Excimer laser ablation and activation of SiO[sub [ital x]] and SiO[sub [ital x]]-ceramic couples for electroless copper plating

Journal Article · Mon Dec 20 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Applied Physics Letters; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.110116· OSTI ID:5741807

Godbole, M J ^[1]; Lowndes, D H ^[2]; Pedraza, A J ^[1]

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1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-2200 (United States)
2. Solid State Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6056 (United States)

A XeCl (4.0 eV photon energy) pulsed excimer laser was used to study the ablation behavior of substoichiometric silicon oxide (SSO), SiO[sub [ital x]] with [ital x][similar to]1.0. The SSO ablation rate was quite high and its ablation threshold quite low ([le]0.3 J/cm[sup 2]), thereby making it an interesting material for pulsed laser patterning without the use of deep-UV radiation. Surface activation, as illustrated by subsequent copper deposition by the electroless process, was observed along well-defined narrow ([similar to]10--20 [mu]m) lines just beyond the edges of ablated trenches in SSO deposited on XeCl-transparent fused silica substrates. When a thin layer of SSO was deposited on polycrystalline Al[sub 2]O[sub 3] or AlN substrates and subsequently laser treated, surface activation of these ceramics occurred on the laser-irradiated regions at much lower fluences and with fewer exposures than are required to activate the bare ceramic substrates. In both types of experiment, activation is believed to result from redeposition of elemental silicon, an ablation product.

• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 5741807
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters; (United States), Vol. 63:25; ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ALUMINIUM NITRIDES
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
SILICON OXIDES
ABLATION
ACTIVATION ANALYSIS
ACTIVATION ENERGY
COPPER
DEPOSITION
EXCIMER LASERS
SURFACE COATING
SURFACE PROPERTIES
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY
GAS LASERS
LASERS
METALS
NITRIDES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PNICTIDES
RADIATION EFFECTS
SILICON COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
360206* - Ceramics
Cermets
& Refractories- Radiation Effects
360605 - Materials- Radiation Effects