Improved patterning electrodeposition strategy for rapid preparation of defect-free Cu-SiC composites with CTAB assistance

The increasing power density of high-performance electronics induces significant thermal stress mismatches among conventional packaging materials, thereby intensifying the demand for tunable, low-stress materials with high thermal conductivity to ensure packaging reliability. Copper-silicon carbide (Cu-SiC) composites have emerged as promising candidates. While composite electrodeposition offers an effective route to mitigate thermal issues inherent to traditional fabrication techniques, challenges persist in achieving uniform SiC dispersion, high incorporation efficiency, and defect-free heterogeneous interfaces at elevated deposition rates. Herein, an improved patterning electrodeposition strategy with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-assisted ternary-additive electrolyte was proposed for the rapid fabrication of defect-free Cu-SiC composites. Electrochemical analyses revealed CTAB competitively adsorbed with other additives on cathodic active sites, displacing accelerators and cooperating with suppressors to inhibit Cu matrix electrodeposition, refining grains (<1 μm) and promoting dense nucleation. By systematically tuning critical parameters—current density, CTAB concentration, and SiC content—Cu-SiC coating quality was significantly improved. The optimized process yields a uniform Cu-SiC composite coating with a high SiC content (35.9 wt%), dense Cu matrix with (111) preferred orientation, high deposition rate (65.3 μm/h), defect-free heterogeneous interfaces, a low coefficient of thermal expansion (7.2 × 10 −6 /°C), and minimal warpage (0.08 %).