DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] This invention describes fabrication of Ta ₂ O ₅ and Ta ₂ O ₅ based composite thin films by chemical precursor solution deposition technique. This invention provides room temperature chemical precursor solution preparation techniques for the fabrication of thin films at low annealing temperatures.

[0026] A chemical precursor solution technique using carboxylate-alkoxide combination has been developed which provides crystalline phase even at low annealing temperatures. The main features of the process are short preparation time, easy availability of precursors, stability and compatibility with semiconductor fabrication technology. A rapid fabrication process is desirable, since long processes are more expensive and labor intensive.

[0027] The process is easily compatible with conventional integrated circuit materials and processes. FIG. 1 shows the general steps in the fabrication of films by the technique described in this invention.

[0028] First, the precursor compounds and the solvents are selected. The selection of precursor compounds and the solvents is an important step in the preparation of thin films by chemical technique using precursor solution. The process starts with preparing a precursor solution containing each of the metals in the desired thin film compound. There are several, general methods for the preparing the precursor solution for the fabrication of oxide thin films. These include an all alkoxide method and an alkoxide-salt method. The metal alkoxides or carboxylates can be selected as the starting precursors. Alternatively, nitrates, sulfates, carbonates, chlorides and hydroxides can also be selected as precursors. In the absence of these precursors, other chemicals can be modified to prepare the desired chemical solution. A single solvent or a combination of solvents can be used to optimize the solubility and viscosity to obtain high quality coatings.

[0029] Second, the individual precursors are dissolved in the selected solvents and then mixed to obtain a final homogenous solution. Thirdly, the hydrolysis and polycondensation of the final solution is controlled to stabilize the final solution. Next the precursor solution is deposited on the substrate. The films can be prepared from the precursor solution using spin, dip or spray technique. Almost any substrate that will support a thin film and is compatible with the materials and processes may be used. The film produced on the substrate by the deposition step is a wet film. Thus, the film is then baked for removal of organic content. The resulting wafer is then transferred to a hot plate and baked. Alternatively, an oven may be used in baking if it is desirable to control ambient conditions. Optionally, a drying step may be incorporated between the coating and the baking stages. The coating and baking steps may be repeated to obtain an optimal coating thickness. Subsequent to the last coating and baking steps, the film is annealed in a diffusion furnace or in a rapid thermal annealing system. Annealing is preferably achieved at different temperatures and times and within an oxygen atmosphere at different flow rates. Post-deposition annealing can also be conducted in different gaseous atmospheres to enhance the structural and electrical properties.

[0030] Depending on the type of substrate and the processing procedure, crystalline films with different morphologies can be obtained. The most common product is polycrystalline film with no apparent preferred crystallographic orientations. However, texture-oriented films may be obtained under several special conditions.

[0031] Major candidates for bottom electrode for Ta ₂ O ₅ -based composite insulating thin films include noble metals, conductive metal oxides, hybrid metal-oxide perovskite metal oxides, and traditional semiconductor materials. The term bottom electrode includes any structure on which the insulating film is deposited.

[0032] For the top electrodes, any material can be selected that will allow for good interface with the insulating film and retain high capacitance as well as low leakage current. The top electrode can be deposited by any appropriate physical and/or chemical deposition process. The adhesion between the top electrode and the film can be improved by further heat treatment. The capacitor configuration formed by depositing the top electrode can be used for various integrated electronic devices.

[0033] The pure/modified Ta ₂ O ₅ thin films with enhanced properties are suitable for discrete and integrated microwave components and systems. The pure/modified Ta ₂ O ₅ thin film ( 2 ) can be deposited by the present fabrication technique on any substrate ( 1 ), glass, single crystal, or polycrystalline ceramic, for the fabrication of microwave components and systems on the top surface of the film ( 3 ). A schematic of this configuration is shown in FIG. 2 ( a ).

[0034] The pure/modified Ta ₂ O ₅ thin films can also be used as a buffer layer for the deposition thin film of any suitable microwave material on top of it. In this configuration, as shown in FIG. 2 ( b ), the pure/modified Ta ₂ O ₅ thin film ( 2 ) can be deposited on any suitable substrate ( 1 ) and then the thin film of any suitable microwave material can be deposited on the top of it ( 3 ). Then the microwave components and systems can be fabricated on top of the thin film of suitable microwave material ( 4 ).

[0035] These design schemes can be used for the fabrication of microwave components and systems on the same side of the dielectric layer. This design scheme will overcome problems of inconvenience for designing and fabricating shunt components in designs where the ground plane is on the opposite side of the substrate to the circuitry. The surface integration scheme also provides a higher level of integration and reduced parasitic effects. This method allows both the circuit itself and the ground plane to be fabricated on the same side of the substrate. Thereafter, this semiconductor thin film technology can be used for the fabrication of various microwave components and systems. The present thin film fabrication technique is compatible with the semiconductor processing technology.

[0036] Thin films of these composite materials can also be fabricated by various physical vapor deposition and chemical vapor deposition techniques. The properties of Ta ₂ O ₅ thin films can be enhanced through substitution with single metal element or multi-metal element complex oxides of metals.

EXAMPLE

[0037] Ta ₂ O ₅ and (1-x) Ta ₂ O ₅ -xAl ₂ O ₃ Thin Films

[0038] Thin films of Ta ₂ O ₅ and (1-x) Ta ₂ O ₅ -xAl ₂ O ₃ were fabricated by the chemical precursor solution technique using room temperature solution preparation procedure. For the preparation of Ta ₂ O ₅ and (1-x) Ta ₂ O ₅ -xAl ₂ O ₃ thin films, tantalum ethoxide and aluminum nitrate were selected as precursor. Acetic acid and 2-methoxyethanol were selected as solvents. The viscosity of the solution was controlled by varying the 2-methoxyehtalol content. The final solution was stable, clear and transparent. After spinning onto various substrates, films were kept on a hot plate in air for 10 minutes. After each coating, this step was repeated to ensure complete removal of volatile matter. The post-deposition annealing of the films was carried out in an oxygen atmosphere. The present films were annealed at 750° C. in an oxygen atmosphere. The x-ray diffraction patterns, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , indicated that Ta ₂ O ₅ and 0.9 Ta ₂ O ₅ -0.1Al ₂ O ₃ thin films were well crystallized into orthorhombic phase. FIG. 5 shows the atomic force micrograph of 0.9 Ta ₂ O ₅ -0.1Al ₂ O ₃ thin film annealed at 750° C. The surface morphology of the films was smooth with no cracks and defects, as shown in FIG. 5 , and the average surface roughness was less than 0.3 mm. The films exhibited a dense microstructure and the grain size was very fine. The electrical characteristics were obtained on films in metal-insulator-metal (MIM) configuration. The MIM capacitors were prepared by depositing Pt electrodes through a mask on the top surface of the film by sputtering. The bottom Pt electrode was accessed by etching the film. The electrical properties of modified Ta ₂ O ₅ thin films are summarized in FIG. 6 . The dielectric constant for 0.9 Ta ₂ O ₅ -0.1Al ₂ O ₃ thin films was found to be much improved compared to the typical value (εr˜25-30) reported for Ta ₂ O ₅ thin films. The dielectric constant value was comparable to that reported for bulk ceramic. The loss factor was found to be much lower than values reported for Ta ₂ O ₅ thin films fabricated by various techniques. The 0.9 Ta ₂ O ₅ -0.1Al ₂ O ₃ capacitors exhibited enhanced temperature and bias stability of the dielectric properties and significantly reduced leakage current density as compared to reported values for Ta ₂ O ₅ based capacitors. The high dielectric constant, low dielectric loss, and good thermal and bias stability characteristics show the suitability of 0.9 Ta ₂ O ₅ -0.1Al ₂ O ₃ thin films as the insulating dielectric layer for large value capacitors for various electronic devices.