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Blanket and Local Crystallographic Texture Determination in Layered Al Metallization

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

K. P. Rodbell
Affiliation:
IBM Research Division, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
J. L. Hurd
Affiliation:
IBM Analytical Services Group, Hopewell Junction, NY 12533
P. W. DeHaven
Affiliation:
IBM Analytical Services Group, Hopewell Junction, NY 12533
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Abstract

The effect of microstructure, including average grain size, grain size distribution, precipitate distribution and crystallographic texture, on the reliability of Al and Al-alloys is well documented. In this paper, the various x-ray methods available for measuring preferred orientation in blanket films are compared and contrasted in an effort to find the fastest, most accurate method to acquire crystallographic texture information. I(111)/I(200) ratios from Bragg-Brentano scans (θ/2θ), rocking curves, and complete pole figures (fiber plots) were compared for four Ti/AlCu films having greatly different crystallographic texture components. The results show that it matters how texture is measured in a thin film; only pole figures (fiber plots) are unambiguous. In addition, the local texture in a series of stress-voided 0.48 um wide Ti/AICuSi/TiN lines was measured using Backscattered Kikuchi Diffraction (BKD). Samples were chosen from two sets of identically prepared wafers (processed at different times) showing large differences in stress-voiding driven resistance versus time behavior. The more strongly textured (111 ) films had decreased stress-voiding lifetimes and tended to have smaller average grain sizes with slightly larger grain size distributions. This is in apparent contradiction with previous results in Al films, where improved stress-voiding and electromigration behavior were found in those films with the strongest (111 ) texture.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1996

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