Layered TaSiN as an oxidation resistant electrically conductive barrier

TaSiN films deposited as layered TaN-SiN structures of various compositions have been examined for their oxidation resistant properties during anneali ng in oxygen at annealing conditions commonly used to prepare perovskite di electrics. The films have been characterized by Rutherford backscattering a nalysis (RBS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and electrical resistivity measurem ents. Films with less than 15 at.% Si showed some resistance to oxidation a fter annealing for 1 min at 650 degrees C but became fully oxidized after l onger anneals. Increasing the Si content up to 28 at.% increasingly improve d the oxidation resistance of the alloys to the point where the films resis ted complete oxidation for up to 5 min at 700 degrees C. For alloys with gr eater than 28 at.% Si, no oxidation could be detected by RES or electrical measurements for anneals up to 5 min at 700 degrees C. Furthermore, these h igh Si content alloys were still conductive with resistivities of near 1000 mu Omega cm. It was also found that TaSiN and lead lanthanum titanate (PLT ) interact strongly during annealing, and another nonoxidizing barrier meta l, such as Pt, is required between the two materials if TaSiN is to be used as an electrode/barrier with lead-based perovskites.