Mann-Ho Cho

Thermal stability and structural characteristics of HfO2 films on Si (100) grown by atomic-layer deposition

The thermal stability and structural characteristics for gate stack structure of HfO2 dielectrics deposited by atomic-layer deposition (ALD) were investigated. The structural characteristics and chemical state of the HfO2 films in relation to the film thickness and postannealing temperature were examined by x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. An interfacial layer of hafnium silicate with an amorphous structure was grown on the oxidized Si substrate at an initial growth stage. The structural characteristics of the HfO2 films are closely affected by the interfacial layer and are depended on the thickness of the films. The 45 A thick HfO2 film with an amorphous structure was changed into a polycrystalline structure after rapid temperature annealing of 750 °C for 5 min, while thicker films were grown into a polycrystalline structure of monoclinic or tetragonal crystal structure. The silicate layer grown at the interfacial region is not stable even at 700 °C under ultrahigh vacuum condition...

Interfacial characteristics of HfO2 grown on nitrided Ge (100) substrates by atomic-layer deposition

The microstructural and electrical properties of Ge-based metal–oxide–semiconductor capacitors containing high-k gate dielectric layers were investigated with and without the presence of a GeOxNy interface layer. The effect of this nitrided layer on thermal stability of the metal oxide/Ge structures was probed by medium energy ion energy spectroscopy (MEIS). Atomic-layer deposited HfO2 on a chemical oxide-terminated Ge (100) surface exhibited poor capacitance–voltage behavior; however, direct substrate surface nitridation at 600°C in NH3 ambient before HfO2 deposition improved the carrier trapping characteristics. Diffusion of metal impurities (including Hf) into the interfacial oxide/Ge-substrate may be an important source of the measured degradation of electrical properties. MEIS results suggested that the GeOxNy interface layer may inhibit Hf diffusion into the underlying semiconductor at the temperatures investigated.

Dielectric characteristics of Al2O3–HfO2 nanolaminates on Si(100)

The structural characteristics and the chemical state of a HfO2–Al2O3 nanolaminate structure, depending on the postannealing temperature, were examined by x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The structural stability is significantly enhanced up to 870 °C and so is able to sustain its amorphous and laminate structure. However, the laminate structure is drastically broken at the annealing temperature of 920 °C and the crystallization is locally generated. In particular, the formation of the interfacial layer during the postannealing treatment is effectively suppressed in the nanolaminated structure. The dielectric constant of the nanolaminate structure calculated from the accumulation capacitance increases from ∼10 to ∼17 as the annealing temperature increases. This change is closely related to the degree of the mixture composed by Al2O3 and HfO2.

Epitaxial growth of Y2O3 films on Si(100) without an interfacial oxide layer

Heteroepitaxial Y2O3 films were grown on Si(100) substrates by the technique of reactive ionized cluster beam deposition. The crystallinity of the films was investigated with reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), glancing angle x-ray diffraction (GXRD), and the interface was examined by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Under the condition of 5 kV acceleration voltage at the substrate temperature of 800 °C, the Y2O3 film grows epitaxially on the Si(100) substrate. RHEED and GXRD results revealed that the epitaxial relationship between Y2O3 and Si(100) is Y2O3(110)//Si(100), and HRTEM observation showed a sharp interface without an amorphous layer.

Improved Growth Behavior of Atomic-Layer-Deposited High-k Dielectrics on Multilayer MoS2 by Oxygen Plasma Pretreatment

We report on the effect of oxygen plasma treatment of two-dimensional multilayer MoS2 crystals on the subsequent growth of Al2O3 and HfO2 films, which were formed by atomic layer deposition (ALD) using trimethylaluminum and tetrakis-(ethylmethylamino)hafnium metal precursors, respectively, with water oxidant. Due to the formation of an ultrathin Mo-oxide layer on the MoS2 surface, the surface coverage of Al2O3 and HfO2 films was significantly improved compared to those on pristine MoS2, even at a high ALD temperature. These results indicate that the surface modification of MoS2 by oxygen plasma treatment can have a major impact on the subsequent deposition of high-k thin films, with important implications on their integration in thin film transistors.

Band gap and band offsets for ultrathin (HfO2)x(SiO2)1−x dielectric films on Si (100)

Energy band profile of ultrathin Hf silicate dielectrics, grown by atomic layer deposition, was studied by using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and reflection electron energy loss spectroscopy. The band gap energy only slightly increases from 5.52eV for (HfO2)0.75(SiO2)0.25 to 6.10eV for (HfO2)0.25(SiO2)0.75, which is much smaller than 8.90eV for SiO2. For ultrathin Hf silicate dielectrics, the band gap is mainly determined by the Hf 5d conduction band state and the O 2p valence band state. The corresponding conduction band offsets are in the vicinity of 1eV, which satisfies the minimum requirement for the carrier barrier heights.

Change in the chemical state and thermal stability of HfO2 by the incorporation of Al2O3

Al2O3 incorporated HfO2 films grown by atomic layer deposition were investigated using various measurement tools. The accumulation capacitance of the Al2O3 incorporated into HfO2 film increases as the postannealing temperature increases because of changes in interfacial and upper layer thickness and in interfacial stoichiometry. The core-level energy state of a 15 A thick film shows a shift to higher binding energy, as the result of silicate formation and Al2O3 incorporation. The incorporation of Al2O3 into the HfO2 film has no effect on silicate formation at the interface between the film and Si, while the ionic bonding characteristics and hybridization effects are enhanced compared to a pure HfO2 film. Any dissociated Al2O3 on the film surface is completely removed by a vacuum annealing treatment over 850 °C, while HfO2 contributes to Hf silicide formation on the surface of the film.

Changes in the electronic structures and optical band gap of Ge2Sb2Te5 and N-doped Ge2Sb2Te5 during phase transition

Changes in the electronic structures of Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) and N-doped Ge2Sb2Te5 film during the phase transition from an amorphous to a crystalline phase were studied using synchrotron radiation high-resolution x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. The changes in tetrahedral and octahedral coordinated Ge 3d peaks are closely related to the changes in the chemical bonding state of GST films. The metallic Sb peak in the Sb 4d spectra of annealed GST films demonstrates that the metallic Sb atoms become segregated during thermal treatment resulting in phase separation. The incorporation of nitrogen into the GST film affects its structure and chemical bonding state, resulting in the suppression of crystallization. The incorporation of nitrogen also increases the optical band gap of the film due to the formation of a nitride.

GROWTH STAGE OF CRYSTALLINE Y2O3 FILM ON SI(100) GROWN BY AN IONIZED CLUSTER BEAM DEPOSITION

We investigated the initial and epitaxial growth stage of Y2O3/Si(100) grown by reactive ionized cluster beam deposition, using x-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscope, and reflection high-energy electron diffraction. We also investigated the crystalline structure of the films using transmission electron microscopy and XRD. The preferred growth direction of Y2O3 grown by an ion beam changed completely from the 〈111〉 to the 〈110〉 orientation in order to minimize the overall energy of the film as the substrate temperature increased. In addition to the kinetic energy of the deposited atoms, oxygen partial pressure and the substrate surface state also bear a relationship to the change in the preferred growth direction. The crystalline growth of Y2O3 film depends on the state of the surface at the initial growth stage, whether the Si surface was first exposed to oxygen or yttrium. In particular, the silicon oxide layer which formed on the Si surface during the initial growth stage played an important ...

Effect of polysilicon gate on the flatband voltage shift and mobility degradation for ALD-Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ gate dielectric

Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ (EOT=22.7 /spl Aring/) gate dielectric layer formed by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) process have been characterized for sub-100 nm CMOS devices. The gate leakage current was 3 orders of magnitude lower than that of SiO/sub 2/ and the hysteresis of C-V curve was not observed. However, the negative fixed charge induced the flat band voltage (Vfb) shift and degraded the channel mobility of MOS transistor. The Vfb shift was reduced and channel mobility was improved by applying P+ gate by BF/sub 2/ implantation. It is suggested that the phosphorous diffused from gate polysilicon has a role of network modifier in Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ film and formation of the Al-O- dangling bond which may be ascribed to negative fixed charge.