In situ stress evolution during and after sputter deposition of Al thin films

The stress, growth, and morphology evolution of Al thin films up to 300 nm thick, sputter deposited at a constant rate of 0.04 nm s-1 onto thermally oxidized Si(100) substrates have been investigated for various sputter pressures in the range from 0.05 to 6 Pa. The stress evolution has been studied during and after the film deposition by means of in situ substrate curvature measurements using an optical two-beam deflection method. In order to obtain insight into the mechanisms of stress generation and relaxation, the microstructure of the films was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, focused-ion-beam microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The stress evolution during the early stage of deposition of films is consistent with the Volmer-Weber growth mode known for metals with high adatom mobility. For thicker films, the compressive stress increases in the sputter pressure range of 0.05-0.5 Pa, whereas at even higher sputter pressures a transition from compressive to tensile stress takes place. This transition is correlated with a change from a relatively dense to a more porous microstructure characterized by decreasing mass density and increasing electrical resistivity with increasing sputter pressure. The dependence of the stress and microstructure on the sputter pressure can be consistently understood through a combination of the stress mechanisms for vapor and sputter deposited films proposed in the literature.