Strain-texture correlation in r.f. magnetron sputtered thin films

Abstract Residual strain and texture in r.f. magnetron sputtered thin films were studied by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), using a recently developed parallel beam optics based on a multicapillary incident beam collimator; reliable XRD measurements could be done within a wide range of sample titling (phi, omega), even for relatively low angle peaks (2 theta ~30-40°). A large area of the sample (a PVD thin film on a 4-inch Si wafer) was scanned, in order to study texture and residual stress in thin film regions subjected to different growth conditions: in particular, it was pointed out the effect of the r.f. magnetron sputtering geometry on the microstructure and texture of CaO-ZrO2 polycrystalline thin films. Residual strain-texture correlation was also considered, by means of a simple model of in-plane stress gradient within the thin film.