Surface modification of silicon by laser surface treatment: Improvement of adhesion and copper deposition

Abstract

We have studied the use of lasers for modifying the surface properties of silicon to improve its wettability and adhesion characteristics. Using a 4th harmonic Nd:YAG (λ = 266 nm, pulse) laser, the wettability and adhesion characteristics of the silicon surfaces have been enhanced by laser irradiation. It was found that laser surface treatment of silicon modified the surface energy. By the contact angle measurement, using distilled water, the wetting characteristics of silicon after the laser irradiation show a decrease in the contact angle and a change in the surface chemical composition. In the case of the laser-treated silicon surface, laser direct writing of copper lines has been achieved through pyrolytic decomposition of copper formate by using a focused Ar+ laser beam (λ = 514.5 nm, continuous wave (CW)) on the silicon substrates. The deposited lines and surface chemical compositions were measured by energy dispersive x-ray (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and surface profiler (Alpha Step 500, San Jose, CA) to examine the cross section of deposited copper lines.