Deposition and densification process for titanium nitride barrier layers

US7521379B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Applied Materials, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Amit Khandelwal · Cupertino, US
• Avgerinos V. Gelatos · Scotts Valley, US
• Christophe Marcadal · Sunnyvale, US
• Mei Chang · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 9, 2007
• Grant date: Apr 21, 2009
• Expiry date: Oct 30, 2027

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01L21/76862
• WIPO field: Semiconductors
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method for forming a titanium nitride barrier material on a substrate is provided which includes depositing a titanium nitride layer on the substrate by a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) process, and thereafter, densifying the titanium nitride layer by exposing the substrate to a plasma process. In one example, the MOCVD process and the densifying plasma process is repeated to form a barrier stack by depositing a second titanium nitride layer on the first titanium nitride layer. In another example, a third titanium nitride layer is deposited on the second titanium nitride layer. Subsequently, the method provides depositing a conductive material on the substrate and exposing the substrate to a annealing process. In one example, each titanium nitride layer may have a thickness of about 15 Å and the titanium nitride barrier stack may have a copper diffusion potential of less than about 5×1010 atoms/cm2.