Diffusion barrier for use with high dielectric constant materials and electronic devices incorporating same

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 60/115,783 and 60/115,841, both filed Jan. 13, 1999, which provisional applications are incorporated by reference herein.

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] The present invention relates to diffusion barriers, and more particularly, to improved diffusion barriers for use with high dielectric constant materials.

[0005] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0006] High dielectric constant materials (∈_r>>∈_SiO2=3.9∈₀) have been widely studied as a replacement for silicon dioxide (SiO₂) and silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) in silicon-based electronic devices, such as capacitors in dynamic random access memories (DRAMs), radio frequency (RF) circuits, metal-oxide-metal (MOM) capacitors, and metal-oxide-silicon (MOS) transistors. (See, e.g., P. K. Roy and I. C. Kizilyalli, “Stacked High-∈ Gate Dielectric for Gigascale Integration of Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Technologies,” Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 72, No. 22, pp. 2835-2837 (Jun. 1, 1988), and I. C. Kizilyalli, et al., “MOS Transistors with Stacked SiO₂—Ta₂O₅—SiO₂Gate Dielectrics for Giga-Scale Integration of CMOS Technologies,” IEEE Electron Device Letters, Vol. 19, No. 11, pp. 423-425 (November 1998), both of which are incorporated by reference herein).

[0007] In particular, tantalum pentoxide (Ta₂O₅) has been proposed as an alternative to SiO₂with the advantage that it can be deposited by a low-temperature process (<500° C.). Generally, when manufacturing electronic devices incorporating Ta₂O₅, it may be advantageous to provide a titanium nitride (TiN) layer adjacent to the Ta₂O₅, for example, as a diffusion barrier or electrode, to form a Ta₂O₅/TiN structure. For example, a MOM capacitor could be formed from a layered stack of Al/TiN/Ta₂O₅/TiN/Ti. Likewise, a gate structure for an MOS transistor could be formed from a layered stack of Al/TiN/Ta₂O₅/SiO2/Si. It should be understood that many variations of the foregoing MOM capacitor and MOS transistor structures are well known in the art and the foregoing structures are meant to be illustrative and not limiting.

[0008] One problem associated with Ta₂O₅/TiN structures is that oxygen tends to migrate from the otherwise stable Ta₂O₅and diffuse into the TiN during heat treatments, especially in cases where the TiN is Ti-rich. In the case of Ta₂O₅/TiN/Ti structures, such as in a MOM capacitor, the oxygen diffuses into the Ti. This diffusion of oxygen tends to reduce the Ta₂O₅to elemental metal Ta. It has been found that this oxygen diffusion and reduction of Ta₂O₅can occur at temperatures as low as 400-600° C. This can be a serious problem when manufacturing electronic devices incorporating Ta₂O₅/TiN and Ta₂O₅/TiN/Ti structures as the resulting devices will have high leakage currents or will otherwise be inadequate or, in extreme cases, inoperable.

[0009] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a diffusion barrier that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

[0010] Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the diffusion barrier and method particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

[0011] To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposes of the invention, as embodied and broadly described, the invention provides an electronic device comprising a titanium nitride layer, a high dielectric constant material, and a diffusion barrier disposed between the titanium nitride layer and the high dielectric constant material to prevent the diffusion of oxygen from the high dielectric constant material to the titanium nitride layer.

[0012] To further achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposes of the invention, as embodied and broadly described, the invention also provides a metal-oxide-metal capacitor comprising a first interconnect layer, a first titanium nitride layer adjacent to the first interconnect layer, a first diffusion barrier adjacent to the first titanium nitride layer, a tantalum pentoxide layer adjacent to the first diffusion barrier, a second diffusion barrier adjacent to the tantalum pentoxide layer, a second titanium nitride layer adjacent to the second diffusion barrier, and a second interconnect layer adjacent to the second titanium nitride layer, wherein the first diffusion barrier prevents the diffusion of oxygen from the tantalum pentoxide layer into the first titanium nitride layer and the first titanium layer, and wherein the second diffusion barrier prevents the diffusion of oxygen from the tantalum pentoxide layer into the second titanium nitride layer.

[0013] To still further achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposes of the invention, as embodied and broadly described, the invention also provides a metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor having a gate structure, the gate structure comprising an interconnect layer, a titanium nitride layer adjacent to the interconnect layer, a diffusion barrier adjacent to the titanium nitride layer, a tantalum pentoxide layer adjacent to the diffusion barrier, and a gate insulator adjacent to the tantalum pentoxide layer, wherein the diffusion barrier prevents the diffusion of oxygen from the tantalum pentoxide layer into the titanium nitride layer.

[0014] To still even further achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposes of the invention, as embodied and broadly described, the invention also provides a diffusion barrier for preventing the diffusion of oxygen from a high dielectric constant material to a titanium nitride layer, the diffusion barrier comprising one or more layers, wherein each of the one or more layers comprises a material selected from the group consisting of metal carbide, metal nitride, metal boride, metal carbo-nitride, and silicon carbide.

[0015] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

[0016] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of the invention and, together with the written description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:

[0017] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a Ta₂O₅/diffusion barrier/TiN structure according to the present invention;

[0018] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an MOM capacitor according to the present invention; and

[0019] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an MOS transistor gate structure according to the present invention.

[0020] Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

[0021] A diffusion barrier for use with a Ta₂O₅/TiN structure according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 and is designated generally by reference numeral 100. As embodied herein, the diffusion barrier 100 is disposed between a Ta₂O₅layer 105 and a TiN layer 110 to prevent the diffusion of oxygen from the Ta₂O₅layer 105 to the TiN layer 110 and, therefore, prevent the reduction of the Ta₂O₅layer 105 to elemental metal Ta. In a preferred embodiment, the diffusion barrier 100 comprises one or more layers (in any combination), wherein each of the one or more layers comprises one of the following materials: metal carbide, metal nitride, metal boride, metal carbo-nitride, and silicon carbide. Thus, for example, the diffusion barrier 100 can comprise a single layer of metal carbide, a single layer of metal nitride, a single layer of metal boride, a single layer of metal carbo-nitride, or a single layer of silicon carbide. Alternatively, the diffusion barrier 100 can comprise two or more layers (in any combination), wherein each of the two or more layers is a single layer of metal carbide, a single layer of metal nitride, a single layer of metal boride, a single layer of metal carbo-nitride, or a single layer of silicon carbide.

[0022] It should be understand that the metal carbide can be any metal carbide, including but not limited to titanium carbide, tantalum carbide, zirconium carbide, molybdenum carbide, tungsten carbide, and chromium carbide. Further, it should be understood that the metal nitride can be any metal nitride, including but not limited to aluminum nitride, tungsten nitride, molybdenum nitride, zirconium nitride, and vanadium nitride. Still further, it should be understood that the metal boride can be any metal boride, including but not limited to titanium boride and zirconium boride. Preferably, any refractory metal can be used as the metal in each of the metal carbide, metal nitride, and metal boride.

[0023] Preferably, each layer of the diffusion barrier 100 has a thickness of about 10-50 Å. However, A thickness of about 10-200 Å, 50-1000 Å,or 200-300 Å is also acceptable. Further, the diffusion barrier 100 can be formed by any technique known to those skilled in the art, include physical and/or chemical vapor deposition. For example, in the case of sputtering nitrides, deposition of the diffusion barrier materials is preferably performed in a nitrogen-containing atmosphere. As another example, in the case of depositing tungsten nitride by chemical vapor deposition, deposition can be performed using tungsten carbonyl or tungsten hexoflouride as a precursor material.

[0024] It should be noted that use of metal carbide, metal nitride, metal boride, metal carbo-nitride, and/or silicon carbide as the diffusion barrier 100 material(s) has certain advantages over the use of other materials in terms of both the quality of the interfaces between the materials and the adjacent TiN layer 110 and, in the case of a multi-layer diffusion barrier 100, the quality of the interfaces between each of the layers that make up the diffusion barrier 100. For example, in the case of metal carbide, metal nitride, and metal boride, each has a cubic structure and therefore provides a low lattice misfit interface with the TiN layer 110, which also has a cubic structure (i.e., the diffusion barrier/TiN interface is substantially coherent). Furthermore, in the case of a metal carbide, metal nitride, and/or metal boride multi-layer diffusion barrier 100, the interface(s) between the multiple layers are also substantially coherent, again because each of the layers has a cubic structure.

[0025] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a MOM capacitor 200 including the diffusion barrier according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the MOM capacitor comprises a layered stack of Al/TiN/diffusion barrier/Ta₂O₅/diffusion barrier/TiN/Ti. In the MOM capacitor 200, the diffusion barrier 205 prevents the diffusion of oxygen from the Ta₂O₅layer 225 into the TiN layer 230, while the diffusion barrier 210 prevents the diffusion of oxygen from the Ta₂O₅layer 225 into the TiN layer 235 and the Ti layer 220. Again, the diffusion barriers 205 and 210 can have any of the configurations described above with regard to the diffusion barrier 100. Further, the diffusion barriers 205 and 210 need not have the same configurations. Still further, the Ti layer 220 and the Al layer 215, which serve as interconnect layers, can be replaced with other materials known to those skilled in the art for performing their respective functions. For example, the Ti layer 220 can be replaced with a tantalum or tantalum nitride layer, and the Al layer 215 can be replaced with a copper layer.

[0026] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of an MOS transistor gate structure 300 including the diffusion barrier according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the gate structure 300 comprises a layered stack (provided on a silicon substrate 305) of SiO₂/Ta₂O₅/diffusion barrier/TiN/Al. In the gate structure 300, the diffusion barrier 310 prevents the diffusion of oxygen from the Ta₂O₅layer 315 into the TiN layer 320. As in Example 1, the diffusion barrier 310 can have any of the configurations described above with regard to the diffusion barrier 100. Further, the SiO₂layer 325 and the Al layer 330, which serve as a gate insulator and interconnect layer, respectively, can be replaced with other materials known to those skilled in the art for performing their respective functions. For example, the SiO₂layer 325 can be replaced by a Ta₂O₅layer or a combination of a Ta₂O₅layer and an SiO₂layer. Alternatively, the Ta₂O₅layer 315 itself can serve as the gate insulator in which case the SiO₂layer 325 would not be present.

[0027] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. For example, although the diffusion barrier according to the present invention has been described for use with a Ta₂O₅/TiN structure, it is also useful as a diffusion barrier for a Ta2O5/TiN/Ti structure, as well as an X/TiN structure and an X/TiN/Ti structure, where X is any perkovskite-type high dielectric constant material, including but not limited to barium-based oxides, strontium-based oxides, lanthanum-based oxides, zirconium-based oxides, titanates of each of the foregoing oxides, and a combination of two or more of the foregoing. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.