Influence of Additives and the Effect of Aging in Modifying Surface Topography of Electrodeposited Copper

The influence of most common additives used for copper electrodeposition on the physical, microstructure as well as the morphological character of the deposit has been studied. The effect of room-temperature aging on the microstructure of the copper deposit is also discussed in the present work. The X-ray diffraction pattern of the copper deposit has a prominent (111) orientation in addition to (200), (220), and (311) planes typical of copper deposits; the intensity of the planes during aging has a prominent (200) plane; and the ratio of to changes significantly. The scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that the deposit normally appears to have round or globular features and that there is a change in grain size with respect to a particular additive. From the atomic force microscopy analysis, we can confirm that the average grain size and the roughness of the copper deposits strongly depend on the deposition rate and the type of additive in the bath. There is a change in the grain size and the morphology of the copper deposit due to room-temperature aging. The roughness of the surface increases, and an abrupt shift in the hardness of the coating occurs during aging.