Investigations of root strengthening in thermal treated Si0.80Ge0.20 and Si0.75Ge0.25 films

We successfully discover the trend of elastic to plastic contact phenomena of 200-nm-thick Si0.80Ge0.20 and Si0.75Ge0.25 films using scanning probe microscope. It is evidenced that elastic to plastic contact is dominated using thermal treatment, based on a slightly machined track at 2000 μN. The sliding lines of samples at 800 and 900 °C tend to obtain slight penetration because elastic recovery and the sample at 1000 °C is mainly plastic deformation. In addition, it obviously mentions μ decreases while volume removed ratio is decreases and wear resistance increases at raised temperature. It implies that the relaxing of SiGe films protected against wear damage since the heavy concentrations of Ge elements to trap around the SiGe films. The root strengthen effect can be related to Ge elements induced from interdiffusion of the SiGe films. The role of elastic to plastic contact occurrence depends on the thermal treatment are evidenced.