Electrode deposition: reaction at the metal/polymer interface

Surface and near-surface analyses were used to follow the deposition of copper and gold on polyimide. Metals react on deposition onto polyimide, with some continuing to react on thermal aging. A long use life for such an electrode/insulator system depends on the choice of a metal which is minimally reactive on deposition and not reactive on thermal aging. Nuclear scattering (both elastic recoil detection and Rutherford backscattering) was used to obtain elemental concentrations as a function of depth. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to study the chemical reactions at the interface through the measurement and interpretation of chemical shifts