Direct observation of nano-sized defects in thin films formed by sputter deposition

The nano-sized defects in the barrier layer are considered as major pathway of water vapor. In this paper, Cr thin film was coated on the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. By application of atomic layer deposition (ALD) with an Al
₂
O
³
on the Cr thin film having nano-sized defects, a direct image of the nano-sized defects was observed by using CMP process and conductive AFM. The resolution of nano-sized defects in this study was about 30 nm. This newly developed observation technology applied by damascene process could be very usefully applied to the direct observation of defects in the coating layers fabricated by various deposition methods.