FORMATION MECHANISM OF TIN BY REACTION OF TETRAKIS(DIMETHYLAMIDO)-TITANIUM WITH PLASMA-ACTIVATED NITROGEN

The metallorganic tetrakis(dimethylamido)-titanium [Ti(NMe(2))(4)] rea cts with electron cyclotron resonance plasma-activated nitrogen in the downstream region to form low resistivity crystalline TiN films at su bstrate temperatures as low as 100 degrees C. The ability to deposit t his refractory material at such low temperatures is indicative of a no nthermally activated process. Experiments with labeled nitrogen show t hat the nitrogen in the TiN films is derived almost exclusively from t he plasma gas. Chemical ionization mass spectrometry investigations of the gas mixture in the reactor using labeled nitrogen as the plasma g as reveal the formation of unlabeled amines and what we assign to be a three-membered metallacycle intermediate. The results show that the d imethylamido groups are substituted by plasma-activated nitrogen to fo rm pure TiN films. For the first time an almost complete substitution of the ligands on a metallorganic compound using plasma-activated spec ies has been demonstrated.