Patent ID: 6881667

Claim:
A method of making a contact structure as part of an integrated circuit on a semiconductor wafer comprising: providing a silicon region as a portion of the semiconductor wafer for making electrical contact thereto; depositing a dielectric layer over at least a portion of the silicon region; forming a contact opening through the dielectric layer exposing a portion of the silicon region, the contact opening having a sidewall; depositing a titanium metal layer within the contact opening covering at least a portion of the silicon region exposed by the contact opening; depositing an amorphous titanium carbonitride film having no definite crystalline structure and having virtually no crystalline titanium nitride therein, the amorphous titanium carbonitride film having a ratio of nitrogen atoms to carbon atoms falling within a range of 5:1 to 10:1, the amorphous titanium carbonitride film lining at least a portion of the sidewall of the contact opening overlaying at least a portion of the titanium metal layer covering the at least a portion of the silicon region exposed by the contact opening; and filling at least a portion of the contact opening using a material to form a contact structure.