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International audienc

The investigation of mechanical properties of atomic layer deposition HfO 2 films is important for implementing these layers in microdevices. The mechanical properties of films change as a function of composition and structure, which accordingly vary with deposition temperature and post-annealing. This work describes elastic modulus, hardness, and wear resistance of as-grown and annealed HfO 2. From nanoindentation measurements, the elastic modulus and hardness remained relatively stable in the range of 163-165 GPa and 8.3-9.7 GPa as a function of deposition temperature. The annealing of HfO 2 caused significant increase in hardness up to 14.4 GPa due to film crystallization and densification. The structural change also caused increase in the elastic modulus up to 197 GPa. Wear resistance did not change as a function of deposition temperature, but improved upon annealing. V

The fracture strength of Al2O3 membranes deposited by atomic layer deposition at 110, 150, 200, and 300 °C was investigated. The fracture strength was found to be in the range of 2.25–3.00 GPa using Weibull statistics and nearly constant as a function of deposition temperature. This strength is superior to common microelectromechanical systems materials such as diamondlike carbon, SiO2, or SiC. As-deposited membranes sustained high cycling pressure loads >10 bar/s without fracture. Films featured, however, significant reduction in the resistance to failure after annealing (800 °C) or high humidity (95%, 60 °C) treatments.