We have investigated TiN/TiSi2 films as diffusion barriers between copper and silicon. The TiN/TiSi2 films were formed by annealing Ti/Si via rapid thermal process at a temperature of 850'C for 30 seconds in N2 ambient. The contact resistance and leakage current of the Cu/TiN/TiSi 2/n+-p Si contact system were measured after sintering at 350-600°C for 30 minutes in an N2 ambient. We found an abrupt increase of contact resistance occurred at a sintering temperature of 600°C. From the leakage current of n+-p diode, we observed that the thermally stable temperature was about 475ycC. Meanwhile, XTEM photographs showed small Cu3Si crystallites with size of about 0.25 μm precipitated in the n+Si substrate at a sintering temperature 500°C. The formation of Cu3Si increases the occupied volume, generates the gap between TiSi2 and n+Si, and gradually increases the specific contact resistance. SIMS profiles also showed that a certain amount of Cu atoms diffused into the n+-p Si junction and that Si atoms existed in the Cu film. The Cu3Si formation across the n+-p junction can explain the abrupt increase in the leakage current measurement at 500°C. So the failure mechanisms for contact resistance and leakage current are different.