Influence of the Gas Preheating Temperature on the Microstructure and Electrical Resistivity of Copper Thin Films Prepared via Vacuum Cold Spraying

Abstract

Vacuum cold spraying (VCS) has emerged as an environmentally sustainable method for fabricating ceramic and metal films. A high particle impact velocity is a critical factor in the deposition of metal particles during the VCS process, which can be significantly enhanced through gas preheating. This study employs Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations to investigate the substantial impact of gas preheating temperature on particle impact velocity and temperature. Elevating the gas temperature leads to higher particle impact velocity, resulting in severe deformation and the formation of dense copper films. The experimental results indicate improvements in both film compactness and electrical properties with gas preheating. Remarkably, the electrical resistivity of the copper film deposited at a gas preheating temperature of 350 °C was measured at 4.4 × 10−8 Ω·m. This study also examines the evolution of cone-shaped pits on the surface of copper films prepared on rough substrates. VCS demonstrates a self-adaptive repair mechanism when depositing metal films onto rough ceramic substrates, making it a promising method for ceramic surface metallization.