In-Situ X-Ray Reflectivity Study on Growth Dynamics of Sputter Deposited Gold on Silicon

Abstract

ABSTRACTWe performed in-situ x-ray reflectivity measurements to study the growth dynamics of gold sputter deposited onto silicon using an x-ray scattering chamber equipped with a faced magnetron source where the substrate is held at a right angle relative to the sputtering guns. By operating the guns at low power (1 watt) and under 20 mTorr Ar, we could control the gold deposition rate to less than 1Å/sec. The observed x-ray reflectivity for gold deposited onto a silicon substrate at 300 K and 400 K is consistent with nucleated island growth for average gold particle sizes less than 50 Å. Above 50 Å, the reflectivity data indicates that the gold film uniformly covers the silicon surface, and that as the film thickness is increased the gold-vacuum interface gets progressively rougher. Detailed analysis of room temperature data is in progress, as is the temperature dependence on the roughness of the gold vacuum interface.