Title: Method of physical vapor deposition of metal oxides on semiconductors

Abstract

A process for growing a metal oxide thin film upon a semiconductor surface with a physical vapor deposition technique in a high-vacuum environment and a structure formed with the process involves the steps of heating the semiconductor surface and introducing hydrogen gas into the high-vacuum environment to develop conditions at the semiconductor surface which are favorable for growing the desired metal oxide upon the semiconductor surface yet is unfavorable for the formation of any native oxides upon the semiconductor. More specifically, the temperature of the semiconductor surface and the ratio of hydrogen partial pressure to water pressure within the vacuum environment are high enough to render the formation of native oxides on the semiconductor surface thermodynamically unstable yet are not so high that the formation of the desired metal oxide on the semiconductor surface is thermodynamically unstable. Having established these conditions, constituent atoms of the metal oxide to be deposited upon the semiconductor surface are directed toward the surface of the semiconductor by a physical vapor deposition technique so that the atoms come to rest upon the semiconductor surface as a thin film of metal oxide with no native oxide at the semiconductor surface/thin film interface. An example of amore » structure formed by this method includes an epitaxial thin film of (001)-oriented CeO.sub.2 overlying a substrate of (001) Ge. « less

Inventors:

Norton, David P ^[1]

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1. Knoxville, TN

Issue Date:

2001-01-01

Research Org.:

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

OSTI Identifier:

873663

Patent Number(s):

6214712

Assignee:

UT-Battelle, LLC (Oak Ridge, TN)

Patent Classifications (CPCs):

C - CHEMISTRY C23 - COATING METALLIC MATERIAL C23C - COATING METALLIC MATERIAL

C - CHEMISTRY C30 - CRYSTAL GROWTH C30B - SINGLE-CRYSTAL-GROWTH

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C - CHEMISTRY C23 - COATING METALLIC MATERIAL C23C - COATING METALLIC MATERIAL

C23C14/08 - Oxides
C23C14/22 - characterised by the process of coating
C23C14/28 - by wave energy or particle radiation

C - CHEMISTRY C30 - CRYSTAL GROWTH C30B - SINGLE-CRYSTAL-GROWTH

C30B23/02 - Epitaxial-layer growth
C30B29/16 - Oxides

H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

H01L21/02175 - {characterised by the metal
H01L21/02178 - {the material containing aluminium, e.g. Al2O3}
H01L21/02181 - {the material containing hafnium, e.g. HfO2}
H01L21/02183 - {the material containing tantalum, e.g. Ta2O5}
H01L21/02186 - {the material containing titanium, e.g. TiO2}
H01L21/02189 - {the material containing zirconium, e.g. ZrO2}
H01L21/02192 - {the material containing at least one rare earth metal element, e.g. oxides of lanthanides, scandium or yttrium}
H01L21/02266 - {deposition by physical ablation of a target, e.g. sputtering, reactive sputtering, physical vapour deposition or pulsed laser deposition}
H01L21/31604 - {Deposition from a gas or vapour

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DOE Contract Number:  

AC05-96OR22464

Resource Type:

Patent

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

method; physical; vapor; deposition; metal; oxides; semiconductors; process; growing; oxide; film; semiconductor; surface; technique; high-vacuum; environment; structure; formed; involves; steps; heating; introducing; hydrogen; gas; conditions; favorable; desired; unfavorable; formation; native; specifically; temperature; ratio; partial; pressure; water; vacuum; render; thermodynamically; unstable; established; constituent; atoms; deposited; directed; interface; example; epitaxial; 001; -oriented; ceo; overlying; substrate; water pressure; desired metal; hydrogen partial; thermodynamically unstable; structure formed; process involves; hydrogen gas; metal oxide; vapor deposition; metal oxides; partial pressure; semiconductor surface; physical vapor; vacuum environment; deposition technique; /438/117/148/427/