PEALD ZrO 2 Films Deposition on TiN and Si Substrates

The substrate influence on the structure of 60nm-thick ZrO2 films deposited by Plasma Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition (PEALD) is reported. Films were grown either on TiN/Si(100) or on Si(100) substrates. TiN layers (45nm thick) were PVD-deposited. High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) micrographs show that ZrO2 films display a microstructure made of columnar grains with a diameter of 15-20 nm and extended throughout the whole film thickness. An interfacial layer between ZrO2 films and TiN substrates was detected by Synchrotron Radiation X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and HRTEM. According to thermodynamics simulations, this interfacial layer should be a ternary Zr-Ti-O compound.