Abstract
The effect of thermal annealing under ultra-high vacuum on the metallurgical microstructure of (111) -textured face-centered cubic (FCC) metal thin films was investigated. The surface morphology of 500-A-thick metal films drastically changes with increasing annealing temperature. Regardless of the kind of metal, the morphological changes can be classified into four stages, when the annealing temperature, TIR, is normalized by the respective melting point of the metals, TM. In stage I , 0.15 ≤ TIR/TM < 0.3, the surface roughness, Ra, of metal films decreases to ∼ 3 A. In stage II, 0.3 ≤ TIR/TM ≤ 0.35, remarkable grain growth occurs, and the lateral grain diameter exceeds 1000 A. Small (∼ 200 A) crystals appear on the large grains in the stage II’, 0.35 < TIR/TM ≤ 0.45, and they grow large and coarsen the Ra in stage III, 0.45 < TIR/TM. We conclude that ultra-high vacuum annealing in stage II is effective in realizing large lateral grain size with small surface roughness in FCC metal films.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
