Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

The plasma oxidation of titanium thin films to form dielectric layers

Journal Article · · Journal of Applied Physics; (USA)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.344290· OSTI ID:5485428
; ; ;  [1]
  1. Philips Components Southampton, Millbrook Trading Estate, Southampton, Hampshire SO9 7BH, United Kingdom (GB)

A remote indicatively coupled radio frequency plasma has been used to oxidize titanium thin films evaporated onto silicon substartes. The substrate was heated during oxidation to temperatures between 200 and 500 {degree}C using a resistively heated furance. Titanium dioxide layers were formed of thicknesses from 53 to 150 nm. The crystal structure was shown to be rutile by x-ray diffraction for oxidation temperatures of 500 {degree}C. These samples were also seen to have a thin interfacial silicon dioxide layer. Measurements on 1-mm Al dot capacitors showed the leakage current of a 53-nm film oxidized at 500 {degree}C to be below 10{sup {minus}8} A at a 2-V bias. Good capacitance-voltage characteristics were observed for high oxidation temperatures, with a dielectric constant of between 15 and 22 for the TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} layers. The refractive index of the layers was measured by ellipsometry to be 2.5--2.6. Plasma oxidation thus provides a low-temperature method of forming titanium dixoide thin films.

OSTI ID:
5485428
Journal Information:
Journal of Applied Physics; (USA), Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics; (USA) Vol. 66:6; ISSN 0021-8979; ISSN JAPIA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English