In-situ investigation of thermal instabilities and solid state dewetting in polycrystalline platinum thin films via confocal laser microscopy

Journal Article · Tue Oct 28 04:00:00 EDT 2014 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4898691· OSTI ID:22308144

Jahangir, S.; Cheng, Xuan; Huang, H. H.; Nagarajan, V. ^[1]; Ihlefeld, J. ^[2]

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1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052 (Australia)
2. Electronic, Optical, and Nanomaterials Department, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States)

Solid state dewetting and the subsequent morphological changes for platinum thin films grown on zinc oxide (ZnO) buffered (001) silicon substrates (Pt/ZnO/SiO{sub 2}/(001)Si system) is investigated under vacuum conditions via a custom-designed confocal laser microscope coupled with a laser heating system. Live imaging of thin film dewetting under a range of heating and quenching vacuum ambients reveals events including hillock formation, hole formation, and hole growth that lead to formation of a network of Pt ligaments, break up of Pt ligaments to individual islands and subsequent Pt islands shape reformation, in chronological fashion. These findings are corroborated by ex-situ materials characterization and quantitative electron microscopy analysis. A secondary hole formation via blistering before film rupture is revealed to be the critical stage, after which a rapid dewetting catastrophe occurs. This process is instantaneous and cannot be captured by ex-situ methods. Finally, an intermetallic phase forms at 900 °C and alters the morphology of Pt islands, suggesting a practical limit to the thermal environments that may be used for these platinized silicon wafers in vacuum conditions.

• OSTI ID: 22308144
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 16 Vol. 116; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
BUFFERS
CAPTURE
CRYSTAL GROWTH
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
INSTABILITY
LASER-RADIATION HEATING
MICROSCOPES
PLATINUM
POLYCRYSTALS
QUENCHING
RUPTURES
SILICA
SILICON
SILICON OXIDES
SOLIDS
SUBSTRATES
THIN FILMS
ZINC OXIDES