Texture in multilayer metallization structures

Abstract

The effects of thin Ti, TiN, or Ti/TiN underlayers on the development of the crystallographic texture and the grain structure are explored. Metal layers ∼0.5 μm in thickness of Al‐0.5Cu or of Cu are deposited on these underlayers and on amorphous SiO₂ as a reference. A strongly textured underlayer such as Ti〈0002〉 or Ti〈0002〉/TiN〈111〉 induces a similarly strong 〈111〉 texture in the AlCu. In copper with 〈111〉, 〈200〉, and random texture components, an underlayer induces a stronger 〈111〉 component compared to an analogous film deposited on SiO₂. A nearly random texture in TiN significantly weakens the texture in subsequent metal films. Grain size distributions in all AlCu films are monomodal reflecting a process of normal grain growth. The grain size distribution for Cu sometimes deviates from lognormal. The bimodal distribution implies that grain growth is abnormal even though the median grain size does not exceed a low multiple of the film thickness.