Effect of N2/H2 plasma treatment on the moisture adsorption of MOCVD–TiN films

In the application of contact glue layer for semiconductor devices, a nitrogen/hydrogen (N2/H2) plasma treatment is usually used to reduce the amount of C and O impurities of metallorganic chemical vapor deposition titanium nitride (MOCVD–TiN) films. This study found that the sheet resistance of as-deposited MOCVD–TiN film without N2/H2 plasma treatment dramatically increased with exposure time due to moisture adsorption. Increasing plasma treatment power and time was able to retard the increase in sheet resistance. From residue gas analysis at 200 °C, it was found that the amount of H2O outgases from the MOCVD–TiN films decreased with increasing plasma treatment power and time. TEM images reveal that the surface of the MOCVD–TiN films became compact as it received more plasma treatment energy, making it difficult for the external moisture to diffuse into and react with the MOCVD–TiN films.