Silver thin films have been deposited on various substrates at floating potentials by radio frequency magnetron sputtering of a silver target in pure argon plasma using load-locked sputtering equipment. Under the experimental conditions investigated, the deposition rate of silver films was about 70 nm/min so that metal films as thin as 200 nm could be deposited within easily controllable deposition durations. Film surfaces and cross sections were examined by scanning electron microscopy. The morphology was fully dense. The crystallographic structure was investigated by x-ray diffraction. The grains were preferentially oriented with the (111) lattice planes parallel to the film surface and without preferred azimuthal orientation. The films analyzed by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy were free of detectable impurities. The residual stresses were determined to be tensile from the measurements of the curvature radius of silicon substrates. The calculated value of the thermal stress showed that the intrinsic stress in the films was compressive. The effective Knoop hardness of 2-μm-thick silver films deposited on glass substrates was in the range 1600–1800 MPa, i.e., three times higher than the hardness of the bulk metal. Pure silver films exhibited an electrical resistivity of 1.5–2 μΩ cm, nearly equal to the bulk resistivity.
Chromium-carbon coatings have been deposited on various substrates by direct sputtering of a chromium carbide, Cr3C2, target in pure argon atmosphere. The composition of coatings determined by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and the deposition rate were investigated as functions of the sputtering gas pressure and self-bias voltage applied to substrates. The atom number ratio C/Cr in the coatings was equal to 0.7 regardless of the deposition conditions investigated. Oxygen and argon atoms were the major impurities incorporated in the amorphous coatings. Oxygen-free Cr-C coatings were prepared at low argon pressures or on substrates biased to a voltage in the range −100 to −320 V. The Cr-C coatings deposited on biased substrates contained less than 2 at. % of argon. The morphological features of Cr-C coatings examined by scanning electron microscopy were also dependent on the sputtering gas pressure and bias voltage of substrates. Fully dense structures were observed for coatings deposited at low argon pressures or on biased substrates. The electrical resistivity of Cr-C coatings was extremely dependent on the concentration of oxygen atoms incorporated in the coatings. Oxygen-free Cr-C coatings exhibited electrical resistivity values as low as 120 μΩ cm, i.e., less than twice the bulk resistivity of Cr3C2. The residual stresses in the coatings and microhardness of the deposited material were also investigated as functions of the deposition parameters. Tensile residual stresses were lower than 0.8 GPa, and the maximum microhardness of coatings was about 13000 MPa, i.e., similar to that of the bulk material.
Fluorocarbon polymer films have been deposited on glass, silicon, and carbon substrates by radio frequency (rf) sputtering of a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) target in pure argon and Ar–C3F8 mixtures using either a conventional sputtering mode or a self-sustaining glow discharge mode. The substrates could be isolated from the plasma region by a grounded grid electrode. The deposition rate of films produced on glass and silicon substrates was measured as a function of the gas composition and total pressure. The grounded grid electrode effect on the deposition rate of films was also investigated. The polymer films were characterized by x-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. The morphology of films was examined before and after annealing at 450 °C in pure argon ambient for 4–24 h. The optimum deposition conditions to produce (CFx)n polymer films with high fluorine contents and high deposition rates by rf sputtering of a PTFE target are reported and discussed in the article.
Study on radio frequency reactive sputtering deposition of silicon nitride thin films J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 10, 462 (1992); 10.1116/1.578172 Thinfilm temperature sensors deposited by radio frequency cathodic sputtering J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 5, 2917 (1987); 10.1116/1.574265Comparison of the structure and electrical properties of thin tungsten films deposited by radio frequency sputtering and ion beam sputtering
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