ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPY STUDY OF THE INITIAL GROWTH OF COPPER-FILMS BY CHEMICAL-VAPOR-DEPOSITION FROM UOROACETYLACETONATE-COPPER(I)-TRIMETHYLVINYLSILANE - AN INDICATION OF A SURFACE ELECTRON-TRANSFER REACTION

Atomic force microscopy was employed to study the initial growth of co pper films on various substrates in a metal-organic chemical vapor dep osition (MOCVD) system using copper (I)-hexafluoroacetylacetonate trim ethylvinylsilane as the precursor. Three-dimensional nuclei growth was observed. The nuclei-number density differs on various substrate surf aces, from 2 x 10(8) cm(-2) on SiO2 surface to 2 x 10(10) cm(-2) on Pt surface at a substrate temperature of 498 K. Kinetic analysis about t he nuclei number density on various substrate surfaces shows that the activation energy of the surface nucleation of the precursor is revers ely proportional to the electric conductivity of the surface. The resu lts indicate an electron transfer reaction between Cu+1(hfac); an inte rmediate product of the surface decomposition of the precursor, and su bstrate surface plays a key role in the formation of initial Cu nucleu s.