Integrated resistor material with zero temperature coefficient of resistance and high stability

The dependence of the resistivity of on-chip SiO/sub x/Cr/sub 1-x/ thin film resistors on process parameters were studied in this paper. The study presented here focuses on the dependence of the resistivity on different substrates. Atomic force microscopy, electrical force microscopy, and Transmission Electron Microscopy have been used in studying the morphology of the substrates and the resistor films deposited on them by magnetron sputtering. A relationship between the film resistivity and the substrate stress was observed. A qualitative model is presented to explain the electrical characteristics of the films.