Atomic layer deposition (ALD) of ruthenium is of interest for various applications in nanoelectronics and is currently gaining attention for its potential role in interconnect technology in future technology nodes. This work provides insights into the influence of the O₂ pulse time on the film nucleation on SiO₂ and on the resulting material properties. Ru thin films were deposited using a three-step ALD process consisting of ethylbenzene(1,3-butadiene)Ru(0) precursor, O₂ gas, and H₂ gas pulses. It is shown that the addition of an H₂ pulse to a conventional two-step process reduces any RuO_x formed during the O₂ pulse to metallic Ru. This provides the opportunity to employ longer O₂ pulses, which enhances nucleation, leading to faster growth initiation and smooth films. Using this process, the deposition of Ru films at 225 °C with a low oxygen impurity level (<4 at. %) and a resistivity of 26 ± 2 μΩ cm is demonstrated. The data illustrate that the dosing time required for saturation during the nucleation phase can substantially deviate from the conditions required for the steady-growth phase.

中文翻译：

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使用ABC型工艺沉积钌的原子层：成核过程中暴露于氧气的作用

钌的原子层沉积（ALD）在纳米电子学中的各种应用中引起人们的兴趣，并且由于其在未来技术节点中的互连技术中的潜在作用，目前正受到关注。这项工作提供了有关O ₂脉冲时间对SiO ₂上的薄膜成核作用以及所产生的材料性能的影响的见解。使用三步ALD工艺沉积Ru薄膜，该工艺由乙苯（1,3-丁二烯）Ru（0）前驱体，O ₂气体和H ₂气体脉冲组成。结果表明，在传统的两步工艺中增加H ₂脉冲可减少在O ₂期间形成的任何RuO _x。脉冲至金属钌。这提供了使用更长的O ₂脉冲的机会，这会增强成核作用，从而导致更快的生长起始和平滑的薄膜。使用该工艺，证明了在225°C时具有低氧杂质水平（<4 at。％）和26± 2μΩcm的电阻率的Ru膜的沉积 。数据表明，成核阶段饱和所需的定量给料时间可能与稳定生长阶段所需的条件大不相同。