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In situ Absorbance Spectroscopy for Characterizing the Low Temperature Oxidation Kinetics of Sputtered Copper Films

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Abstract

Here we present a facile method based on transmission-mode absorbance spectroscopy for monitoring in situ and in real-time the low temperature oxidation of sputtered metal thin films. This method allows for the quantification of oxidation kinetics in metals at lower temperatures (T ≤ 350 °C) and in thinner films (thicknesses ≤ 400 nm) than those typically investigated. Whereas in the past, low-temperature oxidation kinetics of copper have been described by conflicting rate expressions, the time for Cu thin film oxidation measured using this optical absorbance technique is well-described by a parabolic reaction–diffusion model. The temperature-dependence of the parabolic rate constant for oxidation, k p , was determined to have an Arrhenius form given by \(k_{p} = 9. 7 9\times 1 0^{ - 3} {\text{exp(}} - 1 0 0 /RT)\) cm2/s where the activation energy for oxidation is 100 kJ/mol. The measured activation energy for oxidation is comparable to reported values in the literature, and validates this in situ and real-time optical spectroscopy technique for monitoring metal oxidation. In addition, information contained in the absorbance spectra can provide some qualitative information in real-time about changes in composition and film thickness.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Roy Geiss for helpful discussions and Jan van Zeghbroeck for assistance with the deposition equipment. This work was performed in part at the Nanoscale Characterization Facility (NCF) and the Colorado Nanofabrication Laboratory (CNL). Funding was provided by the University of Colorado - Boulder. This research was also supported by the NNIN at the Colorado Nanofabrication Laboratory and the National Science Foundation under Grant No. ECS-0335765.

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  1. Katherine P. Rice

    Present address: Cameca Instruments, 5500 Nobel Dr., Madison, WI, 53711, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA

    Katherine P. Rice, Junsu Han, Ian P. Campbell & Mark P. Stoykovich

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  1. Katherine P. Rice
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Correspondence to Mark P. Stoykovich.

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Rice, K.P., Han, J., Campbell, I.P. et al. In situ Absorbance Spectroscopy for Characterizing the Low Temperature Oxidation Kinetics of Sputtered Copper Films. Oxid Met 83, 89–99 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11085-014-9508-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11085-014-9508-1

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