• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.17 no.9
• /
• pp.463-468
• /
• 2007

The interdiffusion characteristics of Cu-plug/Capping Layer/NiSi contacts were investigated. Capping layers were deposited on Ni/Si to form thermally-stable NiSi and then were utilized as diffusion barriers between Cu/NiSi contacts. Four different capping layers such as Ti, Ta, TiN, and TaN with varying thickness from 20 to 100 nm were employed. When Cu/NiSi contacts without barrier layers were furnace-annealed at $400^{\circ}C$ for 40 min., Cu diffused to the NiSi layer and formed $Cu_3Si$, and thus the NiSi layer was dissociated. But for Cu/Capping Layers/NiSi, the Cu diffusion was completely suppressed for all cases. But Ni was found to diffuse into the Cu layer to form the Cu-Ni(30at.%) solid solution, regardless of material and thickness of capping layers. The source of Ni was attributed to the unreacted Ni after the silicidation heat-treatment, and the excess Ni generated by the transformation of $Ni_2Si$ to NiSi during long furnace-annealing.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.15 no.5
• /
• pp.318-322
• /
• 2005

Ti-capped NiSi contacts were formed on $p^+/n$ junctions to improve the leakage problem and then Cu was deposited without removing the Ti-capping layer in an attempt to utilize as a diffusion barrier. The electrical characteristics of these $p^+/n$ diodes with Cu/Ti/NiSi electrodes were measured as a function of drive-in RTA(rapid-thermal annealing) and silicidation temperature and time. When drive-in annealed at $900^{\circ}C$, 10 sec. and silicided at $500^{\circ}C$, 100 sec., the diodes showed the most excellent I-V characteristics. Especially, the leakage current was $10^{-10}A$, much lower than reported data for diodes with NiSi contacts. However, when the $p^+/n$ diodes with Cu/Ti/NiSi contacts were furnace-annealed at $400^{\circ}C$ for 40 min., the leakage current increased by 4 orders. The FESEM and AES analysis revealed that the Ti-capping layer effectively prohibited the Cu diffusion, but was ineffective against the NiSi dissociation and consequent Ni diffusion.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.16 no.10
• /
• pp.614-618
• /
• 2006

The thermal stability of Cu/Ti(or Ta)/NiSi contacts was investigated. Ti(Ta)-capping layers deposited to form NiSi was utilized as the Cu diffusion barrier. Ti(Ta)/NiSi contacts was thermally stable upto $600^{\circ}C$. However when Cu/Ti(Ta)/NiSi contacts were furnace-annealed at $300{\sim}400^{\circ}C$ for 40 min., the Cu diffusion was found to be effectively suppressed, but NiSi was dissociated and then Ni diffused into the Cu layer to form Cu-Ni solutions. On the other hand, the Ni diffusion did not occur for the Al/Ti/NiSi system. The thermal instability of Cu/Ti(Ta)/NiSi contacts was attributed to the high heat of solution of Ni in Cu.