A comparison of C54-TiSi₂ formation in blanket and submicron gate structures using in situ x-ray diffraction during rapid thermal annealing

Abstract

We demonstrate the use of a synchrotron radiation source for in situ x-ray diffraction analysis during rapid thermal annealing (RTA) of 0.35 fim Salicide (self-aligned silicide) and 0.4 /nm Polycide (silicided polysilicon) TiSi2 Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) gate structures. It is shown that the transformation from the C49 to C54 phase of TiSi2 occurs at higher temperatures in submicron gate structures than in unpatterned blanket films. In addition, the C54 that forms in submicron structures is (040) oriented, while the C54 that forms in unpatterned Salicide films is randomly oriented. Although the preferred oreintation of the initial C49 phase was different in the Salicide and Polycide gate structures, the final orientation of the C54 phase formed was the same. An incomplete conversion of C49 into C54-TiSi2 during the RTA of Polycide gate structures was observed and is attributed to the retarding effects of phosphorus on the transition.

Synchrotron X-ray scattering techniques for microelectronics-related materials studies

“…A unique chamber and "furnace" have been designed that can ramp small samples up in temperature to 1200ЊC at a rate of Յ35ЊC/s in vacuum or an inert atmosphere [30]. A unique chamber and "furnace" have been designed that can ramp small samples up in temperature to 1200ЊC at a rate of Յ35ЊC/s in vacuum or an inert atmosphere [30].…”

Rapid thermal processing chamber for in-situ x-ray diffraction

“…Up to now, there has been no capability for in-situ characterization during RTP with heating rates as high as 100 • C s −1 , as commonly applied in industry practice, and previous technologies have not allowed simultaneous recording of diffraction data with time resolution of the order of 100 ms. Beamline X20C at the National Synchrotron Light Source (not presently operational) was equipped with a RTP tool, which could heat at <35 • C s −1 up to a maximum temperature of 1100 • C. 12 This instrument has proven particularly useful to gain important insights to better understand silicide formation for electronic applications. However, the chamber volume is large and cannot be used to process materials with volatile components, such as CuInGa(S,Se) 2 (CIGS) and Cu 2 ZnSn(S,Se) 4 (CZTS).…”

Applications of Synchrotron X-Rays in Microelectronics Industry Research

“…X20A has a standard four-circle Huber diffractometer, or can be configured for microbeam diffraction. X20C also has a standard Huber diffractometer, which can be configured for time-resolved diffraction with a special chamber and fast linear detector [5].…”