Experimental Analysis and Computational Modeling of Residual Stress in β-Ga2O3 Thin Films Grown on Si by RF Magnetron Sputtering

Abstract

Gallium oxide is becoming increasingly attractive as a next-generation material for semiconductor applications, prompting the need for efficient and economical techniques for thin-film fabrication, especially on non-native substrates. In this work, β-Ga₂O₃ films with a thickness of 0.25 µm were grown on a silicon substrate via radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the good crystalline quality of  the  synthesized  β-Ga₂O₃ films.  The  mechanical  stresses in the β-Ga₂O₃/Si heterostructure were measured using X-ray diffraction. A comparative analysis with simulated data obtained via finite element modeling demonstrated good correlation between experiment and theory.