Antibacterial property and characterization of CuSn thin films deposited by RF magnetron co-sputtering method

CuSn thin films were fabricated by rf magnetron co-sputtering method on the Si(100) substrate for evaluation of the antibacterial effect. The co-sputtering process was performed with different rf powers and sputtering times to regulate the thickness of the films and relative atomic ratio of Cu to Sn. The physicochemical properties of the CuSn thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray induced Auger electron spectroscopy (XAES), Optical microscope (OM), 4-point probe, and antibacterial test. An antibacterial test was conducted with Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) as changing contact times between CuSn fillms and bacteria suspension. We compared to the crystalline structures of films before sterilization and after sterilization by XRD measurement. The changes of oxidation states of Cu and Sn and the chemical environment of films before and after antibacterial test were investigated with high resolution XPS spectra in the regions of Cu 2p, Cu LMM, and Sn 3d. After antibacterial test, the morphology of the films was checked with an OM images. The electrical properties of the CuSn films such as surface resistance and conductivity were measured by using 4-point probe.