MOCVD of Cr3 ( C , N ) 2 and CrSixCy Films: II. Properties as Conducting Cu Diffusion Barriers

Abstract

Properties as conducting diffusion barrier against Cu of two types of original Cr-based thin films grown by low-pressure metallorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on Si(100) and patterned substrates were investigated. Amorphous as-deposited and layers were deposited using and , respectively, as single-source precursor in the low-temperature range and . Then Cu films were grown on top of these barrier by low-pressure MOCVD using as molecular precursor. These structures were annealed under various conditions and they were thoroughly characterized in order to analyze the failure mechanism of the barrier. The barrier fails at due to the crystallization of the ternary compound . The barrier is more thermally stable and the failure temperature was found in the range due to Cu diffusion through the barrier and the formation of . The behavior of these two barriers is compared and their performances are discussed with literature data.