Specific Process Knowledge/Thin film deposition/Deposition of Tantalum: Difference between revisions
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<i> Unless otherwise stated, this page is written by <b>DTU Nanolab internal</b></i> | <i> Unless otherwise stated, this page is written by <b>DTU Nanolab internal</b></i> | ||
=Tantalum (Ta)= | |||
Tantalum (Ta) is a refractory metal prized for its extreme melting point, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility, serving an array of semiconductor, optical, and engineering roles. | |||
Thin films are produced mainly by magnetron sputtering or e‑beam evaporation; process conditions determine whether low‑resistivity α‑Ta (stable body‑centered‑cubic) or high‑resistivity β‑Ta (metastable tetragonal) is obtained. | |||
In semiconductor fabrication, Ta acts as an adhesion liner and Cu diffusion barrier in interconnects, a robust gate or contact metal, and a hard mask, with α‑Ta preferred when minimal resistive loss is essential. | |||
Crucially, α‑Ta becomes superconducting below ≈4.5 K, making it valuable for superconducting nanowire detectors, qubit circuitry, and low‑loss microwave resonators. In contrast, the intrinsically stressed β-Ta phase is leveraged for thin-film precision resistors, microheaters, and radiation-hard sensors. | |||
Both phases benefit from Ta’s chemical inertness and x‑ray opacity, supporting x‑ray/EUV optics, MEMS springs, biomedical implants, and durable corrosion‑resistant coatings, underscoring Ta’s versatility when a stable, tunable metallic film is required. | |||
== Tantalum deposition == | == Tantalum deposition == | ||
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Tantalum can be deposited by e-beam evaporation and sputter deposition. In the chart below you can compare the different deposition equipment. | Tantalum can be deposited by e-beam evaporation and sputter deposition. In the chart below you can compare the different deposition equipment. | ||
==Sputtering of Tantalum== | |||
==Sputtering of Tantalum in Sputter-System Metal-Nitride(PC3)== | |||
*[[Specific_Process_Knowledge/Thin_film_deposition/Deposition_of_Tantalum/Sputtering of Ta in Sputter-System Metal-Nitride-PC3|Sputtering of Ta in Sputter-System Metal-Nitride(PC3)]]. (Recommended approach) | |||
==Sputtering of Tantalum in Sputter-System (Lesker)== | |||
*[[Specific_Process_Knowledge/Thin_film_deposition/Deposition_of_Tantalum/Sputtering of Ta|Sputtering of Ta in Sputter-System (Lesker)]]. | *[[Specific_Process_Knowledge/Thin_film_deposition/Deposition_of_Tantalum/Sputtering of Ta|Sputtering of Ta in Sputter-System (Lesker)]]. | ||
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== E-beam evaporation of Tantalum == | == E-beam evaporation of Tantalum == | ||
Tantalum can be deposited by e-beam | Tantalum can be deposited by e-beam evaporation in our two Temescal tools. | ||
*[[/Ta Ebeam evaporation in Temescal |E-beam evaporation of Ta in Temescal]] | *[[/Ta Ebeam evaporation in Temescal |E-beam evaporation of Ta in Temescal]] | ||
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! Layer thickness | ! Layer thickness | ||
|10Å to 0.2 µm* | |10Å to 0.2 µm* | ||
|10Å to | |10Å to 6000Å | ||
|10Å to | |10Å to 6000Å | ||
|- | |- | ||
|-style="background:LightGrey; color:black" | |-style="background:LightGrey; color:black" | ||
! Deposition rate | ! Deposition rate | ||
|0.5Å/s to | |0.5Å/s to 1Å/s | ||
|~0.3Å/s | |~0.3Å/s | ||
|at least in the range 1 Å/s to 4 Å/s | |at least in the range 1 Å/s to 4 Å/s | ||