Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-995ml Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T19:19:31.422Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Deposition and Characteristics of Tantalum Nitride films by Plasma Assisted Atomic Layer Deposition as Cu Diffusion Barrier

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Kyoung-Il Na
Affiliation:
The School of Sensor Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, Korea
Se-Jong Park
Affiliation:
The School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, Korea
Woo-Cheol Jeong
Affiliation:
Comtesc Incorporated, Daegu, Korea
Se-Hoon Kim
Affiliation:
Comtesc Incorporated, Daegu, Korea
Sung-Eun Boo
Affiliation:
Comtesc Incorporated, Daegu, Korea
Nam-Jin Bae
Affiliation:
Comtesc Incorporated, Daegu, Korea
Jung-Hee Lee
Affiliation:
The School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, Korea
Get access

Abstract

For a diffusion barrier against Cu, tantalum nitride (TaN) films have been successfully deposited by both conventional thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) and plasma assisted atomic layer deposition (PAALD), using pentakis (ethylmethlyamino) tantalum (PEMAT) and ammonia (NH3) as precursors. The growth rate of PAALD TaN at substrate temperature 250° was slightly higher than that of ALD TaN (0.80 Å/cycle for PAALD and 0.75 Å/cycle for ALD). Density of TaN films deposited by PAALD was as high as 11.0 g/cm3, considerably higher compared to the value of 8.3 g/cm3 obtained by ALD. The N: Ta ratio for ALD TaN was 44: 37 in composition and the film contained approximately 8∼10 atomic % carbon and 11 atomic % oxygen impurities. On the other hand, the ratio for PAALD TaN layers was 47: 44 and the respective carbon and oxygen contents of TaN layers decreased to 3 atomic % and 4 atomic %. The stability of 10 nm-thick TaN films as a Cu diffusion barrier was tested through thermal annealing for 30 minutes in N2 ambient and characterized by XRD, which proves the PAALD deposited TaN film to maintain better barrier properties against Cu below 800°.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2003

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Takewaki, T., Kaihara, R., Ohmi, T. and Nitta, T.: Tech. Dig. Int. Electron Device Meet. (1995) pp. 253.Google Scholar
2. Zhang, D. H., Loh, S. W., Li, C. Y., Ieee Transactions on Device and Materials Reliability, VOL. 1, NO. 4, December 2001.Google Scholar
3. Suntola, T., Thin Solid Films 216, 8489, 1992.Google Scholar
4.JCPDS Number: 04-08360Google Scholar
5.JCPDS Number: 05-0667Google Scholar
6.JCPDS Number: 43-0952Google Scholar
7. Tech, W. H., Electronics Letters 7th, vol. 36, No. 25, December 2000.Google Scholar