Specific Process Knowledge/Thin film deposition/Deposition of Gold/Adhesion layers: Difference between revisions

A more quantitative analysis of the grain size increase for all three samples was performed between the map at room temperature and the one after the annealing at 200°C, since at such temperature the nanostructure of Au was still continuous and the dewetting was not affecting the analysis significantly. The results are reported in Fig. 16. The average grain size of the pure Au sample increased from 97 nm to 105 nm in the evaluated temperature range (Fig. 16a), the one of the Ti/Au sample from 45 nm to 56 nm (Fig. 16b) and the one of the Cr/Au sample almost did not change, increasing from 34 nm to 36 nm (Fig. 16c).

At higher temperatures, the Au grain size increase was very different between the two adhesion layers. Figure 17a shows the variation for Ti/Au between room temperature and 500°C: the plotted average grain size value increased from 45 nm to 113 nm after the annealing. Figure 17b shows the variation for Cr/Au: in this case the grain size increase is lower, varying from 34 nm to 44 nm, highlighting the higher nanostructure stability guaranteed by Cr respect to Ti.