Low resistance tungsten films on GaAs deposited by means of rapid thermal low pressure chemical vapor deposition

Abstract

Low resistance tungsten (W) films were deposited onto GaAs substrates by means of rapid thermal low pressure chemical vapor deposition (RT-LPCVD), using tungsten hexafluoride (WF6) gas reduced by hydrogen (H2). Deposition temperatures up to 550 °C for durations of up to 30 s were explored, resulting in deposition of relatively pure W films (containing less than 2% O2 and C). Post-deposition sintering of the layers led to significant reduction of the resistivity to values as low as 50 μΩ cm. The efficiency of the deposition improved upon increasing the H2 flow rate up to 1250 sccm resulting in a deposition rate of about 10 nm/s at a total chamber pressure of 3.5 Torr and temperature of 500 °C. The films appeared to be polycrystalline with a very fine grain structure, regardless of the deposition temperature with good morphology and underwent a limited reaction with the underlying GaAs substrates.