• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2010.02a
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• pp.229-229
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• 2010

With the scaling down of ultra large integrated circuits (ULSI) to the sub-50 nm technology node, the need for an ultra-thin, continuous and conformal diffusion barrier and Cu seed layer is increasing. However, diffusion barrier and Cu seed layer formation with a physical vapor deposition (PVD) method has become difficult as the technology node is reduced to 30 nm and beyond. Recent work on self-forming barrier processes using PVD Cu alloys have attracted great attention due to the capability of conformal ultra-thin barrier formation using a simple technique. However, as in the case of the conventional barrier and Cu seed layer, PVD of the Cu alloy seed layer will eventually encounter the difficulty in conformal deposition in narrow line trenches and via holes. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) has been known for its good step coverage and precise thickness control, and is a candidate technique for the formation of a thin conformal barrier layer and Cu seed layer. Conformal Cu-Mn seed layers were deposited by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) at low temperature ($120^{\circ}C$), and the Mn content in the Cu-Mn alloys were controlled form 0 to approximately 10 atomic percent with various Mn precursor feeding times. Resistivity of the Cu-Mn alloy films decreased by annealing due to out-diffusion of Mn atoms. Out-diffused Mn atoms were segregated to the surface of the film and interface between a Cu-Mn alloy and $SiO_2$, resulting in self-formed $MnO_x$ and $MnSi_xO_y$, respectively. No inter-diffusion was observed between Cu and $SiO_2$ after annealing at $500^{\circ}C$ for 12 h, indicating an excellent diffusion barrier property of the $MnSi_xO_y$. The adhesion between Cu and $SiO_2$ was enhanced by the formation of $MnSi_xO_y$. Continuous and conductive Cu-Mn seed layers were deposited with PEALD into 32 nm $SiO_2$ trench, enabling a low temperature process, and the trench was perfectly filled using electrochemical plating (ECD) under conventional conditions. Thus, it is the resultant self-forming barrier process with PEALD Cu-Mn alloy film as a seed layer for plating Cu that has further potential to meet the requirement of the smaller than 30 nm node.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.225-228
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• 2017

In this study, zinc tin oxide (ZTO) films were prepared on indium tin oxide (ITO) glasses and annealed at different temperatures under vacuum to investigate the correlation between the Ohmic/Schottky contacts, electrical properties, and bonding structures with respect to the annealing temperatures. The ZTO film annealed at $150^{\circ}C$ exhibited an amorphous structure because of the electron-hole recombination effect, and the current of the ZTO film annealed at $150^{\circ}C$ was less than that of the other films because of the potential barrier effect at the Schottky contact. The drift current as charge carriers was similar to the leakage current in a transparent thin-film device, but the diffusion current related to the Schottky barrier leads to the decrease in the leakage current. The direction of the diffusion current was opposite to that of the drift current resulting in a two-fold enhancement of the cut-off effect of leakage drift current due to the diffusion current, and improved performance of the device with the Schottky barrier. Hence, the thin film with an amorphous structure easily becomes a Schottky contact.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.97-100
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• 2021

We report the effect of Standard Clean-1 (SC-1) cleaning to remove residual Ti layers after silicidation to prevent Al diffusion into Si wafer for Ti Schottky barrier diodes (Ti-SBD). Regardless of SC-1 cleaning, the presence of oxygen atoms is confirmed by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) depth profile analysis between Al and Ti-silicide layers. Al atoms at the interface of Ti-silicide and Si wafer are detected, when the SC-1 cleaning is not conducted after rapid thermal annealing. On the other hand, Al atoms are not found at the interface of Ti-SBD after executing SC-1 cleaning. Al diffusion into the interface between Ti-silicide and Si wafer may be caused by thermal stress at the Ti-silicide layer. The difference of the thermal expansion coefficients of Ti and Ti-silicide gives rise to thermal stress at the interface during the Al layer deposition and sintering processes. Although a longer sintering time is conducted for Ti-SBD, the Al atoms do not diffuse into the surface of the Si wafer. Therefore, the removal of the Ti layer by the SC-1 cleaning can prevent Al diffusion for Ti-SBD.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.169-177
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• 1995

The diffusion barrier property of 100-nm-thick titanium nitride (TiN) film between Cu and Si was investigated using sheet resistance measurements, etch-pit observation, x-ray diffractometry, Auger electron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The TiN barrier fails due to the formation of crystalline defects (dislocations) and precipitates (presumably Cu-silicides) in the Si substrate which result from the predominant in-diffusion of Cu through the TiN layer. In contrast with the case of Al, it is identified that the TiN barrier fails only the in-diffusion of Cu because there is no indication of Si pits in the Si substrate. In addition, it appears that the stuffing of TiN does not improve the diffusion barrier property in the Cu/TiN/Si structure. This indicates that in the case of Al, the chemical effect that impedes the diffusion of Al by the reaction of Al with $TiO_{2}$ which is present in the grain boundaries of TIN is very improtant. On the while, in the case of Cu, there is no chemical effect because Cu oxides, such as $Cu_{2}O$ or CuO, is thermodynamically unstable in comparison with $TiO_{2}$. For this reason, it is considered that the effect of stuffing of TiN on the diffusion barrier property is not significant in the Cu/ TiN/Si structure.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.109-110
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• 2005

We have suggested sputtered W-C-N thin film for preventing thermal budget between semiconductor and metal. These results show that the W-C-N thin film has good thermal stability and low resistivity. In this study we newly suggested sputtered W-B-C-N thin diffusion barrier. In order to improve the characteristics, we examined the impurity behaviors as a function of nitrogen gas flow ratio. This thin film is able to prevent the interdiffusion during high temperature (700 to $1000^{\circ}C$) annealing process and has low resistivity ($\sim$200$\mu{\Omega}-cm$). Through the analysis of X-Ray diffraction, resistivity and XPS, we studied structure behavior of W-B-C-N diffusion barrier.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.614-618
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• 2006

The thermal stability of Cu/Ti(or Ta)/NiSi contacts was investigated. Ti(Ta)-capping layers deposited to form NiSi was utilized as the Cu diffusion barrier. Ti(Ta)/NiSi contacts was thermally stable upto $600^{\circ}C$. However when Cu/Ti(Ta)/NiSi contacts were furnace-annealed at $300{\sim}400^{\circ}C$ for 40 min., the Cu diffusion was found to be effectively suppressed, but NiSi was dissociated and then Ni diffused into the Cu layer to form Cu-Ni solutions. On the other hand, the Ni diffusion did not occur for the Al/Ti/NiSi system. The thermal instability of Cu/Ti(Ta)/NiSi contacts was attributed to the high heat of solution of Ni in Cu.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.267-270
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• 2003

We have studied the interfacial diffusion phenomena and the role of ${\alpha}-Al_2O_3$ buffer layer as a diffusion barrier in the $Ba-ferrite/SiO_2$ magnetic thin films for high-density recording media. In the interface of amorphous Ba-ferrite ($1900-{\AA}-thick)/SiO_2$ thin film during annealing, the interfacial diffusion started to occur at ${\sim}700^{\circ}C$. As the annealing temperature increased up to $800^{\circ}C$, the interfacial diffusion abruptly proceeded resulting in the high interface roughness and the deterioration of the magnetic properties. In order to control the interfacial diffusion at the high temperature, we introduced ${\alpha}-Al_2O_3$ buffer layer ($110-{\AA}-thick$) in the interface of $Ba-ferrite/SiO_2$ thin film. During the annealing of $Ba-ferrite/{\alpha}-Al_2O_3/SiO_2$ thin film even at ${\sim}800^{\circ}C$, the interface was very smooth. The smooth interface of the film was also clearly shown by the cross-sectional FESEM. The magnetic properties, such as saturation magnetization 3nd intrinsic coercivity, were also enhanced, due to the inhibition of interfacial diffusion by the ${\alpha}-Al_2O_3$ buffer layer. Our study suggests that the ${\alpha}-Al_2O_3$ buffer layer act as a useful interfacial diffusion barrier in the $Ba-ferrite/SiO_2$ thin films.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2010.08a
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• pp.178-178
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• 2010

With the scaling down of ULSI(Ultra Large Scale Integration) circuit of CMOS(Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor)based electronic devices, the electronic devices become more faster and smaller size that are promising field of semiconductor market. However, very narrow line width has some disadvantages. For example, because of narrow line width, deposition of conformal and thin barrier is difficult. Besides, proportion of barrier width is large, thus resistance is high. Conventional PVD(Physical Vapor Deposition) thin films are not able to gain a good quality and conformal layer. Hence, in order to get over these side effects, deposition of thin layer used of ALD(Atomic Layer Deposition) is important factor. Furthermore, it is essential that copper atomic diffusion into dielectric layer such as silicon oxide and hafnium oxide. If copper line is not surrounded by diffusion barrier, it cause the leakage current and devices degradation. There are some possible methods for improving the these secondary effects. In this study, TaNx, is used of Tertiarybutylimido tris (ethylamethlamino) tantalum (TBITEMAT), was deposited on the 24nm sized trench silicon oxide/silicon bi-layer substrate with good step coverage and high quality film using plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD). And then copper was deposited on TaNx barrier using same deposition method. The thickness of TaNx was 4~5 nm. TaNx film was deposited the condition of under $300^{\circ}C$ and copper deposition temperature was under $120^{\circ}C$, and feeding time of TaNx and copper were 5 seconds and 5 seconds, relatively. Purge time of TaNx and copper films were 10 seconds and 6 seconds, relatively. XRD, TEM, AFM, I-V measurement(for testing leakage current and stability) were used to analyze this work. With this work, thin barrier layer(4~5nm) with deposited PEALD has good step coverage and good thermal stability. So the barrier properties of PEALD TaNx film are desirable for copper interconnection.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.503-508
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• 1999

We have investigated the physical and diffusion barrier property of Ti-Si-N film for Cu metallization. The ternary compound was deposited by using reactive rf magnetron sputtering of a TiSi$_2$target in an Ar/$N_2$gas mixture. Resistivities of the films were in range of 358$\mu$$\Omega$-cm, to 307941$\mu$$\Omega$-cm, and tended to increase with increasing the $N_2$/Ar flow rate ratio. The crystallization of the Ti-Si-N compound started to occur at 100$0^{\circ}C$ with the phases of TiN and Si$_3$N$_4$identified by using XRD(X-ray Diffractometer). The degree of the crystallization was influenced by the $N_2$/Ar flow ratio. The diffusion barrier property of Ti-Si-N film for Cu metallization was determined by AES, XRD and etch pit by secco etching, revealing the failure temperature of 90$0^{\circ}C$ in 43~45at% of nitrogen content. In addition, the very thin compound (10nm) with 43~45at% nitrogen content remained stable up to $700^{\circ}C$. Furthermore, thermal treatment in vacuum at $600^{\circ}C$ improved the barrier property of the Ti-Si-N film deposited at the $N_2$(Ar+$N_2$) ratio of 0.05. The addition of Ti interlayer between Ti-Si-N films caused the drastic decrease of the resistivity with slight degradation of diffusion barrier properties of the compound.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.159-166
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• 2011

Si-rich-layer-coated U-7 wt%Mo plates were prepared in order to evaluate the diffusion barrier performance of the Si-rich layer in U-Mo vs. Al interdiffusion. Pure Si powder was used for coating the U-Mo plates by annealing at $900^{\circ}C$ for 1 h under vacuum of approximately 1 Pa. Si-rich layers containing more than 60 at% of Si were formed on U-7 wt%Mo plates. Diffusion couple tests were conducted in a muffle furnace at $560-600^{\circ}C$ under vacuum using Si-rich-layer-coated U-Mo plates and pure Al plates. Diffusion couple tests using uncoated U-Mo plates and Al-(0, 2 or 5 wt%)Si plates were also conducted for comparison. Si-rich-layer coatings were more effective in suppressing the interaction during diffusion couple tests between coated U-Mo plate and Al, when compared with U-Mo vs. Al-Si diffusion couples, since only small amounts of Al in the coating could be found after the diffusion couple tests. Si-rich-layer-coated U-7wt%Mo particles were also prepared using the same technique for U-7 wt%Mo plates to observe the microsturctures of the coated particles.