Electrical characterization of aluminum thin films on etched PCB substrate

E.D.Dumayaca*1, N.N.Garcia*1, I.B.Culaba1 Department of Physics, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, Quezon City, 1108 *jojee.dumayaca@gmail.com

Abstract
Thermal evaporation in a vacuum is employed in the deposition of aluminum thin film on an etched PCB substrate using the Kinney Vacuum Coating System. The thin films resistance as a function of length was studied. The resistance was found to vary linearly with length. The sheet resistivity was measured using the 4-point probe. The resistivity value was 0.458 !-cm2. The thin film underwent SEM and AFM scanning. The scans showed that the coating had a porous surface morphology with thickness ranging from 0.31.9m. The thin film has a potential application as a variable resistor, strain gauge and gas sensor. 2012 Samahang Pisika ng Pilipinas Keywords: thin film structure and morphology 68.55.-a. morphology of films 68.55 j. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) 68.37.Ps. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) 68.37.Hk

1. Introduction
Aluminum (Al) is a silver-white odorless solid from Group IIIA(alongside Boron, Gallium, Indium and Thallium) and is said to be the third most abundant element on the planet after oxygen and silicon [1]. Al thus has three valence electrons and being a potential donor of these three electrons, it is reducing in nature and forms electrovalent bonds with other elements or compounds [2]. With that, aluminum is being used increasingly in doping thin films and other associated improved electrical properties of the films [3] Thin film is a layer of material, typically a few micrometers (m = 10-6 m) or less in thickness, deposited on glass, stainless steel, ceramic or other compatible substrate materials to achieve a certain effect. Thin films have been noted for applications in the production of high quality camera lenses, multi-layer non-absorbing beam splitter, dichroic mirrors, photographic films, motion picture projector and astronauts elements, photovoltaic cell, photoconductive materials, etc. Thin film doped with Aluminum is useful in photonic industries due to inexpensive, rich-reserve element (Al), non-toxic and better electronic matching. [4] Also, Thin-film aluminum is the most widely used material for metallization, and is said to be the third major ingredient for IC fabrication, with the other two being silicon and SiO2 [5]. Many methods have also been developed for the deposition of thin films on substrates. The commonly used methods are chemical bath deposition (CBD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), vacuum thermal evaporation, sputtering, spray pyrolisis, molecular beam epitaxy and electro-deposition. Vacuum thermal deposition technique is adopted for this study because of the availability of Vacuum thermal evaporation through resistive heating, its efficiency and uniformity in deposition of the film on the substrate [3]. In any electrical conductor, there is a change in the resistance when it experiences mechanical stress. This change is due to the conductors deformation and change in resistivity of the material resulting from changes in the microstructural level [6]. As a micro-sensor, the strain gauge has been known [7] to be appealing due to its reliability and simplicity. The foil strain gauge is the most commercially available strain gauge type. Variable resistors, on the other hand is a potentiometer that allows control over the potential passing through a circuit. The variable resistance lets us adjust the resistance between two points in a circuit [8]. In this research, we study and report the structure and electrical characteristics of aluminum thermally deposited on the etched PCB substrate. The study reveals the potent of Aluminum as a resistant metal for various applications. The use of the Al thin film on the substrate as strain gauge has been studied and was found to have positive results as was previously studied by [9]. The same kind of thin films will also be tested experimentally as variable resistors.

2. Methodology
The substrates used for this study were all printed circuit boards (PCB) measuring 12.7 mm x 76.0 mm. The PCBs were then simultaneously immersed in ferric chloride for chemical etching. This step was done to dissolve the copper on the side of the substrate where the aluminum was to be deposited on. The substrates were rinsed with distilled water and cleaned with isopropyl alcohol using Kimwipes. High purity Al (99.99%) was evaporated onto the substrate using current-heated tungsten coil inside a Kinney Vacuum Coating System.

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The substrates were coated at a base pressure of 2.3 x 10-5. The substrates were coated for at least three minutes, before the metal shutter covered the path of the source again. The vacuum coating system used in the experiment is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1.The Kinney Vacuum Coating System of the Ateneo de Manila University.

Length-Resistance Test Using an AC-2000 Digital Multi-meter, the resistance of a substrate was measured with respect to the distance from the center of one hole at one end of the substrate to points through the substrate, as seen in Figure 2. Each sample was placed flat onto a table with a plastic ruler beside it. Zero centering was done such that the zero-line of the ruler corresponded to the center of one of the two holes of the sample. One clip remained stationary in the corresponding 0-mm point while the other clip moved in 10-mm intervals with a maximum distance of 60mm measured.

Figure 2. (a) The PCB with dimensions 12.7mm x 76mm x 1.1mm and two holes drilled through. (b) Measuring at 20 mm from reference point.

Resistivity Test A substrate was tested trough the 4-point probe tester. In this method, four equally spaced probes are placed in contact with the surface of materials of unknown resistance. The two outer probes are used for sourcing the resulting voltage drop across the surface of the sample. The sheet resistivity of the film is calculated using where ! is for sheet resistivity, V for the measured voltage and I for the source current.

! ! ! !"# ! !

(1)

Figure 3. The Signatone 4-point probe

The sheet resistivity was calculated using the raw data provided by the 4-point probe and was plugged into equation (1).

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Atomic Force Microscopy(AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM) An Al-coated sample was cut into 1cm x 1cm squares. The squares were subjected to Atomic Force Microscopy scanning through a Park System XE-70 Model AFM Unit and Scanning Electron Microscopy with a Hitachi TM-1000.

3. Results and Discussions

The length-resistance tests done on all the samples showed that there is a direct linear relationship between the distance between the probes and the resistance of the substrates measured. This relationship is shown in the figure below. The thickness of the film may vary for the different samples, thus the initial resistance readings for each of the samples is different. The general trend, though, of the resistance is attributed to the probe distance and the porous topography of the thin film. Data from the scans showed that the thickness of the thin film coating ranged from 0.3-1.9m.Also, the contour of the surface of the samples as seen from both scans show a porous quality.

Figure 4. a. Changes in the resistance of nine substrates according to the changes in length for which resistance is measured. b. the trendline of one of the samples for which the length-resistance tests were done.

On the other hand, the 4-point probe measured that the sample tested had 0.99mA and 0.1V, values which were plugged into equation (1). The resulting sheet resistivity was then found out to be 0.458 !-cm2 with this, the advantage of this resistivity value can be utilized to facilitate resistances in various circuit elements such as variable resistors.

Figure 5.(a) SEM image of uncoated etched PCBs copper side. (b) SEM image of uncoated etched PCBs non-copper side.

SEM images of uncoated etched PCBs were also taken for comparison with the coated substrates. Figure 5 shows SEM images comparing uncoated [a] copper (the rougher side, the one on which Al is to be coated on) and [b] non-copper side (the shinier backside). Both SEM and AFM scans for the coated substrates showed that the Al thin film on the etched copper side of the PCB had a porous distribution throughout the substrate. It is seen that the etched PCB coated with Al (Figure 6) had a more similar image with that of an uncoated etched PCB on the non-copper side (Figure 5a) than with that of the shiny non-copper side (Figure 5b). The thin film had replicated the morphology of the surface of the substrate, which then characterizes the thin films porosity. The opposite side of the PCB, the one not initially coated with copper, has an SEM image that comprises of what looks like long strands of fiber.

Figure 6. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image of Al thin film on etched PCB Substrate.

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Figure 7.Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) image of Al thin film on etched PCB Substrate.

The Atomic Force Microscope images were analyzed using Gwyddion 2.29. The images retrieved using the AFM showed that the surface of the thin film had pores of various sizes ranging from approximately 10-20m.

Conclusion
Vacuum thermal evaporation used in this research provides coating of Aluminum thin film on an etched PCB substrate with a film thickness of 0.3-1.9m. The SEM and AFM scans showed that the surface of the coating of the Al thin film on the etched copper side of the printer circuit board (PCB) replicated the surface of the bare substrate, resulting in a porous structure of Al thin film. It is also seen that the resistance of the substrate is directly proportional to the distance tested between probes of the multi-tester. A resistivity test was also conducted on a sample of a coated substrate. The resistivity of the film is thus inferred, its value being 0.458 !-cm2. The advantage of this resistivity value can be utilized to facilitate resistances in various circuit elements such as variable resistors.

Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Artoni Ang, Glynnis Saquilayan, Mike Jallorina and Paz Ramos of the Vacuum Coating Laboratory, Dr. Benjamin Chan and Erika Aranas of the Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory, Dr. Jose Diaz of the Department of Chemistry.

References
1. B. Z. Shakhashiri, "Chemical of the Week: Aluminum". SciFun.org. University of Wisconsin, 2012. 2. O.Y. Ababio, New School Chemistry. (Secondary Science Series New Edition) Africana-Fep Publishers Ltd., Onitsha, Nigeria, 2000. 3. J.A. Amusan, A.S. Olayinka, et al., Electrical Characterization of Vacuum Thermally Deposited Aluminium Thin Film, Research Journal of Applied Sciences 5(2), pp 96-100, 2010. 4. R.M. Patel, Wind and Solar Power System. CRC Press, London, pp. 17-30, 1999. 5. "Metallization; Aluminum Thin Films." Metallization; Aluminum Thin Films. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2012. <http://www.siliconfareast.com/metallization.htm>. 6. K. Hoffman, An Introduction to Measurements Using Strain Gauges. Darmstadt: Hottinger Baldwin Messtechnik GmbH, 1989. Web. 7. H.V. Estrada, J.F. Estrada-Vzquez. "A New Method for the Characterization of the Longitudinal and Transverse Strain Sensitivities of Conductive Thin Films for Their Use in Microsensors." (1999). Print. 8. "Variable Resistor." Variable Resistor. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Sept. 2012. <http://www.standrews.ac.uk/~jcgl/Scots_Guide/info/comp/passive/resistor/pots/var_res/var_res.htm>. 9. N.M. Garcia, Design and Fabrication of a Strain Gauge using Thermally Evaporated Aluminum Metal Thin Film of PCB Substrate, Department of Physics, Ateneo de Manila University, 2012

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