Interdiffusion Barrier Research Articles

Study of molybdenum-aluminum interdiffusion kinetics and contact resistance for VLSI applications

Interdiffusion barrier characteristics of molybdenum thin film with aluminum-1% Si is studied between 733 and 763 K via sheet and contact resistance measurements, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and x-ray diffraction analysis. The results indicate that thermal annealing of Mo/Al-1% Si thin film couples leads to MoAl12 compound formation initially as a nonplanar front, but extensive annealing results in complete transformation of Al-1% Si to MoAl12 and a significant increase in contact resistance. The interdiffusion kinetics is diffusion controlled and shows parabolic time dependence, incubation periods, and extremely high activation energy value of 5.9 eV. The incubation periods and an high activation energy values are explained by the presence of silicon precipitates at the Mo/Al-1% Si interface. Implications of these observations to VLSI device characteristics are discussed and a safe time-temperature processing regime is proposed.

Progress of the physics of solids

A binary Fe–30 wt.%Cr alloy and corresponding ternary alloys containing manganese, molybdenum or tungsten were studied with respect to σ-phase formation at 650 °C. Although even after 3000 h exposure complete equilibration was not attained, the presence of tungsten and especially molybdenum was found to promote σ-phase formation. More extensive σ-phase formation was observed in the tungsten and especially in the molybdenum-containing alloys than in the binary and manganese-containing alloy. Apparently the bulk free energy decrease driving the nucleation of σ-phase is substantially larger when tungsten or molybdenum are present in the alloy.The presence of a nickel layer, to simulate the contact between ferritic steel interconnects and nickel mesh in a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) results in the formation of an austenitic zone and in accelerated formation of a σ-phase rich layer at the ferrite/austenite interface, due to interdiffusion processes. This interface acts as a highly efficient heterogeneity for the nucleation of σ-phase. The nucleation is enhanced by an increased Cr/Fe-ratio at that interface. Several possible modes for the growth of the σ layer were identified but the available experimental data were not sufficient to distinguish among these. The σ-rich layer, which appears to act as an interdiffusion barrier, is thicker in the case of the binary Fe–Cr and the Fe–Cr–Mn alloy than for the molybdenum- or tungsten-rich alloys.The results show that the stability range of σ-phase is larger than indicated by the presently used thermodynamic data bases.