Preparation and characterization of CuN-based ternary alloy films using Cr or Zr for stabilizing N
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aona Lia) Key Laboratory of Materials Modification by Laser, Ion and Electron Beams (Ministry of Education), Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, Liaoning, China; and Changzhou Institute of Dalian University of Technology, Changzhou 213164, Jiangsu, China
Yubo Liu and Wei Sun Key Laboratory of Materials Modification by Laser, Ion, and Electron Beams (Ministry of Education), Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, Liaoning, China
Chuang Dong Key Laboratory of Materials Modification by Laser, Ion and Electron Beams (Ministry of Education), Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, Liaoning, China; and Changzhou Institute of Dalian University of Technology, Changzhou 213164, Jiangsu, China (Received 14 December 2016; accepted 3 February 2017)
The surface hardening of Cu is an effective way to keep good electrical conductivity and increase chemical inertness. Here, Cr and Zr are introduced into Cu films to stabilize N and increase the film hardness. CuN-based alloy films are prepared on single-crystal Si(100) substrates using magnetron sputtering. Cu(Cr, N) films are mainly composed of Cu and Cr2N nanocrystals while Cu and Zr2N nanocrystals compose Cu(Zr, N) films. The thermal stability of the ternary films comes from the strong interaction between Cr (or Zr) and N which is contributing to the generation of stable nitrides. In terms of resistivity and hardness, the Cu(Cr, N) and Cu(Zr, N) films prepared at the N2/Ar ratio of 1/10 show preferable properties. Especially, the Cu86.1Zr6.1N7.8 film exhibits the highest hardness (;4.7 GPa) and lowest resistivity (63.6 lXcm). The chemical inertness of Cu film can also be improved by adding Cr–N and Zr–N. These ternary films are expected to apply for Cu surface nitrogenization.
I. INTRODUCTION
Cu is an important material used in many fields such as electrical engineering and electronics. It is characterized by low electrical resistivity, high thermal conductivity, and good resistance to stress voiding and electromigration.1,2 However, due to its low hardness (;0.65 GPa for bulk Cu)3 and easy reactions with surrounding dielectrics such as Si, SiO2, etc.,4–6 pure Cu cannot be directly used in applications requiring high hardness and chemical inertness. Therefore, it is essential to explore a simple and effective way to solve these problems. Generally, the hardness improvement of Cu can be achieved through two methods, i.e., surface treatment and matrix alloying. However, the overall conductivity inevitably decreases with the direct introduction of alloying elements into the Cu matrix.7 Thus, the surface treatment of Cu is a good
Contributing Editor: Yang-T. Cheng a) Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: [email protected] DOI: 10.1557/jmr.2017.62
choice to keep the good matrix electrical conductivity, and increase the hardness and chemical inertness as well. For the surface nitriding treatment, high temperature gas nitriding and low temperature plasma nitriding are the two common methods. Cu is generally considered as an unsuitable nitrided materi
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