NiCr thin film resistor integration with InP technology

Abstract

We present a study of nickel chromium (NiCr) thin film resistors deposited on InP substrate. In contrast to previously published work, the NiCr film resistance changes by a factor of 2.5 after temperature exposure to 250 • C in air. In order to explain this effect, XPS and SIMS tests were performed on NiCr films as-deposited and with temperature treatment. Annealed samples show strong in and out diffusion of Ni and In, respectively. Interfacial reactions were described explaining the severe resistivity decrease. As a solution, a SiN diffusion barrier between NiCr and InP is proposed and applied.

Fabrication and characterization of thin film Ni–Cr resistors on MMICs

“…Ni-Cr resistors offer specific points of interest for applications with extraordinary demand for high stability as well as low TCR-like chosen circuits for measuring hardware, information handling, media transmission, etc [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. In GaAs monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs), thin film metal resistors are promptly superseding semiconductor resistors where the resistive medium is a mesa etched or an ion implanted GaAs active layer.…”

“…Therefore, there is a limit on the maximum electric field (volts-per-unit-length) allowed in the resistor. This place a limitation on the GaAs resistors when they are used in designing a biasing network, particularly on the drain or collector biasing network where high voltage drop appears [7][8][9][10].…”

Compact chromium oxide thin film resistors for use in nanoscale quantum circuits

“…Since the 1960s, on-chip thin-film resistors have found applications in integrated circuits [1,2]. Materials such as NiCr [3,4], SiCr [5,6], TaN [7,8], and TiO [9] have all been used, fabricated by evaporation or sputter deposition. They provide room-temperature sheet resistances ranging from 10 Ω/ to 2000 Ω/ , but materials to provide higher sheet resistances are less commonly used, with W and Bi [10] being reported for this use.…”

Structural and electrical properties of CuAlMo thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering

“…Thin film resistors (TFR) are used extensively in electronic circuits due to their high 4 accuracy and excellent long term stability [1][2][3]. One of the most widely used TFR 5 materials is nickel-chromium (NiCr) which has a temperature coefficient of resistance for the purpose of saving battery power [5].…”