In Situ XPS Chemical Analysis of MnSiO3 Copper Diffusion Barrier Layer Formation and Simultaneous Fabrication of Metal Oxide Semiconductor Electrical Test MOS Structures.

Copper/SiO2/Si metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices both with and without a MnSiO3 barrier layer at the Cu/SiO2 interface have been fabricated in an ultrahigh vacuum X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) system, which allows interface chemical characterization of the barrier formation process to be directly correlated with electrical testing of barrier layer effectiveness. Capacitance voltage (CV) analysis, before and after tube furnace anneals of the fabricated MOS structures showed that the presence of the MnSiO3 barrier layer significantly improved electric stability of the device structures. Evidence of improved adhesion of the deposited copper layer to the MnSiO3 surface compared to the clean SiO2 surface was apparent both from tape tests and while probing the samples during electrical testing. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) depth profiling measurements of the MOS test structures reveal distinct differences of copper diffusion into the SiO2 dielectric layers following the thermal anneal depending on the presence of the MnSiO3 barrier layer.

Pulsed-Plasma Physical Vapor Deposition Approach Toward the Facile Synthesis of Multilayer and Monolayer Graphene for Anticoagulation Applications.

We demonstrate the growth of multilayer and single-layer graphene on copper foil using bipolar pulsed direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering of a graphite target in pure argon atmosphere. Single-layer graphene (SG) and few-layer graphene (FLG) films are deposited at temperatures ranging from 700 °C to 920 °C within <30 min. We find that the deposition and post-deposition annealing temperatures influence the layer thickness and quality of the graphene films formed. The films were characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and optical transmission spectroscopy techniques. Based on the above studies, a diffusion-controlled mechanism was proposed for the graphene growth. A single-step whole blood assay was used to investigate the anticoagulant activity of graphene surfaces. Platelet adhesion, activation, and morphological changes on the graphene/glass surfaces, compared to bare glass, were analyzed using fluorescence microscopy and SEM techniques. We have found significant suppression of the platelet adhesion, activation, and aggregation on the graphene-covered surfaces, compared to the bare glass, indicating the anticoagulant activity of the deposited graphene films. Our production technique represents an industrially relevant method for the growth of SG and FLG for various applications including the biomedical field.