Interactions between Al-1 wt% Si thin film and W-Ti barrier layer

The interaction of Al-1 wt% Si with a W-Ti barrier layer in the Al/Ti₃W₇/SiO₂/Si system was studied over the temperature range of 400–500 °C for reaction times up to 300 h. The interaction was found to be diffusion-controlled, and to occur in a layer-by-layer fashion. The first reaction product is always Al₁₂W, which forms at the Al/Ti₃W₇ interface. With excess W in the system, Al will eventually be completely converted to Al₁₂W, and further interactions result in the formation of an Al₄W layer at the Al₁₂W/Ti₃W₇ interface. The amount of Al₄W increases at the expense of Al₁₂W. Ti plays a minor role in the interaction and forms a small amount of Al₃Ti precipitates in the Al₁₂W matrix. Decomposition of the Ti₃W₇ pseudoalloy into W and Ti phases is not significant, and is not detected by X-ray diffraction even after annealing at 500 °C for 300 h. The kinetics of the Al₁₂W formation follows a parabolic reaction law with an activation energy of 2.53 eV. The sheet resistance of the film is insensitive to compound formation as long as a continuous Al film exists in the system. The sheet resistance increases dramatically when Al is consumed to the extent that it is no longer a continuous film. The sheet resistance of the Al₁₂W layer is estimated to be 570 m ^–1.