Advanced PVD TiN for Metal Gate Application

High-kappa metal gate is widely used for 32nm and beyond to enable scaling down of MOSFET geometry while improving device speed and gate leakage. This structure requires a good work function metal to tune Vt as well as a stable metal barrier to control inter-diffusion and interaction between the multiple metal gate layers. To meet the integration requirements of metal gate, it is very important to choose the proper metal thin film process. Its stability and excellent integration performance make TiN a good option for metal gate application, but the traditional PVD (physical vapor deposition) TiN process still faces issues, such as plasma damage and poor gap-fill capability. RFPVD (radio frequency physical vapor deposition) TiN has been developed for metal gate application. This paper presents studies of the film texture, density, and inter-diffusion base on different metal gate layers. MOSCAP (metal oxide silicon capacitor) tests showed that RF PVD TiN exhibits low Dit and device leakage. To meet the strict gap-fill requirement of the gate-last scheme, physical gap-fill performance of the high-pressure RF TiN process was checked. It achieved more than 60% bottom coverage and minimal sidewall coverage, allowing the electrode gap-fill window to be effectively enlarged.