Evaluation of properties of aluminum films deposited using an ultrahigh vacuum sputtering system

Optimum deposition condition of Nb/Al multilayers for large-scale array detectors with superconducting tunnel junctions

“…In addition, Al films tend to have a small grain when they are deposited in the presence of vaporized water [12] and basically several time larger surface roughness even on a complete smooth surface than that of each substrate due to the recrystallization during the film growth. However, Nb films may have no dependence on vaporized water and those roughnesses are not so different with the roughnesses of substrates due to the lack of recrystallization process during the deposition.…”

Selection of Conductive Film Thickness for Submicron Metallization

“…The development of high-speed, very large-scale integration circuits (VLSI) requires decreasing of all dimensions of elements, including the thickness of metallization. The conductive film metallization thickness has become less than 50 nm, and that of the diffusion barrier layers (DBL) has already reached 10 nm [1][2][3][4].…”

Conference Report: Workshop on Water - Its Measurement and Control in Vacuum - Gaithersburg, Md - May 23-25, 1994

“…Water vapor may oxidize the surfaces of unprotected films or induce particle formation via reaction with process gases and in turn cause localized defects when deposited on semiconductor devices. Water has been identified as a major contaminant in a number of processes which include physical vapor deposition (PVD) [ 3 ], plasma etching of metal films [ 4 ], and chemical vapor deposition [ 5 ]. Consequently, it is estimated that the effect of residual water vapor upon semiconductor processing results in lower device yield rates and reliability failures, costing the semiconductor industry billions of dollars annually [ 6 ].…”