Effects of hydrogen plasma pretreatment on characteristics of copper film deposited by remote plasma CVD using (hfac)Cu(TMVS)

The effects of remote hydrogen plasma pretreatment on the characteristics o f copper films prepared by remote plasma chemical vapor deposition (RPCVD) using copper(I) hexafluoroacetylacetonate trimethylvinylsilane [Cu(hfac)(TM VS)] were studied at a pressure of 1 torr, substrate temperature of 200 deg reesC, and plasma power of 100 W, When the remote hydrogen plasma pretreatm ent was employed, catalytic active points were observed on the surface of t he pre-deposited 500-Angstrom thick TiN substrate. These active points redu ced the incubation time required for the copper nucleation on the pre-depos ited TiN substrate. Enhanced copper nucleation rates were observed on the h ydrogen plasma pretreated TiN substrate owing to the high concentration of the reactive hydrogen species in the reaction zone, thereby enhancing the r eduction reaction and leading to improved copper qualities and increased nu cleation rates. The resistivity measurements of the films yielded film resi stivities in the range of approximately 2,1 +/- 0.1 mu Omega cm for most sa mples, (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.