Curvature Enhanced Adsorbate Coverage Model for Electrodeposition

The influence of a catalyst deactivating leveling additive in electrodeposition is explored in the context of the previously developed curvature enhanced accelerator coverage model of superconformal film growth. Competitive adsorption between a rapidly adsorbed suppressor, rate accelerating catalyst, and catalyst-deactivating leveler is examined. Rate equations are formulated where the leveling agent is capable of deactivating the adsorbed catalyst by either direct adsorption from the electrolyte or by deactivation/displacement during surface area reduction that accompanies advancing concave surfaces. The influence of a prototypical cationic surfactant leveler on electrochemical kinetics and feature filling is examined for copper electrodeposition from an electrolyte containing polyethylene glycol-chloride-bis(3-sulfopropyl)disulfide (PEG-Cl-SPS).