Structural analysis of TaWN ternary alloy film applicable to Cu orientation control

Abstract

Abstract We examine a structure/texture of a thin TaWN film applicable to the Cu(111) orientation by using automated crystal orientation mapping in transmission electron microscopy. The 5 nm thick TaWN film with an fcc-TaN structure shows (111) orientation in spite of being extremely thin. This orientation of the TaWN film results in highly-oriented growth of Cu (111), and also contributes to the increase in Cu grain size. Such structural features have useful that effectively prevent an increase in the resistance of the Cu interconnect.