ENHANCED ELECTROCHEMICAL DEPOSITION WITH AN ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPE

In-situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) is shown to locally enhance the electrochemical deposition of copper (Cu) onto single-crystal Cu surfa ces. The tip-sample interaction increases the growth rate of Cu, resul ting in the localized formation of nanometer scale epitaxial deposits. The results are consistent with a heterogeneous nucleation and growth mechanism in which the tip-sample interaction creates surface defect sites in a passivating layer which are active toward the electrochemic al adsorption of Cu species. This protection-deprotection scheme enabl es precise control of feature sizes and allows this technique to be us ed for fabrication and constructive modification of solid-liquid inter faces.