Ru thin films were sequentially deposited onto TaN (5 nm) by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition using Ru(EtCp)(2) and NH(3) as precursors. The effect of growth temperature on the electrical resistivity and morphology of the Ru films were studied. It was found that the Ru films can achieve a low resistivity of 14 mu Omega cm and a low root-mean-square roughness at a growth temperature of 270 degrees C. The thickness of the underlying TAN film was found to affect the Ru film growth. The oxidation of the very thin TaN film was correlated with the island growth of Ru. Ex and in-situ X-ray diffraction was employed to verify the copper diffusion barrier properties of a Ru (3 nm)/TaN (5 nm) bi-layer structure. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.