Se-hoon Oh

TiN/HfO/sub 2//TiN capacitor technology applicable to 70 nm generation DRAMs

We have developed a cylindrical TiN/HfO/sub 2//TiN (TIT) capacitor for 70 nm DRAMs application. TIT capacitors with HfO/sub 2/ films deposited by ALD(Atomic Layer Deposition) using Hf(NEtMe)/sub 4/ precursor and O/sub 2/ plasma as a reactant is shown to be applicable to DRAM device below 70 nm design rule for the first time. It shows the thermal budget endurance against back-end process of DRAM device as well as the very low enough Toxeq of about 13 /spl Aring/ to provide the sufficient cell capacitance.

New approaches to improve the endurance of TiN/HfO/sub 2//TiN capacitor during the back-end process for 70nm DRAM device

We have successfully developed a MIM capacitor process technology with a HfO/sub 2/ single layer deposited by ALD (atomic layer deposition), where a Hf(NEtMe)4 and CVD-TiN cylinder-type storage-node were used as a Hf liquid source and bottom electrode for 90 nm-scale DRAMs. Our experimental results indicated that NH/sub 3/-plasma treatment on HfO/sub 2/ film promoted crystallization below 400/spl deg/C as well as the formation of a HfO/sub x/N/sub y/ layer on the surface of the HfO/sub 2/ film. With this treatment, it was possible to solve the degradation problem of the leakage current depending on deposition method of the top electrode, and a stable leakage current without degradation was obtained up to 550/spl deg/C. As a result, a TiN/HfO/sub 2//TiN (TIT) capacitor with 1.4 /spl mu/m-height storage node was successfully demonstrated with stable leakage current of 1fA/cell at +1.2 V and high cell capacitance of 40 fF after metal-2 integration.