Deposition of Cr–Si–Ni–Mo films at a low sputtering current and performance of heat and humid resistance

Abstract Cr–Si–Ni–Mo resistive films were deposited on columnar alumina substrates at a low sputtering current from mother alloy target. The effects of sputtering currents on the resistance value (R) and temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of deposition films were studied. Cr–Si–Ni–Mo films deposited for 2 (Sample 1) and 2.5 h (Sample 2) at a current of 150 mA have a high R (4–20 kΩ without being trimmed) and low TCR ranging from −25 to 2 ppm/°C. Life expectancy and high temperature storage experiments indicate that these two kinds of films have a high thermal stability. In the case of 2.2 MΩ resistors with a tolerance of ±0.5%, the resistance change ratio (ΔR/R) of both Samples 1 and 2 is less than 0.4% in heat and humid experiments with two cycles, and the later has a better heat and humid resistance than the former, showing a less insensitivity to water. XRD and SEM experiments were performed to explore the relations between the microstructure of Cr–Si–Ni–Mo films and their water sensitivity.