Growth and characterization of α and β-phase tungsten films on various substrates

The growth conditions of tungsten thin films were investigated using various substrates including Si, Si/SiO2, GaAs, MgO, and Al2O3, and recipes were discovered for the optimal growth conditions of thick metastable β-phase tungsten films on Si, GaAs, and Al2O3 substrates, which is an important material in spin orbit torque studies. For the Si/SiO2 substrate, the crystal phase of the tungsten films was different depending upon the tungsten film thickness, and the transport properties were found to dramatically change with the thickness owing to a change in phase from the α + β phase to the α-phase. It is shown that the crystal phase changes are associated with residual stress in the tungsten films and that the resistivity is closely related to the grain sizes.