Berlin 2015 – scientific programme
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DS: Fachverband Dünne Schichten
DS 36: Poster Session I
DS 36.76: Poster
Thursday, March 19, 2015, 09:30–12:00, Poster A
Controlled electromigration of copper and gold thin films on different substrates — •Daniel Arnold1, Michael Marz1, Christoph Sürgers1, Hilbert v. Löhneysen1,2, and Regina Hoffmann-Vogel1 — 1Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, Physikalisches Institut, D-76131 Karlsruhe — 2Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, Institut für Festkörperphysik, D-76021 Karlsruhe
The fabrication of planar nanocontacts for single-molecule electronics is a challenging task because the distance between the electrodes should be on the order of 1 nm. A technique to produce such contacts is controlled electromigration (EM) where a current is flowing through a metallic thin film ramped in a cyclic way [1]. This current leads to the motion of metal atoms causing a controlled thinning of the structured film.
Recent simulations show that EM in thin films is strongly affected by the thermal conductivity of the substrate [2]. We have performed controlled EM in a four-terminal setup on sputtered gold and copper films with an optimized structure to avoid failure by EM at the macroscopic contacts.
We have used mica and sapphire as substrates. Both materials are good electrical insulators, with sapphire showing a higher thermal conductivity. We have observed a signifcant incluence of the substrate material on the amount of power needed for EM. Moreover, our study shows substantial differences in the microstructure of the samples, although their current-voltage characteristics show the same EM behavior.
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