Electrical stress on thin film TaN resistive structures

Tantalum nitride thin films (TaN
_x
) are mechanically hard, self-passivated and corrosion - resistive layers, often used for precise thin film resistors. In order to investigate the behavior at high current densities, a DC- and a pulsed measurement technique was applied to the film resistive structures. The analysis is made on TaN
_x
thin film resistors on silicon substrates, with applied DC- and pulsed stress, showing the behavior before, during and after stressing. Permanent Changes or destruction of the resistive layer can occur.