Microstructural Evolution of Ion Bombarded Copper Thin Films

The effect of low-energy ion bombardment on the microstructure of copper films will be described. The copper films have been deposited on SiNx-coated, oxidized Si wafers by magnetron sputtering with a simultaneous bombardment of low-energy argon ions (60 eV). The films were annealed at 450°C in HV. The ion bombardment leads to a stronger and sharper {111} texture of the as-deposited films. After annealing, the ion-bombarded films had a significantly smaller grain size than films produced without ion bombardment. The experimental results will be discussed relating the textures of the as-deposited films with the grain sizes obtained after annealing. Details will be given describing how the microstructure of Cu films can be tailored using low-energy argon ion bombardment.