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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 March 2011
The thermal stability and electrical resistivity of Ag(Al) alloy thin filmson SiO2 are investigated and compared to pure Ag thin films byperforming various analyses: Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS),X-ray diffractometry (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), andfour-point probe. The susceptibility to agglomeration of Ag on SiO2 layer is a drawback of Ag metallization. Ag(Al) thinfilms show good thermal stability on SiO2 layer without anydiffusion barrier. The films are stable up to 600 °C for 1 hour in vacuum.Electrical resistivity of as-deposited Ag (5 at % Al) thin film is slightlyhigher than that of pure Ag thin film. However, the resistivity of Ag(Al)samples annealed at high temperatures (up to 600 °C for 1 hour in vacuum)remains constant due to the improvement of thermal stability (largereduction of agglomeration). This finding can impact metallization for thinfilm transistors (TFT) for displays, including flexible displays, andhigh-speed electronics due to lower resistivity value compared to Cu thinfilm.