Barrier Properties of Thin ZrNx Films Prepared by Radical-Assisted Surface Reaction

Abstract

We have prepared thin ZrNx films at low temperatures without substrate heating. In the proposed process, radical species generated by the catalytic decomposition of NH3 molecules react on the sputtered Zr film to form ZrNx. The barrier performance of the obtained 5-nm-thick ZrNx film is as good as that prepared by reactive sputtering at 350 °C, indicating the usefulness of the proposed method in forming ZrNx films at low temperatures. We have also demonstrated the general effectiveness of the method for ZrNx preparation in addition to the previous result of TiNx.