The effect of low-energy ion bombardment on residual stress in thin metal films due to the generation of surface defects and their migration to the grain boundary

Abstract

Abstract A kinetic model that describes the evolution of residual stress in thin polycrystalline films during bombardment by ions with energies below the sputtering threshold is presented. The mechanisms responsible for the change in stress are the generation of point defects on the surface and their redistribution over the film thickness along grain boundaries. The presented model was used to explain the experimental data on the change in stress in thin Cr films after treatment in Ar plasma of low-pressure RF induction discharge with ion energy of 15-30 eV.