Abstract
Hybrid radical beam-pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of titanium nitride (TiN) has been demonstrated for the growth of Si barrier metal. A combination of PLD and nitrogen radical beam has grown high-quality TiN films on Si(100) substrate without silicidation at the interface between the TiN thin film and Si substrate. Additionally, silicidation was suppressed even at growth temperatures up to 900°C. Diffusion barrier characteristics of the grown film were examined by the deposition of aluminum (Al) thin films of about 400 nm thickness on the TiN grown films, followed by post-thermal treatment at 500°C for 30 min. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) analysis revealed that sharp interfaces of both Al/TiN and TiN/Si were maintained after the thermal treatment, indicating excellent properties of the TiN films as a Si barrier metal.