Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Secondary ion mass spectrometry study of the formation of a nanometer oxide film on a titanium nitride surface

  • Published:
Russian Microelectronics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Using secondary ion mass spectrometry, we investigate the oxidation of titanium nitride films fabricated by reactive magnetron sputtering under specific conditions of burning plasma in the argon and oxygen mixture in a vacuum chamber of a magnetron sputtering facility at annealing temperatures ranging from 350 to 440°С and times ranging from 2 to 11 min. It is shown that the oxidation is activated by the plasma, while thermal activation plays a secondary role. The oxide layer consists of the TiO2 layer and (3–5)-nm-thick intermediate layer between it and the bulk of titanium nitride, which is homogeneous over the sample surface and enriched with oxygen-containing complexes. The titanium dioxide layer thickness lies within 2–3.5 nm and depends on the annealing conditions. The effect of different factors on the layer thicknesses is investigated. The expression is obtained that satisfactorily describes the dependence of the TiO2 layer thickness on annealing temperature and time.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Wittmer, M., Noser, J., and Melchior, H., Oxidation kinetics of TiN thin films, J. Appl. Phys., 1981, vol. 52, no. 11, pp. 6659–6664.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Suni, I., Sigurd, D., Ho, K.T., and Nicolet, M.-A., Thermal oxidation of reactively sputtered titanium nitride and hafnium nitride films, J. Electrochem. Soc.: Solid-State Sci. Technol., 1983, vol. 130, no. 5, pp. 1210–1214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Saha, N.C. and Tompkins, N.G., Titanium nitride oxidation chemistry: an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study, J. Appl. Phys., 1992, vol. 72, pp. 3072–3078.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Lu, F.-H. and Chen, H.-Y., XPS analyses of TiN films on Cu substrates after annealing in the controlled atmosphere, Thin Solid Films, 1999, vols. 355–356, pp. 374–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Logothetidis, S., Meletis, E.I., Stergioudis, G., and Adjaottor, A.A., Room temperature oxidation behavior of TiN thin films, Thin Solid Films, 1999, vol. 338, pp. 304–313.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Yin, Y., Hang, L., Zhang, S., and Bui, X.L., Thermal oxidation properties of titanium nitride and titaniumaluminum nitride materials—a perspective for high temperature air-stable solar selective absorber applications, Thin Solid Films, 2007, vol. 515, pp. 2829–2832.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Van Bui, H., Groenland, A.W., Aarnink, A.A.I., Wolters, R.A.M., Schmitz, J., and Kovalgin, A.Y., Growth kinetics and oxidation mechanism of ALD TiN thin films monitored by in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry, J. Electrochem. Soc., 2011, vol. 158, no. 3, pp. H214–H220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Mordvintsev, V.M. and Kudryavtsev, S.E., Investigation of electrical characteristics of memory cells based on self-forming conducting nanostructures in a form of the TiN–SiO2–W open sandwich structure, Russ. Microelectron., 2013, vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 68–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Mordvintsev, V.M., Kudryavtsev, S.E., and Levin, V.L., Electroforming as a process in the self-formation of conducting nanostructures for the nonvolatile electrically reprogrammable memory elements, Nanotechnol. Russ., 2009, vol. 4, nos. 1–2, pp. 121–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Lukin, O.V. and Magunov, A.N., Determination of the instant of etching completion by a calorimetric method, Russ. Microelectron., 1998, vol. 27, no. 6, pp. 378–385.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Groenland, A.W., Brunets, I., Boogaard, A., Aarnink, A.A.I., Kovalgin, A.Y., and Schmitz, J., Thermal and plasma-enhanced oxidation of ALD TiN, in Proceeding of 11th Annual Workshop on Semiconductor Advances for Future Electronics and Sensors, Netherlands: Veldhaven, 2008, pp. 468–471.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Hauffe, K., Reaktionen in und an festen Stoffen (Reactions in Solids and Their Surfaces), Berlin: Springer, 1962, Pt. 1.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Physics and Technology, Yaroslavl’ Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yaroslavl’, 150007, Russia

    V. M. Mordvintsev, V. V. Naumov & S. G. Simakin

Authors
  1. V. M. Mordvintsev
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. V. V. Naumov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S. G. Simakin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to V. M. Mordvintsev.

Additional information

Original Russian Text © V.M. Mordvintsev, V.V. Naumov, S.G. Simakin, 2016, published in Mikroelektronika, 2016, Vol. 45, No. 4, pp. 258–272.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mordvintsev, V.M., Naumov, V.V. & Simakin, S.G. Secondary ion mass spectrometry study of the formation of a nanometer oxide film on a titanium nitride surface. Russ Microelectron 45, 242–255 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063739716040065

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063739716040065

Search

Navigation