Passivation of copper films with magnesium doping using recoil ion implantation

Abstract

This work investigates the effects of Ar+ ion implantation through a multilayer structure of SiO2(100 nm)/Mg(20 nm)/Cu/SiO2/Si on the oxidation resistance of Cu films. Experimental results indicate that implantation at 130 keV to a dose of 5 X 10(15) cm(-2) significantly enhances the oxidation resistance at temperatures up to 375 degrees C. At this energy, a small number of Mg atoms are knocked out, leading to formation of an impervious MgO barrier layer on the Cu surface, which effectively suppresses the oxidizing diffusion paths. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.