Superlayer residual stress effect on the indentation adhesion measurements

The practical work of adhesion has been measured in thin aluminum films as a function of film thickness and residual stress. These films were sputter deposited onto thermally oxidized silicon wafers followed by sputter deposition of a one micron thick W superlayer. The superlayer deposition parameters were controlled to produce either a compressive residual stress of 1 GPa or a tensile residual stress of 100 MPa. Nanoindentation testing was then used to induce delamination and a mechanics based model for circular blister formation was used to determine practical works of adhesion. The resulting measured works of adhesion for all films between 100 nm and 1 μm thick was 30 J/m² regardless of superlayer stress. However, films with the compressively stressed superlayers produced larger blisters than films with tensile stressed superlayers. In addition, these films were susceptible to radial cracking producing a high variability in average adhesion values.