Effect of chromium concentration on the electrical properties of NiCr thin films resistor deposited at room temperature by magnetron cosputtering technique

NiCr films, 100 nm thick, were prepared on SiO2 (600 nm)/Si substrates at room temperature as a function of chromium concentration by the cosputtering technique. The crystalline nature and electrical properties of the NiCr films were investigated as a function of chromium concentration. The films with a chromium concentration up to 39% showed a crystalline structure having a low resistivity, a high root-mean-square (rms) roughness, and positive temperature coefficient of resistivity (TCR) values. The films with a chromium concentration above 39% exhibited the amorphous structure with negative TCR values. The TCR values of the films with a chromium concentration of 39 and 42% are approximately +10 and -9 ppm/K, respectively. The TCR values approaching zero can be established by controlling the chromium concentration in the NiCr films. (c) 2005 The Electrochemical Society.