Mechanical properties of Al-Cu-Fe thin films

The scratch-test technique was used to evaluate the adhesion of the film as well as the scratching coefficient. There were substantial differences in the scratching force behaviour using different annealing temperatures. The lowest scratching coefficient and the highest critical load were obtained in the annealing range of 500-600 °C. Microhardness was measured by Vickers microindentation. An increase of a factor of 2.5 was obtained for heat-treated films, with a plateau being reached above 400 °C.