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Analytical and Numerical Modeling of Surface Morphologies in Thin Films

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Abstract

Experimental studies have shown that strains due to thermal expansion mismatch between a film and its substrate can produce very large stresses in the film that can lead to the formation of holes and hillocks. Based on a phenomenological description of the evolution of a solid surface under both capillary and stress driving forces and for surface and grain boundary self-diffusion, this article provides, for the first time, analytical and numerical solutions for surface profiles of model geometries in polycrystalline thin films. The results can explain a variety of surface morphologies commonly observed experimentally and are discussed to give some practical insights on how to control the growth of holes and hillocks in thin films.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemistry and Materials Science Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, 94550, USA

    François Y. Genin

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  1. François Y. Genin
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Genin, F.Y. Analytical and Numerical Modeling of Surface Morphologies in Thin Films. MRS Online Proceedings Library 389, 83–94 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-389-83

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