Suppression of conductivity deterioration of copper thin films by coating with atomic-layer materials

Theoretical calculations are performed to explore the electronic structures and electron conducting properties of copper (Cu) thin films coated with graphene or h-boron-nitride (h-BN) layers. The Shockley surface states of Cu surfaces are preserved by the graphene and h-BN coatings which prevent the surface oxidation of Cu because of the weak interaction between the Cu surface and graphene or the h-BN layers. Furthermore, the Shockley surface states in Cu thin films possess quasi-two dimensional free-electron characteristics and exhibit a high conductivity of 1.62 × 107 (Ωm)−1 at room temperature. These hybrid structures may be suitable as interconnects in memory devices that can stably store data for long periods.