.png){kind=icon}
.png){kind=icon}
Return
Plasma-induced pre-oxidation of ultrathin aluminum layers for enhanced oxidation resistance of copper nanofilms
.png){kind=icon}
PRE
AI
N
H
W
X
J
DOI：10.1039/D6NR01191H.png)
.png){kind=icon}
Original request for help.png){kind=icon}
Share.png){kind=icon}
Save
Abstract
En 中文
Ultrathin copper (Cu) films are indispensable in micro- and nano-electronic devices but suffer from severe environmental oxidation due to their high surface-to-volume ratio. Here; we report a plasma-induced pre-oxidation strategy that enhances the environmental stability of Cu nanofilms using an ultrathin aluminum (Al) layer with a critical thickness as low as ~3 nm. Al layers were physically vapor deposited onto Cu surfaces (Cu@Al) and subsequently exposed to low-power plasma treatment (Cu@Al-P); enabling controlled in situ formation of a compact and structurally uniform Al2O3 barrier. Electrical measurements under ambient air; high temperature and high-temperature & high-humidity conditions show that Cu@Al-P films with 3 nm Al exhibit significantly improved oxidation resistance. Under these conditions; the resistance variation of Cu@Al-P is ~2.9 times; ~9.34 times; and ~5.75 times lower than that of Cu@Al; respectively. Compared to bare Cu; the improvements are even more significant; with Cu@Al-P exhibiting resistance variations that are ~5.84 times; ~27.19 times and ~23.93 times lower. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; scanning Kelvin probe microscopy characterization and parallel resistance model calculation confirm that plasma treatment enables the rapid formation of a more uniform and stable Al2O3 barrier; which effectively suppresses oxygen diffusion and stabilizes the electrical properties of the Cu films. This work establishes a critical thickness criterion for ultrathin barrier design and provides a simple; scalable and fabrication-compatible strategy to enhance the environmental stability of copper-based nanoscale electronic systems and other ultrathin metallic nanostructures.
Journal
IF:
5.1
Papers:
3.0W
Citations:
11.6W
Organization
No organization information available
Cited Papers