Fabrication of advanced La-incorporated Hf-silicate gate dielectrics using physical-vapor-deposition-based in situ method and its effective work function modulation of metal/high-k stacks Effective work function engineering by lanthanide ion implantation of metal-oxide semiconductor gate stacks It was found that applying a capping layer has an important impact on the work function ͑WF͒ of Mo gated metal-oxide semiconductor stacks. Before any postmanufacturing thermal treatment, uncapped Mo has a similar WF as one capped with a TaC layer. However, after forming gas anneal ͑FGA͒, the uncapped Mo gate exhibits a significantly higher WF than the TaC capped one does. This is understood as O incorporation during deposition, storage or FGA, and its subsequent piling up at the Mo/dielectric interface during FGA in the former case, which is an effect prevented by TaC capping.