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Contact damage of tetrahedral amorphous carbon thin films on silicon substrates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Oscar Borrero-López ,
Mark Hoffman ,
Avi Bendavid  and
Phil J. Martin
Oscar Borrero-López*
Affiliation:
School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Sydney, Australia; and Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica, Energética y de los Materiales, Universidad de Extremadura, 06071 Badajoz, Spain
Mark Hoffman
Affiliation:
School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Sydney, Australia
Avi Bendavid
Affiliation:
CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, Lindfield, NSW 2070, Australia
Phil J. Martin
Affiliation:
CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, Lindfield, NSW 2070, Australia
*
a) Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: [email protected], [email protected]
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Abstract

We have investigated the fracture behavior of tetrahedral amorphous carbon films, with thicknesses 0.15 (ultrathin), 0.5 (thin), and 1.2 (thick) microns on silicon substrates. To that end, the systems were progressively loaded into a nanoindenter using a spherical tip, and surface and cross sections were subsequently examined using a focused ion beam miller at different loads. A transition was found as a function of film thickness: for ultrathin and thin films, cracking (radial and lateral) initiated in the silicon substrate and followed a similar path in the films. Thicker films, on the other hand, provided a higher level of protection to the substrate, and cracking (lateral and radial at the interface) was constrained to the film. The damage modes and the transition obtained differ from those that occur in thick coatings. Lateral cracks are highly dangerous, leading to delamination of thick films and to spallation when thinner films are used. The results have implications concerning the mechanical reliability of microelectromechanical systems.

Keywords

FractureNanoindentationThin film
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 24 , Issue 11 , November 2009 , pp. 3286 - 3293
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2009

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