Pattern recognition and scaling studies of copper electrodeposition on Cu(100) in the presence of additives

Copper deposition on Cu(100) in acid-sulfate plating solution containing chloride and additives benzotriazole (BTA) and 3-mercaptopropane sulfonic acid (MPSA) was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM images were analyzed by pattern recognition and scaling procedures. In the absence of additives, square-pyramidal mounds emerge and increase in height without reaching a steady-state shape. In the presence of MPSA, the fourfold symmetry is visible in the main features. However, pyramidal mounds do not develop. In the presence of BTA, the principal surface features are hemispheroids without distinct fourfold symmetry. Comparison of the scaling and pattern-recognition results for BTA shows that the local and general growth exponents can be identified with the shape and size evolution of characteristic surface features, respectively. (C) 2003 The Electrochemical Society.