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Hillock formation and thermal stresses in thin Au films on Si substrates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Linda Sauter
Affiliation:
Max Planck Institute for Metals Research and Institut für Metallkunde, University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
T. John Balk
Affiliation:
Now at: University of Kentucky, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
Gerhard Dehm
Affiliation:
Now at: Erich Schmid Institut für Materialwissenschaft, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, and Department für Materialphysik, Montanuniversität Leoben, 8700 Leoben, Austria
Julie A. Nucci
Affiliation:
Max Planck Institute for Metals Research and Institut für Metallkunde, University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Eduard Arzt
Affiliation:
Max Planck Institute for Metals Research and Institut für Metallkunde, University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
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Abstract

The wafer curvature technique was used to analyze stresses in fine-grained, 50 nm to 2 μm thick Au films on silicon substrates between room temperature and 500°C. The microstructural evolution was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), focused ion beam (FIB) microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In situ heating experiments inside a scanning electron microscope provided a comparison between the morphological development and the stress-temperature behavior of the film. Hillock formation was observed, but it can only partially account for the stress relaxation measured by the wafer curvature technique.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2005

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