si steel was investigated using a parallel Monte-Carlo (MC) simulation based on the new concept of sub-boundary enhanced solid-state wetting. Goss grains with low angle sub-boundaries will induce solid-state wetting against matrix grains with a moderate variation in grain boundary energy. Three-dimensional MC simulations of microstructure evolution with textures and grain boundary distributions matched to experimental data is using in this study.

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New Understanding of Abnormal Grain Growth Approached by Solid-State Wetting along Grain Boundary or Triple Junction

Materials Science Forum ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/msf.467-470.745 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 467-470 ◽

pp. 745-750 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Nong Moon Hwang

Keyword(s):

Solid State ◽

Grain Boundary ◽

Grain Growth ◽

Triple Junction ◽

Boundary Energy ◽

Growth Front ◽

Abnormal Grain Growth ◽

Boundary Mobility ◽

Grain Boundary Mobility ◽

Mc Simulation

Although it has been generally believed that the advantage of the grain boundary mobility induces abnormal grain growth (AGG), it is suggested that the advantage of the low grain boundary energy, which favors the growth by solid-state wetting, induces AGG. Analyses based on Monte Carlo (MC) simulation show that the approach by solid-state wetting could explain AGG much better than that by grain boundary mobility. AGG by solid-state wetting is supported not only by MC simulations but also by the experimental observation of microstructure evolution near or at the growth front of abnormally growing grain. The microstructure shows island grains and solid-state wetting along grain boundary and triple junction.

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Conditions for the Occurrence of Abnormal Grain Growth Studied by a 3 D Vertex Dynamics Model

Materials Science Forum ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/msf.715-716.563 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 715-716 ◽

pp. 563-567 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M. Syha ◽

D. Weygand

Keyword(s):

Grain Boundary ◽

Grain Growth ◽

Boundary Energy ◽

Mean Field ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Abnormal Grain Growth ◽

Dynamics Model ◽

Boundary Properties ◽

The Impact ◽

Field Approaches

The conditions for the nucleation of abnormal grain growth were investigated using a three dimensional vertex dynamics model. Potentially abnormal growing grains characterized by their size and topological class, respectively and embedded in an isotropic grain ensemble were subjected to annealing varying their grain boundary properties. The simulation results indicate that the classical mean field approaches underestimate the role of the grain boundary energy advantage, while the impact of a mobility advantage is overestimated.

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Effect of grain boundary energy on surface-energy induced abnormal grain growth in columnar-grained film

Metals and Materials International ◽

10.1007/bf03027022 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 1-5 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jung-Kyu Jung ◽

Nong-Moon Hwang ◽

Young-Joon Park ◽

Young-Chang Joo

Keyword(s):

Surface Energy ◽

Grain Boundary ◽

Grain Growth ◽

Boundary Energy ◽

Abnormal Grain Growth ◽

Grain Boundary Energy

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Kinetic Monte Carlo Simulation of Abnormal Grain Growth in Textured Systems with Anisotropic Grain Boundary Energy and Mobility

Materials Today Communications ◽

10.1016/j.mtcomm.2022.103133 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 103133

Author(s):

Haijie Xu ◽

Xuedao Shu ◽

Jinrong Zuo ◽

Anmin Yin ◽

Ying Wang

Keyword(s):

Monte Carlo Simulation ◽

Monte Carlo ◽

Grain Boundary ◽

Grain Growth ◽

Kinetic Monte Carlo ◽

Boundary Energy ◽

Abnormal Grain Growth ◽

Grain Boundary Energy ◽

Kinetic Monte Carlo Simulation

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Abnormal Grain Growth Behavior in Nanostructured Al Thin Films on SiO2/Si Substrates

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-1150-rr06-03 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 1150 ◽

Author(s):

Flavia Piegas Luce ◽

Paulo Fichtner ◽

Luiz Fernando Schelp ◽

Fernando Zawislak

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Grain Boundary ◽

Grain Growth ◽

Thermal Evolution ◽

High Vacuum ◽

Growth Behavior ◽

Abnormal Grain Growth ◽

Regular Growth ◽

Si Substrates ◽

Size Dispersion

AbstractWe report on the formation of nanocrystalline Al thin films (180 nm thick) via magnetron sputtering technique using a step-wise deposition concept where columnar growth is inhibited, giving place to the development of a nanocrystalline mosaic grain arrangement with characteristic diameters of ≈ 30 nm and small size dispersion. The thermal evolution of the grain size distributions is investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in samples annealed in high vacuum for 3600 s. For the temperature range 300 ≤ T ≤ 462 °C the system presents a 3-D regular growth behavior up to sizes ≈ 70 nm. For T = 475 °C a rather sharp transition from normal to abnormal grain growth occurs. The grains extend to the film thickness and present mean lateral dimensions of ≈ 1000 nm. The observed phenomenon is discussed in terms of a synergetic grain boundary mobility effect caused by the characteristics of the initial nanogranular grain boundary morphology.

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Grain Growth in Thin Films With Variable Grain Boundary Energy

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-317-485 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 317 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

H.J. Frost ◽

Y. Hayashi ◽

C.V. Thompson ◽

D.T. Walton

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Grain Boundary ◽

Grain Growth ◽

Boundary Energy ◽

High Energy ◽

Grain Boundary Energy ◽

Triple Junctions ◽

Variable Boundary ◽

Von Neumann ◽

Grain Size Distributions

ABSTRACTIn simulations of grain growth in thin films we have considered the effect of variations in grain boundary energy. Boundary energy depends on both the misorientation between the two neighboring grains, and the angles which the boundary plane makes with the crystallographic axes of the two crystals. Variations in grain boundary energy mean that dihedral angles at triple junctions deviate from 120°. The proportionality between boundary velocities and local curvatures, and the critical curvature for boundary pinning due to surface grooving also both depend on boundary energy. One effect of variable boundary energies is that grains no longer gain or lose area at rates determined solely by their topology or number of sides. (They no longer obey the Von Neumann/Mullins law). Another effect is that as the grain structures evolve, the fraction of high-energy boundaries decreases. Also, the stagnant structures have broader grain size distributions.

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