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Crystallization and failure behavior of Ta-TM (TM=Fe, Co) nanostructured/amorphous diffusion barriers for copper metallization

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Abstract

This work examined the thin-film properties and diffusion barrier behavior of sputtered Ta-TM (TM=Fe, Co) films, aiming at depositing a highly crystallization-resistant and conductive diffusion barrier film for Cu metallization. Four-point probe measurement, x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and a secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS) were used to examine the barrier properties. Structural examination indicated that intermetallic-compound-free amorphous Ta-TM films were obtained by magnetron sputtering, thus giving a resistivity of 146.82 µΩ-cm and 247.01 µΩ-cm for Ta0.5Fe0.5 and Ta0.5Co0.5 films, respectively. The Si/Ta0.5Fe0.5/Cu and Si/Ta0.5Co0.5/Cu stacked samples were observed to fail completely at temperature above 650°C and 700°C because of the formation of Cu3Si protrusions between silicon and the Ta-TM interface. Ta0.5Co0.5 is thus superior to Ta0.5Fe0.5 in preventing copper from diffusion. Highly thermally stabilized amorphous Ta-TM thin film can thus be potentially adopted as a diffusion barrier for Cu metallization.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Formosa University, 632, Yunlin, Taiwan

    J. S. Fang

  2. Graduate Institute of Electro-Optical and Material Science, National Formosa University, Taiwan

    J. S. Fang & T. P. Hsu

  3. Department of Material Science, Feng Chia University, 410, Taichung, Taiwan

    G. S. Chen

Authors
  1. J. S. Fang
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  2. T. P. Hsu
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  3. G. S. Chen
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Fang, J.S., Hsu, T.P. & Chen, G.S. Crystallization and failure behavior of Ta-TM (TM=Fe, Co) nanostructured/amorphous diffusion barriers for copper metallization. J. Electron. Mater. 35, 15–21 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-006-0178-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-006-0178-x

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