On the phase formation of sputtered hafnium oxide and oxynitride films

Journal Article · Thu Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3437646· OSTI ID:21476346

Sarakinos, K; Music, D; Mraz, S; Baben, M to; Jiang, K; Nahif, F; Braun, A; Zilkens, C; Schneider, J M ^[1]; Konstantinidis, S ^[2]; Renaux, F; Cossement, D ^[3]; Munnik, F ^[4]

---

1. Materials Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Kopernikusstr. 16, D-52056 Aachen (Germany)
2. Laboratoire de Chimie Inorganique et Analytique, Universite de Mons, Avenue Copernic 1, 7000 Mons (Belgium)
3. Materia Nova Research Center, Avenue Copernic 1, 7000 Mons (Belgium)
4. Forschungszentrum Dresden Rossendorf, P.O. Box 510119, D-01314 Dresden (Germany)

Hafnium oxynitride films are deposited from a Hf target employing direct current magnetron sputtering in an Ar-O{sub 2}-N{sub 2} atmosphere. It is shown that the presence of N{sub 2} allows for the stabilization of the transition zone between the metallic and the compound sputtering mode enabling deposition of films at well defined conditions of target coverage by varying the O{sub 2} partial pressure. Plasma analysis reveals that this experimental strategy facilitates control over the flux of the O{sup -} ions which are generated on the oxidized target surface and accelerated by the negative target potential toward the growing film. An arrangement that enables film growth without O{sup -} ion bombardment is also implemented. Moreover, stabilization of the transition sputtering zone and control of the O{sup -} ion flux without N{sub 2} addition is achieved employing high power pulsed magnetron sputtering. Structural characterization of the deposited films unambiguously proves that the phase formation of hafnium oxide and hafnium oxynitride films with the crystal structure of HfO{sub 2} is independent from the O{sup -} bombardment conditions. Experimental and theoretical data indicate that the presence of vacancies and/or the substitution of O by N atoms in the nonmetal sublattice favor the formation of the cubic and/or the tetragonal HfO{sub 2} crystal structure at the expense of the monoclinic HfO{sub 2} one.

• OSTI ID: 21476346
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 108, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3437646; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
CRYSTAL GROWTH
CRYSTALS
DEPOSITION
DIRECT CURRENT
HAFNIUM
HAFNIUM OXIDES
ION BEAMS
MONOCLINIC LATTICES
NITRIDES
OXIDATION
PLASMA
SPUTTERING
STABILIZATION
SURFACES
THIN FILMS
VACANCIES
BEAMS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CRYSTAL DEFECTS
CRYSTAL LATTICES
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
CURRENTS
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELEMENTS
FILMS
HAFNIUM COMPOUNDS
METALS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PNICTIDES
POINT DEFECTS
REFRACTORY METAL COMPOUNDS
REFRACTORY METALS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS