Abstract
Agglomerations composed of Cu nanocrystallites are observed in the electroless Cu films deposited on Pd-activated TaN/SiO 2 /Si substrates. They were found to in situ recrystallize as large grains when exposed to the electron-beam of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This observation not only confirms the self-induced repeated nucleation involved in electroless crystallization, but indicates that low-angle grain boundaries form during repeated nucleation of Cu nuclei in the Cu film. The rotation of Cu nanocrystallites by slipping away the boundary dislocations in low-angle boundaries is responsible for the recrystallization induced by the electron-beam under SEM observation.