I have found the attached papers to be interesting. See also this book (especially Chap. 5, Copper in Inorganic Dielectrics): Copper-Fundamental Mechanisms for Microelectronic Applications Shyam P. Murarka, Igor V. Verner, Ronald J. Gutmann ISBN: 0-471-25256-5 Hardcover 337 pages March 2000 All these pertain to copper. I have not found much about gold diffusion in dielectrics. RE the detection of surface metal contamination control: TXRF is excellent. See for example: http://www.rigakumsc.com/semi/3750S.html BTW, if you find any other interesting paper or book on Cu diffusion in dielectrics, I would be grateful for the information. Best regards, Pierre Huet