The effect of residual gas constituents and substrate temperature during Ti sputtering on the texture of TiN/Ti films deposited on SiO2/Si substrates has been investigated. The Ti (002) and TiN (111) preferred texture of the films deposited at 350 degrees C was found to be improved drastically by increasing the H2O partial pressure from 1X10(-9) to 3x10(-8) Ton. Both the Ti (002) and TiN (111) texture showed a similar H2O partial pressure and substrate temperature dependence because of the epitaxial transfer between these planes. The improved Ti (002) texture was attributed to the self-assembly of Ti atoms on the SiO2 surface, which had a low surface free energy due to the formation of surface OH groups. The A1SiCu/Ti/TiN/Ti layered film fabricated with the highly textured TiN/Ti film showed a strong Al (111) texture and had a smooth surface. Moreover, interconnects from this improved film had longer electromigration lifetimes. It was also confirmed that the increased H2O partial pressure (3X10(-8) Torr) does not affect the contact resistance and junction leakage current of the AlSiCu/Ti/TiN/Ti/(n(+)Si or p(+)Si) contact system.