A nanoanalytical investigation of elemental distributions in high-k dielectric gate stacks on silicon

Docherty, F. T.; Mackenzie, Mhairi; Craven, A. J.; McComb, David W.; Gendt, Stefan De; McFadzean, S.; McGilvery, Catriona M.

doi:10.1016/j.mee.2007.03.001

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…In this TiN/Ti multilayer, the maximum N to Ti atom ratio was ~0.9 and a shift of 0.5 eV, as seen in Figure 10c, occurred after the N to Ti ratio dropped to ~0.7. The TiN in the gate stack studied here is stoichiometric [7]. It is unclear whether N is lost from the TiN at the interface due to the reaction and, if so, whether it is replaced by O to give a cubic Ti(N,O) structure or an amorphous TiO z .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The layer thicknesses are nominal. The processing conditions can be found in [6] and chemical nanoanalysis is described in [6][7]. Cross-section specimens were prepared by the standard method of grinding, dimpling and ion-beam milling to electron transparency.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The separation of the N and Ti profiles, at the point where the normalised number of counts has dropped to half the value for bulk TiN, is 0.4 nm. The source of oxygen at this point in the process has been attributed to a tool change between the TiN and amorphous Si depositions [7]. The oxygen profile in the dielectric shows two distinct heights due to the SiO x and HfO 2 layers of the gate stack.…”

Section: Distribution Of Elements Across the Gate Stackmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Interface roughening can be caused by crystallisation, phase separation, interdiffusion, chemical reaction or may be due to a columnar grain structure. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) have been used previously to characterise the microstructure of high-k gate stacks, particularly at the interfaces [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. For dielectrics involving Hf-Si-O with poly-Si gate electrodes, a silica (SiO 2 )-type layer has been observed at the dielectric/ gate electrode interface [1,3,5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For dielectrics involving Hf-Si-O with poly-Si gate electrodes, a silica (SiO 2 )-type layer has been observed at the dielectric/ gate electrode interface [1,3,5]. When a TiN metal gate is used in combination with HfO 2 or HfSiO, the interface between TiN and the subsequent polySi electrode showed a silicon oxynitride (SiO x N y ) interface layer [3,[6][7]. However, a HfSiO dielectric with a TaN x gate showed only a SiO 2 interface layer [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A new analytical method for characterising the bonding environment at rough interfaces in high-k gate stacks using electron energy loss spectroscopy

2010

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Determining the bonding environment at a rough interface, using for example the near edge fine structure in electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), is problematic since the measurement contains information from the interface and surrounding matrix phase. Here we present a novel analytical method for determining the interfacial EELS difference spectrum (with respect to the matrix phase) from a rough interface of unknown geometry which, unlike multiple linear least squares (MLLS) fitting, does not require the use of reference spectra from suitable standards. The method is based on analysing a series of EELS spectra with variable interface to matrix volume fraction and, as an example, is applied to a TiN/ poly-Si interface containing oxygen in a HfO 2 -based, high-k dielectric gate stack. A silicon oxynitride layer was detected at the interface consistent with previous results based on MLLS fitting.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Distribution Of Elements Across the Gate Stackmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A new analytical method for characterising the bonding environment at rough interfaces in high-k gate stacks using electron energy loss spectroscopy

2010

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Crystallinity of inorganic films grown by atomic layer deposition: Overview and general trends

Miikkulainen

Leskelä

Ritala

et al. 2013

Journal of Applied Physics

1,307

1,162

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Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is gaining attention as a thin film deposition method, uniquely suitable for depositing uniform and conformal films on complex three-dimensional topographies. The deposition of a film of a given material by ALD relies on the successive, separated, and self-terminating gas–solid reactions of typically two gaseous reactants. Hundreds of ALD chemistries have been found for depositing a variety of materials during the past decades, mostly for inorganic materials but lately also for organic and inorganic–organic hybrid compounds. One factor that often dictates the properties of ALD films in actual applications is the crystallinity of the grown film: Is the material amorphous or, if it is crystalline, which phase(s) is (are) present. In this thematic review, we first describe the basics of ALD, summarize the two-reactant ALD processes to grow inorganic materials developed to-date, updating the information of an earlier review on ALD [R. L. Puurunen, J. Appl. Phys. 97, 121301 (2005)], and give an overview of the status of processing ternary compounds by ALD. We then proceed to analyze the published experimental data for information on the crystallinity and phase of inorganic materials deposited by ALD from different reactants at different temperatures. The data are collected for films in their as-deposited state and tabulated for easy reference. Case studies are presented to illustrate the effect of different process parameters on crystallinity for representative materials: aluminium oxide, zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, titanium nitride, zinc zulfide, and ruthenium. Finally, we discuss the general trends in the development of film crystallinity as function of ALD process parameters. The authors hope that this review will help newcomers to ALD to familiarize themselves with the complex world of crystalline ALD films and, at the same time, serve for the expert as a handbook-type reference source on ALD processes and film crystallinity.

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STEM-EELS investigations of high-k dielectrics

Craven

Mackenzie

Longo

et al. 2010

J. Phys.: Conf. Ser.

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A nanoanalytical investigation of elemental distributions in high-k dielectric gate stacks on silicon

Cited by 4 publications

References 11 publications

A new analytical method for characterising the bonding environment at rough interfaces in high-k gate stacks using electron energy loss spectroscopy

A new analytical method for characterising the bonding environment at rough interfaces in high-k gate stacks using electron energy loss spectroscopy

Crystallinity of inorganic films grown by atomic layer deposition: Overview and general trends

STEM-EELS investigations of high-k dielectrics

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