Highly Reliable, Backside Emissivity Independent Cobalt Silicide Process Using a Susceptor-Based Low Pressure Rapid Thermal Processing System

Very thin cobalt silicide formation and annealing processes were investigated as a function of process temperature (350–700°C) and Co film thickness using a susceptor-based low pressure rapid thermal processing (RTP) system. TiN capped thin Co films were investigated. Highly reliable, backside emissivity independent, low resistance, production worthy shallow silicide contact formation process has been demonstrated. Both a wide process window and an excellent sheet resistance uniformity have been demonstrated in cobalt silicide process integration steps. The net added non-uniformity of typical TiN capped 10 nm thick cobalt films was less than 0.5%.