In-situ inspection of cracking in atomic-layer-deposited barrier films on surface and in buried structures |
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Authors: | Yadong Zhang Ronggui Yang Steven M George Yung-Cheng Lee |
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Affiliation: | a DARPA Center for Integrated Micro/Nano-Electromechanical Transducers (iMINT), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USAb Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USAc Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA |
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Abstract: | Thin inorganic barrier films deposited on plastics are essential to provide protection from moisture- and oxygen-aided degradation while maintaining a flexible substrate. Mechanical bending of the barrier films, causes stress-induced cracks that may lead to significant reduction or loss of barrier protection. In-situ characterization of film cracking on the nanoscale, transparent, and conformal atomic-layer-deposited (ALD) thin films is challenging especially when these films are in a buried layer structure. We developed a technique that can inspect in real-time the cracking of the stressed barrier films using laser scanning confocal microscopy. The in-situ inspection avoids the inaccurate measurement of the crack onset strain associated with the crack “close-up” phenomenon. SU8 cover-coat is applied to form a buried ALD layer structure and in-situ inspection demonstrates the cracking of the ALD film in real-time underneath the cover-coat. This technique is nondestructive, versatile, and allows rapid and large-area inspection of different types of barrier films. |
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Keywords: | Inspection Cracks Thin films Laser scanning confocal microscopy Atomic layer deposition Deflection bending Flexible substrates |
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