ECE 595: IC/MEMS Fabrication Laboratory
Process Integration Assignment
Farhan Zahin, Alex Santiago, Boyuan Chen, Abinands Ramshanker, Mohammad Adnaan Ali
During our labs, we fabricated MOSCAPS on a Silicon wafer with hafnium dioxide (HfO2)
dielectric layer and Tungsten (W) metal contact. For this assignment, we will design the
fabrication process of much smaller devices (1 µm x 1 µm), and our choices of materials and
processes are guided by that.
Material Selection and Deposition:
Dielectric Layer:
Material: Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3)
Justification: Al2O3 has a higher bandgap (8.8 eV) than HfO2 (5.8 eV), leading to a
larger energy barrier. This allows for lower leakage currents. Especially at smaller devices,
managing leakage current is crucial.
Deposition Process: Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD)
Parameters for ALD:
• Precursor: Trimethylaluminum (TMA) and H₂O
• Temperature: 200°C (to ensure uniform film growth)
• Pressure: 1 mTorr
• Power: Thermal ALD, no RF power required
• Cycle Time: ~1-2 seconds per ALD cycle (1.2Å per cycle growth rate)
• Thickness: 5 nm
[1] S. M. Prokes, M. B. Katz, M. E. Twigg. “Growth of crystalline Al2O3 via thermal atomic
layer deposition: Nanomaterial phase stabilization.” APL Mater. 1 March 2014; 2 (3): 032105.
[Link]
Metal Layer:
Material: Titanium Nitride (TiN)
Justification: TiN can act as a diffusion barrier during high-temperature processes. In smaller
devices, diffusion is a crucial issue, making TiN a good choice.
Deposition Process: Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD)
Parameters:
• Precursor: TiCl₄ and NH₃ (400 sccm)
• Temperature: ~400°C
• Pressure: 10 mTorr
• Power: Thermal ALD, no RF power required
• Cycle Time: 50ms pulses, ~1-2 seconds per cycle (0.17Å per cycle growth rate)
• Thickness: 10–15 nm
[2] Elers, Kai-Erik, et al. "TiCl4 as a precursor in the TiN deposition by ALD and PEALD."
Journal of the Electrochemical society 152.8 (2005): G589.
Post-Deposition Processes:
Annealing:
• Temperature: 400°C
• Justification: Improves dielectric quality by reducing defects and stabilizing the dielectric-
metal interface. This improves the CV characteristics of the MOSCAP. Also, improves
contact resistance and adhesion.
• Ambient: Forming gas (H₂/N₂ mixture, 5%/95%) to passivate interfacial traps.
• Duration: 20 minutes
Surface Treatment:
• Process: Argon Plasma Cleaning
• Justification: Removes surface oxides and contaminants to improve adhesion and electrical
contact.
Device Dimensions and Lithography:
Dimensions:
• Dielectric Area: 1 µm x 1 µm
• Top Metal Area: 0.9 µm x 0.9 µm (Slightly smaller to avoid edge effects)
Lithography:
• Technique: DUV Photolithography
• Justification: DUV photolithography needed to fabricate submicron features.
• Wavelength: 193 nm
• Resist: JSR AR193
• Resist Thickness: 200–300 nm
• Developer: AZ 726 MIF (metal-ion-free developer)
• Developer Concentration: ~2.38%
Reactive Ion Etching (RIE):
We will use two separate RIE etching steps for etching the metal and the dielectric layer.
This is because different chemistry is needed for etching the dielectric and the metal layer.
Metal Etching
• Material: TiN
• Gas Chemistry: Cl₂/BCl₃
• Flow Rates: Cl₂: 25 sccm, BCl₃: 10 sccm
• RF Power: 250 W
• Pressure: 20–30 mTorr
• Chuck Temperature: ~10°C
• Justification: Ensures precise etching of TiN without damaging the underlying dielectric.
Dielectric Etching
• Material: Al₂O₃
• Gas Chemistry: CF₄/CHF₃/O₂
• Flow Rates: CF₄: 20 sccm, CHF₃: 10 sccm, O₂: 5 sccm
• RF Power: 150 W
• Pressure: ~30 mTorr
• Chuck Temperature: 10°C
• Justification: This gas mixture provides high selectivity and anisotropic etching suitable for
sub-micron dimensions.
Contacts could be improved with a higher conductivity metal such as Ag, Cu, Au, or Al.
