Chromium multilayered thin films with orientated microstructure

Abstract
Chromium thin films exhibiting a columnar microstructure have been prepared by dc magnetron sputtering. The glancing angle deposition (GLAD) technique and the substrate motion have been implemented to sculpt this typical columnar microstructure into desired zigzag shapes. By changing the direction of the incident flux of the species impinging on the substrate surface, the deposited films led to columns that are tilted with respect to the substrate normal. A systematic and periodic variation of the angle of incidence "" from -50 to 50 allowed to achieve chromium multilayered thin films with a controlled zigzag microstructure. The growth mechanisms and the morphology of such films have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The effect of the angle of incidence and the half-period (one layer thickness) "" (50 nm) on porosity, film microstructure, deposition rate, and surface properties have mainly been studied.