Grain Boundary Velocity and the Effect of Texture During Room Temperature Abnormal Grain Growth of Electroplated Copper

A simple estimate is made of the expected grain growth velocities during secondary recrystallization of electroplated copper at room temperature. The estimated growth velocities indicate secondary recrystallization times that are larger than that observed experimentally by different laboratories and thus may point to additional energy release mechanisms not accounted for thus far. We discuss the role of texture in the primary grains and show that texturing will reduce grain boundary velocities, in qualitative agreement with experimental observations.. Finally, we show that fluctuations in the strain energy from grain to grain that arise from the anisotropic elastic properties of copper can dictate the strengthening or weakening of particular textures..