Stress, resistance, and phase transitions in NiCr(60 wt %) thin films

Brückner, W.; Pitschke, W.; Thomas, Jürgen; Leitner, G.

doi:10.1063/1.372164

Cited by 21 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 28 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Although different physical vapor deposition methods such as evaporation [11] and sputtering [1,2,12,13] are used, sputtering method is far more widespread than others. Because by using sputtering method, high reproducibility rates can be achieved and it is possible to control target and film compositions efficiently [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Cr content on mechanical and electrical properties of Ni–Cr thin films

Danışman

Cansever

2010

Journal of Alloys and Compounds

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Cr content on mechanical and electrical properties of Ni–Cr thin films

Danışman

Cansever

2010

Journal of Alloys and Compounds

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…A decrease in resistance has previously been observed [16][17][18][19][20][21] and attributed to structural changes (grain-size growth or precipitation). The resistor values were usually stabilized after thermal annealing, via oxidation of chromium, which forms a passivation layer.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Investigation of NiCr Thin Film Resistors for InP-Based Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs)

Driad

Krieg

Geldmacher

et al. 2011

J. Electrochem. Soc.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We report a systematic study of nickel chrome (NiCr) thin film resistors (TFRs) used as resistors in InP-based monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs). The effects of fabrication process parameters (such as surface treatments or thermal cycles) and substrate materials on the electrical properties of NiCr TFRs are discussed. After completion of MMIC fabrication, the NiCr thin film resistors were found to exhibit lower sheet resistance (R sh ) as compared to the as-deposited films. The origin of this variation has been found to be mainly related to the post-NiCr thermal cycles involved in the IC process technology. In contrast, the R sh values of NiCr TFRs deposited on GaAs or SiN x coated substrates were almost unaffected by thermal annealing. Hence, a thin SiN x passivation layer on the InP substrate has been integrated in the InP-based MMIC process to avoid the NiCr-InP interaction. As a result, NiCr thin film resistors with high sheet resistance uniformity and reproducibility, as well as low temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) have been achieved. Moreover, the use of a SiN x layer on the InP substrate was also found to improve the inter-device isolation.Although novel material resistors have been developed, nickel chromium (NiCr), and tantalum nitride (TaN) remain the thin film resistors (TFRs) of choice for most applications in the microelectronic industry because of their wide resistivity range, low temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR), good reproducibility and good compatibility with various integrated circuit technologies. In particular, NiCr and related materials have been the subject of numerous investigations, 1-12 covering different aspects of deposition techniques and material properties, as well as potential applications.In monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) technologies, TFRs are extensively used in feedback circuits, bias circuits, and as terminations. Owing to their properties, they are particularly attractive components for analog and mixed signal circuits, which require precise control of the resistance and thermal stability of the TFR, such as operational amplifiers, and analog to digital converters (ADCs).NiCr resistors are usually deposited as very thin layers (tens of nanometers), directly on the substrate or on dielectric polymer layer, using standard sputtering or e-beam evaporation techniques. As for other thin film resistors, the TCR and resistance of NiCr has, however, been reported to be affected by various process parameters (temperature, composition) and environmental conditions, 2,7,8 which might be at the origin of various performance and reliability problems encountered in integrated circuit.Concerning the properties of NiCr films deposited on III-V substrates, only a few results have, so far, been reported in the literature. Shen et al. 1 compared the characteristics of NiCr, TaN and NiV (nickel vanadium) thin film resistors intended for use in GaAsbased power amplifiers. While TaN and NiV TFRs were directly sputtered on GaAs substrates, NiCr fi...

show abstract

“…Si strain gauges can be achieved without a costly temperature calibration of the sensor. Furthermore, the TKR can be tuned in a wide range between -50 ppm/K and 500 ppm/K via annealing processes, necessary for specific applications [4]. High electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and low power consumption can be realized due to high electrical resistivity of NiCr(Si) and a low sensor capacitance.…”

Section: Device Design and Fabricationmentioning

confidence: 99%