Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-42gr6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T04:34:45.507Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

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
Get access

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

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. Cullity, B.D., Elements of X-RAY Diffraction, 2nd ed. (Philippines: Addison-Wesley, 1978).Google Scholar
2. Knorr, D.B., Tracy, D.P. and Rodbell, K.P., “Correlation of texture with electromigration behavior in aluminum metallization“, Appl. Phys. Letters 59, 3241 (1991).Google Scholar
3. Knorr, D.B., “The role of texture on the reliability of aluminum-based interconnects”, (Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 309, Pittsburgh, PA 1993), p. 75.Google Scholar
4. Tracy, D.P., Knorr, D.B. and Rodbell, K.P., “Texture in multilayer metallization structures”, J. Appl Phys. 76, 2671 (1994).Google Scholar
5. Onoda, H., Kageyama, M. and Hashimoto, K., “AI-Si crystallographic-orientation transition in AI-Si/TiN layered structures and electromigration performance as interconnects”. J. Appl. Phys. 77, 885 (1995).Google Scholar
6. Tsukada, M. and Ohfuji, S., “Structural inheritance from polycrystalline underlayers in the growth of double-layered aluminum films”, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 11, 326 (1993).Google Scholar
7. Kamijo, A. and Mitsuzuka, T., “A highly oriented Al (111) texture developed on ultrathin metal layers”, J. Appl. Phys. 77, 3799 (1995).Google Scholar
8. Kondo, S., Deguchi, O. and Hinode, K., “Effects of grain size and preferred orientation on the electromigration lifetime of Al-based layered metallization”, J. Appl. Phys. 78, 6534 (1995).Google Scholar
9. Toyoda, H., Kawanoue, T., Hasunuma, M., Kaneko, H. and Miyauchi, M., “Improvement in the electromigration lifetime using hyper-textured aluminum formed on amorphous tantalumaluminum underlayer“, Proceedings of the IEEE International Reliability Physics Symposium, 1994, p.178.Google Scholar
10. Vaidya, S. and Sinha, A.K., Thin Solid Films 75, 253 (1991).Google Scholar
11. Hoshino, K. and Sugano, Y., “Hyper (111 )-textured Al interconnects by reflowed Al on the CVD-TiN/CVD-Ti film”, Proceedings of the 12th International VLSI Multilevel Interconnection Conference, 1995, p.589.Google Scholar
12. Onoda, H., Touchi, K. and Hashimoto, K., “Effects of insulator surface roughness on Al-alloy film crystallographic orientation in Al-alloy/Ti/insulator structure”, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 34, L1037 (1995).Google Scholar
13. Hurd, J.L., Rodbell, K.P., Knorr, D.B. and Koligman, N.L., “Local texture and electromigration in fine line microelectronic aluminum metallization“, (Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 343, Pittsburgh, PA 1994), p. 653.Google Scholar
14. Troost, K.Z. and Slangen, M.H.J., “EBSP studies in microelectronics”, European Microscopy and Analysis 9,17 (1993).Google Scholar
15. Kordic, S., Wolters, R A M. and Troost, K.Z., “Correlation between stress voiding of AI(Si)(Cu) metallizations and crystal orientation of aluminum grains”, J. Appl. Phys. 74, 5391 (1993).Google Scholar
16. Dingley, D.J., “A comparison of diffraction techniques for the SEM”, Scanning Electron Microscopy IV, 273 (1981).Google Scholar
17. MacKenzie, J.K. and Thomson, M.J., “Some statistics associated with the random disorientation of cubes”, Biometrika 45, 229 (1958). 625Google Scholar
18. Brandon, D.G., Acta Metallurgica 14, 1479 (1966).Google Scholar
19. Wright, S.I., “Automatic indexing of EBSD patterns”, Proceedings of the Microscopy Society of America, 1994, p.598.Google Scholar
20. Garbacz, A. and Grabski, M.W., “The relationship between texture and CSL boundaries distribution in polycrystalline materials - I1”, Acta Metall. Mater. 41, 475 (1993).Google Scholar
21. Lee, K.T., Szpunar, J.A., Morawiec, A., Knorr, D.B. and Rodbell, K.P., “Correlation between coincidence site lattice (CSL) boundaries and electromigration behavior of aluminum thin films”, Canadian Metallurgical Quarterly 34, 287 (1995).Google Scholar
22. Mitsuzuka, T., “Highly preferred (111) texture in Al films deposited on ultrathin metal underlayers”, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 31, L1280 (1992).Google Scholar
23. Schwarzer, R.A and Gerth, D., “The effect of grain orientation on the relaxation of thermomechanical stress and hillock growth in Al- 1%Si conductor layers on silicon substrates”, J. Elect. Mat. 22, 607 (1993).Google Scholar
24. Hu, C.-K., Rodbell, K.P., Sullivan, T., Lee, K.Y., and Bouldin, D.P., “Reliability of fine metal lines”, J. IBM Research and Development 39, 465 (1995).Google Scholar