EVALUATION OF PROPERTIES OF ALUMINUM FILMS DEPOSITED USING AN ULTRAHIGH-VACUUM SPUTTERING SYSTEM

To explore the effects of residual impurity gases, such as H2O vapor a nd N2 gas, in a sputtering environment on the crystallographic texture and grain sizes of Al-1%Si films, a quantitative study was carried ou t using an ultrahigh vacuum sputtering system. It was found that a sma ll increase in the amount of H2O vapor in a sputtering environment red uced the growth of Al-Si film toward a (111) texture and also suppress ed grain growth. In contrast, the residual N2 gas had no influence on the crystallographic texture of the Al-Si film up to an N2 partial pre ssure of 1.2 x 10(-3) Pa. These results indicate that a bakeable ultra high vacuum sputtering system with low-level residual H2O vapor is sui table for producing reliable aluminum interconnects.