Reduction of Copper Oxide Films by an Atmospheric-Pressure Inductively Coupled Plasma Microjet

抄録

Local reduction of the copper oxide film was performed by an atmospheric-pressure inductively coupled plasma (AP-ICP) microjet and the fundamental characteristics of the removal process were studied. CuO and Cu₂O films were formed on the sputtered Cu surface by thermal annealing. The sample was then exposed to the Ar-H₂ AP-ICP microjet. The chemical composition, morphology, and the film thickness before and after the plasma treatment were analyzed by XPS, optical microscopy, and SEM/EDX. CuO and Cu₂O were reduced to form porous Cu at the speed of 380 nm/min. Heterogeneous reduction patterns inside the Cu₂O layer were observed due to the fast diffusion of H atoms through the narrow gap between the columnar structures.