Plasma treatment of a titanium nitride film formed by chemical vapor deposition

A method of depositing a titanium nitride layer comprising the steps of:

• (a) forming a first titanium nitride layer upon a substrate inside a processing chamber using a thermal reaction between ammonia (NH3) and titanium tetrachloride TiCl14) at a first NH3:TiCl4 flow ratio of greater than about 20, within a pressure range of about 1.0 to about 50 torr and a temperature of less than about 600° C.;
• (b) forming a second titanium nitride layer upon said first titanium nitride layer of step (a) using a thermal reaction between NH3 and TiCl4 at a second NH3:TiCl4 flow ratio different from said first NH3:TiCl4 flow ratio used in said step (a);
• and
• (c) following said step (b), exposing said second titanium nitride layer to a plasma generated from a gas consisting of molecular hydrogen (H2), without removing said substrate from said processing chamber.

A method of forming a capacitor structure, comprising the steps of:

• (a) forming a first electrode upon a substrate;
• (b) forming an insulating layer upon said first electrode;
• (c) forming a titanium nitride layer upon said insulating layer using a thermal reaction between ammonia (NH3) and titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) at a pressure range of about 10 to about 50 torr and a temperature of less than about 600° C.;
• (d) exposing said titanium nitride layer formed in step (c) to a plasma generated from a gas consisting of molecular hydrogen (H2);
• and
• (e) forming a second electrode upon said titanium nitride layer after step (d).