Abstract
Tantalum films sputtered in argon are in β-phase with (002) planes strongly oriented parallel to the substrate. The deviation from the standard (002) spacing is reversely proportional to the film stress, and the (002) spacing is proportional to the argon concentration in the films which is determined by the argon pressure in the sputtering vessel (the higher the pressure the lower the concentration).
When the argon concentration is higher/lower than 2, 800 ppm the film shows compressive/tensile stress. The tensile stress can relax with the generation of microcracks.
