Deposition of TiN using tetrakis(dimethylamido)-titanium in an electron-cyclotron-resonance plasma process

• Published in: Applied physics letters 1993-07, Vol.63 (3), p.325-327
• Main Authors: WEBER, A, NIKULSKI, R, KLAGES, C.-P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chemical vapor deposition (including plasma-enhanced cvd, mocvd, etc.); Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures; Electronic transport phenomena in thin films and low-dimensional structures; Exact sciences and technology; Low-field transport and mobility; piezoresistance; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Physics
• ISSN: 0003-6951; 1077-3118
• DOI: 10.1063/1.110059

High-quality TiN layers were deposited in an electron-cyclotron-resonance (ECR) plasma process at substrate temperatures between 350 and 600 °C. Tetrakis(dimethylamido)-titanium [Ti(NMe2)4] was used as precursor and introduced into the downstream region of an ECR nitrogen plasma. The electrical properties of the gold-colored TiN layers (45–100 μΩ cm) depend on the deposition rate, the substrate temperature, the microwave (MW) power, and the plasma gas composition. TiN with a resistivity of 45 μΩ cm could be obtained at a substrate temperature of 600 °C and a MW power of 400 W. The measured resistivities are so far the best reported values obtained by using a metalorganic precursor for TiN deposition. The deposits were characterized by resistivity measurements and electron probe microanalysis for chemical analysis. The morphology and step coverage was checked by atomic force and scanning electron microscopy.