Plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition of TiN/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} stacks for metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitor applications

Journal Article · Tue Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 2009 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3267299· OSTI ID:21359382

Hoogeland, D; Kessels, W M. M. ^[1]; Jinesh, K B; Besling, W F. A. ^[2]; Roozeboom, F ^[1]

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1. Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven (Netherlands)
2. NXP Semiconductor Research, High-Tech Campus 4, 5656 AE Eindhoven (Netherlands)

By employing plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition, thin films of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and TiN are subsequently deposited in a single reactor at a single substrate temperature with the objective of fabricating high-quality TiN/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/p-Si metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors. Transmission electron microscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy analyses show well-defined interfaces and good Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} stoichiometry, respectively. Electrical investigation of as-deposited test structures demonstrates leakage current densities as low as approx1 nA/cm{sup 2}. Current-voltage (I-V) measurements demonstrate clear Fowler-Nordheim tunneling with an average TiN/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} barrier height of 3.3 eV. Steep Weibull distributions of the breakdown electric field around 7.5 MV/cm indicate good reliability of these devices. Time-dependent dielectric breakdown measurements demonstrate that the devices can sustain high operating electric fields of 3-4 MV/cm for the 10 year lifetime criterion. From capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements, a dielectric constant (k) of 8.7+-0.1 was extracted for the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. No direct dependence on the deposition temperature was found in the range 350-400 deg. C, although the stack deposited at 400 deg. C demonstrates significantly lower C-V hysteresis of approx50 mV. A negative fixed oxide charge density of (9.6+-0.2)x10{sup 12} cm{sup -2} was found to be present at the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/p-Si interface.

• OSTI ID: 21359382
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 106, Issue 11; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3267299; (c) 2009 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
CAPACITORS
CHARGE DENSITY
DEPOSITION
DIELECTRIC MATERIALS
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
HYSTERESIS
LAYERS
LEAKAGE CURRENT
PERMITTIVITY
RUTHERFORD BACKSCATTERING SPECTROSCOPY
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SILICON OXIDES
STOICHIOMETRY
THIN FILMS
TIME DEPENDENCE
TITANIUM NITRIDES
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
TUNNEL EFFECT
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
CURRENTS
DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
EQUIPMENT
FILMS
MATERIALS
MICROSCOPY
NITRIDES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PNICTIDES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SPECTROSCOPY
TITANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS