Integrated circuit barrier structure
OwnerJames B. Kruger, S. Jeffrey Rosner +1inventors
InventorsJames B. Kruger, S. Jeffrey Rosner, Iton Wang
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Abstract
A barrier metal integrated circuit structure, including relatively thin, highly nitrided layers of TiW (i.e., TiW:N) straddling a central conductor layer, and in turn each being straddled by adjacent layers of relatively thick substantially un-nitrided TiW material, and a method for its fabrication including deposition of layers of TiW and TiW:N, the latter in a N.sub.2 dominated atmosphere and/or under backbias conditions effective for establishing at least a saturated level of nitrogen into the TiW:N, resulting in an effective barrier to migration of conductor materials from the conductor layer.
Claims6
An integrated circuit barrier structure comprising:
- a substrate;
- a first barrier layer disposed on the substrate, the first barrier layer comprising a transitional metal capable of forming a nitride compound;
- a second barrier layer disposed on the first barrier layer, the second barrier layer comprising the same transitional metal as the first barrier layer, the second barrier layer thinner than the first barrier layer;
- and
- nitrogen saturating the second barrier layer in a concentration exceeding that concentration which would be consumed in a nitride reaction with the transitional metal of the second barrier layer, the nitrogen defining a diffusion barrier that prevents diffusion through the barrier layers of a conductor material deposited on the second barrier layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.