Electroless deposition of NiCrB diffusion barrier layer film for ULSI-Cu metallization

NiCrB films were deposited on Si substrates using electroless deposition as a diffusion barrier layer for Cu interconnections. Samples of the prepared NiCrB/SiO2/Si and NiCrB/Cu/NiCrB/SiO2/Si were annealed at temperatures ranging from 500 °C to 900 °C. The reaction mechanism of the electroless deposition of the NiCrB film, the failure temperature and the failure mechanism of the NiCrB diffusion barrier layer were investigated. The prepared samples were subjected to XRD, XPS, FPP and AFM to determine the phases, composition, sheet resistance and surface morphology of samples before and after annealing. The results of these analyses indicated that the failure temperature of the NiCrB barrier film was 900 °C and the failure mechanism led to crystallization and grain growth of the NiCrB barrier layer after high temperature annealing. It was found that this process caused Cu grains to reach Si substrate through the grain boundaries, and then the reaction between Cu and Si resulted in the formation of highly resistive Cu3Si.