Chemical and electrical characterisation of the segregation of Al from a CuAl alloy (90%:10% wt) with thermal anneal

C. Byrne*, A. Brady, L. Walsh, A. P. McCoy, J. Bogan, E. McGlynn, K. V. Rajani, G. Hughes

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A copper-aluminium (CuAl) alloy (90%:10% wt) has been investigated in relation to segregation of the alloying element Al, from the alloy bulk during vacuum anneal treatments. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements were used to track the surface enrichment of Al segregating from the alloy bulk during in situ ultra-high vacuum anneals. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) indicates a build-up of Al at the surface of the annealed alloy relative to the bulk composition. Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) CuAl/SiO2/Si structures show a shift in flatband voltage upon thermal anneal consistent with the segregation of the Al to the alloy/SiO2 interface. Electrical four point probe measurements indicate that the segregation of Al from the alloy bulk following thermal annealing results in a decrease in film resistivity. X-ray diffraction data shows evidence for significant changes in crystal structure upon annealing, providing further evidence for expulsion of Al from the alloy bulk.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)59-63
Number of pages5
JournalThin Solid Films
Volume599
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 29 Jan 2016
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Aluminium
  • Copper
  • CuAl alloy
  • Self-forming barrier
  • XPS
  • XRD

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