X-ray measurements of the depth dependence of stress in gold films

X-rays are used to determine the stress as a function of depth for five eva porated gold films of 0.8-2.5 mu m thickness. The depth dependence is achie ved by varying the incident angle of the X-rays, which affects the penetrat ion depth of the X-rays into the film. The films, which have a different th ermal expansion coefficient than the silicon substrate, are strained as a r esult of thermal cycling after deposition. We find essentially no stress va riation as a function of depth for these films. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B .V. All rights reserved.