Stable Nanocrystalline Au Film Structures for Sliding Electrical Contacts

• Main Author: Mogonye, Jon-Erik
• Other Authors: Scharf, Thomas W.
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: University of North Texas 2016
• Subjects: tribology; nanocomposites; ion beam modification; thin film coatings; sliding wear; electrical contacts; Thin films.; Electric contacts.; Ion implantation.; Tribology.; Nanocomposites (Materials)
• Online Access: https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc849672/

Hard gold thin films and coatings are widely used in electronics as an effective material to reduce the friction and wear of relatively less expensive electrically conductive materials while simultaneously seeking to provide oxidation resistance and stable sliding electrical contact resistance (ECR). The main focus of this dissertation was to synthesize nanocrystalline Au films with grain structures capable of remaining stable during thermal exposure and under sliding electrical contact stress and the passing of electrical current. Here we have utilized a physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique, electron beam evaporation, to synthesize Au films modified by ion implantation and codeposited ZnO hardened Au nanocomposites. Simultaneous friction and ECR experiments of low fluence (< 1x10^17 cm^-2) He and Ar ion implanted Au films showed reduction in friction coefficients from ~1.5 to ~0.5 and specific wear rates from ~4x10^-3 to ~6x10^-5 mm^3/N·m versus as-deposited Au films without significant change in sliding ECR (~16 mΩ). Subsurface microstructural changes of He implanted films due to tribological stress were analyzed via site-specific cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and revealed the formation of nanocrystalline grains for low energy (22.5 keV) implantation conditions as well as the growth and redistribution of cavities. Nanoindentation hardness results revealed an increase from 0.84 GPa for as-deposited Au to ~1.77 GPa for Au uniformly implanted with 1 at% He. These strength increases are correlated with an Orowan hardening mechanism that increases proportionally to (He concentration)1/3. Au-ZnO nanocomposite films in the oxide dilute regime (< 5 vol% ZnO) were investigated for low temperature aging stability in friction and ECR. Annealing at 250 °C for 24 hours Au-(2 vol%)ZnO retained a friction coefficient comparable to commercial Ni hardened Au of ~ 0.3 and sliding ECR values of ~35 mΩ. Nanoindentation hardness increases of these films (~2.6 GPa for 5 vol% ZnO) are correlated to microstructure via high resolution TEM and scanning electron microscope cross-sections to both Hall-Petch and Orowan strengthening mechanisms. Also presented is a correlation between electrical resistivity and grain size in the oxide dilute range based on the Mayadas-Shatzkes (M-S) electron scattering model. Using the M-S model in combination with a model describing solute drag stabilized grain growth kinetics we present a new technique to probe grain boundary mobility and thermal stability from in-situ electrical resistivity measurements during annealing experiments.