由於電鍍具有基材形狀效應，在尖端處會有電流集中的效果，因此本研究探討探針尖端電鍍銅的析鍍行為。研究中使用AFM探針作為電鍍電極，並將AFM探針尖端相對放置，探討當基材為極小的針尖之時，其鍍層分佈之狀況。並且比較以微影製程於尖端開孔之鍍層分佈情況。研究分為電鍍銅鍍層於無塗佈光阻探針與微影開孔之探針頭電鍍銅鍍層兩部份。本實驗使用微影開孔技術為電子束微影製程。
由無塗佈光阻探針之析鍍行為研究中顯示，若要電鍍銅鍍層於無塗佈光阻AFM探針上，電流密度最小要0.1 A/dm2才可克服活性極化造成的過電壓。此外接觸電阻的變化會影響鍍層厚度與結核大小，且影響鍍層覆蓋在AFM探針的程度。而AFM探針尖端較不易析鍍鍍層。由微影開孔之探針頭析鍍行為研究中顯示，微影開孔處與尖端會有鍍層析鍍，但仍然沒有基材形狀因素，顯示有其他原因影響尖端鍍層析鍍。綜合兩實驗結果可發現，尖端是較不易析鍍的位置，尖端鍍層較難析鍍的主因可能是由於奈米尺寸AFM尖端表面能變化使得尖端析鍍銅所需之過電壓提高，另外電流路徑總電阻也會造成尖端不易析鍍。AFM探針尖端電鍍銅的生長模式為無論電流密度大小，增長電鍍時間，會使得AFM探針尖端被自側邊成長的鍍層覆蓋。越遠離尖端，鍍層成長越厚，而與尖端放電使得銅鍍層能夠在兩電極間有異向性成長理論不吻合。

Because of the shape effect of substrate, the current density will concentrate on a tip. The present work investigated the behavior of electroplating Cu on a probe tip. AFM probes were used as electrodes for the electroplating system and the tips were fixed head to head in the opposite direction. The present work studied the distribution of deposited layer on the substrate having a very small tip and compared with the distribution of deposited Cu layer using lithography to expose the area on a tip. The experiments were divided into two parts： electroplating Cu layer on an AFM probe without coating photoresist； electroplating Cu layer on an AFM probe with an open area on tip by lithography. The lithography used in the experiment was electron beam lithography,
The results of electroplating Cu layer on an AFM probe without coating photoresist revealed that the Cu layer was deposited on the probe with the minimum current density 0.1 A/dm2 to overcome the overpotential resulting from activation polarization. The change of contact resistance influenced the thickness of as-deposited layer, the nodule size and the degree of deposited Cu layer covering on a AFM probe. The AFM tip was found to be difficult for electroplating Cu layer.
However the results of electroplating Cu layer on a AFM probe with an open area on tip by lithography showed that open area and tip had deposited layer but the shape effect still can’t be found. The results revealed another reason to affect the behavior of electroplating on a tip.
Synthesizing both experimental results revealed the AFM tip as the hardest site to be deposited. The main reason was that the tip size with nanometer scale caused the surface energy to change and elevated the overpotential of the AFM probe tip. The total resistance of electric current path also increased resulting in the same situation.
The growth mode of electroplating Cu layer on an AFM tip revealed that no matter what the current density was, the tip was covered with Cu layer grew up from the side of tip finally. The longer the distance away from the tip, the thicker the thickness of Cu layer. This result was not related to the anisotropy growth between both electrodes due to current density concentrating on the tip.

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