SCANNING ELECTRICAL RESISTOMETRY (SER) OF CR THIN-FILM OXIDATION

A continuous in situ measurement of the electrical resistivity of a sa mple while time (and temperature) are changing, was used to measure th e oxidation kinetics of 464 nm thin chromium films. The measured films were sputtered in a plasma beam sputtering apparatus onto alumina sup erstrate ceramic substrates with the preformed thick film contacts. Fi rst the SER was done during constant heating rate. Then it was used to sense the oxidation kinetics at 700 degrees C. SER results which are in good correlation with AES depth profiles show that the oxide thickn ess grows as the square root of time with a parabolic rate constant k( p) = 2.3 x 10(-13)cm(2) s(-1).