Abstract: A method of treating structures (and the structure formed thereby), so as to prevent or retard the oxidation of a metal film, and/or prevent its delamination a substrate, includes providing a structure including a refractory metal film formed on a substrate, placing the structure into a vessel having a base pressure below approximately 10−7 torr, exposing the structure to a silane gas at a sufficiently high predetermined temperature and predetermined pressure to cause formation of a metal silicide layer on the refractory metal film, and exposing the structure to a second gas at a sufficiently high temperature and pressure to nitride the metal silicide layer into a nitrided layer.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 23, 2001
Date of Patent:
June 17, 2003
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Inventors:
Kevin K. Chan, Erin C. Jones, Fenton R. McFeely, Paul M. Solomon, John J. Yurkas