Abstract
In this work, a systematic study of the influence of five deposition parameters, i.e., process pressure, substrate temperature, target power, and substrate bias, as well as gas composition on the residual stress in fully textured polycrystalline aluminum nitride thin films deposited on Si(100) wafers using the reactive sputtering method was performed. Post-growth residual stress measurements were obtained indirectly from radius of curvature measurements of the wafer prior to and after deposition. Two different techniques were used to determine the curvature: an optically levered laser beam and an x-ray diffraction method. Stresses in both cases were then evaluated using the Stoney formulation [G.G. Stoney, Proc. R. Soc. (London) A82, 172 (1909)]. Both methods give similar results, with slight quantitative differences. The existence of a transition region between tensile and compressive stress previously reported in the literature is also confirmed. The transition is shown to be strongly dependent on the process parameters. Optimal films regarding stress were grown at 2 mtorr, 900 W at the target, a 20/45 Ar/N2 gas mixture, and floating potential at the substrate. The substrate temperature did not influence the measured internal stress in the films.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
W.J. Meng, J.A. Sell, T.A. Perry, L.E. Rehn, and P.M. Baldo, J. Appl. Phys. 75, 344 (1994).
E.P. EerNisse, in Quartz Resonator Frequency Shifts Arising from Electrode Stress, Proceedings of the 29th Annual Frequency Control Symposium (Electronic Industries Assoc., Washington, D.C., 1975), pp. 1–4.
B.K. Sinha and S. Locke, in Thin Film Induced Effects on SAW Devices, edited by B.R. McAvoy (IEEE, New York, 1987), Vol. 1, pp. 289–294.
K. Chakrabarti, K.K. Chattopadhyay, S. Chaudhuri, and A.K. Pal, Mater. Chem. Phys. 50, 50 (1997).
W. Buckel, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. 6, 606 (1969).
J. Chaudhuri, R. Thokala, J.H. Edgar, and B.S. Sywe, J. Appl. Phys. 77, 6263 (1995).
O.T. Iancu, D. Munz, B. Eigenmann, B. Scholtes, and E. Macherauch, J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 73, 1144 (1990).
X-L. Wang, C .R. Hubbard, K.B. Alexander, P.F. Becher, J.A. Fernandez-Baca, and S. Spooner, J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 77, 1569 (1994).
M.S. Benrakkad, J.M. Lopez-Villegas, J. Samitier, J.R. Morante, M. Kirsten, and P. Lange, Sens. Actuators A A51, 9 (1995).
J. Musil, J. Lestina, J. Vlcek, and T. Tolg, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A (Vac. Surf. Films) 19, 420 (2001).
P.J. Kelly and R.D. Arnell, Vacuum 56, 159 (2000).
M-A. Dubois and P. Muralt, J. Appl. Phys. 89, 6389 (2001).
W.J. Meng, J.A. Sell, G.L. Eesley, and T.A. Perry, J. Appl. Phys. 74, 2411 (1993).
A. Rajamani, R. Beresford, and B.W. Sheldon, Appl. Phys. Lett. 79, 3776 (2001).
W. J. Meng, J.A. Sell, T.A. Perry, and G.L. Eesley, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A (Vac. Surf. Films) 11, 1377 (1993).
A.V. Dobrynin, J. Appl. Phys. 85, 1876 (1999).
J.A. Thornton and D.W. Hoffman, Thin Solid Films. 171, 5 (1989).
A.V. Dobrynin, Pis’ma v Zhurnal Tekhnicheskoi Fizika 23, 32 (1997).
D.E. Fahnline, C.B. Masters, and N.J. Salamon, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A (Vac. Surf. Films) 9, 2483 (1991).
H. Windischmann, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A (Vac. Surf. Films) 7, 2247 (1989).
R. Szilard, Theory and Analysis of Plates (Prentice-Hall, 1974).
R. Thokala and J. Chaudhuri, Thin Solid Films 266, 189 (1995).
D. Gerlich, S.L. Dole, and G.A. Slack, J. Phys. Chem. Solids 47, 437 (1986).
P.F. Fewster, X-ray Scattering from Semiconductors (Imperial College Press, U.K., 2000), pp. 193–196.
P. Hsieh, R. Reif, and B. Cunningham, in DC Magnetron Reactive Sputtering of Low Stress AlN Piezoelectric Thin Films for MEMS Application (Mater. Res. Soc., Warrendale, PA, 1999), pp. 165–170.
D.W. Hoffman and J.A. Thornton, Thin Solid Films 40, 355 (1977).
H. Windischmann, Crit. Rev. Solid State Mater. Sci. 17, 547 (1992).
F.M. d’Heurle, Metall Trans. 1, 725 (1970).
G.F. Iriarte, F. Engelmark, and I.V. Katardjiev, J. Mater. Res. 17, 1469 (2002).
P. Sigmund and R. Behrisch, Sputtering by Particle Bombardment I, edited by R. Behrisch (Springer, Berlin, Germany, 1981), Chap. 2.
G. Este and W. D. Westwood, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A (Vac. Surf. Films) 5, 1892 (1987).
G.L. Huffman, D.E. Fahnline, R. Messier, and L.J. Pilione, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A (Vac. Surf. Films) 7, 2252 (1989).
R.W. Hoffman, in Physics of Thin Films, edited by G. Hass (Academic Press, New York, 1966).
R.W. Hoffman, Thin Solid Films 34, 185 (1976).
R.C. Sun, T.C. Tisone, and P.D. Cruzan, J. Appl. Phys. 121, 46 (1975).
C.K. Hwangbo, L.J. Lingg, J.P. Lehan, H.A. Macleod, J.L. Makous, and S.Y. Kim, Appl. Opt. 28, 2769 (1989).
D.S. Campbell, in Handbook of Thin Film Technology, L.I. Maissel and R. Glang (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1970).
J.C. Angus and C.C. Hayman, Science 214, 913 (1988).
P. Paduschek, C. Hopfl, and H. Mitlehner, Thin Solid Films 110, 291 (1983).
H.M. Liaw and F.S. Hickernell, IEEE UFFC, 42(3) 404 (1995).
H.M. Liaw, W. Cronin, and F.S. Hickernell, The SAW Characteristics of Sputtered Aluminum Nitride on Silicon, IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium (1993), Vol. 1, pp. 267–71.
W. Class, in An Aluminum Nitride Melting Technique, (Materials Research Corp., Orangeburg, NY, 1968).
R.S. Naik, R. Reif, J.J. Lutsky, and C.G. Sodini, J. Electrochem. Soc. 146, 691 (1999).
W.M. Yim and R.J. Paff, J. Appl. Phys. 45, 1456 (1974).
G.A. Slack and S.F. Bartram, J. Appl. Phys. 46, 89 (1975).
O.H. Nielson, P.J. Burnett, M.N. Wybourne, J.C. Brice, Y. Tatsumi, M. Hart, J.Z. Hu, T. Soma, H. Matsuo Kagaya, J.A. van Vechten, S.C. Hardy, and H. Ohsaki, in Mechanical and Thermal Properties (of Silicon), (INSPEC, London, U.K., 1988), pp. 1–58.
E. Klokholm, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. 6, 138 (1969).
F.A. Doljack and R.W. Hoffman, Thin Solid Films 12, 71 (1972).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Iriarte, G.F., Engelmark, F., Ottosson, M. et al. Influence of deposition parameters on the stress of magnetron sputter-deposited AlN thin films on Si(100) substrates. Journal of Materials Research 18, 423–432 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.2003.0054
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.2003.0054