Atomic Layer Deposition of WO₃-Doped In₂O₃ for Reliable and Scalable BEOL-Compatible Transistors

Abstract

Tungsten oxide (WO 3 ) doped indium oxide (IWO) field-effect transistors (FET), synthesized using atomic layer deposition (ALD) for three-dimensional integration and back-end-of-line (BEOL) compatibility, are demonstrated. Low-concentration (1∼4 W atom %) WO 3 -doping in In 2 O 3 films is achieved by adjusting cycle ratios of the indium and tungsten precursors with the oxidant coreactant. Such doping suppresses oxygen deficiency from In 2 O 2.5 to In 2 O 3 stoichiometry with only 1 atom % W, allowing devices to turn off stably and enhancing threshold voltage stability. The ALD IWO FETs exhibit superior performance, including a low subthreshold slope of 67 mV/decade and negligible hysteresis. Strong tunability of the threshold voltage (V th ) is achieved through W concentration tuning, with 2 atom % IWO FETs showing an optimized V th for enhancement-mode and a high drain current. ALD IWO FETs have remarkable stability under bias stress and nearly ideal performance extending to sub-100 nm channel lengths, making them promising candidates for high-performance monolithic 3D integrated devices.