Electron microscopy observation of whiskers and hillocks formed on an Al film deposited on to a glass substrate

Abstract

Hillocks and whiskers formed on an Al film deposited on to a glass substrate have been characterized by plan-view as well as cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. Most of the hillocks and whiskers were nucleated in the middle of the bottom grains and few dislocations were observed inside the bottom grains. Hillocks inherit the orientations from the bottom grains, while whiskers do not. A new formation mechanism of hillocks and whiskers where surface diffusion and impurity-enhanced grain-boundary diffusion play important roles has been proposed.