Method for fabricating a contact on a semiconductor substrate by depositing an aluminum oxide diffusion barrier layer

Abstract

Thin film structures comprising a layer of aluminum and a material having a tendency to interact with aluminum are separated by an intermediate layer of aluminum having a high aluminum oxide content. The intermediate layer prevents said interaction by acting as a diffusion barrier. Preferred embodiments are directed to silicon semiconductor metallization structures, including Schottky barrier contacts, which comprise a bottom layer of tantalum, or other transition metal, or a metal silicide in contact with a silicon substrate, an intermediate layer of aluminum having a high aluminum oxide content and a top layer of aluminum. The intermediate layer functions as a diffusion barrier between aluminum and the metal, metal silicide or silicon. The preferred embodiments of the invention also includes the process for forming such structures preferably comprising: depositing pure tantalum under high vacuum in evaporation apparatus, substituting aluminum for tantalum in the evaporation apparatus and bleeding-in water, air or oxygen to form the aluminum oxide-rich intermediate aluminum layer and then returning to the high vacuum to deposit pure aluminum. The invention is also applicable to FET or CCD structures where a diffusion barrier for aluminum is required.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.