The process window of a-Si/Ti bilayer metallization for an oxidation-resistant and self-aligned TiSi₂ process

The dependences of both oxidation-resistant and self-aligned silicidation properties on the thicknesses of top amorphous-Si (a-Si) and Ti metal in an a-Si/Ti bilayer process are presented. It is shown that a thin silicide layer formed during the reaction between a-Si and Ti films becomes a stable oxidation and nitridation barrier for oxygen- and nitrogen-related impurities. Moreover, the formation sequence of the silicide phase depends not only on the annealing temperature but also on the thickness of the Ti film. In addition, the preferential orientation of the silicide phase after annealing at high temperature also shows a strong dependence on the thickness of Ti film, which is attributed to the difference of the grain size in the polycrystalline silicide film. The allowed process window for the a-Si thickness can be determined experimentally and a reproducible and homogeneous self-aligned TiSi₂ film can be easily obtained by using the a-Si/Ti bilayer process in salicide applications despite high-level contaminations of oxygen impurities in both the as-deposited Ti film and the annealing ambient