Structural and electrical properties of copper thin films prepared by filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique

Copper thin films with low electrical resistivity were successfully deposited by filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique at room temperature. The structure of the films was determined by X-ray diffraction, TEM and atomic force microscopy. All the copper films had a polycrystalline structure. The RMS roughness, the lateral size and the grain size all increased with increasing film thickness. There is a critical film thickness of approximately 135 nm. The electrical resistivity had an almost unchanged value of 1.8 μΩ cm above 135 nm and increased with decreasing thickness below 135 nm.