Optical, electrical, and surface properties of Cu/plasma polymer fluorocarbon nanocomposite thin film fabricated using metal/polymer composite target

Abstract

We propose a new method of fabricating metal-polymer composite targets for sputtering, which makes it easier to control the composition and enables the homogeneous and reproducible fabrication of metal-polymer nanocomposites over large areas. Using Cu/polytetrafluoroethylene composite targets containing 20, 50, and 80 wt.% Cu, Cu/plasma polymer fluorocarbon (PPFC) nanocomposite thin films were prepared by radio-frequency (RF) sputtering. Targets with 80 wt.% Cu were conductive; moreover, sputtering was possible not only with RF but also with mid-range frequency (MF) and direct current (DC) power sources. The nanocomposite thin film deposited by MF and DC power using an 80 wt.% Cu target showed near-metallic characteristics, exhibited absorption peaks at 618 and 678 nm, and had a surface resistance of 2 × 10 4 and 34.55 Ω/sq, respectively. We also analyzed the structure and composition of the Cu/PPFC nanocomposite films by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The described metal-polymer targets can advance the applications and commercialization of nanocomposite thin films.