Local Deformation-Controlled Fast Directional Metal Outflow in Metal/Ceramic Nanolayer Sandwiches upon Low Temperature Annealing

Precise nanoindentation on AlN/Cu/AlN nanolayer sandwiches has been conducted by using an atomic force microscope to promote fast and directional metal (Cu) outflow upon heating at low temperatures. Local plastic deformation during indentation results in the generation of high defect densities and stress gradients, which not only effectively reduce the activation energies for fast in-plane diffusion but also direct the in-plane transport of confined Cu to the indent location. In addition, a steep chemical potential gradient of O will be established across the AlN barrier upon exposure to air, which drives fast outward diffusion of Cu along defective pathways in the top AlN layer at the indent location. Selective and fast Cu metal outflow can thus be achieved at the indent locations upon annealing at a relatively low temperature of 350 °C for 5 min in air. The microstructures and phase boundaries of the AlN barrier and confined Cu nanolayers are unperturbed outside the plastically deformed region and remain metastable after annealing at 350 °C. By changing the surface processing modes, patterned nanoparticles and isolated nanowire structures can be fabricated straightforwardly. Such local deformation-controlled directional mass transport phenomena can be utilized to manipulate materials down to the atomic scale for designing functional nanoarchitectures for nanophotonic and nanoelectronic applications.