Advances in mechanistic understanding of additives for copper electroplating in high-end electronics manufacture

Copper interconnect electroplating is one of the core technologies for the manufacture of high-end electronic devices including but not limited to chips. To promote the development of advanced copper interconnect process, it is necessary to clarify the mechanisms of copper electroplating additives. Herein, we provide a brief overview of the research progress on the interfacial structures and mechanisms of the three types of additives (accelerator, suppressor and leveler) in copper sulfate plating baths from a methodological perspective. Besides, the advantages and limitations of different research methods are discussed and the scientific issues related to the Damascene copper electroplating are summarized, to afford a hint for the further research and development of the additives in advanced chip fabrication.