Nanoindentation of Si1−xGex thin films prepared by biased target ion beam deposition

Abstract

The mechanical properties of Si_1-xGe_x thin films are studied via nanoindentation. The Si_1-xGe_x thin films are prepared with a biased target ion beam deposition (BTIBD) method. We investigate the effect of varying the Si to Ge composition ratio on the elastic modulus and hardness of the resulting alloyed films. In comparison to pure BTIBD Si (E_si = 154GPa, H_si = 9.9GPa), for Si_1-xGe_x a decreasing trend in Young's modulus and hardness is observed to be associated with the increase in Ge content, and for Si_0.5Ge_0.5 the values of 139 GPa and 8.4GPa are found to represent the Young's modulus and hardness, respectively.