Titanium silicide and titanium nitride layers formed in an integrated multichamber system

The kinetics of titanium silicide and titanium nitride formation in an integrated multichamber system are described. The sequential processes include chambers for wafer cleaning, Ti sputtering, and subsequent annealing without exposing the wafer to ambient air. Integration results in effective nitridation of the Ti layer. The silicide reaction stops as soon as the nitrogen content in the Ti reaches 30% atomic fraction. Stoichiometric TiN is obtained with (111) crystallographic structure. The kinetics are compared to conventional processing in which the wafers are exposed to ambient air between Ti deposition and annealing steps