Mechanical Instability of Wedge-Shaped Cr Films Quenched by Silicone Oil during Deposition

Abstract

By using the mobile property of silicone oil during deposition, characteristic wedge-shaped chromium (Cr) films have been successfully prepared on glass substrates by direct current magnetron sputtering, and their mechanical instability is investigated. The experiment shows that a disordered network composed of straight-sided buckles, which is due to relief of large compressive stress after deposition, can be widely observed in these films. The size of the buckles increases linearly with the film thickness. In the vicinity of spreading front of the silicone oil, parallel straight-sided buckles perpendicular to the front and bifurcation morphologies can be observed. The influence of the edge effect on the buckle morphologies is also discussed in this paper.