The use of stimulated boundary gas release for determination of the adhesion of thin films by the blister test

Abstract

The processes of stimulated gas release and gas blister growth were investigated at the interface of 100 nm thick silver films on glass substrates after irradiation by hydrogen ions of 1 MeV energy to fluences of 1 x 10¹³-1 x 10¹⁵ ion cm^-2. An interference microscope was used to examine the gas blisters and to measure the blister parameters. The relationship of these processes to the adhesion of a thin film system was established. A method to determine the adhesion and to compute the adhesion characteristics in the film-substrate system is described. The calculated energy of the detachment ranges between 0.06 and 28 J m^-2. Based on the results of this study, a series of practical approaches are proposed to measure the adhesion of thin films to substrates with the method of stimulated gas release.

Keywords:

• Adhesion
• thin film systems
• stimulated gas release
• optical interferometry
• blister test