Hot Filament Assisted CVD of Titanium Nitride Films

Titanium nitride thin films have been deposited using a novel Hot Filament Chemical Vapor Deposition (HFCVD) technique. In this technique, a resistively heated tungsten wire (~1700°C) is used to decompose ammonia to obtain highly reactive nitrogen precursor species. This approach allows for low temperature deposition of nitride thin films. In the past, we have used this method to deposit good quality silicon and aluminum nitride films. Titanium nitride thin films have been deposited on Si(100) at substrate temperatures from 500°C to 600°C. These films were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) and scanning electron microscopy. The effects of deposition pressure, substrate temperature and titanium chloride flow rate on film properties have been studied. TiN films with resistivities as low as 80.0 μΩ-cm have been deposited. RBS analysis indicates that the films serve as excellent diffusion barriers for copper and aluminum metallization on silicon.