Thin-film barriers

Technical Report · Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1984

OSTI ID:6509474

Nicolet, M A

The properties and performance of reactively sputtered TiN films used as diffusion barriers have been investigated experimentally. The practical performance of TiN diffusion barriers was tested on both standard and on concentrator solar cells in collaboration with Applied Solar Energy Corporation. In thermal annealing tests, TiN stabilized cells successfully survived treatments as extreme as 1 h at 600/sup 0/C and 15 min at 700/sup 0/C. The main problem in these tests was the modest reproducibility. The properties of diffusion barrier layers studied in detail are the contact resistivity and the thermal oxidation behavior. Untreated reactively sputtered TiN films have a contact resistivity of approx. 3 x 10/sup -4/ ..cap omega.. cm/sup 2/ on n/sup +/Si and approx. 1.5 x 10/sup -5/ ..cap omega.. cm/sup 2/ on p/sup +/Si. Upon annealing, the two values converge to 6 x 10/sup -5/ ..cap omega.. cm/sup 2/. The thermal oxidation of TiN in dry and wet ambient and of HfN in dry ambient proceeds in a laterally uniform fashion, resulting in a transformation to TiO/sub 2/ and HfO/sub 2/. The kinetics of these reactions has been determined. Ancillary, reactively sputtered TiN barriers improved the thermal stability of Al contacts to Ni and Pd silicide Schottky barriers on Si and of Ti/Pd/Au contacts on standard Au-Ge-Ni alloyed ohmic contacts to GaAs.

• Research Organization: California Inst. of Tech., Pasadena (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 6509474
• Report Number(s): SAND-84-7010; ON: DE85001952
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products. Original copy available until stock is exhausted
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
SOLAR CELLS
ELECTRIC CONTACTS
HAFNIUM NITRIDES
SPUTTERING
THIN FILMS
TITANIUM NITRIDES
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
FILMS
HAFNIUM COMPOUNDS
NITRIDES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
PNICTIDES
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
TITANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
140501* - Solar Energy Conversion- Photovoltaic Conversion