orientation measurement of Al(111) planes in Al-Si-Cu interconnection layers by the image-plating glancing-angle x-ray diffraction method

The orientation of Al(111) planes in Al-Si-Cu interconnection layers is determined precisely by the image-plating glancing-angle X-ra diffraction measurement technique. Contrary to the results obtained by the conventional X-ray diffraction method, the Al(111) planes are tilted randomly at axial angles between 0 degrees and 16 degrees. A 50-nm thick layer has a large number of nuclei which were rich in Cu and has an average grain size of 0.12 mu m. Furthermore, the Al(111) planes are oriented parallel to the substrate surface. However, the grain size increased with increasing film thickness and reaches a grain size of 1.10 mu m. In addition, the Al(111) planes are determined to be tilted at random.