Micromorphology characterization of copper thin films by AFM and fractal analysis

Abstract

In this study, Cu thin films with layer thicknesses of 5, 25, and 50 nm were prepared by DC magnetron-sputtering method and their three dimensional (3-D) surface topography were investigated. Concretely, the 3-D surface roughness of samples was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM), fractal analysis of the 3-D AFM-images and power spectral density (PSD) function. Also the content of thin films was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The thin films were prepared onto glass and p-type silicon (100) substrates by DC magnetron-sputtering method and were studied over square areas of 4.4 lm 9 4.4 lm using AFM and fractal analysis. The 3-D surface morphology revealed the fractal geometry of Cu thin films at nanometer scale, which can be quantitatively estimated by the fractal dimension D f that was determined by cube counting method, based on the linear interpolation type. The results from AFM data indicated the possible presence of superstructures on the growth process of Cu nanostructures that were in relatively good agreement with XRD data and PSD.

Surface Appearance of Highly Oriented Pyrolitic Graphite

“…These methods play a significant part in electronics and optoelectronics and are prevalent in industrial and scientific areas [14][15][16][17]. The controlling factor of performance is the surface condition of the substrate.…”

Analysis and Recommendations for Education Process of Experts in the Field of Scanning Probe Microscopy

“…Despite the fact that SPM is a technique of microscopy, the fact is that we can obtain a huge range of surface data [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. In this regard, the methods of analyzing and interpreting the obtained results are of essential [19][20][21][22][23].…”

Micromorphology and fractal analysis of nickel–carbon composite thin films

“…Composite thin films combining electrically conductive and dielectric phases, and/or magnetic and non-magnetic materials have attracted considerable attention during several decades in high-tech industries due to their tailored physical properties and their applications in ferroelectronic memories, electronic devices and spintronics [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. In these materials, interesting physical behaviors arising from surface and confinement effects are expected, and their understanding requires a proper characterization of the film surface roughness using quantitative descriptions [8][9][10][11][12][13].…”

“…In this regards, in modern manufacturing processes, two approaches are mainly used for the analysis of 3-D surface topography: statistical and fractal methods [1,5,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. Given the complex surface topography of nano-and microstructures, it cannot be completely characterized only by using the traditional Euclidean geometry; therefore, the use of fractal geometry is more convenient for surface roughness analyses of such systems [1,5,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

“…Given the complex surface topography of nano-and microstructures, it cannot be completely characterized only by using the traditional Euclidean geometry; therefore, the use of fractal geometry is more convenient for surface roughness analyses of such systems [1,5,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16].…”