Thermodynamic properties and interfacial layer characteristics of HfO2 thin films deposited by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition

Kim, Inhoe; Kuk, Seoung-Woo; Kim, Seokhoon; Kim, Jin-Woo; Jeon, Hyeongtag; Cho, M.-H.; Chung, Kwang-Hwa

doi:10.1063/1.2743749

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…17). 123,125 In addition to better dielectric properties, MOSFET devices that were prepared using remote-plasma ALD HfO 2 showed better interface properties and a lower fixed oxide charge density. The difference in material properties was attributed to the increased physical reactivity of the direct plasma, in terms of ion bombardment (see Sec.…”

Section: High-k Dielectric Layersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasma-Assisted Atomic Layer Deposition: Basics, Opportunities, and Challenges

Profijt

Potts

Sanden

et al. 2011

Journal of Vacuum Science &Amp; Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films

742

537

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Plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition (ALD) is an energy-enhanced method for the synthesis of ultra-thin films with Å-level resolution in which a plasma is employed during one step of the cyclic deposition process. The use of plasma species as reactants allows for more freedom in processing conditions and for a wider range of material properties compared with the conventional thermally-driven ALD method. Due to the continuous miniaturization in the microelectronics industry and the increasing relevance of ultra-thin films in many other applications, the deposition method has rapidly gained popularity in recent years, as is apparent from the increased number of articles published on the topic and plasma-assisted ALD reactors installed. To address the main differences between plasma-assisted ALD and thermal ALD, some basic aspects related to processing plasmas are presented in this review article. The plasma species and their role in the surface chemistry are addressed and different equipment configurations, including radical-enhanced ALD, direct plasma ALD, and remote plasma ALD, are described. The benefits and challenges provided by the use of a plasma step are presented and it is shown that the use of a plasma leads to a wider choice in material properties, substrate temperature, choice of precursors, and processing conditions, but that the processing can also be compromised by reduced film conformality and plasma damage. Finally, several reported emerging applications of plasma-assisted ALD are reviewed. It is expected that the merits offered by plasma-assisted ALD will further increase the interest of equipment manufacturers for developing industrial-scale deposition configurations such that the method will find its use in several manufacturing applications.

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Section: High-k Dielectric Layersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasma-Assisted Atomic Layer Deposition: Basics, Opportunities, and Challenges

Profijt

Potts

Sanden

et al. 2011

Journal of Vacuum Science &Amp; Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films

742

537

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“…5 Additionally, interdiffusion between the Hf-silicate layer and Si is limited to less than ∼1.0 nm, even at 1100 • C. 12 The thermally stable Hf-silicate layer effectively acts as a barrier layer to element diffusion on Si substrates. One negative aspect of this thermal stability is, however, 10,17 The possibility that high temperature processing may damage other parts of the device structure or limit the process flow in Hf-silicate-based device manufacturing is also a concern. Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is a powerful PVD technique for growth of high quality metal oxide films and a wide variety of other thin films, 18 including PLD titanium silicate films.…”

confidence: 99%

“…5 Hf-silicate is also versatile in thin film form, where it can be used as e.g., a high-k gate dielectric layer, a buffer layer for gate insulators on Si, and a leakage current reduction layer. 4,8,10 Hf-silicate film properties are sensitive to the Hf content. Hf-silicate films with low Hf content show significantly improved leakage current characteristics when compared with SiO 2 in a gate stack structure.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Room temperature formation of Hf-silicate layer by pulsed laser deposition with Hf-Si-O ternary reaction control

et al. 2016

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“…[5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Owing to its simplicity and to its analytical expression, Gaussian ion energy loss distribution functions are used aiming at the high depth resolution that can, in principle, be provided by MEIS. [12][13][14][15][16][17] The use of Gaussian distributions is supported by the central limit theorem, according to which the energy loss is normally distributed if the number of energy loss events ͑atomic collisions͒ is large. 11,18 This condition, however, is not satisfied in the characterization of near-surface, nanoscale structures, where only a small number of energy loss events comes into play.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Analytical energy loss distribution for accurate high resolution depth profiling using medium energy ion scattering

Pezzi

Krug

Grande

et al. 2008

Applied Physics Letters

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An analytical approach to ion energy loss distributions capable of simplifying medium energy ion scattering ͑MEIS͒ spectral analysis is presented. This analytical approach preserves the accuracy of recent numerical models that evaluate energy loss effects overlooked by standard calculations based on the Gaussian approximation. Results are compared to first principle calculations and experimental MEIS spectra from 0.2-to 1.5-nm-thick HfO 2 films on Si, supporting the application of this analytical model for proton scattering in the kinetic energy range from 100 to 200 keV. © 2008 American Institute of Physics. ͓DOI: 10.1063/1.2918443͔The depth distribution of chemical elements near the surface of solids is of major relevance in many aspects of science and technology. In principle, it can be quantitatively determined on an absolute scale ͑i.e., without reference to standards͒ by using ion scattering. Subnanometric depth resolution can be achieved in near-surface regions through the combined use of high resolution energy analyzers 1 and incident ions with a kinetic energy corresponding to the maximum stopping power of the sample. 2 This setup corresponds to the technique of medium energy ion scattering ͑MEIS͒, 3 which became a natural solution for material characterization in current microelectronics research. 4 Quantitative interpretation of MEIS spectra demands an accurate description of ion energy loss distributions as a function of depth of the backscattering event in the sample. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Owing to its simplicity and to its analytical expression, Gaussian ion energy loss distribution functions are used aiming at the high depth resolution that can, in principle, be provided by MEIS. [12][13][14][15][16][17] The use of Gaussian distributions is supported by the central limit theorem, according to which the energy loss is normally distributed if the number of energy loss events ͑atomic collisions͒ is large. 11,18 This condition, however, is not satisfied in the characterization of near-surface, nanoscale structures, where only a small number of energy loss events comes into play. 4,19 A more accurate, stochastic approach to ion energy loss distributions was recently demonstrated 5 to be necessary in this case, which takes into account also electronic excitations of the target atom as obtained from ab initio calculations. However, the computational budget required for these calculations prevents their widespread application to data analysis.In this letter, we propose a semiempirical, analytical solution of the Bothe-Landau equation 11 that can conveniently replace both the Gaussian approximation and the more complete numerical approach of Ref. 5 in data analysis software. The validity of the present analytical energy loss distribution model is verified by comparison with full ab initio simulations 6 and experimental MEIS spectra determined from HfO 2 films on Si in the thickness range from 0.2 to 1.5 nm.It can be shown that for ions interacting with amorphous or polycrystalline targets, the energy los...

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Thermodynamic properties and interfacial layer characteristics of HfO2 thin films deposited by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition

Cited by 8 publications

References 10 publications

Plasma-Assisted Atomic Layer Deposition: Basics, Opportunities, and Challenges

Plasma-Assisted Atomic Layer Deposition: Basics, Opportunities, and Challenges

Room temperature formation of Hf-silicate layer by pulsed laser deposition with Hf-Si-O ternary reaction control

Analytical energy loss distribution for accurate high resolution depth profiling using medium energy ion scattering

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