Effect of Gelatin on the Electrodeposition of (111)-oriented Nanotwinned Copper

(111)-oriented nanotwinned copper (nt-Cu) has a promising prospect in improving the reliability of interconnects in electronic packaging. In the microelectronic industry, the fabrication of (111)-oriented nt-Cu mostly relies on electrodeposition, but the formation mechanism of nanotwins remains unclear. In this paper, we studied the effect of gelatin, an additive that induces the growth of (111)-oriented nanotwins, on the electrodeposition process by microstructural observation and electroanalytical methods. The addition of gelatin promoted the nucleation of (111)-oriented nanotwinned grains and transformed the microstructure from vertical twins to horizontal twins. Electrochemical analysis showed that gelatin had an inhibition effect on the deposition of copper, but it wasn ’ t selectively adsorbed on grains without (111)orientation to facilitate the transition into a (111)-textured film. These findings are instructive in understanding the growth mechanism of (111)-oriented nt-Cu.