Metal oxy-nitride resistance films and methods of making the same

Abstract

Film resistors, for example, thin film thermistors having a negative temperature coefficient (NTCR) or near-zero TCR electronics resistors, are formed of an alloy of both an electrically insulating oxide and an electrically conducting nitride of at least one metal selected from titanium, tantalum, zirconium, hafnium and niobium. The electrically insulating oxide of the at least one metal is preferably present in the film sufficient to impart a negative temperature coefficient of resistance to thermistors which include the film as a component part. Preferably, the metal is reactive with both an oxygen-containing gas and nitrogen and is deposited onto a substrate by reactive sputtering in the presence of an inert gas (e.g., argon). By controlling the volume ratio of the reactive gasses (e.g., the volume percent of the oxygen-containing gas in the nitrogen gas) and/or flow rate of the reactive gasses with all other parameters constant, the range of temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) can be "engineered" for a particular film resistor and can thus be usefully employed as thin film thermistors or near-zero TCR electronics resistors as desired.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.