Chemical Vapor Deposition Mechanism of Copper Films on Silicon Substrates

A versatile metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system was designed and constructed. Copper films were deposited on silicon (100) substrates by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using Cu(hfac)2 as a precursor. The growth of Cu nucleus on silicon substrates by H2 reduction of Cu(hfac)2 was studied by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The growth mode of Cu nucleus is initially Volmer-Weber mode (island), and then transforms to Stranski-Rastanov mode (layer-by-layer plus island).The mechanism of Cu nucleation on silicon (100) substrates was further investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. From Cu2p, O1s, F1s, Si2p patterns, the observed C=O, OH and CF3/CF2 should belong to Cu(hfac) formed by the thermal dissociation of Cu(hfac)2. H2 reacts with hfac on the surface, producing OH. With its accumulation, OH reacts with hfac, forming HO-hfac, and desorbs, meanwhile, the copper oxide is reduced, and thus the redox reaction between Cu(hafc)2 and H2 occurs.