OXIDATION-KINETICS OF TIN LAYERS - EXPOSED AND BENEATH PT THIN-FILMS

Oxidation kinetics are reported for thin films of TiN, both directly e xposed to a dry oxygen ambient and beneath polycrystalline Pt films of similar to 100 nm thickness. Oxygen resonance backscattering spectrom etry was used to detect thin oxide layers at the Pt/TiN interface prod uced by oxidation annealing at 550-650 degrees C. A linear oxidation r ate law was observed for the buried TiN film, indicating the oxidation rate is independent of average titanium oxide thickness. The linear r ate constant had an activation enthalpy of 2.4+/-0.1 eV. (C) 1997 Amer ican Institute of Physics.