In-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry and structural study of HfO{sub 2} thin films deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

Journal Article · Thu Aug 28 04:00:00 EDT 2014 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4893708· OSTI ID:22314333

Cantas, Ayten; Aygun, Gulnur ^[1]; Basa, Deepak Kumar ^[2]

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1. Department of Physics, Izmir Institute of Technology (IZTECH), Urla, 35430 Izmir (Turkey)
2. Department of Physics, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar 751004 (India)

We have investigated the reduction of unwanted interfacial SiO{sub 2} layer at HfO{sub 2}/Si interface brought about by the deposition of thin Hf metal buffer layer on Si substrate prior to the deposition of HfO{sub 2} thin films for possible direct contact between HfO{sub 2} thin film and Si substrate, necessary for the future generation devices based on high-κ HfO{sub 2} gate dielectrics. Reactive rf magnetron sputtering system along with the attached in-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) was used to predeposit Hf metal buffer layer as well as to grow HfO{sub 2} thin films and also to undertake the in-situ characterization of the high-κ HfO{sub 2} thin films deposited on n-type 〈100〉 crystalline silicon substrate. The formation of the unwanted interfacial SiO{sub 2} layer and its reduction due to the predeposited Hf metal buffer layer as well as the depth profiling and also structure of HfO{sub 2} thin films were investigated by in-situ SE, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, and Grazing Incidence X-ray Diffraction. The study demonstrates that the predeposited Hf metal buffer layer has played a crucial role in eliminating the formation of unwanted interfacial layer and that the deposited high-κ HfO{sub 2} thin films are crystalline although they were deposited at room temperature.

• OSTI ID: 22314333
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 116; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
DEPOSITS
ELLIPSOMETRY
HAFNIUM OXIDES
HYDROFLUORIC ACID
LAYERS
MAGNETRONS
METALS
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
SILICA
SILICON
SILICON OXIDES
SPUTTERING
SUBSTRATES
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0273-0400 K
THIN FILMS
X-RAY DIFFRACTION