Changes in the adhesion strength between copper thin films and polyimide substrates after heat treatment

The adhesion strength between a copper (Cu) thin film and a polyimide [pyromellitic dianhydride-oxydianiline (PMDA-ODA)] substrate is reduced by heat treatment at 150°C in air. In this work, we determined the changes in adhesion strength between Cu films and polyimide substrates using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The analysis showed that the weak boundary layer (WBL) shifted towards the Cu interface as the heat treatment time was increased. To confirm this shift, we looked at two other polyimide substrates: biphenyl dianhydride-p-phenylene diamine (BPDA-PDA) and biphenyl dianhydride-oxydianiline (BPDA-ODA). Comparing the adhesion strength for the Cu thin film, the adhesion strength was high for the Cu/PMDA-ODA and Cu/BPDA-ODA laminates, but very low for the Cu/BPDA-PDA laminate. One of the possible reasons for this behavior could be that the ether moiety between the two benzene rings in ODA is related to the adhesion between a Cu film and an 02-plasma-treated polyimide (PI) substrate. The relationship between the adhesion strength and chemical bonding states is also discussed. We conclude that a Cu thin film sputtered onto a PI substrate is apt to peel at the oxidized interface, due to the heat treatment.