Heterogeneous Growth in Transition Metal/Rare Earth Films During Bias Sputter-Deposition

摘要

In the presence of certain defects that acts as nucleation sites, large oriented precipitates formed in thick Ni-La and Ni-Y films that were deposited at substrate biases of several hundred volts. Films deposited with no bias were amorphous or were very homogeneous. Both the unbiased and biased films were produced by high-rate sputter-deposition in a thermionically supported Kr discharge. Application of substrate bias resulted in intense Kr exp + ion bombardment of the growing films. Preferential resputtering of the RE component and enhanced atomic mobility at the growth surface, combined with the mutual insolubility of the Ni and RE components, are thought to have produced these growths. Examples of the heterogeneous microstructures are presented and discussed here. (ERA citation 09:026335)