Electrical Properties of DC Sputtered Titanium Nitride Films with Different Processing Conditions and Substrates

Deposition of TiNx film was conducted with a DC sputtering technique. The effect of the processing parameters such as substrate temperature, deposition time, working pressure, bias power, and volumetric flowing rate ratio of Ar to N-2 gas on the resistivity of TiNx film was systematically investigated. Three kinds of substrates, soda-lime glass, (100) Si wafer, and 1 mu m thermally grown (111) SiO2 wafer were used to explore the effect of substrate. The phase of TiNx film was analyzed by XRD peak pattern and deposition rate was determined by measuring the thickness of TiNx film through SEM cross-sectional view. Resistance was obtained by 4 point probe method as a function of processing parameters and types of substrates. Finally, optimum condition for synthesizing TiNx film having lowest resistivity was discussed.