Ternary nitride films with nano-crystalline grains (2 to 10nm) and ~90μΩcm resistivity were successfully prepared as a material applicable to a thin diffusion barrier of low electrical resistivity. In the Cu/TiZrN/Si contact system, a TiZrN film with ~10nm thickness was the barrier adequate to suppress the extremely small quantity of Cu penetration into the Si substrate upon annealing (600C, 1h) without significant structural change and solid-phase reaction. The observed stable nano-crystalline structure and chemically inert characteristic of TiZrN were the dominant features for the successful demonstration of high performance barrier properties of thin TiZrN films.

Diffusion Barrier Properties of Nano-Crystalline TiZrN Films in Cu/Si Contact Systems. M.B.Takeyama, T.Itoi, E.Aoyagi, A.Noya: Applied Surface Science, 2003, 216[1-4], 181-6