Application of SIMS for the characterization of Nitrogen in TaN film

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) analysis of nitrogen content in Tantalum Nitride (TaN) film is used for a new set-up process monitoring. Technical Challenges facing by the application of SIMS analysis are include a) Selection of appropriate representative elemental molecular; b) Analysis polarity and primary beam sputtering energy; c) Repeatability and quantification. SIMS is one of the most capable tools to detect low nitrogen content in the film compared with XPS or Auger, so as to be chosen to ensure an excellent controllability of deposition process for thin films. In this paper, the methodology of characterization of low nitrogen concentration in the thin film by SIMS will be investigated and demonstrated.