The effect of grain size and film thickness on the thermal expansion coefficient of copper thin films

Cu thin films underwent thermal cycling to determine their coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). The thermal stress of the Cu thin films with various microstructures (different grain size and film thickness) was measured using a curvature measurement system. The thermal expansion coefficients of the films were obtained from the slope of the stress-temperature curve with the knowledge of the Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio. The change in thermal stress with temperature of the Cu thin films tended to decrease with increasing grain size, resulting in an increase in the CTE. The thickness of Cu thin film had little effect on the thermal stress or the CTE.