Fabrication of copper nanoparticles in a thick polyimide film cured by rapid thermal annealing

We investigated the imidization of a polyimide (PI) and the formation of Cu nanoparticles in a PI film by curinga precursor of PI (polyamic acid (PAA) dissolved in n-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone) in a reducing atmosphere in the rapid thermal annealing (RTA) system. A Cu film was deposited onto the SiO ₂/Si substrate, and the PAA was spin-coated onto the Cu film. After the PAA reacted with the Cu film, soft-baking was performed to evaporate the solvent. Finally, the PAA was imidized to PI at 450 °C by curing in a reducing atmosphere with the RTA. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the PAA was successfully imidized by the RTA. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that Cu nanoparticles formed by RTA curing at 450 °C for 5 minutes in a reducing atmosphere, and transmission electron microscopy showed that Cu nanoparticles about 6.5 nm in size were uniformly dispersed in the PI film. Curing by RTA is an attractive method because it takes only a few minutes.