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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
Nanoindentation techniques were used to determine the hardness of Cu, Ta & W metal discs and thin films on silicon substrates as a function of load or indentation depth. Cu films exposed to oxidizing solutions containing H202 exhibited a higher hardness at the surface while no such change was observed for W exposed to ferric nitrate. The implication of these measurements and their relationship to chemical-mechanical polishing rates are discussed.