Remote plasma-assisted metal organic chemical vapor deposition of tantalumnitride thin films with different radicals

Thin films of tantalum nitride have been deposited from remote plasma-assis ted metal organic chemical vapor deposition (RP-MOCVD) using the reaction o f pentakis-dimethyl-amino-tantalum (PDMATa) with different activated radica ls. Microstructures of deposited films measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) depend on the deposition tempera ture and the type of radicals. At temperatures below 300 degrees C, amorpho us films are obtained which are independent of the reacting species. On the other hand, at higher deposition temperatures, (Ill)-preferred cubic TaN f ilms are obtained when they react with ammonia plasma. while the reaction w ith hydrogen plasma produces amorphous films. All amorphous films obtained are recrystallized at an annealing temperature of 1000 degrees C in an oxyg en-containing (10%) ambient, showing (111) TaN, bcc Ta, and signals of orth orhombic Ta2O5. from detailed studies of film composition and chemical band ing in the obtained films, the impurity incorporation, especially carbon, i s responsible for the dependence of film microstructures on different depos ition conditions.