Aluminum-Copper Bilayers Thin Films Deposited at Room Temperature by RF Magnetron Sputtering

• Published in: Applied Mechanics and Materials Vol. 606; no. Materials, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Research Advances 1.2; pp. 105 - 109
• Main Authors: Mat Yajid, Muhamad Azizi, Rosli, Zulkifli Mohd, M. Ali, Riyaz Ahmad, Abdul Halim, Zulhelmi Alif
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Zurich Trans Tech Publications Ltd 01.08.2014
• Subjects: Aluminum; Columnar structure; Deposition; Magnetron sputtering; Scanning electron microscopy; Silicon substrates; Thin films; X-rays; AFM; FE-SEM; Magnetron Sputtering; XRD
• ISBN: 3038351830; 9783038351832
• ISSN: 1660-9336; 1662-7482; 1662-7482
• DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.606.105

In this work, the effects of room temperature deposition on the structural properties of Al-Cu bilayers thin films were investigated. The bilayers were sputter deposited by RF magnetron sputtering on Si {100} wafers without substrate heating. The thickness of each layer is approximately 500 nm thick. Characterization were performed with grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (XRD) cross-sectional field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) with chemical analysis by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and atomic force microscope (AFM). It was found polycrystalline Al and Cu thin films have been grown with {111} preferred growth orientation with very fine crystallites size (less than 20 nm). The bilayers were in non-strained condition, but each layer shows different morphologies between the columnar and non columnar structure. AFM analysis revealed that the bilayers top surface appears to have higher surface roughness (Ra = 20 nm) due to low adatoms surface mobility during room temperature deposition.