Understanding residual stress in electrodeposited Cu thin films

Published

December 13, 2013

Author(s)

Eric Chason, Alison Engwal, Fei Pei, Manon C. Lafouresse, Ugo Bertocci, Gery R. Stafford, Joseph A. Murphy, Catherine Lenihan, D. N. Buckley

Abstract

We report on the results of a multi-laboratory study to measure the steady state growth stress of planar copper thin films, electrodeposited from additive-free acidic sulfate electrolyte. Measurements were made using the wafer curvature method, that enables the stress to be measured in real time as the films were grown. The stress trends toward compressive at low growth rate and becomes increasingly tensile as the growth rate is increased, with a similar dependence observed in each laboratory when the films have comparable grain sizes. The results are explained by a model for stress, that focuses on processes that occur at the triple junction between the film surface and the grain boundary as the film grows.

Citation

Journal of the Electrochemical Society

Volume

160

Issue

12

Pub Type

Journals

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DOI Link

Citation

Chason, E. , Engwal, A. , Pei, F. , Lafouresse, M. , Bertocci, U. , Stafford, G. , Murphy, J. , Lenihan, C. and Buckley, D. (2013), Understanding residual stress in electrodeposited Cu thin films, Journal of the Electrochemical Society, [online], https://doi.org/10.1149/2.048312jes (Accessed October 12, 2025)