• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.267-270
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• 2003

We have studied the interfacial diffusion phenomena and the role of ${\alpha}-Al_2O_3$ buffer layer as a diffusion barrier in the $Ba-ferrite/SiO_2$ magnetic thin films for high-density recording media. In the interface of amorphous Ba-ferrite ($1900-{\AA}-thick)/SiO_2$ thin film during annealing, the interfacial diffusion started to occur at ${\sim}700^{\circ}C$. As the annealing temperature increased up to $800^{\circ}C$, the interfacial diffusion abruptly proceeded resulting in the high interface roughness and the deterioration of the magnetic properties. In order to control the interfacial diffusion at the high temperature, we introduced ${\alpha}-Al_2O_3$ buffer layer ($110-{\AA}-thick$) in the interface of $Ba-ferrite/SiO_2$ thin film. During the annealing of $Ba-ferrite/{\alpha}-Al_2O_3/SiO_2$ thin film even at ${\sim}800^{\circ}C$, the interface was very smooth. The smooth interface of the film was also clearly shown by the cross-sectional FESEM. The magnetic properties, such as saturation magnetization 3nd intrinsic coercivity, were also enhanced, due to the inhibition of interfacial diffusion by the ${\alpha}-Al_2O_3$ buffer layer. Our study suggests that the ${\alpha}-Al_2O_3$ buffer layer act as a useful interfacial diffusion barrier in the $Ba-ferrite/SiO_2$ thin films.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.283-286
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• 2006

We have studied the role of ${\alpha}-Al_{2}O_{3}$ buffer layer as a diffusion barrier in the Ba-ferrite/$SiO_{2}$ magnetic thin films for high-density recording media. In the interface of amorphous Ba-ferrite $(1900-{\AA}-thick)/SiO_{2}$ thin film during annealing, the interfacial diffusion started to occur at ${\sim}700^{\circ}C$. As the annealing temperature increased up to $800^{\circ}C$, the interfacial diffusion abruptly proceeded resulting in the high interface roughness and the deterioration of the magnetic properties. In order to control the interfacial diffusion at the high temperature, we introduced ${\alpha}-Al_{2}O_{3}$ buffer layer ($110-{\AA}-thick$) in the interface of Ba-ferrite/$SiO_{2}$ thin film. During the annealing of Ba-ferrite/${\alpha}-Al_{2}O_{3}/SiO_{2}$ thin film even at ${\sim}800^{\circ}C$, the interface was very smooth. The magnetic properties, such as saturation magnetization and intrinsic coercivity, were also enhanced, due to the inhibition of interfacial diffusion by the ${\alpha}-Al_{2}O_{3}$ buffer layer. Our study suggests that the ${\alpha}-Al_{2}O_{3}$ buffer layer act as a useful interfacial diffusion barrier in the Ba-ferrite/$SiO_{2}$ magnetic thin films.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.7-12
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• 2018

The effects of Ru deposition temperature and post-annealing conditions on the interfacial adhesion energies of atomic layer deposited (ALD) Ru diffusion barrier layer and Cu thin films for the advanced Cu interconnects applications were systematically investigated. The initial interfacial adhesion energies were 8.55, 9.37, $8.96J/m^2$ for the sample deposited at 225, 270, and $310^{\circ}C$, respectively, which are closely related to the similar microstructures and resistivities of Ru films for ALD Ru deposition temperature variations. And the interfacial adhesion energies showed the relatively stable high values over $7.59J/m^2$ until 250h during post-annealing at $200^{\circ}C$, while dramatically decreased to $1.40J/m^2$ after 500 h. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy Cu 2p peak separation analysis showed that there exists good correlation between the interfacial adhesion energy and the interfacial CuO formation. Therefore, ALD Ru seems to be a promising diffusion barrier candidate with reliable interfacial reliability for advanced Cu interconnects.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.49-55
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• 2016

The effects of post-annealing and temperature/humidity conditions on the interfacial adhesion energies of atomic layer deposited RuAlO diffusion barrier layer for Cu interconnects were systematically investigated. The initial interfacial adhesion energy measured by four-point bending test was $7.60J/m^2$. The interfacial adhesion energy decreased to $5.65J/m^2$ after 500 hrs at $85^{\circ}C$/85% T/H condition, while it increased to $24.05J/m^2$ after annealing at $200^{\circ}C$ for 500 hrs. The X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) analysis showed that delaminated interface was RuAlO/$SiO_2$ for as-bonded and T/H conditions, while it was Cu/RuAlO for post-annealing condition. XPS O1s peak separation results revealed that the effective generation of strong Al-O-Si bonds between $AlO_x$ and $SiO_2$ interface at optimum post-annealing conditions is responsible for enhanced interfacial adhesion energies between RuAlO/$SiO_2$ interface, which would lead to good electrical and mechanical reliabilities of atomic layer deposited RuAlO diffusion barrier for advanced Cu interconnects.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2008.06a
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• pp.239-240
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• 2008

As semiconductor devices are scaled down for better performance and more functionality, the Cu-based interconnects suffer from the increase of the resistivity of the Cu wires. The resistivity increase, which is attributed to the electron scattering from grain boundaries and interfaces, needs to be addressed in order to further scale down semiconductor devices [1]. The increase in the resistivity of the interconnect can be alleviated by increasing the grain size of electroplating (EP)-Cu or by modifying the Cu surface [1]. Another possible solution is to maximize the portion of the EP-Cu volume in the vias or damascene structures with the conformal diffusion barrier and seed layer by optimizing their deposition processes during Cu interconnect fabrication, which are currently ionized physical vapor deposition (IPVD)-based Ta/TaN bilayer and IPVD-Cu, respectively. The use of in-situ etching, during IPVD of the barrier or the seed layer, has been effective in enlarging the trench volume where the Cu is filled, resulting in improved reliability and performance of the Cu-based interconnect. However, the application of IPVD technology is expected to be limited eventually because of poor sidewall step coverage and the narrow top part of the damascene structures. Recently, Ru has been suggested as a diffusion barrier that is compatible with the direct plating of Cu [2-3]. A single-layer diffusion barrier for the direct plating of Cu is desirable to optimize the resistance of the Cu interconnects because it eliminates the Cu-seed layer. However, previous studies have shown that the Ru by itself is not a suitable diffusion barrier for Cu metallization [4-6]. Thus, the diffusion barrier performance of the Ru film should be improved in order for it to be successfully incorporated as a seed layer/barrier layer for the direct plating of Cu. The improvement of its barrier performance, by modifying the Ru microstructure from columnar to amorphous (by incorporating the N into Ru during PVD), has been previously reported [7]. Another approach for improving the barrier performance of the Ru film is to use Ru as a just seed layer and combine it with superior materials to function as a diffusion barrier against the Cu. A RulTaN bilayer prepared by PVD has recently been suggested as a seed layer/diffusion barrier for Cu. This bilayer was stable between the Cu and Si after annealing at $700^{\circ}C$ for I min [8]. Although these reports dealt with the possible applications of Ru for Cu metallization, cases where the Ru film was prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) have not been identified. These are important because of ALD's excellent conformality. In this study, a bilayer diffusion barrier of Ru/TaCN prepared by ALD was investigated. As the addition of the third element into the transition metal nitride disrupts the crystal lattice and leads to the formation of a stable ternary amorphous material, as indicated by Nicolet [9], ALD-TaCN is expected to improve the diffusion barrier performance of the ALD-Ru against Cu. Ru was deposited by a sequential supply of bis(ethylcyclopentadienyl)ruthenium [Ru$(EtCp)_2$] and $NH_3$plasma and TaCN by a sequential supply of $(NEt_2)_3Ta=Nbu^t$ (tert-butylimido-trisdiethylamido-tantalum, TBTDET) and $H_2$ plasma. Sheet resistance measurements, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) analysis showed that the bilayer diffusion barriers of ALD-Ru (12 nm)/ALD-TaCN (2 nm) and ALD-Ru (4nm)/ALD-TaCN (2 nm) prevented the Cu diffusion up to annealing temperatures of 600 and $550^{\circ}C$ for 30 min, respectively. This is found to be due to the excellent diffusion barrier performance of the ALD-TaCN film against the Cu, due to it having an amorphous structure. A 5-nm-thick ALD-TaCN film was even stable up to annealing at $650^{\circ}C$ between Cu and Si. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigation combined with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis revealed that the ALD-Ru/ALD-TaCN diffusion barrier failed by the Cu diffusion through the bilayer into the Si substrate. This is due to the ALD-TaCN interlayer preventing the interfacial reaction between the Ru and Si.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.160-165
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• 2000

We have investigated the electrical and diffusion barrier properties of MgO produced on the surface of Cu (Mg) alloy. Also the diffusion barrier property of the interfacial MgO between Cu alloy and $SiO_2$ has been examined. The results show that the $150\;{\AA}$-MgO layer on the surface remains stable up to $700^{\circ}C$, preventing the interdiffusion of C Cu and Si in Si/MgO/Cu(Mg) structure. It also has the breakdown voltage of 4.5V and leakage current density of $10^{-7}A/\textrm{cm}^2/$. In addition, the combined structure of $Si_3N4(100{\AA})/MgO(100{\AA})$ increases the breakdown voltage up to lOV and reduces the leakage current density to $8{\tiems}10^{-7}A/\textrm{cm}^2$. Furthermore, the interfacial MgO formed by the chemical reac­t tion of Mg and $SiO_2$ reduces the diffusion of copper into $SiO_2$ substrate. Consequently, Cu(Mg) alloy can be applied as a g gate electrode in TFT /LCDs, reducing the process steps.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.59-63
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• 2010

Immersion Sn plating was produced on Cu foil by distributing nano-sized diamonds (ND). The ND distributed on the coating surface broke the continuity of Sn-oxide layer, therefore leading to penetrate the molten solder through the oxide and retarding the wettability degradation during a reflow process. Furthermore, the ND in the Sn coating played a role of diffusion barrier for Sn atoms and decreased the growth rate of intermetallic compound ($Cu_6Sn_5$) layer during the solid-state aging. The study confirmed the importance of ND to improve the wettability and reliability of the Sn plating. Complete dispersion of the ND within the immersion Sn plating needs to be further developed for the electronic packaging applications.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.19-24
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• 2009

Formation of an adhesion/barrier layer and a seed layer by sputtering techniques followed by electroplating has been one of the most widely used methods for the filling of through-Si via (TSV) with high aspect ratio for 3-D packaging. In this research, the adhesion and diffusion-barrier properties of the $TaN_x$ film deposited by reactive sputtering were investigated. The adhesion strength between Cu film and $SiO_2$/Si substrate was quantitatively measured by $180^{\circ}$ peel test and topple test as a function of the composition of the adhesive $TaN_x$ film. As the nitrogen content increased in the adhesive $TaN_x$ film, the adhesion strength between Cu and $SiO_2$/Si substrate increased, which was attributed to the increased formation of interfacial compound layer with the nitrogen flow rate. We also examined the diffusion-barrier properties of the $TaN_x$ films against Cu diffusion and found that it was improved with increasing nitrogen content in the $TaN_x$ film up to N/Ta ratio of 1.4.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.12 no.S1
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• pp.40-45
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• 2003

Ru interfacial layer was inserted into Mo-on-Si interface to enhance the extreme ultra-violet (EUV) reflective multilayer properties. The stacking status and optical properties are analyzed using cross-sectional transmission electron microscope (TEM), and reflectometer. About 1.5% of maximum reflectivity can be acquired as predicted in optical simulation, which is thought to be originated from the diffusion inhibition property. Phase defect correctability of the multilayer can be enhanced by the insertion of Ru barrier layer.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2000.02a
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• pp.113-113
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• 2000

직접천이형 wide band gap(3.4eV) 반도체중의 하나인 GaN를 청색 및 자외선 laser diode, 고출력 전자장비 등으로 응용하기 위해서는 낮은 접합저항을 갖는 Ohmic contact이 선행되어야 한다. 그러나 만족할만한 p-type GaN의 Ohmic contact은 아직 실현되고 있지 못하며, 이는 GaN와 접합 금속과의 구체적인 반응의 연구를 필요로 한다. 본 연구에서 앞서 Pt, Pt, Ni등의 late transition metal을 p-GaN에 접합시킨 결과 이들은 접합 당시 비교적 평탄하나 후열 처리과정에서 비교적 낮은 온도에서 기판과 열팽창계수의 차이로 인하여 평탄성을 잃어버리면서 barrier height가 증가한다는 사실을 확인하였다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 이러한 열적 불안정성을 극복하기 위하여 Ni과 Pd를 차례로 증착하고 가열하면서 interfacial reaction, film morphology, Fermi level의 움직임을 monchromatic XPS(x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) 와 SAM(scanning Auger microscopy) 그리고 ex-situ AFM을 이용하여 밝히고자 하였다. 특히 후열처리에 의한 계면 반응에 수반되는 구성 금속원소 간의 합금현상과 금속 층의 평탄성이 밀접한 관계가 있다는 것을 확인하였다. 이러한 합금과정에서 나타나는 금속원소들의 중심 준위의 이동을 체계적으로 규명하기 위해서 Pd1-xNix와 Pd1-xGax 합금들의 표준시료를 arc melting method로 만들어 농도에 따른 금속원소들의 중심 준위의 이동을 측정하여, Pd/Ni/p-GaN 및 Ni/Pd/p-GaN 계에서 열처리 온도에 따른 interfacial reaction을 확인하였다. 그 결과 두 계가 상온에서 nitride 및 alloy를 형성하지 않고 고르게 증착되고, 열처리 온도를 40$0^{\circ}C$에서 $650^{\circ}C$까지 증가시킴에 따라 계면반응의 부산물인 metallic Ga은 증가하고 있으마 nitride는 여전히 형성되지 않는 것을 확인하였다. 증착당시 Ni이 계면에 있는 Pd/Ni/p-GaN의 경우에는 52$0^{\circ}C$까지의 열처리에 의하여 Ni과 Pd가 골고루 섞이고 그 평탄성도 유지되고 barier height의 변화도 없었다. 더 높은 $650^{\circ}C$ 가열에 의해서는 surface free energy가 작은 Ga의 활발한 편석 현상으로 인해 표면은 Ga이 풍부한 Pd-Ga의 합금층으로 덮이고, 동시에 작은 pinhole들이 발생하며 barrier height도 0.3eV 가량 증가하게 된다. 반면에 증착당시 Pd이 계면에 있는 Ni/Pd/p-GaN의 경우에는 40$0^{\circ}C$의 가열까지는 두 금속이 그들 계면에서부터 섞이나, 52$0^{\circ}C$의 가열에 의해 이미 barrier height가 0.2eV 가량 증가하기 시작하였다. 더 높은 $650^{\circ}C$가열에 의해서는 커다란 pinhole, 0.5eV 가량의 barrier height 증가, Pd clustering이 동시에 관찰되었다. 따라서 Ni과 Pd의 일함수는 물론 thermal expansion coefficient가 거의 같으며 surface free energy도 거의 일치한다는 점을 감안하면, 이렇게 뚜렷한 열적 안정성의 차이는 GaN와 contact metal과의 반응시작 온도(disruption onset temperature)의 차이에 기인함을 알 수 있었다. 즉 계면에서의 반응에 의해 편석되는 Ga에 의해 박막의 strain이 이완되면, pinhole 등의 박막결함이 줄어 들고, 이는 계면의 N의 out-diffusion을 방지하여 p-type GaN의 barrier height 증가를 막게 된다.