Ryohei Asahara

Comprehensive study and design of scaled metal/high-k/Ge gate stacks with ultrathin aluminum oxide interlayers

Advanced metal/high-k/Ge gate stacks with a sub-nm equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) and improved interface properties were demonstrated by controlling interface reactions using ultrathin aluminum oxide (AlOx) interlayers. A step-by-step in situ procedure by deposition of AlOx and hafnium oxide (HfOx) layers on Ge and subsequent plasma oxidation was conducted to fabricate Pt/HfO2/AlOx/GeOx/Ge stacked structures. Comprehensive study by means of physical and electrical characterizations revealed distinct impacts of AlOx interlayers, plasma oxidation, and metal electrodes serving as capping layers on EOT scaling, improved interface quality, and thermal stability of the stacks. Aggressive EOT scaling down to 0.56 nm and very low interface state density of 2.4 × 1011 cm−2eV−1 with a sub-nm EOT and sufficient thermal stability were achieved by systematic process optimization.

Comprehensive study on initial thermal oxidation of GaN(0001) surface and subsequent oxide growth in dry oxygen ambient

Initial oxidation of gallium nitride (GaN) (0001) epilayers and subsequent growth of thermal oxides in dry oxygen ambient were investigated by means of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy, and x-ray diffraction measurements. It was found that initial oxide formation tends to saturate at temperatures below 800 °C, whereas the selective growth of small oxide grains proceeds at dislocations in the epilayers, followed by noticeable grain growth, leading to a rough surface morphology at higher oxidation temperatures. This indicates that oxide growth and its morphology are crucially dependent on the defect density in the GaN epilayers. Structural characterizations also reveal that polycrystalline α- and β-phase Ga2O3 grains in an epitaxial relation with the GaN substrate are formed from the initial stage of the oxide growth. We propose a comprehensive model for GaN oxidation mediated by nitrogen removal and mass transport and discuss the model on the basis of ex...

Effect of nitrogen incorporation into Al-based gate insulators in AlON/AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor structures

The superior physical and electrical properties of aluminum oxynitride (AlON) gate dielectrics on AlGaN/GaN substrates in terms of thermal stability, reliability, and interface quality were demonstrated by direct AlON deposition and subsequent annealing. Nitrogen incorporation into alumina was proven to be beneficial both for suppressing intermixing at the insulator/AlGaN interface and reducing the number of electrical defects in Al2O3 films. Consequently, we achieved high-quality AlON/AlGaN/GaN metal–oxide–semiconductor capacitors with improved stability against charge injection and a reduced interface state density as low as 1.2 × 1011 cm−2 eV−1. The impact of nitrogen incorporation into the insulator will be discussed on the basis of experimental findings.

Improved interface properties of GaN-based metal-oxide-semiconductor devices with thin Ga-oxide interlayers

The impact of thin Ga-oxide (GaOx) interlayers on the electrical properties of GaN-based metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices was systematically investigated. Thin thermal oxides formed at around 900 °C were found to be beneficial for improving the electrical properties of insulator/GaN interfaces, despite the fact that thermal oxidation of GaN surfaces at high temperatures proceeds by means of grain growth. Consequently, well-behaved capacitance-voltage characteristics of SiO2/GaOx/n-GaN stacked MOS capacitors with an interface state density (Dit) as low as 1.7 × 1011 cm−2 eV−1 were demonstrated. Moreover, the Dit value was further reduced for the SiO2/GaOx/GaN capacitor with a 2-nm-thick sputter-deposited GaOx interlayer. These results clearly indicate the intrinsically superior nature of the oxide/GaN interfaces and provide plausible guiding principles for fabricating high-performance GaN-MOS devices with thin GaOx interlayers.

Insights into thermal diffusion of germanium and oxygen atoms in HfO2/GeO2/Ge gate stacks and their suppressed reaction with atomically thin AlOx interlayers

The thermal diffusion of germanium and oxygen atoms in HfO2/GeO2/Ge gate stacks was comprehensively evaluated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry combined with an isotopic labeling technique. It was found that 18O-tracers composing the GeO2 underlayers diffuse within the HfO2 overlayers based on Ficks law with the low activation energy of about 0.5 eV. Although out-diffusion of the germanium atoms through HfO2 also proceeded at the low temperatures of around 200 °C, the diffusing germanium atoms preferentially segregated on the HfO2 surfaces, and the reaction was further enhanced at high temperatures with the assistance of GeO desorption. A technique to insert atomically thin AlOx interlayers between the HfO2 and GeO2 layers was proven to effectively suppress both of these independent germanium and oxygen intermixing reactions in the gate stacks.

Schottky source/drain germanium-based metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors with self-aligned NiGe/Ge junction and aggressively scaled high-k gate stack

Schottky source/drain (S/D) Ge-based metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) were fabricated by combining high permittivity (high-k) gate stacks with ultrathin AlOx interlayers and Fermi level depinning process by means of phosphorous ion implantation into NiGe/Ge contacts. Improved thermal stability of the metal/high-k/Ge stacks enabled self-aligned integration scheme for Schottky S/D complementary MOS applications. Significantly reduced parasitic resistance and aggressively scaled high-k gate stacks with sub-1-nm equivalent oxide thickness were demonstrated for both p- and n-channel Schottky Ge-FETs with the proposed combined technology.

Synchrotron radiation X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of Ti/Al ohmic contacts to n-type GaN: Key role of Al capping layers in interface scavenging reactions

Interface reactions between Ti-based electrodes and n-type GaN epilayers were investigated by synchrotron radiation X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Metallic Ga and thin TiN alloys were formed at the interface by subsequently depositing Al capping layers on ultrathin Ti layers even at room temperature. By comparing results from stacked Ti/Al and single Ti electrodes, the essential role of Al capping layers serving as an oxygen-scavenging element to produce reactive Ti underlayers was demonstrated. Further growth of the metallic interlayer during annealing was observed. A strategy for achieving low-resistance ohmic contacts to n-GaN with low-thermal-budget processing is discussed.

Sub-1-nm EOT Schottky source/drain Germanium CMOS technology with low-temperature self-aligned NiGe/Ge junctions

Schottky source/drain Ge-based n-and p-MOSFETs with sub-1-nm EOT and significantly reduced parasitic resistance were demonstrated for the first time. This technology involves two key processes: thermally stable high-quality metal/high-k/Ge gate stack and self-aligned formation of Fermi level pinned and unpinned NiGe/Ge junctions. The P+ implantation into embedded NiGe S/D and subsequent low-temperature annealing were effective in reducing effective electron Schottky barrier height (eSBH) at NiGe/Ge interfaces.