John J. Yurkas

Fabrication of midgap metal gates compatible with ultrathin dielectrics

A process has been described which can produce a midgap tungsten gate compatible with the current and future complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor technology. The tungsten was deposited directly onto a 3.0 nm SiO2 gate dielectric without measurable degradation of any of its electrical properties. The tungsten deposition process yields no reactive or corrosive by-products that affect the gate dielectric integrity. The tungsten film is found to be pure within the limits of several analytical techniques and the resistivity of the tungsten films was found to be within a factor of 2 of the bulk value.

Interface studies of tungsten gate metal–oxide–silicon capacitors

The Si/SiO2 interface in 100-nm-thick chemical vapor deposition (CVD) tungsten gate metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) structures exhibits high interface state densities (Dit0>5×1011/cm2 eV) after conventional forming gas anneals over varying temperatures and times. In this letter, we show this is a consequence of the low diffusivity and solubility of molecular hydrogen in tungsten and the high temperature CVD process. We have discovered that atomic hydrogen is more effective in passivating tungsten gate MOS interfaces because of its higher diffusivity in tungsten. Atomic hydrogen can be produced (1) by the reaction of aluminum with water vapor when aluminum is evaporated on the top of tungsten, (2) by hydrogen implantation, and (3) by hydrogen plasma. These techniques can passivate the Si/SiO2 interface effectively in MOS structures (Dit0<5×1010/cm2 eV) with 100-nm thick CVD tungsten gates.

A simple in situ method to detect graphene formation at SiC surfaces

We describe a simple method to detect the formation of graphene during Si sublimation from SiC surfaces at elevated temperature. The method exploits differences in the thermionic emission current density between graphene and SiC. When graphene forms, the thermionic current from the sample increases by a factor of about 20. The increase in thermionic emission can be detected in situ using a biased plate located near the sample. The ability to detect when graphene forms during processing is useful in optimizing graphene synthesis processes.

Low Temperature Selective Area Chemical Vapor Deposition of Gold Films: Growth and Characterization

Substrate-selective, low-temperature chemical vapor deposition of high quality gold filmswas obtained with the new precursor ethyl(trimethylphosphine)gold(I) in an ultrahigh vacuum reactor designed to handle wafers up to 3 inches in diameter. Growth behavior at temperatures as low as room temperature as well as substrate pre-cleaning procedures are presented. Activation energies of 35.1 ± 0.4 kcal mol −1 and 18.3 ± 0.7 kcal mol −1 were found for growth of gold films on gold and copper substrates, respectively.