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Stress modification of Ni--Fe films by ion bombardment concurrent with film growth by alloy evaporation

Journal Article · · J. Vac. Sci. Technol., A; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1116/1.575250· OSTI ID:5221716

A technique is described for selectively modifying, by ion bombardment during film growth, the state of internal stress of thin films on flexible polymer substrates. A laser-monitoring system is used to measure strain-induced deflections of the simply supported substrate prior to, during, and after the deposition without disturbing the film--substrate system. Sensitivity of the in situ measured bending force per unit width is approx.130 dyn/cm. The result is a composite view of the ''frozen-in'' thin-film internal stress including postdeposition relaxation. Permalloy (83% Ni--17% Fe) is deposited on Kapton at room temperature by electron beam evaporation simultaneous with Ar/sup +/ bombardment of current densities j = 10 to 1000 ..mu..A/cm/sup 2/ and ion energies E = 150, 300, 750, and 1500 eV/ion. In the absence of ion bombardment, the average internal stress is tensile with a value of 11 Gdyn/cm/sup 2/ for deposition rate = 0.5 nm/s. Transition from tensile to compressive stress is a strong function of j and a rather weak function of E.

Research Organization:
Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, New York 14650
OSTI ID:
5221716
Journal Information:
J. Vac. Sci. Technol., A; (United States), Journal Name: J. Vac. Sci. Technol., A; (United States) Vol. 6:3; ISSN JVTAD
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English