Tilt of the columnar microstructure in off-normally deposited thin films using highly ionized vapor fluxes

Elofsson, Viktor; Magnfält, Daniel; Samuelsson, Mattias; Sarakinos, Kostas

doi:10.1063/1.4804066

Cited by 29 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 44 publications

(58 reference statements)

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“…In both films, a columnar microstructure is observed in which columns are tilted towards the direction of the vapor source in agreement with a previous work of ours. 23 Intra-columnar voids are also observed at larger thicknesses in both films (see insets in Figs. 1(a) and 1(b)), which is indicative of a limited surface diffusion.…”

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confidence: 83%

Double in-plane alignment in biaxially textured thin films

Elofsson

Saraiva

Boyd

et al. 2014

Applied Physics Letters

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The scientific interest and technological relevance of biaxially textured polycrystalline thin films stem from their microstructure that resembles that of single crystals. To explain the origin and predict the type of biaxial texture in off-normally deposited films, Mahieu et al. have developed an analytical model [S. Mahieu et al., Thin Solid Films 515, 1229 (2006)]. For certain materials, this model predicts the occurrence of a double in-plane alignment, however, experimentally only a single in-plane alignment has been observed and the reason for this discrepancy is still unknown. The model calculates the resulting in-plane alignment by considering the growth of faceted grains with an out-of-plane orientation that corresponds to the predominant film out-of-plane texture. This approach overlooks the fact that in vapor condensation experiments where growth kinetics is limited and only surface diffusion is active, out-of-plane orientation selection is random during grain nucleation and happens only upon grain impingement. Here, we compile and implement an experiment that is consistent with the key assumptions set forth by the in-plane orientation selection model by Mahieu et al.; a Cr film is grown off-normally on a fiber textured Ti epilayer to pre-determine the out-of-plane orientation and only allow for competitive growth with respect to the in-plane alignment. Our results show unambiguously a biaxially textured Cr (110) film that possesses a double in-plane alignment, in agreement with predictions of the in-plane selection model. Thus, a long standing discrepancy in the literature is resolved, paving the way towards more accurate theoretical descriptions and hence knowledge-based control of microstructure evolution in biaxially textured thin films.

Funding Agencies|Linkoping University

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confidence: 83%

Double in-plane alignment in biaxially textured thin films

Elofsson

Saraiva

Boyd

et al. 2014

Applied Physics Letters

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Funding Agencies|Linkoping University

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“…Although the influence of the deposition angle in combination with other deposition parameters on the microstructure and texture of HIPIMS-deposited thin films has not been systematically investigated, differences between conventional MS and HIPIMS have been observed in the deposition of Cu and Cr films [197,198]. That is, with these two metals, it has been found that the tilt angle of the nanocolumns is lower in HIPIMS-OAD than in conventional MS-OAD.…”

Section: High-power Impulse Magnetron Sputteringmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For copper films grown at room temperature, the tilt angle is independent of the vapor flux's degree of ionization, whereas with Cr at elevated temperatures it is affected by ionization. These differences, as well as the changes induced in the crystallographic texture of the films, have been accounted for by a phenomenological model that incorporates atomic shadowing effects during the early nucleation steps [197,198].…”

Section: High-power Impulse Magnetron Sputteringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspectives on oblique angle deposition of thin films: From fundamentals to devices

Barranco

Borrás

González‐Elipe

et al. 2016

Progress in Materials Science

582

431

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a b s t r a c tThe oblique angle configuration has emerged as an invaluable tool for the deposition of nanostructured thin films. This review develops an up to date description of its principles, including the atomistic mechanisms governing film growth and nanostructuration possibilities, as well as a comprehensive description of the applications benefiting from its incorporation in actual devices. In contrast with other reviews on the subject, the electron beam assisted evaporation technique is analyzed along with other methods operating at oblique angles, including, among others, magnetron sputtering and pulsed laser or ion beam-assisted deposition techniques. To account for the existing differences between deposition in vacuum or in the presence of a plasma, mechanistic simulations are critically revised, discussing well-established paradigms such as the tangent or cosine rules, and proposing new models that explain the growth of tilted porous nanostructures. In the second part, we present an extensive description of applications wherein oblique-angle-deposited thin films are of relevance. From there, we proceed by considering the requirements of a large number of functional devices in which these films are currently being utilized (e.g., solar cells, Li batteries, electrochromic glasses, biomaterials, sensors, etc.), and subsequently describe how and why these nanostructured materials meet with these needs.

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“…Magnetron deposition at oblique angle, occasionally also called GLAD (glancing angle deposition), has been already reported for different materials to be deposited [37], [38], [39], [40], [41]. Growth of GLAD structure is usually explained by a shadowing effect of grown nuclei in the area opposite to incoming flux [42]. According substrate tilt angle, which seems to play main role, different types of microstructure can be attained [43].…”

Section: Film Morphology -Sem Xrmentioning

confidence: 99%