| abstract |
A silicon semiconductor device having contacts which include tantalum. The tantalum is useful in particular for fabricating Schottky barrier diodes having a low barrier height. The method includes: precleaning the silicon substrate prior to depositing the tantalum; depositing the tantalum at low pressure and low substrate temperature to avoid oxidation of the tantalum; and sintering the contact to reduce any interfacial charges and films remaining between the silicon and tantalum. When a metal which reacts with silicon during processing, such as aluminum, is used as interconnection metallurgy, a layer of chrome must be deposited between the tantalum and aluminum. |