Thin-Film Diffusion Barriers for Metal-Semiconductor Contacts,

The notion of a diffusion barrier is discussed as it applies to thin films, and to metal semiconductor contacts in particular. The electrical requirements on the barrier material are easily met those of the thermodynamic stability of the barrier and the low atomic diffusivity in the barrier are not. The critical influence of the deposition process on the latter property is pointed out. Several different ways to solve the problem are discussed by examples.