Synthesis of tantalum nitride diffusion barriers for Cu metal by plasma immersion ion implantation

A Tantalum nitride diffusion barrier layer for copper metal was synthesized by Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation technique (PIII). Effect of nitrogen dose in Ta layer was investigated in improving its diffusion barrier properties. Silicon wafers coated with Ta were implanted with nitrogen at two different doses viz. 10$^{15}$ions/cm$^2$ and 10$^{17}$ions/cm$^2$ corresponding to low and high dose regime. High dose of implanted nitrogen ions in the film render it to become Ta(N), Thereafter a copper (Cu) layer was deposited on the samples to produce Cu/Ta(N)/Si structure. To evaluate the barrier properties of Ta(N) these samples were annealed up to 700$^\circ$C for 30 minutes. Sheet resistance, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) measurements were carried out to investigate the effect of annealing. Low dose implanted Ta layer does not show any change in its diffusion barrier properties, while high dose implanted layer stops the diffusion of Cu metal through it at annealing temperature of 700$^\circ$C .