Improvement of the (111) texture and microstructures of Cu films by pulsedlaser annealing

The improvement of the (1 1 1) texture and microstructure of Cu films on Ti N/Si and TiN/SiO2 substrates by pulsed KrF laser annealing as a function of the laser energy density, the deposition method of Cu films, and the orien tation of TiN substrates is studied. Upon annealing at an energy density be low 1.0 J cm(-2) the (1 1 1) texture of the evaporated Cu films increases w ith the energy density, whereas for the sputtered Cu films the (2 0 0) text ure is promoted. The higher oxygen concentration in the sputtered Cu films may be responsible for the degradation of the Cu(1 1 1) texture. The enhanc ement of the Cu(1 1 1) texture is more evident for (1 1 1)-oriented TiN sub strates than for (2 0 0)-oriented TiN substrates. The present study shows t hat pulsed laser annealing is superior to vacuum annealing in improving the (1 1 1) texture and microstructure of Cu films via the melt/solidification process. (C) 2000 Kluwer Academic Publishers.