U.S. Philips Corporation

Edwin T Swart

Robertus A Wolters

Andreas M Van Der Putten

Albertus G Dirks

A method of manufacturing semiconductor devices whereby first a Ti layer (8) and then a TiN layer (9) are deposited on slices of semiconductor material (20). The slices are placed on a support (30) one after the other in a deposition chamber (22), the support being positioned opposite a target of Ti (32) surrounded by an annular anode (31). Material is then sputtered off the target by means of a plasma (35) generated near the target. The plasma is generated in Ar during deposition of the Ti layer and in a gas mixture of Ar and N.sub.2 during deposition of the TiN layer. After the deposition of the TiN layer, before a next slice is placed in the chamber each time, the target is cleaned during an additional process step in that material is sputtered off the target by means of a plasma generated in Ar. The additional process step is ended the moment the target has regained a clean Ti surface again. It is achieved by this that an extra Ti layer comprising nitrogen is indeed deposited on the TiN layer during this additional process step, but that this is as thin as possible and accordingly contains as little free Ti as possible. Undesirable chemical reactions between free Ti and the conductive layers deposited on the layer comprising nitrogen are suppressed as much as possible thereby.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor devices each including a

A semiconductor device with a semiconductor body (1) whose surface (4) is provided with a barrier layer (8) of Ti.sub.x W.sub.1-x, with 0.1&lt;x&lt;0.3. The barrier layer (8) is used, for example, between contact zones (3) of silicon or metal silicides provided in the semiconductor body (1) and conductor tracks (9) of aluminium provided on the surface (4) with the purpose of counteracting chemical reactions between silicon and aluminium. According to the invention, the barrier layer (8) is so deposited that in this layer the distance between the (100) lattice faces of tungsten is greater than 2.25.ANG.. It is achieved in this way that the barrier layer (8) has equally good or even better barrier properties as/than a Ti.sub.x W.sub.1-x layer which has been exposed to air for a few days. It is found that, if the barrier layer (8) is deposited by means of a sputter deposition process, the distance between the (100) lattice faces of W is determined by the voltage applied to the sputter target during deposition.

Semiconductor device having a surface with a barrier layer of Ti.sub.x

A semiconductor device with a monocrystalline silicon body (1) is provided with a dielectric layer (2) with contact holes (3) through which the silicon body (1) is contacted with an aluminum metallization. To avoid undesirable separation of silicon, a discontinuous nucleus layer (5) of a metal nobler than silicon is formed on the silicon body (1) in the contact holes (3) preceding the provision of the metallization (4). Metals such as palladium and copper may be used to form the discontinuous layer.

Growing community of inventors

Eindhoven, Netherlands

Edwin T Swart