Vac. Haanappel et al., CRACKING AND DELAMINATION OF METAL-ORGANIC VAPOR-DEPOSITED ALUMINA AND SILICA FILMS, Materials science & engineering. A, Structural materials: properties, microstructure and processing, 167(1-2), 1993, pp. 179-185
Amorphous alumina and silica films were deposited on AISI 304 by therm
al decomposition at atmospheric pressure of aluminium-tri-sec-butoxide
and di-acetoxy-di-tertiary-butoxide-silane respectively. Above a crit
ical coating thickness of the oxide films, cracking and delamination o
ccurred during the deposition process. These were due to intrinsic rat
her than to thermal stresses. Cracking and delamination do not occur s
imultaneously. The fracture toughness of the film, the substrate and t
he interface is an important factor. After delamination along the subs
trate-film interface, the films curled to scrolls, indicating stress.
A complete explanation of the stress gradient formed in the film durin
g the deposition process is not yet available.