Effect of negative substrate bias voltage on the nucleation and growth of Cu films during the initial stage of ion beam deposition

We focused the effect of a negative substrate bias voltage on the nucleation and growth of Cu films during the initial stage of ion beam deposition. The resultant microstructure of Cu films was observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was found that Cu films with or without a negative substrate bias voltage have a different dependence of nucleation and growth. It was established that the mechanism of nucleation and growth of Cu films is changed to a progressive nucleation and lateral growth by a sufficient migration of adatoms accelerated by applying a negative substrate bias voltage.