Metal layers formed as a composite of sub-layers and devices including same

Claim 1

An integrated circuit (10) comprising first and second layers, and an interconnect connecting said first and second layers to one another, characterized in that: said interconnect comprises a Ti-aluminide layer and an Al-based layer (16) disposed on said aluminide layer, said Al-based layer (16) comprising at most three grains and having essentially a <111> orientation.

Claim 5

A method of fabricating an integrated circuit (10) which includes a composite metal layer(16), characterized in that said metal layer (16) is formed by the steps of: depositing a texture control Ti layer at a first temperature so that said Ti layer (24) has essentially a (002) basal plane orientation and subsequently deposited Al-based layers (16.1, 16.2, 16.3) have essentially a <111> orientation, depositing an Al-based first sublayer (16.1) at a second temperature on said Ti layer (24), while increasing the temperature from a third temperature to a peak temperature greater than said second temperature, depositing an Al-based second sublayer (16.2) on said first sublayer (16.1) so that a Ti-aluminide layer forms at least at the interface between said Ti layer (24) and said first sublayer (16.1), and so that, at the end of its deposition, the average grain size of said second sublayer (16.2) is greater than that of said first sublayer (16.1), and at said peak temperature depositing an Al-based third sublayer (16.3) on said second sublayer (16.2) so the microstructure of said sublayers (16.1, 16.2, 16.3) adjusts itself to produce at most three grains.