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Media type:
E-Article
Title:
Dewetting of Au and AuPt alloy films: A dewetting zone model
Contributor:
Manuela Müller, Claudia;
Spolenak, Ralph
imprint:
AIP Publishing, 2013
Published in:Journal of Applied Physics
Language:
English
DOI:
10.1063/1.4794028
ISSN:
0021-8979;
1089-7550
Origination:
Footnote:
Description:
<jats:p>When thin metal films are annealed they can degrade into particles. This happens even at annealing temperatures below the melting point and is known as solid-state dewetting or agglomeration. The solid-state dewetting behaviour of 15–35 nm thick Au and 20 nm thick AuPt films on SiNx/SiO2/Si substrates was investigated in the temperature range of 500–900 °C in air. Morphology maps were created based on which a dewetting zone model is proposed. The morphology maps can be divided into three zones: a zone where the film remains continuous, a zone where dewetting takes place, and a zone where dewetting is complete. Coverage measurements can be used to determine zone boundaries and the activation energy for void growth, which was 1.05 ± 0.1 eV in the case of Au. The influence of film thickness and alloying on the dewetting behaviour was studied; both factors had only an influence at low annealing temperatures, with the influence of alloying being more pronounced than the influence of film thickness.</jats:p>