Patent ID: 7144806

Claim:
A method of forming a layer of tantalum-containing material on a substrate, the method comprising: (a) depositing from gas phase a tantalum-containing precursor onto the substrate to form an adsorbed saturated layer of the tantalum-containing precursor on the substrate, wherein the tantalum-containing precursor is deposited by a self-limiting reaction to form the adsorbed saturated layer; (b) contacting the tantalum-containing precursor of the saturated layer with a boron hydride or a silicon hydride to form a tantalum-containing adhesion layer; and (c) converting a portion of the tantalum-containing adhesion layer to a nitride diffusion barrier on the tantalum-containing adhesion layer to form a bilayer of a tantalum-containing adhesion layer and a nitride diffusion barrier, where the tantalum-containing adhesion layer comprise one or more of tantalum metal, tantalum silicide and tantalum boride and wherein (a) and (b) comprise introducing the tantalum-containing precursor and the hydride alternately over the substrate.