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Publication
Applied Physics Letters
Paper
Stress gradients induced in Cu films by capping layers
Abstract
The presence of capping layers deposited on copper films can create strain gradients through the Cu film thickness. Grazing-incidence and conventional x-ray diffraction measurements determined the in-plane stress of the Cu films as a function of depth. Cu films possessing a SiCxNyH z capping layer exhibited greater tensile stress near the cap than in the bulk, whereas Cu films possessing a CoWP film did not show a gradient. The constraint imposed by the SiCxNyHz cap during the cooling process from the cap deposition temperature (350 °C) leads to an increase in the in-plane stress of 180 MPa from the bulk value. © 2008 American Institute of Physics.