Dewetting of copper nanolayers on silica in oxygen: towards preparation of copper mesoanowires by self-organization

摘要

The present study has examined the thermal behavior of copper on silicon oxide to clarify the diffusion of copper on dielectrics in an oxygen environment. Films of copper-deposited silicon oxide were prepared on silicon wafers and then annealed in oxygen. Self-organization of copper occurred to form line structures of multiple strips in a specific oxygen pressure range. The line orientation of the produced structures was related to the line defects formed from termination of stacking faults and dislocations at the wafer surface. The line density was determined by the oxygen pressure used. The results underline a possibility of synthesizing copper mesoanowires on dielectrics via self-organization.