Coexistence of colossal stress and texture gradients in sputter deposited nanocrystalline ultra-thin metal films

KURU Y., Welzel U., Mittemeijer E. J.

APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS, vol.105, no.22, 2014 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 105 Issue: 22
  • Publication Date: 2014
  • Doi Number: 10.1063/1.4902940
  • Journal Name: APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This paper demonstrates experimentally that ultra-thin, nanocrystalline films can exhibit coexisting colossal stress and texture depth gradients. Their quantitative determination is possible by X-ray diffraction experiments. Whereas a uniform texture by itself is known to generally cause curvature in so-called sin (2)psi plots, it is shown that the combined action of texture and stress gradients provides a separate source of curvature in sin (2)psi plots (i.e., even in cases where a uniform texture does not induce such curvature). On this basis, the texture and stress depth profiles of a nanocrystalline, ultra-thin (50 nm) tungsten film could be determined. (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.