The purpose of this article is to describe the basic physical processes involved in the nucleation and growth of thin films of materials on solid surfaces. In this introduction the three modes of crystal growth which are thought to occur on surfaces in the absence of interdiffusion are described, and the relationships between the thermodynamics of adsorption and the kinetics of crystal growth are explored in general terms. This is followed by a brief review of atomistic nucleation theory, explaining the relations of such theories to experimental observables. In the next three sections, recent experimental examples of these three growth modes are given, which are interpreted where possible in terms of nucleation and growth theory. The last section discusses observations on the shapes of growing crystallites and the relation of such observations to nucleation and surface diffusion processes.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0034-4885/47/4/002/pdf

Nucleation and growth of thin films

The mechanical properties of thin films on substrates are described and studied. It is shown that very large stresses may be present in the thin films that comprise integrated circuits and magnetic disks and that these stresses can cause deformation and fracture to occur. It is argued that the approaches that have proven useful in the study of bulk structural materials can be used to understand the mechanical behavior of thin film materials. Understanding the mechanical properties of thin films on substrates requires an understanding of the stresses in thin film structures as well as a knowledge of the mechanisms by which thin films deform. The fundamentals of these processes are reviewed. For a crystalline film on a nondeformable substrate, a key problem involves the movement of dislocations in the film. An analysis of this problem provides insight into both the formation of misfit dislocations in epitaxial thin films and the high strengths of thin metal films on substrates. It is demonstrated that the kinetics of dislocation motion at high temperatures are expecially important to the understanding of the formation of misfit dislocations in heteroepitaxial structures. The experimental study of mechanical properties of thin films requires the development and use of nontraditional mechanical testing techniques. Some of the techniques that have been developed recently are described. The measurement of substrate curvature by laser scanning is shown to be an effective way of measuring the biaxial stresses in thin films and studying the biaxial deformation properties at elevated temperatures. Submicron indentation testing techniques, which make use of the Nanoindenter, are also reviewed. The mechanical properties that can be studied using this instrument are described, including hardness, elastic modulus, and time-dependent deformation properties. Finally, a new testing technique involving the deflection of microbeam samples of thin film materials made by integrated circuit manufacturing methods is described. It is shown that both elastic and plastic properties of thin film materials can be measured using this technique.

Mechanical properties of thin films

1. Introduction and overview 2. Film stress and substrate curvature 3. Stress in anisotropic and patterned films 4. Delamination and fracture 5. Film buckling, bulging and peeling 6. Dislocation formation in epitaxial systems 7. Dislocation interactions and strain relaxation 8. Equilibrium and stability of surfaces 9. The role of stress in mass transport.

Thin Film Materials: Stress, Defect Formation and Surface Evolution

We present a new analytical potential fluctuations model for the interpretation of current/voltage and capacitance/voltage measurements on spatially inhomogeneous Schottky contacts. A new evaluation schema of current and capacitance barriers permits a quantitative analysis of spatially distributed Schottky barriers. In addition, our analysis shows also that the ideality coefficient n of abrupt Schottky contacts reflects the deformation of the barrier distribution under applied bias; a general temperature dependence for the ideality n is predicted. Our model offers a solution for the so‐called T0 problem. Not only our own measurements on PtSi/Si diodes, but also previously published ideality data for Schottky diodes on Si, GaAs, and InP agree with our theory.

Barrier inhomogeneities at Schottky contacts

Theoretical models of Schottky-barrier height formation are reviewed. A particular emphasis is placed on the examination of how these models agree with general physical principles. New concepts on the relationship between interface dipole and chemical bond formation are analyzed, and shown to offer a coherent explanation of a wide range of experimental data.

Recent advances in Schottky barrier concepts

The resistivity of thin Cu films depends on film thickness as the dimensions approach the electron mean-free-path for Cu of 39 nm. The key size-dependent contributions are from electron–surface scattering, grain boundary scattering, and surface roughness-induced scattering. Measurements with pseudoepitaxial Cu films deposited on Si have been undertaken to reduce effects of grain boundaries and surface roughness and suggest an electron-scattering parameter of p=0.12. Overlayers of metal films on the Cu generally increase the resistivity for Ta and Pt overlayers, and may reduce the resistivity for Au and Al. The resistivity increase may also be reversed if the overlayer oxidizes.

Alteration of Cu conductivity in the size effect regime

We report the first observation of long-range order in a semiconductor III-V ternary alloy. ${\mathrm{Al}}_{x}{\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{As}$ thin crystals grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition or molecular-beam epitaxy have Ga atoms preferentially occupying the 0,0,0 and \textonehalf{},\textonehalf{},0 sites and Al atoms the \textonehalf{},0,\textonehalf{} and 0,\textonehalf{},\textonehalf{} sites in each unit cell. Our results indicate that this ordered structure is the equilibrium state of ${\mathrm{Al}}_{x}{\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{As}$.

Long-range order in Al x Ga 1-x As

The interface structures resulting from the alloying reactions between a Au/Ni/Au‐Ge composite film and a (100) GaAs substrate were studied by transmission electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy. Electron microscope examinations of the cross‐sectional samples prepared in this study offered excellent lateral and depth resolution of local structures which are not available by other analytical techniques used previously in similar studies. The distributions and chemical compositions of various phases formed, and the morphologies of the interfaces between these phases were monitored and compared with the measured contact resistances at three different stages of alloying. A correlation between the interface structure and the contact resistance was found.

Electron microscope studies of an alloyed Au/Ni/Au-Ge ohmic contact to GaAs

Results on crystal orientation dependence of n‐ and p‐type Si doping in molecular beam epitaxial GaAs are presented. High electron and hole mobilities in AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures on high index planes are demonstrated for the first time. The doping results should prove useful for various transistor structures and complementary circuits. Also, due to the differences in the band structure for different orientations, quantum well heterostructures are likely to exhibit many interesting phenomena which are strongly orientation dependent.

Tung-Sheng Kuan

Papers

Alteration of Cu conductivity in the size effect regime

Long-range order in Al x Ga 1-x As

Electron microscope studies of an alloyed Au/Ni/Au-Ge ohmic contact to GaAs

Crystal orientation dependence of silicon doping in molecular beam epitaxial AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures

The influence of growth chemistry on the MOVPE growth of GaAs and AlxGa1−xAs layers and heterostructures