Precise impurity analysis of Cu films by GDMS: Relation between negative substrate bias voltage and impurity ionization potentials

Cu films were deposited on Si(100) substrates by applying a negative substrate bias voltage using the non-mass-separated ion beam deposition method. Glow-discharge mass spectrometry was used to determine the impurity concentrations of the deposited Cu films and the 6N Cu target. It was found that the Cu film deposited at the substrate bias voltage of -50 V showed lower impurity contents than the Cu film deposited without the substrate bias voltage, although both the Cu films were contaminated during the deposition. The purification effect might result from the following reasons: (i) the Penning ionization and an ionization mechanism proposed in the present study, (ii) a difference in the kinetic energy of accelerated Cu⁺ ions toward the substrate with/without the negative substrate bias voltage.