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Barmak K, Michaelsent C, Rickman J, Dahmstt M. Reactive Phase Formation in Thin Films: Evolution of Grain Structure. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.1557/proc-403-51] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
AbstractIt is a well known fact that the properties and performance of polycrystalline materials, including polycrystalline thin films, are strongly affected by the grain structure. Therefore, in treating reactive phase formation in these films, it is (or it will inevitably be) necessary to quantify the grain structure of reactant and product phases and its evolution during the course of the reaction. Theoretical models and the conventional view of thin film reactions, however, have been largely extensions, to small and finite dimensions, of theories and descriptions developed for bulk diffusion couples. These models and descriptions primarily focus on the growth stage and to a much lesser extent on the nucleation stage. Consequently, these models and descriptions are not able to treat the development of product phase grain structure. Recent calorimetric investigations of several thin film systems demonstrate the importance of nucleation kinetics (and hence nucleation barriers) in product phase formation and provide quantitative measures of the thermodynamics and kinetics of formation of the product phases, thereby allowing some degree of comparison with reaction models. Furthermore, microstructural investigations of thin-film reactions demonstrate the non-planarity of the growth front and highlight the role of reactant-phase grain boundaries. In this paper, a summary of these experimental studies and recent theoretical treatments, which combine nucleation and growth in an integrated manner, is presented, with particular emphasis on the Nb/Al system. These experiments and models lead to a new view of reactive phase formation and grain structure evolution as one in which the latter is an integral part of the former. Based on this view, directions for future research are discussed.
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Parfitt LJ, Karpenko OP, Rek ZU, Yalisove SM, Bilello JC. Origins of Residual Stress in Mo and Ta Films: the Role of Impurities, Microstructural Evolution, and Phase Transformations. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.1557/proc-436-505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
AbstractBoth the sign and magnitude of residual stress can vary with the thickness of sputter deposited films. The origins of this behavior are not well understood. In this work, we consider the correlation between the residual stress behavior and the depth dependence of impurities in thin (2.5 nm - 150 nm) sputtered Mo and Ta films. We also consider the effects of phase transformations and microstructural changes on the stress behavior. Films were deposited onto Si substrates with native oxide. The residual stress observed in the Mo films varied from highly compressive at 2.5 nm film thickness to ∼ 0 ˜ 10 nm thickness. Ta films also exhibited a high compressive stress, which relaxed from highly compressive to tensile between 10 nm and 50 nm film thickness. Impurities in the films may originate from the sputtering targets, the background gases, and the substrate surfaces. Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) results showed the presence of O and C contamination near the film/Si interface; these impurities contributed to the compressive stresses in the thinner films. As anticipated, both Mo and Ta films exhibited grain growth as a function of film thickness, which may have contributed to the relaxation in the compressive stress. The Mo films were entirely bcc. The Ta films showed a transformation from the amorphous phase to the β crystalline phase between 2.5 nm and 20 nm film thickness, which contributed to the relaxation in stress observed in that thickness regime.
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