An atomic-layer chemical vapor deposition (AL-CVD) system was used to depos
it TIN thin films on Si(100) and Si(lll) substrates by cyclic exposures of
TiCl4 and NH3. The growth rate was measured by using the number of depositi
on cycles, and the physical properties were compared with those of TIN film
s grown by using coventional deposition methods. To investigate the growth
mechanism, we suggest a growth model for TiN in order to calculate the grow
th rate per cycle with a Cerius program. The results of the calculation wit
h the model were compared with the experimental values for the TiN film dep
osited using the AL-CVD method. The stoichiometry of the TiN film was exami
ned by using Auger electron spectroscopy, and the chlorine and the oxygen i
mpurities were examined. The x-ray diffraction and the transmission electro
n microscopy results for the TiN film exhibited a strong (200) peak and a r
andomly oriented columnar microstructure. The electrical resistivity was fo
und to decrease with increasing deposition temperature. The densities of th
e TiN films measured by using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy were b
etween 4.2 g/cm(3) and 4.98 g/cm(3).