Characterization of Thick Film of Copper Electrodeposited for Cryogenic Applications

We report on the characterization of electroformed copper. Different copper films have been deposited, on a brass rod, paying attention to modify only one parameter of the galvanic bath for each specimen (acidity, temperature, density of current, etc.). The samples obtained have been analyzed by residual resistivity ratio (RRR) to evaluated the electrical conductivity, with the nanoindenter to measure the hardness and the reduced modulus and with the X-ray diffraction to calculate the average dimensions of the grains. The comparative analysis of all the data gives us the set of parameters required to obtain a good electrical conductor, working at cryogenic temperatures and mechanically resistant. (C) 2014 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.