Diffusion barrier properties of 10nm Ru sputtered in N and Ar atmospheres have been assessed. N was found to be dissolved in the Ru film deposited in N atmosphere making it amorphous with ten times higher sheet resistance. Annealing caused effusion of N resulting in crystallization of Ru and a sharp decrease in sheet resistance. The incorporation of N delayed the Ru silicide formation and reduced Cu and Ru diffusion into the SiO2 dielectric layer. These beneficial performances are attributed to dissolved N in the amorphous films and to N grain boundary stuffing in crystallized films.
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Damayanti et al. (2006) studied this question.
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