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Study of Natural Oxidation of Ultra-Thin Aluminum Layers with In-Situ Resistance Measurement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

C. Fery ,
W.E. Bailey ,
K. Yamada  and
S.X. Wang
C. Fery
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science & Eng., Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-2205
W.E. Bailey
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science & Eng., Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-2205
K. Yamada
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science & Eng., Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-2205
S.X. Wang
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science & Eng., Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-2205
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Abstract

Exposure to oxygen (1 Torr) at room temperature of thin Al films deposited by UHV ion beam sputtering has been studied using an in-situ resistance measurement set-up. Two lock-in amplifiers allow low noise data acquisition. By monitoring the conductance during deposition and oxidation we can deduce the consumed Al thickness as a function of exposure time (t). It is found that the Al/vacuum interface is diffuse for electron scattering. A two-stage mechanism for natural oxidation is revealed: fast growth (for t<10s) followed by a slow logarithmic growth. A simple model based on interface reactions and place exchange describes the experimental results. The conductance drop after 5 minutes of oxidation is found to decrease for initial Al thicknesses below 30A. This suggests the oxidation rates slow down for thin initial Al thicknesses.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 569: Symposium U – In Situ Process Diagnostics and Modelling , 1999 , 185
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1999

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References

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