Evaluation of the Crystallographic Quality of Electroplated Copper Thin-Film Interconnection Embedded in a Si Substrate

Electroplated copper thin films have started to be applied to the interconnection material in TSV structures because of its low electric resistivity and high thermal conductivity. However, the electrical resistivity of the electroplated copper thin films surrounded by SiO₂ was found to vary drastically comparing with those of the conventional bulk material. This was because that the electroplated copper thin films consisted of grains with low crystallinity and grain boundaries with high defect density. Thus, in this study, both the crystallinity and electrical properties of the electroplated copper thin films embedded in the TSV structure was evaluated quantitatively by changing the electroplating conditions and thermal history after the electroplating. It was observed that many voids and hillocks appeared in the TSV structures after the high temperature annealing which was introduced for improving the crystallinity of the electroplated films. Therefore, it is very important to evaluate the crystallographic quality of the electroplated copper thin films after electroplating to assure both the mechanical and electrical properties of the films.