Environmental influence on interface interactions and adhesion of Au/SiO 2

• Published in: Materials science & engineering. A, Structural materials : properties, microstructure and processing Vol. 493; no. 1; pp. 299 - 304
• Main Authors: Kennedy, M.S., Moody, N.R., Adams, D.P., Clift, M., Bahr, D.F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 2008
• Subjects: Adhesion; Humidity; Interface; Interfacial fracture energy; Humidity; Adhesion; Interface; Interfacial fracture energy
• ISSN: 0921-5093; 1873-4936
• DOI: 10.1016/j.msea.2007.09.081

The mode I interfacial adhesion energy for as-deposited Au/SiO 2 was measured using a stressed overlayer test, and ranged from 0.39 ± 0.09 J/m 2 for spontaneous blisters to 0.37 ± 0.17 J/m 2 for indentation-induced blisters. After these films were heated to 100 °C and 300 °C for 1 h, the interfacial fracture energies increased, to 0.9 J/m 2 and 9.9 J/m 2, respectively. This was consistent with Au/SiO 2 films aged over an 8-year period, which had a mode I interfacial fracture energy between 1.2 J/m 2 and 1.9 J/m 2. The blister delamination was monitored over the course of over a year, and exhibited growth after an initial stabilization period. Subsequent testing of delaminations with controlled humidity reproduced this growth mechanism. Changes in interfacial adhesion energies are discussed in light of changes in interfacial chemistry and the exposure of an interfacial crack tip to humidity.