Combined transmission line measurement structures to study thin film resistive sensor fabrication

This paper reports the design and application of test structures for extracting the resistance of features formed when fabricating evaporated platinum (Pt) thin film structures on patterned, sputtered tantalum nitride (TaN). The combination of these two layers is used to produce an integrated resistive sensor structure. Two resistive features were considered during the test structure design: firstly the contact resistance between the two metal layers and secondly, the additional resistance introduced in the upper metal layer due to step coverage effects.