Influence of an electric field on beam-induced adhesion enhancement

Abstract

A new effect is described in beam-induced adhesion enhancement. The adhesion improvement caused by electron beam exposure of Al films on SiO2 is more pronounced, when, additional to the irradiation, a static electric field of either polarity is applied across the oxide. This effect helps clarify the mechanism of the recently discovered beam-induced adhesion of thin films to substrates. The influence of an electric field on the process provides evidence that the adhesion enhancement is dependent upon the arrival of nonthermal secondary excitations to the interface.