Effect of H2 and N2 in the remote plasma enhanced metal organic chemical vapor deposition of TiN from tetrakis-diethyl-amido-titanium

Abstract

The effect of H2 and N2 in the plasma in the remote plasma enhanced metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) of TiN from tetrakis-diethyl-amido-titanium (TDEAT) was studied. The growth rate with H2 in the plasma is about four times higher than that with N2 in the plasma and both processes required similar activation energies, 9.70 and 9.33 kcal/mol, respectively. Carbon was incorporated as TiC and hydrocarbons in the TiN film and the fraction of carbon as TiC phase was higher using H2 plasma. The film deposited with H2 in the plasma had a lower resistivity due to the lower level of carbon incorporation in the film. The surface of the film deposited with N2 in the plasma was rougher. It was believed that hydrogen radicals reacted with nitrogen atoms in TDEAT and produced Ti-rich film with lower carbon contents while nitrogen radicals produced films containing much more hydrocarbon.