Texture Development in Thin Metallic Films

Aluminum films 1μm in thickness are deposited on SiO2/Si(100) by the self-ion assisted PIB technique and by sputtering. Texture analysis of the four deposition conditions reveals an {111} texture component superimposed on a random grain distribution. The relative fraction of the two components depends strongly on deposition conditions. Annealing at 400°C for 0.5 hr sharpens the {111} texture component at the expense of the random while inducing substantial grain growth where mean grain size increases by a factor of 3.5 to 5. One condition is truly a fiber texture, and the other three have textures with some deviation from axial symmetry.