A Study of Thin Film Resistors Prepared Using Ni-Cr-Si-Al-Ta High Entropy Alloy

Abstract

Ni-Cr-Si-Al-Ta resistive thin films were prepared on glass and Al 2 O 3 substrates by DC magnetron cosputtering from targets of Ni 0.35 -Cr 0.25 -Si 0.2 -Al 0.2 casting alloy and Ta metal. Electrical properties and microstructures of Ni-Cr-Si-Al-Ta films under different sputtering powers and annealing temperatures were investigated. The phase evolution, microstructure, and composition of Ni-Cr-Si-Al-Ta films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). When the annealing temperature was set to 300°C, the Ni-Cr-Si-Al-Ta films with an amorphous structure were observed. When the annealing temperature was at 500°C, the Ni-Cr-Si-Al-Ta films crystallized into Al 0.9 Ni 4.22, Cr 2 Ta, and Ta 5 Si 3 phases. The Ni-Cr-Si-Al-Ta films deposited at 100 W and annealed at 300°C which exhibited the higher resistivity 2215 μΩ-cm with -10 ppm/°C of temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR).