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Experimental investigation of fundamental film properties for Co1−xTix alloying films with different compositions (0 ≤ x≤1)

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Abstract

The aggressive shrinkage of contact size unfortunately leads to significant increase of interconnect resistance, especially the irreducible resistance of M0 and/or M1 where thick functional TiN/Ti barrier/liner bilayer occupies too much space of interconnecting metal. In this circumstance, the pursual of alternative barrier/liner working properly is becoming a hot spot. Amorphous Co–Ti alloying film is considered as an active single barrier/liner to replace conventional thick TiN/Ti bilayer structure, achieving lower resistance of interconnects. In this work, the dedicated material properties of Co–Ti films with various content of Ti (from pure Co to pure Ti) are investigated systematically. As-fabricated Co–Ti films were comprehensively characterized in terms of crystalline structure, sheet resistance, surface and interfacial morphology as well as composition using X-ray diffraction, four-probe measurement, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscopy in conjunction with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy respectively. Obtained results show that taking the low resistivity, thermal stability and Ti segregation at both Co/Co1−xTix and Co1−xTix/SiO2 interface after annealing at 500 °C/30 min into account, the amorphous Co0.75Ti0.25 film is the most proper composition as a single barrier/liner.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Key Project of Science and Technology of China under Grant 2017ZX02315001, the Opening Projects of Microelectronic Devices and Integrated Technology, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of CAS under Grant No. 2015097, which are all acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Microelectronic Devices & Integrated Technology, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, People’s Republic of China

    Dan Zhang, Chao Zhao, Jun Luo, Shujuan Mao, Guilei Wang, Jing Xu, Xue Luo, Junfeng Li, Yongliang Li, Wenwu Wang, Dapeng Chen & Tianchun Ye

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), Beijing, 100049, People’s Republic of China

    Dan Zhang, Chao Zhao, Jun Luo, Shujuan Mao, Xue Luo, Wenwu Wang & Tianchun Ye

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  1. Dan Zhang
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Correspondence to Jun Luo or Jing Xu.

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Zhang, D., Zhao, C., Luo, J. et al. Experimental investigation of fundamental film properties for Co1−xTix alloying films with different compositions (0 ≤ x≤1). J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 31, 105–114 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-019-01378-x

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