Use of a double-paddle oscillator for the study of metallic films at high temperatures

We demonstrate the use of silicon double-paddle oscillators for the study of mechanical properties of thin films in the temperature range of 300–673 K under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. It is shown that even at these temperatures the damping coefficient Q−1 of one particular eigenmode of the bare paddle is lower than 10−5 and is explained through thermoelastic damping. This small background damping provides a sufficient sensitivity for investigations of mechanical properties of thin films above room temperature. As an application, shear modulus and internal friction are presented for a glassy metallic Zr65Al7.5Cu27.5 film of 300 nm thickness, deposited by simultaneous electron-beam evaporation of the pure elements. Glass transition and crystallization are observed.