Ag/Cu layers grown on Si(111) substrates by thermal inducted chemical vapor deposition

Silver/copper thin layers were deposited on Si(111) substrates by thermal inducted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method using [Cu(OOCC2F5)(VTMS)] (1), [Ag(OOCC2F5)] (2), and [Ag(OOCBut)(PEt3)] (3) as precursors. Analysis of grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) data confirms formation of silver/copper materials. The morphology studies, by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), exhibited that the type of Ag precursor, Ag(I)/Cu(I) precursors weight ratio, and the stability of metal containing species transported in vapors are the main factors, which influence the structure, size, and packed density of Ag/Cu layers. Depending on the weight ratio of precursors [Cu(OOCC2F5)(VTMS)] and [Ag(OOCBut)(PEt3)] the different type of silver/copper materials were prepared: the silver dispersed grains covered by the copper film composed of packed-density grains; the layer composes of Ag and Cu dense-packed grains; the copper layer consisted of large grains covered by silver one and the silver membrane containing copper grains located on the film surface. The low level of impurities adsorbed on the obtained surfaces was confirmed by diffuse reflectance FT IR (DRIFT) spectra. The investigations of electrical properties for fabricated Ag/Cu layers have been carried out using four-point probe technique. The highest conductivity [∼ 5.99 · 104 (Ω m)− 1] of films composed from Ag grain chains linked with the single Cu grains was noticed.