DC magnetron sputter‐deposited tungsten silicide films for microelectronic applications

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to share valuable information about metallization in microelectronic industries by implementing tungsten silicide (WSi) thin film materials. Design/methodology/approach -Direct current plasma magnetron sputtering technique was employed for the WSi film growth. Different sputtering parameters were investigated, and the WSi films were characterized using four-point probe electrical measurement method. Findings -The experimental results reveal that the sputtering parameters such as deposition pressure and substrate temperature exert significant influence on the electrical properties of the WSi films.Research limitations/implications -By tuning the sputtering parameters, the electrical properties of the WSi films can be optimized and the film resistivity can be reduced significantly. Practical implications -The investigation results presented in this paper are useful information for microelectronic industries in the area of microelectronic devices metallization. Originality/value -The fabrication method described in this paper allows fabricating low-resistivity WSi films by employing a lower deposition pressure and a lower substrate temperature.

Ultra-high purity tungsten and its applications

“…W-Ti and W-Si sputtering targets are used to deposit thin films in semiconductor device fabrications, which act as diffusion barriers between Al, Cu or Ag contact layers and Si substrates [5,6]. The purity level of sputtering targets has significant influence on the properties of the deposited layer.…”