Scalable alloy-based sputtering of high-conductivity PdCoO$_2$ for advanced interconnects

Abstract: As integrated circuits continue to scale down, the search for new metals is becoming increasingly important due to the rising resistivity of traditional copper-based interconnects. A layered oxide PdCoO$_2$ is one of the candidate materials for interconnects, having bulk ab-plane conductivity exceeding that of elemental Al. Despite its potential, wafer-scale vacuum deposition of PdCoO$_2$, crucial for interconnect applications, has not yet been reported. In this study, we succeeded in the scalable growth of c-axis oriented PdCoO$_2$ thin films via reactive sputtering from Pd-Co alloy targets. Our method paves the way to harness the unique properties of PdCoO$_2$ in semiconductor devices.