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Organothiol‐Based Hybrid‐Layer Strategy for High‐Performance Copper Adhesion and Stress‐Migration via Simultaneous Oxide Reduction
Author(s) -
Xiao Qiran,
Watson Brian L.,
Dauskardt Reinhold H.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
advanced materials interfaces
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.671
H-Index - 65
ISSN - 2196-7350
DOI - 10.1002/admi.201600118
Subject(s) - materials science , adhesion , oxide , copper , stress (linguistics) , layer (electronics) , transmission electron microscopy , chemical engineering , stress relaxation , nanotechnology , composite material , metallurgy , linguistics , philosophy , creep , engineering
The presence of defective native copper‐oxide (Cu x O) remains a challenge for device technologies owing to its detrimental effects on the adhesion, moisture sensitivity and stress‐migration. Here we demonstrate a rapid, single‐step , and organic‐solvent‐free sol‐gel deposition process that is capable of simultaneously reducing the weak native Cu‐oxide while forming a densely connected Cu/hybrid interface. A marked 9‐fold improvement in adhesion is reported, along with a substantial decrease in the Cu stress‐migration rate during in‐situ isothermal stress‐relaxation experiments. The enhanced Cu/hybrid interface adhesion and the improved Cu stress‐migration performance were attributed to the partial reduction of the ~2 nm native Cu 2 O layer as demonstrated via atomic‐resolution transmission electron microscopy. The hybrid‐layer strategy we developed is expected to be effective in not only being a strong candidate for adhesion improvement to Cu, but in promoting Cu stress‐ and the related electro‐migration performance.