Ta(CN) films were thermally deposited at low temperature (≤400°C) using single source pentakis(diethylamido)tantalum (PDEAT) as a precursor. The activation energy of the surface reaction is about 0.79 eV and the maximum deposition rate obtained is about 100 Å/min at 350°C. The resistivity of the as-deposited film decreases as the deposition temperature increases and the minimum value of resistivity obtained is 6000 µ Ω-cm for the sample deposited at 400°C. There is no aging effect of the film resistivity after air exposure. Major chemical elements in the films are identified as Ta, C, and N with some amounts of O by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Most of the carbon elements in the film is identified as bonded to Ta by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The microstructural investigation using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) reveals a nanocrystalline phase with an average grain size of about 30 Å.

In this work, we studied the effect of N 2 /H 2 plasma post-treatment on the film properties of TiCl 4 -based CVD TiN films. The N 2 /H 2 plasma post-treatment was found to strongly affect the resistivity and chlorine content of the TiN films. This effect became profound for films deposited after lowering the deposition temperature. The resistivity and the content of chlorine in the deposits could be reduced by about 70% and 30%, respectively, via the plasma treatment. However, there was no distinguishable effect of plasma post-treatment on the crystal structure of the TiN films.