THE ROLE OF AN ELECTROLYSIS REDUCTION IN COPPER-ELECTROPLATING ON TRANSPARENT SEMICONDUCTOR TIN OXIDE

An electroplating process has been employed to grow high-quality thin films of copper on tin oxide transparent semiconductor with excellent adhesion. It is shown that electrolysis reduction as a surface modific ation process prior to the electrodeposition is essential for good adh esion of the resulting copper coating. Experimental results obtained f or electrolysis, argon plasma cleaning, and surface roughness measurem ents indicate that the formation of a monolayer of low valence tin oxi de may be significant to the improvements in plating process and depos it adhesion. A mechanism whereby SnO(x) formation may facilitate impro ved adhesion is proposed.