Specific Process Knowledge/Thin film deposition/Deposition of Copper

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Deposition of Cu

Copper can be deposited by e-beam evaporation or sputtering at Nanolab. In the chart below you can compare the different deposition equipment. Further down you will find some results of studies on Cu deposition processes.


E-beam evaporation (Temescal) Sputter deposition (Lesker) Sputter deposition (Sputter-system Metal-Oxide (PC1) and Sputter-system Metal-Nitride (PC3))
General description E-beam deposition of Cu

(line-of-sight deposition)

Sputter deposition of Cu

(not line-of-sight deposition)

Sputter deposition of Cu

(not line-of-sight deposition)

Pre-clean Ar ion bombardment RF Ar clean RF Ar clean
Layer thickness 10Å to 1µm* 10Å to 1µm** 10Å to 1µm**
Deposition rate 1-10 Å/s ~ 1 Å/s Depends on process parameters, at least up to 8.7 Å/s, see conditions here
Batch size
  • Up to 4x6" wafers
  • Up to 3x8" wafers (ask for holder)
  • smaller pieces
  • smaller pieces
  • Up to 1x6" wafers
  • Up to 10x4" or 6" wafers
  • or many smaller pieces
Allowed materials
  • Silicon
  • Silicon oxide
  • Silicon (oxy)nitride
  • Photoresist
  • PMMA
  • Mylar
  • SU-8
  • Metals
  • Almost any as long as they do not outgas if you are planning to heat the substrate. Check the cross-contamination sheets in Labmanager.
Comment As of March 2020, Cu has not yet been deposited in this machine.

Please contact the Thin Film group to develop a process.

* To deposit layers thicker than 600 nm permission is required to ensure that there is enough metal (contact metal@nanolab.dtu.dk)

** To deposit layers thicker than 200 nm permission is required to ensure that there is enough metal (contact metal@nanolab.dtu.dk)

Studies of Cu deposition

Roughness of Cu layers - Roughness of Cu layers deposited with the Alcatel e-beam evaporator

Stress in sputtered Cu - Low stress in Cu films sputtered with the Sputter-System (Lesker)