Chemical vapor deposition of titanium-silicon-nitride films

Titanium-silicon-nitride films were grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. At temperatures between 300 and 450 degrees C, tetrakis(diethylamido)titanium, ammonia, and silane react to form films with average compositions near the TiN-Si3N4 tie line and low impurity contents (C<1.5 at. %, H between 5 and 15 at. %, with no other impurities present). The film resistivity is a strong function of Si content in the films, ranging continuously from 400 mu Ohm cm for pure TiN up to 1 Ohm cm for films with 25 at. % Si. Step coverages of approximately 75% on 0.35 mu m, 3:1 aspect ratio trenches, and 35%-40% on 0.1 mu m/10: 1 trenches are found for films with resistivities below 1000 mu Omega cm. These films are promising candidates for diffusion barriers in microelectronic applications. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.