Properties of titanium nitride film deposited by ionized metal plasma source

Ionized metal plasma (IMP) deposition utilizes an inductively coupled plasma to ionize sputtered metal atoms. The resulting metal ions are then accelerated towards the substrate by applying bias to the substrate. The flux and energy of these ions can be controlled independently. Thus, formation of titanium nitride (TIN) with an IMP source allows for better control of TIN film properties than with conventional de magnetron sputtering. Ion bombardment energy at: substrate has a significant effect on grain size and on the crystallographic orientation. The variation of TiN resistivity with substrate bias can be explained in terms of grain size, film density, and randomness of the crystal structure. Also, ion flux to Ti flux at the substrate is calculated which has an impact on the crystal orientation. Diffusion tests between TiN and Al/Cu alloy are consistent with film density and crystallographic properties. The resistivity nonuniformity of the TiN film can be correlated with the ion flux nonuniformity as measured by a Langmuir probe. (C) 1999 American Vacuum Society. [S0734-211X(99)07002-X].