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The Evolution of Microstructure and Resistance in Electroplated Copper Films by Linear Integrated Laser Scanning Annealing

  • Original Article - Theory, Characterization and Modeling
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Abstract

Thermal treatment is an effective way to decrease the resistivity and internal stress by inducing grain growth accompanied with redistribution of embedded impurities. With the narrowing of Cu interconnects in IC packaging, the increased resistance is becoming the main issue that hindering the electrical performance of IC. Herein, a laser annealing method by liner scanning (LALS) to anneal the Cu interconnects were reported which provide a gradient thermal field for the crystallographic/microstructure transition. The impacts of laser annealing on the sheet resistance of the electroplating Cu films were investigated in aspects of microstructure and phase field simulation. Cu films treated by LALS owned larger average grain size, better recrystallization fraction, and significantly higher average grain aspect ratio than conventional annealing, which indicated the increased driving force for grain boundaries evolution by LALS method. This study exhibited the direct evidence on the impacts of laser annealing process on the resistance of electroplated Cu films. The laser annealing process with a local temperature gradient caused a significant decline in Cu electrical resistance compared to the conventional annealing process, indicating its extraordinary potential in improving Cu wire conductivity. This work will provide a scientific basis for selecting the post-treatment process for electrodeposited Cu films to achieve ideal electrical properties and microstructure in electronics industry applications.

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The raw data required to reproduce these findings cannot be shared at this time as the data also forms part of an ongoing study.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51991370) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (62004124); We also thank the Instrumental Analysis Center of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, for the use of the EBSD and FIB-SEM equipment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, Key Laboratory for Thin Film and Microfabrication Technology of the Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China

    Lingyue Tan, Silin Han, Shuhui Chen, Tao Hang, Huiqin Ling, Yunwen Wu & Ming Li

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  1. Lingyue Tan
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  2. Silin Han
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  4. Tao Hang
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Correspondence to Yunwen Wu or Ming Li.

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Tan, L., Han, S., Chen, S. et al. The Evolution of Microstructure and Resistance in Electroplated Copper Films by Linear Integrated Laser Scanning Annealing. Electron. Mater. Lett. 17, 207–214 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13391-021-00269-w

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