The Effects of Plating Current, Grain Size, and Electrolyte on Stress Evolution in Electrodeposited Ni

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Measurements were performed to study the influence of growth rate (plating current), grain size, and electrolyte concentration on stress evolution in Ni electrodeposited from an additive-free Ni sulfamate bath. The stress measurements were conducted by the wafer curvature method during electroplating, and the corresponding grain sizes were determined post-deposition from cross-sections made using a Focused-Ion Beam (FIB). The results were interpreted using a kinetic model which focuses on the incremental stress generated at the triple junction where adjacent islands impinge upon each other. The stress vs. growth rate does not change significantly when the Ni sulfamate concentration was changed at fixed boric acid concentration, but it did change when the boric acid concentration was altered. This is discussed in terms of the effect of the electrolyte concentration on the exchange current and interfacial energy.