A series of helium (He) charged nanograin-sized erbium (Er) films were deposited by direct current (DC)-magnetron sputtering with different He/Ar mixture gases. The microstructure and mechanical properties of He-charged Er films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and nanoindentation. The helium concentrations in Er films, determined by elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA), ranged from 0 to 49.6%, with the increase in He:Ar flow ratio up to 18:1. The XRD results show that the grain sizes of Er films decreased with and increase in He content. The embedded He atoms induced the formation of spherical nanometer He bubbles, and the diameter of the He bubbles increased with the He content. The hardness and Young's modulus increased and decreased with the decreasing grain sizes of polycrystalline Er-He films. The mechanisms of mechanical properties with respect to the grain size and He content were discussed based on the Hall-Petch formula and composite spheres model.
Keywords: TEM; erbium film; helium bubbles; mechanical properties; sputtering.