Properties of thermally annealed ruthenium thin films grown on seed layers in a low-temperature selective deposition region

Resistivity and surface morphology of Ru films have been investigated after Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP) at 400-700 °C and conventional long-time anneal (LTA) at 300-500 °C. Films were grown on sub-nanometer-thick Pt-Pd alloy seed layer in a surface selective growth region at 110-185 °С using tricarbonyl{η4-cyclohexa-1,3-diene}ruthenium, ammonia, nitrous oxide, hydrogen, and pulsed chemical vapor deposition conditions. Film morphology was stable up to 600 °C RTP, revealing surface agglomerates at 700 °C. The resistivity dropped to stable values after ∼10 min of LTA, revealing film shrinkage up to 50% and cracks at 1 h of 300-500 °C LTA. Both anneal types produced Ru film resistivity ∼⩽40 μΩ cm.