Regensburg 2025 – scientific programme
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MM: Fachverband Metall- und Materialphysik
MM 21: Interface Controlled Properties, Nanomaterials and Microstructure Design
MM 21.1: Talk
Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 15:45–16:00, H22
Plateau-Rayleigh-type failure mode of porous films and interconnects near massive substrates: mitigation strategies — •Gideon Henkelmann1, Xinyan Wu2, and Jörg Weissmüller1,3 — 1Institute of Materials Physics and Technology, Hamburg University of Technology, Germany — 2Institute of Optical and Electronic Materials, Hamburg University of Technology, Germany — 3Institute of Hydrogen Technology, Helmholtz-Zentrum hereon, Geesthacht, Germany
Nanoporous thin films are under study as functional materials for actuation, photonics, catalysis, energy storage and as semiconductor interconnects. However, these thin films tend to self-detach from their substrate. The same failure mode is also observed in sintered silver paste, a widely used electronics interconnect material. In this work, we discuss the origin of the underlying instability. Based on those insights, we derive a mitigation strategy that depends on gradient in porosity. Combining experiment with kinetic Monte Carlo simulation, we validate the strategy and optimize the composition profile. An exponential gradient is found optimum, and this is rationalized by theory. Our approach greatly improves the structural stability of nanoporous thin films, enabling their more reliable use in advanced applications.
Keywords: thin films; nanoporous metals; dealloying; surface diffusion