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Grain Structure Interaction Between Cold and Hot Sputtered Aluminum Films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

David L. O'Meara
David L. O'Meara*
Affiliation:
Hughes Aircraft Company, Technology Center, 6155 El Camino Real, Carlsbad, CA 92009
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Abstract

The factors affecting the second layer grain structure of a two-aluminum-layer sputtered film were investigated with the use of a computer-aided experimental design and analysis program. A cold aluminum layer followed by a hotter aluminum layer has been described in the literature as a means of improving metal step coverage. Several factors were screened to determine the most important parameters by which the first layer influences the second. The two-layer interactions were determined by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis to measure final grain structures. A model was generated from the experimental results that shows the influence of the first layer grain size on the second layer if the second sputter deposition is made above ∼300°C. The influence increases at higher temperatures. The results will be compared to grain growth models found in the literature.

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