Characteristics of Tungsten Carbide Films Prepared by Plasma-Assisted ALD Using Bis„tert-butylimido...bis„dimethylamido...tungsten

Tungsten carbide (WCx) thin films were prepared by plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition ALD using bis tertbutylimido bis dimethylamido tungsten at 250°C. The effects of plasma pulse time, radio frequency power, and the N2 /H2 ratio on the film properties, such as resistivity, surface roughness, step coverage, and stability in air, were examined. The film growth rate thickness/cycle was in the range 0.04-0.07 nm/cycle and the resistivity of the films varied from 295 to 22,000 cm, depending on the plasma conditions. The films were smooth and the conformality of the films deposited in 0.15 m holes with an aspect ratio of 15:1 was 100%. © 2003 The Electrochemical Society. DOI: 10.1149/1.1610000 All rights reserved.